#hailie davidson

[arcticdementor]

Last Tuesday, millions of Americans watched in disbelief as counties and states across the nation bloomed bright, overwhelming red with Donald Trump winning both the popular vote and the Electoral College. A race so imbalanced that no amount of misplaced blame on third-party voters can account for the 3 million vote difference between Kamala Harris and Trump. The next morning, there was a curtain of disbelief throughout liberal circles — how could anyone vote for that man? Let alone the majority?  These expressions of confusion flooded social media, but the nation’s surge toward conservatism and, more specifically, Trumpism, should not be surprising. If anything, these reactions to an all-red federal government say less about Trump’s appeal and more about naivety toward rising fascist sentiments. His securing both the Electoral College and the popular vote aligns well with the growing attachment to fascist ideals, something Trump has openly embraced throughout his campaigns. 

…

Trump supporters worship a cult of counterculture delusion, blind to their own fascist tendencies, but they are not alone. In the aftermath of the election, it has become clear that many liberals are oblivious to this as well, not only in the shock many express at the results but even in their own relationship to authoritarianism.  How can you explain such a great loss for Harris? Many look to ignorance or bigotry, but the answer is far more complex than that: fascism has been rejuvenated in recent years, and less unacceptable than in the recent past. It also means recognizing that Trump supporters are, to some extent, fascists and that this label is not as far removed from any voter as we would like to believe it is. 

[incorrectnwsl]

USWNT March Madness - First Round

Alright friends, all of the polls are LIVE all 32 polls are linked here for ease of access. Get to voting!

WEST (top left)

Carli Lloyd vs Alyssa Thompson

Lynn Williams vs Andi Sullivan

Julie Ertz vs Ashley Hatch

Amy Rodriguez vs Casey Murphy

Rose Lavelle vs Ashley Sanchez

Shannon Boxx vs Hailie Mace

Sydney Leroux vs Sofia Huerta

Alex Morgan vs Jane Campbell

SOUTH (top right)

Christie Pearce vs Bethany Balcer

Allie Long vs Whitney Engen

Lori Chalupny vs Trinity Rodman

Lauren Cheney vs Adrianna Franch

Alyssa Naeher vs Catarina Macario

Tobin Heath vs Jaelene Hinkle 

Abby Dahlkemper vs Ashlyn Harris

Megan Rapinoe vs Savannah McCaskill 

NORTH (bottom left)

Abby Wambach vs Megan Oyster

Kristie Mewis vs Casey Krueger

Ali Krieger vs Naomi Girma

Crystal Dunn vs Taylor Smith

Morgan Gautrat vs Jessica McDonald

Christen Press vs Stephanie McCaffrey

Meghan Klingenberg vs Emily Fox

Becky Sauerbrunn vs Kealia Watt

EAST (bottom right)

Heather O’Reilly vs Morgan Weaver

Tierna Davidson vs Sophia Smith

Mal Swanson vs Taylor Kornieck

Lindsey Horan vs McCall Zerboni

Sam Mewis vs Alana Cook

Kelley O’Hara vs Jaelin Howell

Emily Sonnett vs Midge Purce

Hope Solo vs Sam Coffey

I think they’re all linked correctly, but let me know if there’s an error.

[uswnt-24-7]

23 PLAYERS SELECTED FOR USWNT CAMP IN CALIFORNIA

GOALKEEPERS (3)

Adrianna Franch (0/0), Ashlyn Harris (16/0), Alyssa Naeher (32/0)

DEFENDERS (7)

Abby Dahlkemper (22/0), Tierna Davidson (10/0), Hailie Mace (1/0), Kelley O’Hara (107/2), Becky Sauerbrunn (141/0), Casey Short (24/0), Emily Sonnett (20/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7)

Morgan Brian (77/6), Julie Ertz (64/16), Lindsey Horan (54/6), Rose Lavelle (11/3), Carli Lloyd (257/100), Samantha Mewis (37/7), McCall Zerboni (5/0)

FORWARDS (6)

