Sounder At Heart - All Posts

See you on the other side

2023-08-18T21:00:00-07:00

Kayla Mehring

This site will mostly go dark this weekend as we prepare our move. In the meantime, you can visit us at PNWSoccerMedia.com.

UPDATE: We’re not exactly sure what time the switch is going to get flipped that moves us to our new platform, but it probably won’t be first thing in the morning on Monday. In the meantime, come see us at PNWSoccerMedia.com. Our big stress test on Sunday yielded some varying results, but things seem to have been fixed.

It was over a decade ago that Dave Clark first brought Sounder at Heart onto the SB Nation platform. The site and the media landscape have changed a lot since then. By now, you hopefully know that we’ve made the rather monumental decision to strike out on our own as a primarily reader-supported and independent website.

Assuming all goes well, when you visit this page on Monday that move will be complete. But over the weekend, this site will mostly go dark as we make that transition. We did some OL Reign coverage here tonight, but our follow-up coverage of their game, as well as our final World Cup open thread and most of our weekend game coverage of the Sounders-Atlanta game, can be found at our staging site PNWSoccerMedia.com.

The big thing to know about the move is you’ll need to create a new profile in order to comment. Although we’re still using Coral as our commenting platform, this will be a technically different version. It’s also important to note that it requires a different login than the one you might be using to access stories.

Speaking of accessing stories, this weekend is your last chance to take advantage of our founding members’ pricing. For now, you can buy into the Supporter membership tier for $50 for the first year and you can become an Advocate for $150/year, with the latter offer good for as long as you keep your membership active. There are also $19/year and $500/year memberships, but those prices aren’t changing. You can read about all four membership tiers here.

Although the discount coupons for those offers are no longer working, as long as you created your account by Sunday, we’ll honor that discount. If you just shoot me an email after you’ve agreed to pay the full price, I can manually apply it.

In the meantime, it’s been an absolute pleasure working for SB Nation/Vox Media over the last nine years. I’m super grateful that they’ve accommodated my request to make this move and I am blown away at how many of you have expressed your support. As I write this, we have nearly 700 paid subscribers signed up already. We still aren’t at a point where we are sustainable, but it does seem like we are off to a very good start.

With your help, I truly believe Sounder at Heart can be a beacon of hope for anyone who has become frustrated with the state of soccer media. We are purposefully avoiding investors or traditional ads because we think that serves our best interests as well as our readers’. If this works, we’d love to help other sites try something similar. Thank you for playing your part and remember, You’ll Never Yacht Alone.

OL Reign return to NWSL regular season play with 1-0 loss at Kansas City Current

2023-08-18T20:24:01-07:00

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

A missed penalty for the Reign saw KC take all three points.

The NWSL officially returns this weekend and OL Reign kicked off the weekend with a trip to Children’s Mercy Park to meet Kansas City Current. The two sides met earlier this season at Lumen Field with OL Reign picking up the 2-1 victory.

The return leg saw Kansas City avenge that June 10 loss with a 1-0 win. Cece Kizer scored Kansas City’s lone goal in the 61st minute.

OL Reign were awarded a penalty in the 73rd minute after a VAR check took longer than intended as the referee had to run back out onto the field and intervene in some extra-curriculars between Quinn and Kansas City goalkeeper Ad Franch while the referee was supposed to look at the monitor. Eventually the penalty was awarded to OL Reign and Jordyn Huitema had a chance to equalize, however it was saved by Franch.

While they are back from the World Cup, OL Reign’s US internationals were not available for selection in the match.

WHAT WORKED: THE LOW-BLOCK DARE

For the first half, OL Reign’s defensive approach was to dare Kansas City to beat them with something other than a counter. And for the most part, it worked. Part of it was that Kansas City wasn’t trying to create a different attack option, and Phallon Tullis-Joyce also made some great saves to keep it clean through the first 45.

WHAT WORKED: WELCOME BACK ANGELINA!

In the 89th minute, Angelina made her return to the field from an ACL injury she sustained last summer. Angelina was with Brazil at the World Cup as an injury replacement, but did not make an appearance.

Nothing but respect and celebration for Angelina in making her return to the field.

