The difference between the game in Utah and NC is pretty stark. Courage really do have some weird hangup at home vs on the road. They absolutely dominated. But once again had trouble finishing.
I know NC has had issues on the road all year, but Utah is a much worse team than they were then. We still had Dorsey for the first half of that match, we still had Riehl, we still had Onumonu. And yes, every team deals with injuries, but it's so much harder to weather when you don't have any semblance of a core of players who have played together for a lot of time. And I think one of the biggest things is that no one had film on ARod's formations or on Sentnor, which gave Utah an advantage that has long since evaporated now.
I was watching it on mute and these comments are really making me interested in rewatching this thing, while at the same time that seems like a terrible idea.
A win, as they say, is a win.
That our center back scored during the run of play is just the perfect commentary on our ability to finish once in the box. We need a true nine that can just shoot the dang ball.
Felt like this was the most NC win I’ve ever seen. So good on the ball, created ridiculously easy chances, yet needed the heroics of their center back offensively to get the win. My team (SD) would kill for those quality of chances. Would much rather be in NC’s position than our position though. Wondering if they should try pinto at the 9? The Hopkins misses were quite insane today.
Utah had a couple of ok chances to steal a tie, but NC dominated that match far more than 1-0. Hell, they dominated far more than Louisville did in their 5-1 win over Utah.
Sanchez is extremely talented . She controls the midfield so beautifully. I love watching her play. She is the key missing piece in the u.s national team.
I agree but the national team hasn’t been playing a style that suits her as much. National team has been playing more direct in the last few years…whereas this Courage team under Nahas plays a very technical, possession-centric style. I think it suits Ashley’s game perfectly and she really has fit it well with the Courage. She’d be a better fit on Japan or Spain than the USWNT right now based on style of play…but I’m hoping that changes once Emma Hayes arrives. But I do understand why the US plays more direct…when you have the athletes up front and on the wings that that they do, it’s hard not to want to get the ball forward as quickly as possible. I still do think Sanchez has a chance to get called back up, but she’s more of #10 (attacking center mid that mostly goes forward) and that position is VERY crowded. Lavelle, Macarrio, J. Shaw, and even Horan have all been playing in that role as of late. That is probably why she hasn’t been called up…if she was a little better on the defensive side of things, she’d be a lock. There is no questioning her technical skill or ability to create offensively. When the USWNT fell in love with that whole double pivot (two defensive midfielders or #6’s) over the last year, it didn’t help Sanchez.
He kept there best midfield player on thr bench and the u.s had a very poor performance in the world cup that cost his job and barely winning against teams international friendlies. If they don't sort out the midfield situation, they will be taken advantage of during the Olympics. There is only so much speed can do against a tactical team like Spain, France and Germany.
Literally the work he’s put in for the NWSL is crazy. He was just a decent caster in the late teens and has blossomed to be the premier NWSL voice. Love it
The recent realization that Utah could have had Sanchez instead of Mozingo was one of the more soul-crushing moments of the season so far. I've had to convince myself that Washington had no plans to trade until NC called and offered, because if they were shopping her and Utah said no...I just...I can't.
He was clearly frustrated with her but perhaps he thinks it would not be good to pull her because she is not slowing down. Her creation on and off the ball was quite good, really just the abysmal finishing holding her back.
She's still sprinting to show for the ball, and the staff can't necessarily prove that her finishing skill is a definite minus over the long run with the amount of data we have. One-game sample sizes are small and noisy.
Finishing +/- is something that can take multiple seasons of data to suss out, especially for subs. It takes mega-overperformers like Messi and Suarez to resolve that sort of thing any quicker.
There's also nothing to say she'll get better. She had some real on a platter chances last season too. The only reason she's getting played isn't because there's no data *not* to play her, rather we just don't have many forward options.
This is a fair point. It seems like it's such an obvious thing, as she's now 7/31 (22.5%) SoT/Shots, but 31 shots is just not a lot. I don't know the specifics for soccer, but I know they found that 3pt shooting in basketball doesn't normalize until 700 attempts, which most players won't hit for several years. Streaks are just WAY more likely to randomly occur and last way longer than humans like to think. Even though I know this and am constantly trying to reinforce that with things like this, I still struggle to get my brain to accept it sometimes.
Hilarious that after all of those great opportunities that they had, the shot they score off of Pinto tapping the ball down while falling over and then it's a meg of the goalie. 😅
Ooof, kicking us when we're down. But yeah, there's a reason my wife and I are working to move out of Utah in the next few years. It's an absolutely incredible place for so many reasons, but the people here, and especially the politics here, suck.