Crystal Dunn (67/23), Tobin Heath (136/20), Alex Morgan (145/90), Christen Press (103/44), Mallory Pugh (35/11), Megan Rapinoe (140/38)

[newbiesquadgoals]

2018 USWNT SHEBELIEVES CUP ROSTER

[aj521z]

Soooo ready for this Stanford vs. UCLA game

[ffschweden]

NWSL kickar igång med draften

NWSL kickar igång med draften

I dag hölls den årliga “draften”, denna gång i Chicago. De nio klubbarna i NWSL fick plocka de bästa fotbollsspelare från landets universiteter enligt en noggrant sammanställt rangordning där Chicago Red Stars hade första valet.

Och inte oväntat föll Chicagos val på Tierna Davidson, 20-åringen som spelade för Stanford Cardinals i Kalifornien, samma universitetslag som t.e. Christen Pressspela…

[wosouswntpride]

NWSL Draft 2019

1st Round

1st: Chicago Red Stars - Tierna Davidson (Stanford)

2nd: Sky Blue FC - Hailie Mace (UCLA)

3rd: Washington Spirit - Jordan Dibasi (Stanford)

4th: Washington Spirit - Samantha Staab (Clemson)

5th: North Carolina Courage - Leah Pruitt (University of Southern California)

6th: Sky Blue FC - Julia Ashley (University of North Carolina)

7th: Washington Spirit - Tegan McGrady (Stanford)

8th: Washington Spirit - Dorian Bailey (University of North Carolina)

9th: North Carolina Courage - Hailey Harbison (Pepperdine)

2nd Round

10th: Sky Blue FC - Paige Monaghan (Butler)

11th: Sky Blue FC - Julie James (Baylor)

12th: Houston Dash - Ally Prisock (University of Southern California)

13th: Houston Dash - Cece Kizer (Mississippi)

14th: North Carolina Courage - Lauren Milliet (Colorado College)

15th: Chicago Red Stars - Maria Sanchez (Santa Clara University)

16th: Houston Dash - Betsy Brandon (University of Virginia)

17th: Washington Spirit - Bayley Feist (Wake Forest)

18th: Houston Dash - Kayla McCoy (Duke)

3rd Round

19th: Sky Blue FC - Kyra Carusa (Georgetown)

20th: Chicago Red Stars - Bianca St. Georges (West Virginia University)

21st: Houston Dash - Jazmin Jackmon (Oregon)

22nd: Houston Dash - Grace Cutler (West Virginia University)

23rd: Utah Royals - Michelle Maemone (Pepperdine)

24th: Portland Thorns - Emily Ogle (Penn State)

25th: Orlando Pride - Erin Greening (University of Colorado Boulder)

26th: Chicago Red Stars - Kayla Sharples (Northwestern)

27th: Utah Royals - Madeline Nolf (Penn State)

4th Round

28th: Sky Blue FC - Kaylin Marckese (Florida)

29th: Sky Blue FC - Kenie Wright (Rutgers)

30th: Orlando Pride - Marisa Viggiano (Northwestern) 

31st: Chicago Red Stars - April Bockin (Minnesota)

32nd: Utah Royals - Alexandra Kimball (University of North Carolina)

33rd: Chicago Red Stars - Hannah Davison (Northwestern)

34th: Sky Blue FC - Sabrina Flores (Notre Dame)

35th: Chicago Red Stars - Jenna Szczesny (Loyola Chicago)

36th: North Carolina Courage - Kaycie Tillman (Florida State)

[leahgoaltonfc]