“I’m so proud of Ang for all the work she’s put in and I’m so happy to see her back on the field. It’s been a long time coming and she’s worked so hard and I’m excited to play with her again,” said teammate, midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt after the match about Angelina’s return.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK: SOMETIMES YOU GET BEAT BY A GOOD GOAL

All credit to Kansas City — they made their goal out of nothing. From a throw-in, a well-placed cross into the box by Izzy Rodriguez found an even better-timed run by Cece Kizer to get her head on the end of the cross and she placed perfectly, where a diving Tullis-Joyce couldn’t get a touch on it, for the goal.

CeCe Kizer is to give KC the lead! pic.twitter.com/ncTLOrlF6i
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 19, 2023

“They were trying to scuff the spot.”

Obviously a notable event in the match was how referee Karen Callado had to interrupt her VAR check to run back out onto the field, as there was a town hall meeting between Quinn and Kansas City goalkeeper AD Franch. While Callado was able to eventually return to the monitor and ultimately award the penalty to OL Reign, midfielder Quinn told media after the match that extra-curricular was because Current players were trying to scuff the grass at the spot.

“I wanted to make sure the spot wasn’t scuffed for Jordyn to be able to take her PK. I was trying to get them off the spot as quickly as possible before they ruined it, because you can’t get that grass back.”

“Throw-ins, probably.”

As much as Kansas City got their goal from a well-placed cross and well-timed header, the play started from a throw-in. OL Reign’s season opening loss at Washington Spirit was also from a goal that came off a throw-in. When asked in her post-game presser what was a takeaway she had from tonight’s match in terms of something the team needed to work on, head coach Laura Harvey said defense on throw-ins.

“I think we’ve gotta get back to understanding what we’re trying to do. We did some of it tonight, but we lacked quality in the final third. We lacked quality moving the ball through the thirds at time, but I was proud of the group. They dug in and they kept going, but we just needed some quality and they didn’t have it.”

The loss keeps OL Reign at 24 points, though their placement in the standings could change after the rest of the weekend’s matches.

OL Reign remain on the road next weekend as they return to the west coast, traveling to Los Angeles, to meet Angel City FC on Sunday August 27. In their previous meeting in the regular season, back on May 27, OL Reign beat ACFC, 4-1. Kickoff for next Sunday’s match is scheduled for 5 PM PT with the broadcast on Paramount+ for US viewers. Canadian viewers can watch on TSN+ in addition all other international viewers watching on NWSLsoccer.com.

(Editor’s note: comments are closed on this post as we migrate to our new server over the weekend. You can also find this recap published at PNWsoccermedia.com, where comments are open for discussion of this game.)

Realio’s midseason review: Strong start gives way to flagging performances

2023-08-18T17:00:00-07:00

Max Aquino/Sounder at Heart

Strong start gives way to flagging performances.

Ratings Overview

After an early exit from Leagues Cup, Seattle Sounders (and Realio) have had a lengthy break from soccer. Although still in fourth place in the Western Conference, recent results have soured many fans on Seattle’s ability to compete at all, let alone for trophies. This Sunday the team faces Atlanta with a chance to right the ship and determine what is left to play for this season. Below is a recap of ratings so far this year, and some thoughts on the rest of 2023.

To no one’s surprise, the team leader and top performer is TAM player João Paulo. Oblivious to the struggles around him, JP has a single below-MLS-average rating, and has five matches with an elite 8 score. He continues to outperform the rest of the team.

Following JP is the resurgent Yeimar who has improved his rating nearly a half point over his 2022 number. This is a return to form from a consistently stellar Sounder who is flourishing with a new partnership in the back.

Next is the steady Albert Rusnák, who is at a solid MLS+ level, but his single 8 and single 5 ratings show that while consistent, he isn’t volatile in either a good or bad direction.

Top homegrown talent output from Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan close out the top five, but both have barely played in half the matches available, and the team is clearly hurting when these quality talents aren’t consistently available. When around, Morris has provided 9g/1a, and Roldan’s 2g/1a vastly undersells his value to the team.