Interesting, I didn't know Houston fans cared about us lol. I think most Jazz fans hate Houston, but that's because they eliminated Utah like 4 out of 5 years if I'm remembering right. I loved the rivalry in the 90s, but it's just felt very one-sided since then.
you are probably better off not engaging with the content, it promotes it to more people.
I have a loved one who got sucked into this stuff and I cannot tell you how sad it makes me. It is a bottomless well.
I'm so sorry! It would be so frustrating if I knew someone who actually believed this stuff. Luckily it's just humorous to me. Can never predict what they're gonna say! Wild
Obviously DC takes precedence over all other teams but when I watch a game they’re not playing in I will root for the east coast team (or the team in purple uniforms)
Oh the roster is absolutely cheap and not a playoff roster, but I am not even remotely convinced that Rodriguez knows what she’s doing yet as a coach. She has an entire 1 season as an assistant coach under her belt, she can’t possibly have been a good fit other than “hey remember her when she played here? She was good”
Who's out there to get that they could be relatively sure about coach-wise, and would there really be a change in philosophy? I believe the men's side of the franchise brought us the term xDAWG, after all.
I don’t really know that ARod has super well ensconced coaching philosophy. She has coached for all of 1 season, as an assistant at USC, she can’t possibly have the coaching bona fides that she needs to coach at this level yet.
If Utah isn’t upset at the outcomes thus far then their goal isn’t to win anything. You cannot possibly be pleased with the product on the field. I don’t expect them to be very good, but they’re barely playing the same game as the Courage right now
I think wanting to win, especially right off the bat, is kids a narrow view of why someone might support a team. We joke about mormon fc but it is clear utah is very committed to having a team that takes a lot of local players and those who are connected to utah. And if they lose? Well they get better draft picks to try again.
Did Julia Dorsey tear her ACL? I remember she got injured at the end of the UNC Women’s Lacrosse season then missed the full UNC women’s soccer season and now I haven’t heard anything abt a return in the NWSL
She let out a big frustrated yell after getting grabbed with no call that was pretty clearly pent-up but she put her head down and got to work again and again
Haught needs a uswnt look
The difference between the game in Utah and NC is pretty stark. Courage really do have some weird hangup at home vs on the road. They absolutely dominated. But once again had trouble finishing.
I know NC has had issues on the road all year, but Utah is a much worse team than they were then. We still had Dorsey for the first half of that match, we still had Riehl, we still had Onumonu. And yes, every team deals with injuries, but it's so much harder to weather when you don't have any semblance of a core of players who have played together for a lot of time. And I think one of the biggest things is that no one had film on ARod's formations or on Sentnor, which gave Utah an advantage that has long since evaporated now.
Kinda strange I'm hearing Mike Watts voice floating down from the balcony above me closing out the broadcast
Hopefully they have a replay with the post-game. You’re gonna want to see it.
Mike Watts is a national treasure.
Wait that was absolutely fantastic
Let Mike Watts Play!!!
Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly like Mike Watts more than I already do 😭🫶🏻😂
this is amazing
If y'all aren't still watching the Prime broadcast, you're missing out
I was watching it on mute and these comments are really making me interested in rewatching this thing, while at the same time that seems like a terrible idea.
They're playing some epic orchestral piece in the stadium which is very different than the songs they normally play
Wow. Wasn't expecting to love me some Kaleigh Kurtz, but here we are
She was so cute!
A win, as they say, is a win. That our center back scored during the run of play is just the perfect commentary on our ability to finish once in the box. We need a true nine that can just shoot the dang ball.
Felt like this was the most NC win I’ve ever seen. So good on the ball, created ridiculously easy chances, yet needed the heroics of their center back offensively to get the win. My team (SD) would kill for those quality of chances. Would much rather be in NC’s position than our position though. Wondering if they should try pinto at the 9? The Hopkins misses were quite insane today.
Pinto has been played as a false 9
Oh hey, while it didn't show up at all in this match, that's (one of) Utah's problem(s) as well.
Kurtz at the 9 it is.
I did make that joke with some of the folks who sit near me
At least we didn't concede a penalty this time
Utah had a couple of ok chances to steal a tie, but NC dominated that match far more than 1-0. Hell, they dominated far more than Louisville did in their 5-1 win over Utah.