Okay here’s my mock draft

1 Chicago Tierna Davidson

2 Sky Blue Hailie Mace

3 Sky Blue Julia Ashley

4 Washington Tegan McGrady

5 North Carolina Emily Ogle

6 Sky Blue Ally Prisock

7 Washington Bianca St. Georges

8 Washington Kayla Sharples

9 North Carolina Jordan DiBiasi

10 Sky Blue Maddie Nolf

11 Sky Blue Caitlin Farrell

12 Houston Dorian Bailey

13 Houston Sam Staab

14 North Carolina Marisa Viggiano

15 Chicago Kyra Carusa

16 Houston CeCe Kizer

17 Portland Leah Pruit

18 Houston Kayla McCoy

19 Sky Blue Mimi Asom

20 Chicago Julie James

21 Houston Hailey Harbison

22 Houston Bayley Feist

23 Utah Hayley Skolmoski

24 Chicago Maria Sanchez

25 Orlando Kaycie Tillman

26 Chicago April Bockin

27 Utah Marissa Everett

28 Sky Blue Kendall Ritchie

29 Washington Jemma Purfield

30 Orlando Devon Kerr

31 Washington Marie Levasseur

32 Utah Jorian Baucom

33 Chicago Alison Jahansouz/Abbie Boswell (I have a feeling AJ will get to Chicago one way or another. but they may pick boswell who is a reserve player of theirs)

34 Sky Blue Maddie Pogarch

35 Portland Peyton Perea

36 North Carolina Samantha Leshnak

Honorable Mentions: Franny Cerny, Hannah Davidson, Jazmin Jackmon, Alex Kimball, Paige Monaghan, Maddie Pokorny, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, and Vera Varis 

edit: oh shit i forgot Maddy Haro. i think she’ll factor in somewhere

[pleaserelaxfc]

NWSL Challenge Cup Thoughts: Week 3, Central

Current Standings:

Kansas City Current: 4 pts

Chicago Red Stars: 3 pts (+1 GD)

Houston Dash: 3 pts (-1 GD)

Racing Louisville: 1 pt

Two come-from-behind results in the Central division last week have given Kansas City the lead here, although every team is still very much in it. The Red Stars and the Current, now in the top two spots in the table, have both announced season-ending injuries to some of their top players this week (Lynn Williams for the Current and Tierna Davidson for the Red Stars) so they may both need to reorganize themselves to adjust to those losses.

Last Week's Games:

Racing vs. Dash, 2-3:

Racing came out surprisingly strong here, with two really skillful goals from Kristen Davis and Jess McDonald in the first half. However, the Dash made some positional changes at half-time and came back the stronger side, ultimately scoring three goals to give the Dash their first win of the Cup.

For Racing, Kirsten Davis seems to have found her footing - after looking a little shaky in her first start, she was very strong in last week's game. Jaelin Howell is probably on her way there, but doesn't seem to have settled in quite as well yet - she seemed a bit hesitant to run at Dash players in general (although at some point she did get into some amusing shenanigans with Shea Groom). Addisyn Merrick continues to be very solid at center back, and looks like she could be a good long-term partner for Gemma Bonner there. Also, Julia Lester had to come in late in the first half after Emily Fox came out under concussion protocols, and seemed to slip into the team nicely given that she had only been with them for less than a week - that will be an important piece to shore up the shallow back line in Louisville.

The Dash didn't seem to be at their best in the first half - in particular, María Sánchez wasn't getting on the ball as much as she did against the Red Stars. However, at half time they brought Julia Ashley and Makamae Gomera-Stevens on in place of Shea Groom and Kelcie Hedge, and moved Sophie Schmidt into the midfield with Ashley replacing her in the back line. This seemed to open up more opportunities to get Sánchez onto the ball, and she was crucial in creating goals for the Dash. Ashley also seemed to hold up pretty well as a center back - there had been some gaps in the defensive line before halftime, and notably, a miscommunication between goalkeeper Jane Campbell and center backs Schmidt and Katie Naughton allowed Davis her goal. Allysha Chapman is still going strong at left back, but she also got very, very lucky not to be sent off with a second yellow card (a couple of times). The Dash have called Ally Prisock back from her loan to France, and I'm interested to see whether that is to address some questions at outside back or if it's to shore up the center back depth so that Schmidt can move back into the midfield permanently.

Red Stars vs. Current, 1-2:

The Red Stars got on the board in the first half with a goal from Vanessa DiBernardo that took such a deflection that AD Franch couldn't get anywhere near it, and they looked the slightly more dominant team for most of the game. In the second half, though, Hailie Mace scored an absolute banger, and then followed it up with an assist off of a weird bounce to allow Kristen Hamilton to score the winning goal in the eighty-sixth minute.