Unfortunately, some of the biggest names on the team are also the year’s biggest disappointments. DPs Lodeiro and Ruidíaz are vastly underperforming their norm: Nico over eight seasons has averaged 6.73 and Raúl over six years is at 6.56.

These are massive drops for players expected to carry a lot of weight. Nico (1g/8a) is still active and creative, but his role has greatly diminished. He’s often at odds with the personnel around him or with his perceived role. Raul (4g/0a) has only made 14 appearances and has looked off in a majority of them, failing to be the attacker that’s so desperately needed.

Included in this list is Heber, who after a hot 2g/1a start, hasn’t scored in months, and Obed Vargas who was given numerous starts next to JP but put in below-MLS-level performances. He was rated MLS average in only one match this season.

Stefan Frei leads the ratings here; he was included for his great stats: 11 clean sheets, .86 GAA, and five MOTM awards from ratings. Always a good goalie, these are some of the best stats of his career.

Jackson Ragen is a big reason for Frei’s numbers, as he’s increased his rating average from 5.78 last year to a well above-average MLS rating as a consistent starter. His strong defense and distribution fits well with the Seattle defense, and he has a high ceiling to continue to grow into.

Another defender surprise is Cody Baker who came out of nowhere to earn a hardship call up and earned a first team contract via solid play. His ratings range from 5 to 7, with many sub appearances dropping him slightly below MLS average, but he’s a flexible piece of the defensive unit.

Rounding out the group is Léo Chú, who burst onto the scene in 2023 by realizing his talent through co-leading the team with eight assists, adding three goals, and being a consistently dynamic option on the wing. He is earning a full point over last season’s average, developing from bench option to quality MLS asset. In 2023 so far he’s earned two 9s, two 8s, and four MOTM awards, showing an extremely high upside and being an essential part of the team’s creativity.

What does it all mean?

The first thing to jump out is that some players are indeed playing well, and the “Seattle Sounders are awful” narrative reflects some of the most recent performances, not the whole year. It seems like so long ago, but early in the year Seattle looked unstoppable. Cumulative numbers are averaging out, but we could return to the potential that we saw early on. This isn’t a bad team!

Since 2019 the Sounders have had between 10-13 players at the end of the year who cumulatively average 6 or above in these ratings. Currently, 12 players in 2023 are averaging MLS average (6); however two of them are the backup keeper and a guy signed this week who has one appearance, so Seattle is tracking with historic rating trends. The biggest difference is in the highest performers. Outside of 2022, typically a Sounders team has three players scoring 6.8 or higher, with at least one person averaging over 7. This year there is just JP, and a considerable drop off after him. In other words, Seattle lacks multiple players who are scoring high (i.e. performing better consistently). That is a big problem.

Solutions from a ratings perspective

Nothing crazy here: Seattle needs players to earn higher ratings. They are lacking the ratings impact of at least two high-performing players. The easiest way to do that is to have known quantities play up to their abilities — i.e. for Raúl to start scoring, to get better output from the other two DPs, and for basically any offensive players outside of Chú to produce more. For Ruidíaz to get to his SSFC average of 12 goals, he needs eight in the last 10 matches, and that’s not impossible if he’s playing at his best. Héber doing anything offensively would be huge; he should be at MLS average, which is much higher than his current output. Replacing Cristian if he is out for a long period of time is nearly impossible, but there’s a group of young players (Reed Baker-Whiting, Obed, Dylan Teves) and older ones (Fredy Montero, Kelyn Rowe) who have not contributed enough from a ratings standpoint. A few above average ratings from the bench could lead to more Sounders wins and a jump in the standings. Finding out what value you have in Josh Atencio and whether fully rested Alex Roldan and Nouhou defensive bookends can allow for more forward pressure should be figured out ASAP. There is enough hope from these cumulative numbers that expectations should be this team plays much, much better than the last few months.

Cristian Roldan is fit, but still might not play

2023-08-18T16:17:39-07:00

Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Sounders are being cautious in bringing back midfielder from second concussion of season.

TUKWILA, Wash. — Although Cristian Roldan has now been fully training for about a week, his participation in Sunday’s match against Atlanta United remains questionable. That’s not due to any physical setback, Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said, it’s more to make sure that the midfielder is in the right headspace after suffering his second concussion of the season and being limited to just 11 appearances all season.