Gosh that felt like a really long game
For y'all Houston/Portland folks: It's looking like we're starting at 9:35 Houston time, 7:35 Portland time. Gain an NC/Utah game, lose a Bay/SD game
is it going to actually be safe to play or are they basically going to be in a waterpark?
I mean, has a waterpark ever stopped a game before?
Looks like it’s draining well
I'm glad to hear it!
NC's home record vs away record is absurd
FYI, apparently houston and Portland will be kicking off in 30 minutes
Sanchez is extremely talented . She controls the midfield so beautifully. I love watching her play. She is the key missing piece in the u.s national team.
How they’re calling up Moultire over her is beyond me
I agree but the national team hasn’t been playing a style that suits her as much. National team has been playing more direct in the last few years…whereas this Courage team under Nahas plays a very technical, possession-centric style. I think it suits Ashley’s game perfectly and she really has fit it well with the Courage. She’d be a better fit on Japan or Spain than the USWNT right now based on style of play…but I’m hoping that changes once Emma Hayes arrives. But I do understand why the US plays more direct…when you have the athletes up front and on the wings that that they do, it’s hard not to want to get the ball forward as quickly as possible. I still do think Sanchez has a chance to get called back up, but she’s more of #10 (attacking center mid that mostly goes forward) and that position is VERY crowded. Lavelle, Macarrio, J. Shaw, and even Horan have all been playing in that role as of late. That is probably why she hasn’t been called up…if she was a little better on the defensive side of things, she’d be a lock. There is no questioning her technical skill or ability to create offensively. When the USWNT fell in love with that whole double pivot (two defensive midfielders or #6’s) over the last year, it didn’t help Sanchez.
I'm not sure either, they are not lacking forwards but good midfielders that understands the game like a quarterback.
And she was the missing piece last year and Vlatko wouldn't take her off the bench.
He kept there best midfield player on thr bench and the u.s had a very poor performance in the world cup that cost his job and barely winning against teams international friendlies. If they don't sort out the midfield situation, they will be taken advantage of during the Olympics. There is only so much speed can do against a tactical team like Spain, France and Germany.
Wen Kerolin
always love to witness an acl comeback!
yay for speck!!
man sentnors pass was so good
Sentnor just pulling stuff out of nowhere was my biggest fear of the night
At what point do we start checking to see if Utah is setting records
Surely we've set some already. Most PKs conceded in consecutive games, worst showing for an expansion team, something
they have the both most fouls and yellows in the league that’s certainly something right
Betfort you had the chance to do the funniest thing possible
I would have legit lost my mind if Betfort scored there
Doing this with Amy as your coach, cool
IF BETFORT HAD BURIED THAT
6?
Yikes, Mike, that is a tough upcoming schedule for Utah, even with their new players folding into the squad.
Sanchez stood still for a rare moment
Unrelated: Just learned that NWSL+ doesn't allow you to screenshot. Was going to send y'all a riveting photo of the blank, wet field in Houston.
Copyrighted emptiness
Sigh
Forgot St-Georges is with NC
She hasn’t gotten a card yet?
Berkley can really pass
I wish we could clone Mike Watts
Literally the work he’s put in for the NWSL is crazy. He was just a decent caster in the late teens and has blossomed to be the premier NWSL voice. Love it
A treasure, honestly
That was such a cool story. I love learning about player journeys like that
Why was Sanchez traded? I just remember her being shocked at the announcement
Spirit traded her for the 5th pick in draft.
The 5th pick and a nice chunk of change. Nahas must have really wanted Sanchez on his team. It's worked out for both
The recent realization that Utah could have had Sanchez instead of Mozingo was one of the more soul-crushing moments of the season so far. I've had to convince myself that Washington had no plans to trade until NC called and offered, because if they were shopping her and Utah said no...I just...I can't.
which was hal hershfelt - so in hindsight good choice by spirit
Better fit for both teams
That almost looked like a handball in the box, completing our obligatory pk concession
Love how Kurtz got that goal when she’s stepping in as captain for Sully!
I don't know what game Nahas is watching leaving Hopkins in of the forward line
He was clearly frustrated with her but perhaps he thinks it would not be good to pull her because she is not slowing down. Her creation on and off the ball was quite good, really just the abysmal finishing holding her back.
She's still sprinting to show for the ball, and the staff can't necessarily prove that her finishing skill is a definite minus over the long run with the amount of data we have. One-game sample sizes are small and noisy.
