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Christine Sinclair’s Scoring Drought Continues
The Portland Thorns travelled to Boston last Sunday and managed to break their four game winless streak with a 2-1 win over the Breakers. While the result kept the Thorns at the top of the table, and put a damper on the Breakers hopes of sneaking into the post season, the match served to further Christine Sinclair’s scoring drought.
Sinclair last scored from the run of play (in both NWSL and international play) in an April 27th 2-0 Thorns win over Chicago. While she netted a penalty kick on May 25th in a 1-0 win over Seattle, Sinclair has not had the killer scoring touch that we have all seen since that time.
Has her overall play been subpar? Absolutely not. The fact that she has played most of the season in the attacking midfield position hasn’t left her with many chances on net. However, she has served the role of playmaker exceptionally well during this time, sending in a half dozen or so dangerous crosses and through balls over the past few games.
Has her finishing been subpar? By Sinclair standards, yes. She mis-hit two close range chances in the Thorns’ last two home games and looked shocked at her feeble attempt after both. Most notably, Sinclair came close to scoring last Sunday when she beat the Boston keeper with a chip in the 17th minute that just ended up hitting the crossbar.
Having been moved back into her natural striker position after midfielder Tobin Heath joined the squad two weeks ago, Sinclair will continue to get an increasing number of opportunities on goal and you have to think the scoring floodgates will open soon.
Scott and Sesselmann Continue to Excel with FC Kansas City
Two consecutive wins this past week for FC Kansas City, a 2-0 win over Seattle and a 3-0 win against Boston, have put them back at the top of the NWSL table. Contributions from both Desiree Scott and Lauren Sesselmann were monumental in ensuring Kansas City escaped this week with two clean sheets.
Scott, who has been praised by many this season for her solid midfield ball winning, showed not only her defensive presence this week but also a willingness to go forward. Scott had a particularly dangerous run in the 76th minute on Wednesday, when she won the ball and carried it along the edge of Boston’s 18-yard box to set up an opportunity on goal for Merritt Mathias.
Sesselmann has played much of the second half of FC Kansas City’s season at centre back, one spot over from her usual left back position. Injuries to Canada’s backline forced Sesselmann into the CB position last year at the Olympic games, and it is encouraging to see her able to continue to effectively play that position when needed. The CB pairing of Sesselmann and US international Becky Sauerbrunn has proved to be a positive move for coach Vlatko Andonovski.
Boston’s Playoff Hopes Dwindling
Two consecutive losses this week have put a damper on the post-season hopes of the Boston Breakers. From a Canadian perspective, it has been unnerving to have two of Canada’s usual starters on the back line in Rhian Wilkinson and Carmelina Moscato not getting many minutes for Boston.
Both Wilkinson and Moscato did not play in Sunday’s loss to the Thorns. On Wednesday, Rhian Wilkinson was subbed into the midfield in the 62nd minute as Boston looked for an equalizer when trailing FC Kansas City by one goal. Carmelina Moscato saw her first significant minutes since her trade to Boston on June 30th when she was subbed on in the 75th minute on Wednesday. However, both Wilkinson and Moscato were unspectacular for Boston as FC Kansas City were able to add two more goals in the 85th and 90th minutes.
Chicago’s Playoff Hopes Hit a Snag in Seattle
While a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit on Saturday further increased Chicago’s chances of challenging for the fourth and final playoff spot, a 4-1 loss on Thursday in Seattle may have ended that campaign.
Kaylyn Kyle had a hand in Seattle’s positive result on Thursday, winning balls in the air both defensively and on the attack. Kyle put a header on goal off a Seattle corner kick in the 24th minute, which was blocked by the arm of Chicago’s Adriana Leon. Leon earned a yellow card for the handball that denied a clear goal, and Kyle stepped up to bury the penalty kick. Erin McLeod did not get much help from her defense in all four of the Seattle goals on the night.
It’s a shame that a team like Seattle, who have been playing very well in the second half of the season (with the exception being their 2-0 loss last Saturday in Kansas) will not, barring any huge blowups from the top four, make the playoffs.
Week 15 Results
Chicago Red Stars 1, Washington Spirit 0
FC Kansas City 2, Seattle Reign FC 0
Boston Breakers 0, Portland Thorns FC 3,
Western New York Flash 3, Sky Blue FC 0
Boston Breakers 0, FC Kansas City 3
Seattle Reign FC 4, Chicago Red Stars 1
Week 16 Schedule
Saturday July 27th
Boston Breakers at Washington Spirit (7:00pm ET)
Sunday July 28th
Chicago Red Stars at Portland Thorns FC (7:00pm ET)
FC Kansas City at Sky Blue FC (6:00pm ET)
Wednesday July 31st
Washington Spirit at Western New York Flash (7:05pm ET)
Sky Blue FC at Portland Thorns FC (10:30pm ET)
All games can be seen live on the NWSL Youtube Channel.
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