The regular season of the NWSL will be Sebastian's pick. There is a time and a place for it.
The National Women's Soccer League showed some of its potential at Saturday's Challenge Cup final, but the match also showed how far the league has to go.
The North Carolina Courage won the title with a 2-1 victory over the Washington Spirit. The Courage's Brazilian duo of Debinha and Kerolin was electric for much of the match, while the Spirit battled to the end through its attacking trio of Trinity Rodman, Ashly Hatch, and Michael Barrios.
The bonus pool of $10,000 to each player on the winning team and $5,000 for their opponents is ten-fold increase from past iteration of the NWSL Challenge Cup. In the absence of VAR or video-assisted refereeing, it seemed to heighten the game's intensity, which the officials failed to punish in dangerous moments.
Courage manager Sean Nahas said that it came down to competing.
He said that he talked to the players about their individual responsibilities so that they could collectively be great. Everyone did their job. We are exhausted. Our team is tired.
It was a game of attrition and the quality was raised in a few moments. The NWSL regular season started last weekend and the final came just three days after the midweek semifinal round, as well as the fact that the fixture pileup was happening so early in the season. The quality of the match was affected by that.
- 2022 NWSL regular season guide: the storylines as the league hits 10th year
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access
The players were tired and it was a matter of who was more fit. It is really disappointing for a final. I think you want to see two teams that are playing the best football that they can.
By the end of the game, injuries began to pile up as the officials failed to keep dangerous moments in check. Kerolin hobbled off with an ankle injury with 20 minutes left in regulation time after a nasty tackle in the box from Sam Staab that looked like it should have been an obvious red card. Even though he suffered a double blow to the head on the game-winner, the Spirit keeper stayed in the match.
The scariest injury came in the second half when the head of Jordan Baggett made contact with the ground following a challenge involving Debinha. The time it took for the arrival of a stretcher seemed painfully long, with the Spirit's players running out to help speed up the stretcher.
Kris Ward said that Baggett was taken to the hospital and that the team would follow. He didn't know a lot beyond that.
The fact that Baggett was smiling on the broadcast was a good sign, but it also showed that the league has some ways to go in terms of player safety. The Challenge Cup was a reminder of the work still to be done after the 2021 season was marred by allegations of verbal and physical abuse that led to half the team's coaches leaving their jobs.
As for how the Challenge Cup could be changed in the future to avoid overworking players, Ward expressed confidence that needed changes would be made. The Challenge started in 2020 as a replacement for the regular season, but evolved into a preseason tournament since, which this year overlaps with the beginning of the regular season.
There is a lot of discussion about how we can make the Cup the best it can be.
I think it is part of the growth and we will just continue to talk amongst ourselves as the league coaches and league personnel about what the best format looks like going forward with the parameters that are in place.
The Courage's ability to threaten in transition versus Washington's press was at the center of the match. The Courage had the upper hand for most of the first half, and broke on top in the 10th minute when Debinha broke free of the Spirit's Kelley O'Hara. The Brazilian duo continued to threaten but a combination of stellar keeping from Kingsbury and some careless finishing kept North Carolina from extending its lead.
Sean Nahas said he changed his formation to conserve energy.
He said that it kept their legs fresh and didn't stretch them out. It is not easy when you are used to pressing one way and the players are disciplined.
Washington was back in the game in the 35th minute, thanks to the Spirit's press and aggression in the middle. Hatch's well-placed shot went in off the far post after Rodman played her in on goal.
The Courage came back in the second half. In the 65th minute, Diana Ordo had a chance to score after being set up by Debinha, but she missed. The referee was unmoved by the fact that the Courage should have been awarded a penalty three minutes later due to Staab's tackle on Kerolin.
There was no sense of injustice in the score. The delivery from the ensuing corner was nodded towards goal by Ordo and then the ball went off Taylor Aylmer for an own goal. The win and bonus was claimed by the Courage after 12 minutes of injury time.
It is nice to raise a trophy but it is also nice to have money, according to Courage defender Carson Pickett.
There is more to the investment in the game. The hope is that the NWSL will notice.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