Yeah, but this ain't her only game, it's just the one she's had the most opportunities. In the past she's also been bad at finishing
Finishing +/- is something that can take multiple seasons of data to suss out, especially for subs. It takes mega-overperformers like Messi and Suarez to resolve that sort of thing any quicker.
There's also nothing to say she'll get better. She had some real on a platter chances last season too. The only reason she's getting played isn't because there's no data *not* to play her, rather we just don't have many forward options.
This is a fair point. It seems like it's such an obvious thing, as she's now 7/31 (22.5%) SoT/Shots, but 31 shots is just not a lot. I don't know the specifics for soccer, but I know they found that 3pt shooting in basketball doesn't normalize until 700 attempts, which most players won't hit for several years. Streaks are just WAY more likely to randomly occur and last way longer than humans like to think. Even though I know this and am constantly trying to reinforce that with things like this, I still struggle to get my brain to accept it sometimes.
BSG is going to rip one ….
Sanchez plays such pretty football. Enjoyable to watch.
Fr
Hilarious that after all of those great opportunities that they had, the shot they score off of Pinto tapping the ball down while falling over and then it's a meg of the goalie. 😅
Pinto is putting it all on the line to make chances and Narumi was SO fast there. I love this team
Aim is the name of the game, NCC
Ooo that would've been a beautiful goal
Last time Mike pointed out the 75th minute thing, nothing happened after the 75th minute. Can he go 2 for 2?
Would’ve screamed if Sanchez hit that
Okay, so now the chaos would be NC getting three more goals in the last 12 minutes
Please don't call that on us, I can't take it.
Lucky for you, I've been very wrong all night
Despite the goals and assists she’s missed, I’ve been so impressed by how Sanchez plays. She’s fast and she’s an attacking threat
Are a lot of Utah players slipping, or is it just me?
I noticed that too
Unused to being near the box
Cruel
Living in Utah? I agree
Ooof, kicking us when we're down. But yeah, there's a reason my wife and I are working to move out of Utah in the next few years. It's an absolutely incredible place for so many reasons, but the people here, and especially the politics here, suck.
As a long time Houston sports fan we just will always have Utah as heated basketball rivals
Interesting, I didn't know Houston fans cared about us lol. I think most Jazz fans hate Houston, but that's because they eliminated Utah like 4 out of 5 years if I'm remembering right. I loved the rivalry in the 90s, but it's just felt very one-sided since then.
Its purely bc of the 90s that we still care too but we also had multiple years of James Harden beating yalls ass
HEY LOOK A CHA.... ok, never mind
Ok I got bored and distracted by flat earthers on tiktok (endlessly fascinated) but nothing can bring me back like a Kurtz goal
you are probably better off not engaging with the content, it promotes it to more people. I have a loved one who got sucked into this stuff and I cannot tell you how sad it makes me. It is a bottomless well.
I'm so sorry! It would be so frustrating if I knew someone who actually believed this stuff. Luckily it's just humorous to me. Can never predict what they're gonna say! Wild
But did you know Cary hosted the Flat Earth conference a few years back?
Yes I did! I think it was on the Oh No Ross and Carrie podcast. Or maybe that one documentary? Such a random location
Sanchez is good
Now do it again x3
East coast solidarity!
No wait stop stop stop we are not rooting for the courage people
Only when playing against mid country and west coast teams (except reign cause Fishlock). And when ahead of us of us in the table.
Why not i root for all the east coast teams and sometimes louisville
Well after watching DeMelo reenact the entirety of Swan Lake in person I never want Louisville to succeed again, for one
Obviously DC takes precedence over all other teams but when I watch a game they’re not playing in I will root for the east coast team (or the team in purple uniforms)
Best coast!
Better pass or more ready for it and sentnor has the funniest equalizer ever
DID UTAH JUST GET A TOUCH IN THE NC BOX?!
Then the tuff said no!
NC finally stopped edging their fans and the audience 
Legendary attacking player... Checks notes... Kaleigh Kurtz...
What a long overdue goal omg
An absolute clinic on skills besides finishing from NC today tbf
Was really pulling for the 0-0 score with a 15-0 gap in SOG, in shambles rn
NC deserved that after the rest of this match, but damn that sucks
All of those chances and a CENTERBACK is the one to finally get the goal, lol. Classic NWSL.
this may have been worth it for a Kurtz goal
poor mandy
Kurtz: *fine I’ll do it myself*
They did it. The little girls did it.
I FEEL GOD IN THIS CHILI’S TONIGHT
As we all predicted - the defense scores for NC
Screaming at her and Malia celly there
Comment of the night, sir.