“I’m going to have one last conversation with him after today,” Schmetzer said following Friday’s training session. “We still have tomorrow, but I want to make he’s clear of mind. There’s concussion symptoms, but then there are those mental hurdles of ‘I’ve got to head the ball’ and some of those things. I want Cristian to be healthy, safe and comfortable before I put him back in. One more little conversation, let’s see how that goes, I might be conservative there.

“I’m going to talk to all the doctors, all the specialists and then Cristian himself. That’s the biggest specialist I’ll talk to. ”

Schmetzer acknowledged that the Sounders have a significantly better record when Roldan plays, but said that won’t play a factor in his decision.

“His long-term health is way more important,” Schmetzer said. “We miss Cristian. It’s hard but, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Goalkeeper’s union

Stefan Frei has been fully cleared to play after suffering a finger injury and missing the Sounders’ last game against CF Monterrey. He will almost certainly start. Stefan Cleveland will not be his backup, however.

Cleveland will miss Sunday’s game while on bereavement leave after the tragic death of his father, who apparently died in a car accident. The team will wear black armbands in a show of solidarity.

It was not immediately clear if Andrew Thomas or Jacob Castro would serve as Frei’s backup.

Xavier Arreaga returns

Also returning to the gameday roster is Xavier Arreaga. The centerback last appeared for the Sounders on May 31 and has not been available since suffering a muscle injury while on international duty with Ecuador during the June international window.

OL Reign vs. KC Current: Gamethread and updates

2023-08-18T15:00:00-07:00

MikeRussellFoto / Sounder at Heart

5 PM PT. Paramount+. Watch with us.

OL Reign returns to regular-season play on Friday evening with a road match against the Kansas City Current. The match kicks off at 5 PM PT and will stream on Paramount+ for fans in the U.S. and on the NWSL website for international viewers.

Angelina, Quinn, and Jordyn Huitema returned from World Cup duty last week, have been training with the team and are expected to be available for selection. The five U.S. players, however, didn’t return to training in time for the road trip and will be unavailable for the Friday night match.

What to Watch

Stop KC in transition: The Current are dangerous in transition when they win the ball. The Reign need to make sure they pass with purpose and stay organized whenever they lose the ball.
Limit Debinha’s influence: Brazilian midfielder Debinha is back after a disappointing early exit for Brazil in the World Cup. She’s a real threat when she gets time on the ball and will be eager for a strong performance with the Current.
Get some road points: With just seven regular-season matches remaining — and four of those on the road — every point matters as the Reign push for the playoffs. Some road points, 3 in particular, would be really useful.

Injury / Availability Report

OL Reign

OUT: Jess Fishlock (leg)

KC Current

OUT: Vanessa DiBernardo (concussion), Hanna Glas (D45 – knee), Morgan Gautrat (concussion), Claire Lavogez (SEI – knee), Sam Mewis (SEI – knee), Desiree Scott (D45 – knee), Jordan Silkowitz (hand), Mallory Weber (SEI – knee)

Referees

REF: Karen Callado
AR1: Matthew Rodman
AR2: Stephen Milhoan
4TH: Drew Klemp
VAR: Luis Guardia
AVAR: Kaili Terry

Lineups

Your Starting XI Kansas City Current

Let's GOOO! #ReignSupreme #KCvRGN pic.twitter.com/pQy7Td7rp6
— OL Reign (@OLReign) August 18, 2023

Tonight's lineup is locked in #KCvRGN | #KCBABY pic.twitter.com/kpPLxVDlBi
— KC Current (@thekccurrent) August 18, 2023

Highlights

61’ CeCe Kizer puts KC ahead

CeCe Kizer is to give KC the lead! pic.twitter.com/ncTLOrlF6i
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 19, 2023

75’ AD Franch stops Jordyn Huitema’s penalty attempt

Electric atmosphere in KC as @ADizzle23 denies Huitema's PK attempt! pic.twitter.com/gBYRDVdjZg
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 19, 2023

How to Watch

Date/Time: Friday, August 18, 5 PM PT

Location: Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City

Streaming: Paramount+ (U.S.), NWSLSoccer.com (International)

Join the Discussion

This is your OL Reign versus KC Current discussion thread. Join the discussion in the comments, and follow @RoValks on Twitter for live updates.