The Red Stars continued to work on their three-back system, this time with Kayla Sharples in for Tierna Davidson, and for a long stretch of the game it seemed to work. Mal Pugh is still doing insane things on the ball, and there were a lot of moments where she came very close to scoring or creating another goal for the Red Stars. With Tierna Davidson now out with an ACL injury for the rest of the season, and the defense already down several of their mainstays, Chicago will need to rely heavily on Pugh's ability to create goals (and to defend in the attacking half), and on several defenders with little or no experience in the league.

The Current were already playing without Lynn Williams, and with Sam Mewis limited only to one half, so it isn't terribly surprising that they struggled to create much in the way of goalscoring opportunities, but their rookie center backs held up admirably and kept the Red Stars to one goal going into halftime. Mace, one of the Current's first acquisitions demonstrated how important she was to the team throughout, and although Hamilton seemed to be struggling to make an impact for a while, she ultimately did well to keep herself onside and then convert on the opportunity that Mace opened up for her. Elyse Bennett also impressed after coming on for about twenty minutes - hopefully she is able to keep that up with Williams out long-term and the forward ranks pretty shallow for the Current.

This Week's Games:

Red Stars vs. Racing (7:30, 3/30):

I'm leaning towards a 2-2 draw here - both teams have shown that they can score, but also have some weaknesses in defense, and I'm not sure that either will outshine the other tonight.

Dash vs. Current (8:30, 3/30):

Risky wager (or it would be, if I were actually wagering anything), but I'm going to lean towards the Current again here, with another 2-1 scoreline. I think the win last week against the Red Stars probably did a lot of good for their confidence, especially since they got both goals without Mewis or Williams on the field.

[pressingtobinheath]

I hope they bring in a few college players like Tierna Davidson, tegan mcgrady and hailie mace or ashley Sanchez. Also maybe a youth national team player like Sophia Smith

Well they always have a U23 camp at the same time and then call up some of the girls to train with the full team

[junker-town]

The USWNT won Olympic qualifying and proved that it’s still a machine

Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images

New head coach Vlatko Andonovski still has a few tough lineup decisions to answer, but the USWNT looks just as dangerous as it did during the 2019 World Cup.

The United States Women’s National Team will be playing in the Olympics after winning the qualifying tournament with relative ease, scoring 25 goals and conceding none over five games. Canada provided a stiff test in the first half of Sunday’s final, but struggled for fitness late, and the Americans posted a 3-0 victory to cap a successful tournament.

New manager Vlatko Andonovski kept his predecessor Jill Ellis’ preferred team mostly intact, making safe lineup decisions to ensure qualification. He’ll now look forward to the SheBelieves Cup in March, when he’ll get to experiment a bit more against England, Spain and Japan.

Here’s what we learned from the USWNT’s Olympic qualifying campaign.

Andonovski isn’t taking chances yet

Andonovski was the most qualified candidate to succeed Ellis for reasons outside of his tactical philosophy, but the fact that he favored a style of play familiar to members of the USWNT was certainly a bonus. While players have spoken up about the positive changes Andonovski has made in training, the team’s core principles remain the same.

The USWNT still likes to play a 4-3-3 with a holding midfielder and two midfielders running forward. One of the wingers still mostly makes cuts inside, while the other still more often stays wide and sends in crosses. The striker still has to drop deep to link up the midfield and attack, and the fullbacks still have license to get forward, though usually not both at the same time.

That’s not to say Andonovski hasn’t made some noticeable changes. The team looks a lot more coordinated when it loses the ball now, with a better understanding of when to press aggressively and when to drop into shape. Build-up out of the back looks a bit cleaner. If anything’s gotten worse, it’s that the team doesn’t look quite as fluid in the final third as it did when the front line of Alex Morgan, Tobin Heath and Megan Rapinoe could be written in permanent marker on the lineup card.

