Originally published May 2, 2014
Seattle Reign FC (4-0-0) looks to extend their winning streak to five games as they travel to Boyds, Maryland to face the Washington Spirit (2-2-0) at 6:30 PM on Saturday May 3rd.
The Reign have been dominant thus for this season, however, they have also had the benefit of one of the easiest schedules in the league. They have played two teams that didn’t make the playoffs in 2013, an expansion team, and a team that made the playoffs last year, but has struggled early on in 2014.
The Spirit are off to a mixed start as they have lost 3-1 to both Seattle and Western New York. However, they are currently third in the table due to wins over FC Kansas City and the Chicago Red Stars.
In their first matchup of the season, just over a week ago, Seattle cruised to a 3-1 win. However, Spirit head coach Mark Parsons noted that there were some positive takeaways from the game despite the loss. “I am really proud of the players efforts and characters they showed in the Seattle game,” said Parsons. “When we finished the game, it showed us that we have grown a lot. Not just with our mentality, but also with ability.”
The Reign played their first away match of the season against Sky Blue on Wednesday in monsoon-like conditions so it is difficult to judge their away form. The forecast for Saturday is in the mid 60s and partly cloudy, so the match should be better indication of how Seattle keeps their form away from home.
The Spirit have yet to display the type of movement and fluidity they did in preseason for a full 90 minute match. So far, the Spirit have been fairly content to play deep and defend, hoping to score on the counter. Parsons explained “for us to get the fluidity we saw in preseason against an NWSL team it’s going to take a game where we have more of the ball than our opposition and it’s going to be a couple of games of that so we get used to finding the same holes and pockets.”
Parsons also noted that he is looking for forwards Jodie Taylor and Renae Cuellar to break through in the upcoming match. “Jodie and Renae haven’t really had any clear cut opportunities yet,” said Parsons. “Those are two players that aren’t on the score sheet yet that we know have goals in them.”
In addition to more offensive output from his forwards, Parsons also believes that the tactical flexibility of his side could be crucial for victory. “When you play everyone three times there isn’t often many surprises, but I think one thing that we have already provided in most games is we always look a bit different depending on the strategy,” he explained. “Every other team has looked really similar. Same strategy, same style, and almost the same players.”
It will be interesting to see if Parsons changes his game plan from the previous match up. After a full week of rest and the benefit of a home game, he may look to open up the game more than their last meeting. With the myriad offensive threats of the Reign, it will still be difficult for the Spirit do much more than sit back and defend. However, if the Spirit can score early, like they did against Kansas City, it will allow them to defend without throwing players forward to come back from behind.
Christine Nairn went off the field in stoppage time during the last meeting between the two teams and she did not play against Chicago last weekend. However, Parsons said Nairn was expected to train this week and will hopefully be fit for the match.
Megan Rapinoe did not travel with the Reign on their East Coast road trip due to a left foot contusion. Nahomi Kawasumi has taken her place in the starting line up and has become an essential piece of the Reign offensive attack.
Saturday’s match kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET at the SoccerPlex. The game will be broadcast on the NWSL YouTube channel. The Soccer Desk will continue to provide Spirit coverage throughout the season.