Major Link Soccer: So long and thanks for all the fish

2023-08-18T09:30:00-07:00

Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

We’re not really going away, we’re just changing

Way, way back in the year 2009 when Sounder at Heart joined SB Nation the first bit of advice was to add “Links posts.” These would help support others on the network, generate SEO and provide daily content for our readers (eventually).

Links started as a weekly thing for SaH. Then two days. Then three days. Then five days. We even tried adding a weekend edition focused on what to watch in MLS.

Some posts were long banks of links and I’m not convinced people actually read them.

In the end they were more open threads in comments, where people would talk to each other in this created community that started in August of 2008 and just kept growing.

The new site (with the same name) isn’t going to have “Links posts” as they’ve existed. The community aspect is folding into the Discord channel. We’ll be previewing and reviewing the weekend’s action in the leagues that matter to us in a new version of Major Link Soccer, and I guess we need to come up with a fun title for that.

That’s a lot of words to say, today is the last day of Major Link Soccer. Thanks for joining us on this ride that was so frequently your first stop at Sounder at Heart and many of our writers first step in joining the team. There are more than a dozen former compilers of links so I’m not going to thank them. It’s a long list and I’ll forget a few of them.

Thank you again. We’re not leaving. We’re just changing.

Women’s World Cup

Sarina Wiegman should be paid the same as Gareth Southgate for England job | Sarina Wiegman | The Guardian
The FA’s chief executive claims the Lionesses manager can have ‘whatever she wants’. But that’s not true in one important regard

Australia exit World Cup, but Sam Kerr's goal lives forever - ESPN
Australia provided a magical run in the Women's World Cup, but the Matildas and star striker Sam Kerr will think what could have been.

For eight minutes, Sam Kerr let Australia rejoice. Her legacy will last much longer - The Athletic
The superstar striker gave the world a moment to savor, but it wasn't enough to prevent disappointment.

Matildas Captain Sam Kerr: 'I'm Really Proud To Be Indian' - Draw Your Box
Matildas captain Sam Kerr has previously spoken about her South Asian heritage and the role she can play in helping represent Indian women in soccer.

FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 : Australia vs England - tactical analysis
This is a tactical analysis of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 semi-final match between Australia and England and the tactics used by both managers. Through this tactical analysis, we explore the tactics used by England to beat Australia.

First American referee in the middle for a World Cup final. And two American ARs. Quite an accomplishment. USA will be well represented in final after all! https://t.co/oNT68BKdpX
— Paul Kennedy (@pkedit) August 18, 2023

MLS

Lionel Messi at home in Miami: The "place I chose to come to" | MLSSoccer.com
Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami CF has been a long time coming, and it’s one he and his family are profoundly contented with as he prepares to vie for the club’s first-ever trophy just one month on from his sensational arrival in South Florida – even with their long-term

How Messi, Miami are nudging MLS towards “an inflection point” | US Soccer Players
Charles Boehm on what Inter Miami's rebuild around Lionel Messi may mean for other clubs in MLS after Miami's run to the Leagues Cup final.

NWSL

Port KC Backs Massive Project Near KC Current Stadium
A massive $650 million mixed-use project along Kansas City downtown riverfront has received preliminary support from a Port KC committee.

KC Current believe roster depth could help with playoff push | The Kansas City Star
As NWSL play resumes, the Kansas City Current are hoping to make a final charge for a postseason spot. KC players are returning from injury.

Puget Sound Soccer

Seattle Sounders vs Atlanta United: Match Preview - Dirty South Soccer
The Five Stripes return after a mid-season hiatus with a visit to the northwest

Open Flavor Friday

Seattle Restaurants Like Marination Are Helping People Impacted by the Maui Fires - Eater Seattle
Local establishments are raising tens of thousands of dollars to aid recovery efforts on the island.