But Andonovski is, for the most part, sticking with the same USWNT that won the World Cup. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

Still no answers at center forward

The one big problem Andonovski needs to solve is who his starting center forward is going to be. Morgan is going to attempt to make the Olympic team, but a return to top form just three months after having a baby would be unprecedented, and Andonovski has to plan as if Morgan will be unavailable.

Andonovski didn’t get any clear answers about who should take over during qualifying. The trio of Carli Lloyd, Lynn Williams and Jessica McDonald all had their positive moments, but none cemented themselves as the undeniable first choice.

Williams was arguably the best of the three, scoring three goals during qualifying and providing this assist for Rapinoe in the final against Canada.

Rapinoe makes it 3-0. We're swooning over that Williams pass. pic.twitter.com/hToJWwQtfr

— Our Game Magazine (@OurGameMagazine) February 10, 2020

But there’s a chance Andonovski saw the situation differently. He started Lloyd in the semifinal against Mexico, the match that mattered for qualification, so it appears that the job is still hers to lose. Lloyd is a boom-or-bust player, and figuring out what to do with her would be difficult.

Left wing and central midfield aren’t settled, either

Notably, Christen Press didn’t see much time at center forward. Many fans assumed that she’d be in contention to take over from Morgan, but Andonovski appears to see her as a winger, in competition with Rapinoe and Heath for playing time. A front line of Heath, Press and Rapinoe seems like an obvious way for Andonovski to get his best talent on the pitch, but it appears that he wants a more physical presence than Press through the center.

There’s also an ongoing competition in the center of midfield, where it’s not clear if Sam Mewis or Lindsey Horan is going to be favored going forward. Making either of those two players sit on the bench seems outrageously harsh. Both have consistently been top performers for the USWNT and their clubs, and they are two of the five best midfielders in the world. But stylistically, neither can replace the tricky Rose Lavelle or defensive-minded Julie Ertz, so they have to compete with each other.

Of course, these difficult lineup decisions might not matter in the long run. Olympic competition consists of just 16 teams of 18 players each, and condenses six games into two weeks. Every single player on the Olympics roster will be needed to play big roles throughout the competition. At the end of the day, all of Rapinoe, Press, Heath, Horan and Mewis will likely play a similar number of minutes if the United States makes its way to the gold medal match.

The back line looks just like it did during the World Cup

While Andonovski might make some alterations to Ellis’ preferred front line, he doesn’t seem to have any interest in messing up the back line’s chemistry. Many people speculated that Crystal Dunn would move higher up the pitch after the coaching change, but she was the only player who played in every game of Olympics qualifying, and she played left back.

The quartet of Dunn, Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper and Kelley O’Hara appear set to stay together through the Olympics.

Expect the USWNT to really experiment at SheBelieves

A qualifying tournament is not the place to mess around, even if you know you have the best team. But the SheBelieves Cup, which takes place in March, will be perfect for trying out new players and tactics.

Youngsters Sophia Smith, Mallory Pugh, Alana Cook and Tierna Davidson could all see playing time in that tournament if they’re healthy. While none of them are favorites to make the Olympics given the small size of the squad, they are the team’s best young talents, and they deserve a chance to make cases for themselves.

Andonovski could also take a look at one or more of his project defenders. Cook and Davidson are established pros on the back line, but Margaret Purce, Hailie Mace and Imani Dorsey are fighting to prove that they’re national team level defenders, too. All three of them are converted forwards who will need some seasoning to master their new roles.

Playing the safest possible team to ensure Olympics qualification made sense. Now Andonovski has to find out what other great players he has waiting in the wings.