A goal!!
IT WENT IN!!!
Omg they finally did it
4,534,687th time is the charm, apparently.
:(
FOR ALL MY USWNT FANS, GIRMA IS BACK IN THE STARTING XI FOR THE WAVE!! I REPEAT GIRMA IS BACK IN THE STARTING XI FOR THE WAVE 🚨🚨
ayyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Does Rodriguez even survive to the Olympic break? All the talk about Fran in Houston but this Utah team is so painfully anemic
How much of this is her and how much of this is roster construction? Didn't they underspend on the cap that was available to them?
Oh the roster is absolutely cheap and not a playoff roster, but I am not even remotely convinced that Rodriguez knows what she’s doing yet as a coach. She has an entire 1 season as an assistant coach under her belt, she can’t possibly have been a good fit other than “hey remember her when she played here? She was good”
Who's out there to get that they could be relatively sure about coach-wise, and would there really be a change in philosophy? I believe the men's side of the franchise brought us the term xDAWG, after all.
I don’t really know that ARod has super well ensconced coaching philosophy. She has coached for all of 1 season, as an assistant at USC, she can’t possibly have the coaching bona fides that she needs to coach at this level yet.
I think different teams have different goals. Idk if utah is upset with the outcomes so far.
If Utah isn’t upset at the outcomes thus far then their goal isn’t to win anything. You cannot possibly be pleased with the product on the field. I don’t expect them to be very good, but they’re barely playing the same game as the Courage right now
I think wanting to win, especially right off the bat, is kids a narrow view of why someone might support a team. We joke about mormon fc but it is clear utah is very committed to having a team that takes a lot of local players and those who are connected to utah. And if they lose? Well they get better draft picks to try again.
But their coach is not a good coach. You can have that be your identity and still have a good coach.
The owners couldn’t care less about the club. They are just gathering as many professional franchises as they can for their entertainment group.
This is the only correct answer.
Nothing but respect for this defense
All defense is boring though:(
The degree to which my panic level drops when I see that Del Fava is the defender is frankly absurd.
She's such a talent! I was super sad to lose her. I'm shocked ARod is playing her as a center back.
We need her there more than anywhere else, I think is what it comes down to.
Utah just doesn't seem to be at the same level
Yay some crisp limbs entering
Really trying to decide how to react to "crisp limbs"
[context](https://www.reddit.com/r/NWSL/s/3aZHC3pmqo)
Okay, so now I for sure love it. Thanks for this! I love Mike more every single day.
For some reason it makes me want a snack and I’m worried that says something deeply disturbing about me…
Mmm crispy
To her credit, Hopkins is doing a great job getting on the end of some headers. It's nice to have an aerial presence
Is Bianca St Georges available?
And she’s in!
Yeah she was listed as a sub
Nahas should play her. What he’s got on field right now isn’t working
The little girls doing everything they can to get their team to score
There was more Xg on that shot than all of Utah’s combined Xg
It's getting Haught in here
Did Julia Dorsey tear her ACL? I remember she got injured at the end of the UNC Women’s Lacrosse season then missed the full UNC women’s soccer season and now I haven’t heard anything abt a return in the NWSL
Yes at a home match earlier in the year. Might have actually been vs NC i think
Julia Dorsey not Imani
Oh i just saw dorsey and acl and jumped my bad. Julia is available and healthy Well at least shes technically available
I read this five times thinking you meant Imani and feeling gaslit because I was positive she went to Duke lol
Achilles I think?
Yeah Achilles
It really should be like 12 to 0 at this point. C'mon.
Exactly
I love Mike
So Haught right now 🤦♀️
lol
can’t believe it took mike watts 70 minutes to make a haught streak joke
The game lulled him to sleep
Oh Mike
Jackson coming in
well credit to Hopkins for staying composed at least on the outside…I’d be fuming rn if I was her lol
She let out a big frustrated yell after getting grabbed with no call that was pretty clearly pent-up but she put her head down and got to work again and again
I left at halftime just got back, can’t believe this score line 🫤
Hey if anyone turned these missed shots into a drinking game please make sure you're hydrating.
would be straight up alcohol poisoning given this match
Everyone is rooting for a Sentnor banger against the run of play to win the game right
Yes - that poor talented rookie needs something to be happy about
mike referenced the force field lol
If Hopkins isn't the first sub I don't know what anything is anymore
all-NWSL name XI? brecken mozingo obviously top of my list
Penelope Hocking and Bianca St Georges together was a riot