I don’t really have a place to put this story about Klinsmann, but it is tasty

Jürgen Klinsmann on hot seat over ‘lack of commitment’ with South Korea - Bolavip US
Reports out of South Korea have the former USMNT manager already in hot water after what the media is dubbing “lack of commitment”.

What to watch this weekend

Trophies and Messi.

Friday

11:30 am PT — Werder Bremen vs Bayern München in Bundesliga play on ESPN+

5:00 pm PT — Kansas City Current vs OL Reign in NWSL play on Paramount+. Read our preview.

Saturday

1:00 am PT — Sweden women vs Australia in the Women’s World Cup third place match on FOX, Telemundo, Universo and their associated streaming channels.

3:00 pm PT — Philadelphia Union vs Monterrey in the Leagues Cup third place match. The winner goes to the Concacaf Champions Cup. Watch on MLS Season Pass (paid). Philly’s hoping to make up for their disaster against Messi.

5:30 pm PT — North Texas vs Tacoma Defiance in MLS Next Pro action on MLSNextPro.com. Defiance just lost their best player to the Sounders.

6:00 pm PT — Nashville SC vs Inter Miami CF in the Leagues Cup Final on Univision, TUDN and Apple TV.

Sunday

3:00 am PT — Spain women vs England in the Women’s World Cup Final on FOX, Telemundo and their streaming services.

7:30 pm PT — Seattle Sounders FC vs Atlanta United in MLS play on MLS Season Pass (paid). We’ve started our previews with Three Questions.

Garth Lagerwey: ‘Shame on us if we don’t take this opportunity’

2023-08-17T17:11:22-07:00

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta United President is bullish on MLS, Leagues Cup and his former team’s future prospects.

Editor’s note: This interview is being made available to everyone. In the future, though, full versions of interviews like this one will usually only be available to paid subscribers. You can access those for as little as $19/year while also doing your part to make Sounder at Heart and independent soccer journalism sustainable.

Garth Lagerwey may have left Seattle, but about six months into his new job it doesn’t appear as though Atlanta United has changed him all that much. When I caught up with him on Wednesday, he was almost as interested in talking about Sounder at Heart’s impending journey toward independence as I was in conducting our interview.

As usual, he was almost shockingly open about his personal life while speaking in very high-minded terms about Leagues Cup, what Lionel Messi means for MLS and the challenges he is still sorting through at Atlanta United. He also had some very encouraging things to say about Craig Waibel and the foundations of success that he believes remain in Seattle.

Here are some of the highlights of the conversation:

On how his new job as CEO and President of Atlanta United differs from his previous job with the Sounders: “Everything on the business side, managing budgets. In Seattle, I’d have to wait to see what resources were allocated to the soccer team, and here in the more strategic role, I’m able to say I want to allocate such and such efforts toward driving revenue and I’m going to direct the revenue into a, b and c on the soccer side. It’s still a shared enterprise, we share ticketing, and corporate partnerships, it’s not that simple, but it’s being involved in that stuff. It’s a degree of insight and it was important to me that I keep learning. This was an opportunity for growth.”

On how involved he is on the soccer side: “The buck stops for me, I’m responsible for everything, whether it’s praise or criticism, it’s still going to come my way same as it was in Seattle. Same as Seattle I’m building a team on the soccer side and you’re going to have scouts and data analysts. One of the biggest adds is we have Dimitrios Efstathiou. He’s a really high-level guy and he’s running all the transactions for us. That’s the single most liberating thing for me, to be able to pop up and work on strategies. We’re still going to source players in a similar way — using scouting and analytics — Carlos Bocanegra will direct that. Jonathan Spector is the head of recruitment. But when it gets to a certain point, they hand it off to Dimitrios and he directs the transaction. That was my job. You’re in the trenches, you’re negotiating, you’re managing a visa process, and your fingernails are dirty. That’s not to say I do none of that now but in general we have folks who can handle that which allows me to step away and be strategic. The summer transfer window becomes ‘here’s the blueprint I want to get to.’ I’m setting the plan and the course of the ship. But someone else is on the rudder steering the ship. It’s about hiring the right people and putting the right processes in place and hopefully, empowering everybody and making them successful.”