[last3braincellswhodis]

does anyone else have parents who close their eyes whenever there is a kissing scene in a movie and kids are around them, but whenever they r alone they can be caught watching porn.I want to know why isn't it my age to question about love,sex,gender.Like im more mature than quite a population of adults in this world when it comes to relationships.Take for example Justin Bieber??Been engaged since so many months and started dating haily literally 2 months after being caughting hooking up w Sel?I mean wtf.Priyanka and nick Jonas...although they know each other for 2 yrs,each of them have had so many relationships in their life I really want to know what makes them think this might workout,ariana and Pete Davidson-just have one thing to say-WHAT WAS THAT!?Kylie Jenner-dating someone else, having kids w someone else...I mean ik I don't know full details about their relationships but why is EACH AND EVERY CELEBRITY RELATIONSHIP SO CONTROVERSIAL AND DISINGENUOUS LOOKING??like don't they get real feelings?Also,I DONT GET IT HOW DO PEOPLE HAVE ARRANGE MARRIAGES??why would u spend ur whole life with a person u don't even like or okay started liking out of compulsion because your parents made you meet for the purpose of marriage.Like the only reason why u start liking the person is bec uk that u both have met in the end to prolly get married.HOW TF R U GENUINE OUT HERE.PERSONALLY IF I NEVER FIND SOMEONE WHO LOVE IN MY LIFE I WOULD LOVE TO REMAIN SINGLE.And okay even if u get married thru arrange for the purpose of money or cuz ur parents forced u to or something like that...Y would u have sex w the dude??Like not even kidding im sooo genophobic!I feel like my parents r hypocrites when they tell me sexual scenes in movies is an example of bad character, or wearing short clothes is a bad thing...I mean LETS BE FUCKING REAL TO HAVE KIDS U GOTTS TO GETS NAKEE NAKEE!!nd ur telling me not to wear short clothes?wtf.Like I get ppl get embarrassed when talked abt how they too have sexual desires nd watch porn n shit but like atleast don't be such hypocrite??I FEEL AS LONG AS A KID IS MATURE ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND THINGS THEY SHOULD BE FREE TO QUESTION PARENTS ABOUT IT.DONT CARE IF U GET EMBARRASSED I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHETHER I AM A PRODUCT OF SEX!Also,am I the only one who gets affected for literally 2 years straight and regrets hardcore on a bad relationship each and every second nd strives to make myself a better person just bec I screwed up a relationship in fucking 9th grade??like am I the only one??cuz ppl around me literally don't give to fucks about who nd what type of person they want to spend their life with...they date a hundred people in a year, break off an engagement and still look pretty much unaffected and in full swing to start off another relationship the next day.ND DUDE ANOTHER QUESTION IS IM 16 WHEN WILL I GET SEX EDUCATION???not even kidding a sixth grader told me abt sex when I was in 8th and its been haunting me ever since.ANSWER MY GODDAMN QUESTIONS UNIVERSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THIS ISNT A QUESTION ABOUT SOMEONE’S PERSONAL LIFE ITS A QUESTION ABOUT HUMANITY!!!!!

[tx-fns]

How is hailie mace as a defender compared to davidson? same ish level?

Not even close. 

[wosouswntpride]

NWSL College Draft 2019 1st Round

1st: Chicago Red Stars - Tierna Davidson (Stanford)

2nd: Sky Blue FC - Hailie Mace (UCLA)

3rd: Washington Spirit - Jordan Dibasi (Stanford)

4th: Washington Spirit - Samantha Staab (Clemson)

5th: North Carolina Courage - Leah Pruitt (University of Southern California)

6th: Sky Blue FC - Julia Ashley (University of North Carolina)

7th: Washington Spirit - Tegan McGrady (Stanford)

8th: Washington Spirit - Dorian Bailey (University of North Carolina)

9th: North Carolina Courage - Hailey Harbison (Pepperdine)

[investmart007]

CARSON, Calif | US women beat Chile in warmup for World Cup qualifying

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/LNlRN6

CARSON, Calif | US women beat Chile in warmup for World Cup qualifying

CARSON, Calif  — Tierna Davidson scored her first career goal, Christen Press added a second-half goal and the U.S. women’s national team extended its unbeaten streak to 20 games with a 3-0 victory over Chile in an exhibition match Friday night.

Four weeks after winning the Tournament of Nations in Illinois, the Americans looked fairly sharp in their first-ever meeting with Chile in front of a large and lively Southern California crowd.