On how his family is settling into Atlanta: “I think my wife’s not pissed at me anymore. We love Seattle, I never tried to hide that. It’s a wonderful place. My oldest is 11 and was 3 when moved there. Definitely hotter, more churches, it’s a different culture. There are pros and cons and definitely some of both. Moving was hard on the family. Everyone assures me it makes your kids resilient. But in the process of acquiring that resiliency there are bumps along the way. I think it’s worth it, but does that mean it’s all smooth? ... It’s been a process. We’re getting adjusted. But it will be nice to be back in Seattle and see familiar faces.”

On how much politics and pop culture he gets to talk these days: “I still interject them, it’s just a matter of if they are received well or not. Some of my pop culture references are not that relevant. A significant point of pride is my 11-year-old, my biggest D&D enthusiast, looked long and far for a game, so we started a D&D club here in Atlanta. He has 8-10 kids who are coming once a week and playing on Sunday afternoons. I couldn’t be prouder. He’s Dungeon Master, he’s running the game. We’re keeping that Seattle flame alive and well in Atlanta.”

His thoughts on Leagues Cup: “I love it. I think it’s fantastic. We went out in the group stage. It was a really cool game. It reminded me of the Pumas match or playing Leon in Leagues Cup. You had this multicultural audience and friendly rivalry atmosphere, any play in the game got loud raucous support and it does make for a fun atmosphere. ... If we’re inclusive and we’re diverse with a great soccer stadium where everyone feels safe and can express their culture, that’s a pretty good formula for trying to grow this. I think the Leagues Cup can be an important part of that.”

On how Messi’s arrival might change things: “There is some hard evidence that if you increase the level of play, maybe that’s by simplifying the salary cap, eliminating some DP buckets, maybe it’s the TAM and GAM and all the stuff that makes the league confusing to follow, there is some opportunity to examine that and make it more accessible to general sports fans. So maybe Messi captured a couple of people who weren’t paying attention before and maybe we can keep them by having a system that’s transparent so that everyone can understand and maybe that is providing more options and ways to spend money on teams so you can get creative team building?”

On how quickly we might see those changes: “The specter of the NASL still seems to haunt us, but there’s some real opportunity. Shame on us if we don’t take this opportunity before the 2026 World Cup. You’re talking about Copa America in ‘24 ... followed by the Club World Cup (in 2025). It’s a once-in-a-lifetime ramp and we owe it to ourselves to get on the ramp and try to push as much as we can to make it as big as we can.”

On his assessment of the transfer window: “What I’d say is the ability to not have to do a bunch of things is a real privilege, one that maybe one I underestimated. I think the last summer in Seattle we also didn’t do anything. You come to Atlanta, we’re trying to implement a different model, but it’s been really, really challenging. We have a number of guaranteed contracts over the long term that we don’t have flexibility with, we’ve had to reposition some things and have been as focused on moving players out as on bringing players in. It’s been a really complex enterprise and we probably have one more transfer window before we get to the foundation I want to have to build us toward sustainable success long term.”

On the Sounders’ situation: “What I’d say is the Sounders are in really good hands with Craig Waibel. He was my right-hand guy my last couple of years there; Adrian Hanauer is one of the most engaged owners in the league and very knowledgeable in terms of the workings of the league and team; you have long-term stability in the organization; and you have a vocal supportive fan base. You have all the ingredients you’d look for in a successful franchise and certainly in moving on it’s given me some perspective on the challenges of having to institute a new plan in a new place.”

Lagerwey and Atlanta United head coach Gonzalo Pineda will be honored ahead of Sunday’s game at Lumen Field.

Match preview: OL Reign v. KC Current

2023-08-17T14:45:00-07:00

Michael Thomas Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports

The Reign return to regular-season play on Friday.

After playing in a series of Challenge Cup matches while their national team players were away for the World Cup, OL Reign returns to regular-season play on Friday, August 18. They’ll head on the road to face the Kansas City Current at Children’s Mercy Park in a match that kicks off at 5 PM PT.

The game will stream on Paramount+ for fans in the U.S. and on the NWSL website for all other international viewers.

Angelina, Quinn, and Jordyn Huitema returned from World Cup duty last week, have been training with the team and are expected to be available for selection. The team’s five USWNT players also returned to Seattle this week, but during her pregame press conference OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey said they have been given the weekend off because they did not have an opportunity to fully resume training before the team needed to travel for the match. Jess Fishlock is also still recovering from an injury but should be ready next week.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of Friday’s road match.

Recent results

Two weeks ago, OL Reign played to a scoreless draw at home against the Portland Thorns. The draw clinched the top spot in the NWSL Challenge Cup knockout round, meaning the Reign will host Racing Louisville in a Sep. 6 semifinal.

Kansas City won 3-0 at home over Racing, helping them clinch the top spot in the Challenge Cup Central group. The Current will host the other Challenge Cup semifinal against the North Carolina Courage. The winners of the two semifinals will face off in the final on Sep. 9.

Standings

After 15 regular-season matches, OL Reign has a 7-5-3 record. Their 24 points puts them in fourth place in tight league standings; the Reign are just two points out of first. Kansas City has a 5-10-0 record and sits at the bottom of the league. Standings, however, mean nothing in the NWSL. Every team can compete on a given day.

OL Reign has scored 23 goals while conceding 18. The Current has scored 17 and conceded 26.

Head to Head

This is the second meeting between OL Reign and Kansas City this year. The two sides met in June at Lumen Field, where goals from Sofia Huerta and Huitema put the Reign on top 2-1.

The Reign are 5-3-0 all-time against the Current.

Who to Watch

Forward Kristen Hamilton is heating up. She’s scored five goals in the Current’s last three Challenge Cup matches. She hasn’t always started for Kansas City after missing the start of the season with an injury, but she made good use of her extra minutes during the World Cup break. Hamilton is fast and can be dangerous on the dribble. She’s also got great timing in the box.

That makes two for Kristen Hamilton.

Hamilton with her 10th Challenge Cup goal. ⚽ pic.twitter.com/iv78IccRF1
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) August 6, 2023

IT TOOK KRISTEN HAMILTON THREE MINUTES TO GET ON THE SCOREBOARD! pic.twitter.com/D72ywGcXWm
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) August 6, 2023

What to Watch

Direct in transition

Kansas City is a team that likes to strike in transition. They don’t high press all the time, but they know when to pounce and where to prevent space when defending. Kansas City has scored four goals from high turnovers, which is second-best in the league behind Portland.

“Their biggest threat is in transition, and we have to be prepared for that. In all of their games that they’ve played recently too, they’ve been really dominant at it,” Harvey said ahead of the match. “It doesn’t mean they can’t hurt you in other ways, but I think that is definitely their biggest strength going forward is the ability for them to transition on you when you give the ball away.”

That means the Reign will have to be smart building out of the back and not play into Kansas City’s traps. And if they lose it, they’ll need to stay organized behind the ball.

Fullbacks are important

As you can see from a recent pass map for the Current, they use their fullbacks a lot in possession. Their fullbacks, Hailie Mace and Kate Del Fava, push wide and high to be an early outlet as Kansas City tries to build out of the back. They lead their team in passes attempted and progressive passing distance.

Mace has completed the most long balls on the Current roster. Del Fava has the most passes into the final third.

Pass Networks for #ChiStars and #KCBABY! #NWSL pic.twitter.com/qX8zZ9OwLb
— Arielle Dror (@arielle_dror) July 30, 2023

OL Reign did well to prevent this in their earlier match, having their wide forwards drop to cut off balls to the flanks. Presumably, they’ll attempt a similar strategy on Friday.

Road points

OL Reign already accomplished their first goal of the season: advancing to the Challenge Cup playoffs. Next up? Securing a spot in the NWSL playoffs. To do that, they need to pick up points on the road. The Reign are just 2-3-2 on the road this year.

Injury / Availability Report

OL Reign

OUT: Jess Fishlock (leg)

KC Current

How to Watch

OL Reign kicks off against the KC Current at 5 PM PT on Friday, August 18. The match will stream on Paramount+ (U.S.) and the NWSL website (international).