“This was a good game in terms of our preparation for qualifiers,” coach Jill Ellis said. “It was two good halves. But I think we’ve got room for improvement.”

The U.S. improved to 17-0-3 since last year’s Tournament of Nations. Ellis used 17 players and experimented with combinations in this comfortable friendly for the world’s No. 1-ranked team.

Those experiments should yield results that will aid Ellis’ preparations for games that matter against tougher opponents.

The sides will play another exhibition in San Jose on Tuesday in the Americans’ final warmup match before the start of World Cup qualifying in early October.

“When you’re planning for a tournament or for World Cup qualifiers, you want to put a lot of clubs in your bag,” Ellis said.

“There are just things that players have to execute in a game to get a feeling for it.”

Chile is already ticketed for its first World Cup next year due to its second-place finish in the Copa America, but the Americans demonstrated superior speed and organization from the start. The U.S. went ahead early when the 19-year-old Davidson got her head on Tobin Heath’s corner.

The U.S. extended its lead on a Chilean own-goal, and Press scored on a tap-in in the 59th minute. Press also had two apparent goals taken off the board by a zealous American referee, disappointing a near-capacity crowd of 23,544 at StubHub Center, the team’s most frequently used home venue. The crowd was the second-largest to see the U.S. women this year.

Davidson, who is fresh off an NCAA title at Stanford, is getting regular call-ups this year as the youngest player on the U.S. roster.

She is only the second teenager since 2013 to play for the team.

The U.S. went up 2-0 in the 32nd minute when Chile defender Carla Guerrero blocked Julie Ertz’s header with her chest, but couldn’t stop the ricochet from crossing the line.

Before the game, US Soccer recognized Press, who grew up a short drive from Carson, for becoming the 37th woman to play in 100 matches earlier in the year.

Press, who wore the captain’s armband, then caught Julie Foudy for 13th place in team history with her 45th career goal — but only after having two scores denied by the officials.

Press converted a penalty in first-half injury time, but the goal was waved off. In a curious interpretation of soccer rules, the referee made the call because Crystal Dunn had committed a foul at the top of the box before the kick.

“It was really weird after the penalty,” Press said. “I thought it was a goal. No idea what happened, and then (the Chileans) were off transitioning. No time for explanations, and then we were off to halftime. I think the focus for us was just to raise the level and bring more quality.”

Press then banged home a clean header off Davidson’s corner kick in the 56th minute, but it too was waved off, apparently for an unrelated foul in the box.

Megan Rapinoe is skipping both friendlies against Chile to rest her injured rib from NWSL play.

UCLA defender Hailie Mace made her second career appearance for the U.S. as a second-half substitute.

By GREG BEACHAM, Associated Press

[pleaserelaxfc]

Pregame: Chicago Red Stars vs. KC (August 28)

I don't know what I'm doing or what I really want this blog to be so....I'm just gonna put some thoughts about what I expect and what I think will be interesting about this game here.

Full disclosure: I don't follow either of these teams particularly closely, but since they're the only game on tomorrow, I thought it would be a good experiment for whatever this format might be. Since I don't follow them particularly closely, a lot of this might be completely off-base!

Background:

Chicago was expected to be a pretty solid team this year, with several USWNT players and a few league stars, but have had more downs than ups this season. Some of that may be attributable to Julie Ertz's first-game-of-the-season injury (although they didn't have a particularly strong Challenge Cup showing, and the defensive midfield hasn't been their weakest area), and some due to the unusually high number of players that they had out for the Olympics (but here, they did have an unusually good streak right after most players left), but most of it seems to be that they just haven't been able to hit the back of the net as often as they should - with sixteen goals in sixteen games, their goals-per-game ratio is the third-lowest in the league, despite having both Kealia Watt and Mal Pugh (as well as national team replacement player Own Goal) in their attack.

They are currently sitting at seventh in the league, just outside of playoff position based on tiebreaks, although definitely within a six- or seven-team group vying for the final four playoff spots. All but one of the other teams in that pack has at least one game in hand on them, however, and as we get closer to the end of the season, that is beginning to matter more than it did even a month ago.

Kansas City, technically an expansion team, pretty much adopted the Utah Royals' roster - or what was left of it. Once Dell Loy Hansen stepped back from (and stopped putting money into) the Royals, they had to enter into a few transactions that netted them cash, essentially to keep them afloat. Coming into the 2021 season, KC had no USWNT players (Becky Sauerbrunn having gone to Portland before the 2020 season, Christen Press having been taken in the Racing Louisville expansion draft, which did entitle the Royals to a good chunk of allocation money, and Kelley O'Hara having been traded to the Washington Spirit for allocation money shortly thereafter). The season did not get off to a great start for them - it took until their fourteenth game of the season to get a win, with even their draws fairly few and far between before then.

However, the team has made a few trades in recent weeks, getting Kristen Hamilton, Hailie Mace, and Kaitlyn Rowland from North Carolina in exchange for Amy Rodriguez and some cash, and AD Franch from the Thorns in exchange for Abby Smith (and some cash), and have now won two of their last three games. For anybody keeping track, that's six points in their last three games, and four points in the thirteen before that. They still probably won't make the playoffs (the cutoff for making the playoffs isn't going to be lower than 26, so they would need to take at least 16 of the remaining 24 points available to them - which would require something between winning two-thirds of their remaining games, and winning half of them and tying the other half - and likely will be higher).

Momentum:

Chicago and KC have played against each other once this year in the regular season (a 2-0 win for Chicago), as well as once in the Challenge Cup (a 1-1 draw).

My favorite fun fact is that the last NWSL match for each of these teams was against 9th-place Louisville - KC won their match 2-1 on Wednesday, and Chicago drew 1-1 the Wednesday before (ultimately losing on penalty kicks for the purposes of the Women's Cup).

KC played Louisville on Wednesday, after playing the North Carolina Courage the Saturday before, so they may be trying to get some rotation here. I would expect it's more likely that they use their regular starters here, but sub them off earlier, unless it's a particularly tight game. Chicago played twice the week before (including a Sunday game against PSG), so they have at least had slightly more time to recover.

Chicago will have some players back from the Olympics that it had been missing for a while, but they won't have Alyssa Naeher or Julie Ertz, who are both dealing with injuries picked up in Japan. They will also be missing Danielle Colaprico and Vanessa DiBernardo with injury.

KC didn't lose as many key players to the Olympics, but it looks like Desiree Scott should be back available for selection, and AD Franch (traded to KC post-Olympics) will likely start again. Rachel Corsie is listed as questionable, and Jordyn Listro and Taylor Leach are still out.

Predictions:

Scoreline: Chicago 0-1 KC

Chicago XI (4-2-3-1):

GK: Miller

4: Wright; Davidson; Gorden; Krueger

2: Gautrat; Woldmoe

3: Watt; Johnson*; Pugh

1: Hill

KC XI** (4-4-2/4-3-3):

GK: Franch

4: Weber; Edmonds; Ball; K. Pickett

3: V. Pickett; Bowen, Labonta

3: Hamilton; McCain; Mace

Hot Takes and Full Disclosure:

*Seeing some rumors online regarding Katie Johnson to a LigaMX team - I'm not sure how reliable those are or if they are speculation, so since no announcement has been made, I'm leaving her in the lineup for now.

I would love to see Tierna Davidson get some minutes at left back, both at the club and the national team level. I've got the XI that I think the Red Stars will go with above, but honestly I would love for that back line to shift to Davidson - Sharples - Gorden - Krueger.

** This is the lineup that they've gone with the last three games running, except for in goal, which I think is a no-brainer right now. However, it seems like the team is now developing a lot of attacking talent, with Hamilton and Mace seeming to be the designated experienced forwards. I'd love to see Silva and/or Larroquette getting more minutes than they are currently - maybe without McCain in the XI, Hamilton moving to a more central position, and Silva coming in on the left wing with Mace on the right?