Tactics Board: Week 9, Previewing Week 10
LOOKING AHEAD AT WEEK 10
The next round of NSL fixtures gets underway today. Here’s your guide to the head-to-head battles, recent form, and players who could shape the results.
Today
Calgary at Ottawa 2pm ET/10am PT
H2H: 1 Draw, 0:0 (May 11)
Ottawa dominated the first encounter (57% possession, 16 shots, 9 corners) in Calgary
Calgary’s form: 2W, 2D, 1L from last 5
Ottawa’s form: 2 consecutive losses for the first time this season
Key players: Kahli Johnson, Sarah Griffith, Min-A Lee
Kahli Johnson recently scored her first senior goal for the Matildas. She did not appear against Toronto, but will likely start against Ottawa
Sarah Griffith’s short-term loan from Chicago ends on June 30th, she hasn’t played in the last two games but travelled to Ottawa yesterday. Could be her last game with the club.
Min-A Lee will be decisive for Ottawa as an attacking midfielder. She is often the player who connects the midfield and forward line on the dribble or incisive passes.
Halifax at Toronto 4pm ET/ 1pm PT
H2H: 1 Win for Toronto, 1:0 on May 17th in Halifax
An early wingback-to-wingback goal by Colby Barnett (assisted by Small) made the difference in the first match
Toronto’s Form: 2 consecutive wins, 4 wins in last 5
Halifax Form: first win last week
Key players: Nikayla Small, Megumi Nakamura
Nikayla Small is the player of the moment. 3G, 3A have her knocking on the CanWNT’s door. Wingback, forward, or midfielder, she has shown her versatility and importance to Toronto’s success. When she’s thriving, they’re hard to stop.
Megumi Nakamura has been slowly developing into a key piece for Halifax. With a lot of interceptions and tackles, and a propensity for linkup play, she takes on a central role in the Tides’ game plan. Toronto’s defense has looked vulnerable at times, so if Halifax can break the press and find Nakamura, they have a good chance of scoring goals.
Tomorrow
Montreal at Vancouver 4pm ET/ 1pm PT
H2H: 2-0 for Montreal, 3:1 Away and 2:0 Home
Abdu, Whitaker, Hess, Hill, Bilbault with goals, Van has not scored in open play vs Mtl
Montreal For: 2 Wins, 1 Draw in last 3
Vancouver Form: 3L, 1D, 1W in last 5
Key Players: Quinn, Tanya Boychuk
Quinn didn’t look great on both goals against Montreal in their last meeting. Add on top of that, they weren’t selected for CanWNT camp at the end of the month. This will be a bounce-back game for the veteran midfielder and a real test of their character and leadership, as Vancouver attempts to achieve better results.
Tanya Boychuk has a talismanic presence for the Roses. After missing a couple of games due to injury, she is right back where she left off, netting a goal and drawing a PK vs Ottawa. Boychuk also announced that she was accepting a call from the Ukrainian national team, posting on IG:
“To my family, this chapter’s for you💛”
WEEK 9 RECAP
ICYMI, here’s a look back at last week’s games — the key moments, tactical trends, and players who made the difference on the pitch.
Ottawa lost momentum for the first time all season this past week. Halifax’s first win had to come against somebody, but the Rapid won’t be happy that it was them. Despite being steamrolled in the second half against the Tides, the Rapid came out strong in their home game against Montreal. Unfortunately (from their perspective), in the 27th minute Olivia Scott was shown a straight red card for a DOGSO foul on forward Tanya Boychuk. It did feel harsh, but rules are rules. Down to 10 players, Ottawa stayed in it and scored the equalizer (DB Pridham, PK) in the 58th minute.
Ellen Gibson was rested for both games and her absence was felt in midfield, though deputy Choo did well in a more central role. Nicola Golen, who recently graduated from Harvard slotted in at the vacant left-back position and looked dynamic in her first two starts. Opposite her, Kayla Adamek continues to be a feisty presence at right-back. The Ottawa native was recently selected to represent Poland at the European Championship this summer, meaning she may miss a few games as the NSL doesn’t pause for the entire tournament.
It was another tale of two halves for the Wild at McMahon stadium vs Toronto. Northern Irish international Jackie Burns got her first start but conceded twice (to no fault of her own) within the first half hour. Injury troubles continue to plague the Wild. CB Roelfsma’s absence has been felt, and her deputy Tilly James had to be subbed out after 10 minutes, therefore, U of Calgary alumni Talia White made her NSL debut in the second half.
The second half was much better from Calgary. They held the bulk of the possession and were more successful in limiting Toronto’s counter-attacks. Dani Steer scored her first NSL goal early in the second half, scoring a beautiful header off an even more beautiful Grace Stordy cross. Stordy has been a standout on and off the ball all season. She had 5 tackles against Toronto, keeping her second in the league in successful tackles (36) and leads her team in touches, indicating her importance to Wild’s gameplan.
A big week 9 helped Toronto rebound in the standings, and in terms of morale, following their 0:4 loss at home vs Ottawa. AFCT beat Vancouver and Calgary on the road, embracing the counterattacking approach in both games by deferring possession but punishing teams in transition. A subtle tactical change pushed Shaina Ashouri in central midfield and provided central coverage to the press. Emma Regan had a 10/10 game in her hometown, Burnaby in the first match. Nikayla Small, who’s been in epic form, partially spurred on by the “embarrassment” (as she put it) at home vs Ottawa, turned up in both games, scoring three times, one goal more audacious than the next.
Sofia Manner was back in net and Croix Soto anchored the defensive line, which helped stabilize the team defensively. Coach Milanovic is clearly still tinkering with his back three so it’ll be interesting to see who runs out against Halifax. Another unknown is who will replace Shaina Ashouri, whose departure was announced today.
“She’s been a consistent presence in our starting lineup and a valued member of the squad. While we’re sad to see her go, some things are bigger than football — we fully respect her decision to be closer to her support network and wish her nothing but success.” - Billy Wilson
The transfer window not opening until July 20th leaves a big hole in a squad that has already been deeply affected by injuries.
It was time!! I hope you got to catch Halifax’s first win live because it was epic. The Tides have slowly been gaining momentum. Despite the results not always matching their effort, they’ve been in every game and shown strong character when trailing in games. Against Ottawa, the stars aligned and their mentality was rewarded with a comeback win courtesy of a beautiful goal by veteran Gunny Jonsdottir. Syd Kennedy was also a standout in that match, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck and taking charge. An absolute menace down the left flank, she also delivered dangerous set pieces (including the corner on the winning goal).
Another tactical shift that helped stabilize the midfield was the inclusion of Karima Lemire as a second pivot alongside Gunny. This allowed the Icelandic veteran to get further up the pitch while Lemire, who typically plays left or center back, gave the midfield some defensive stability. Lastly, Nakamura’s linkup play between midfield and striker Clegg helped unlock the final third. Nakamura also got on the scoreboard herself, scoring the equalizing goal in the 58th minute.
Vancouver, second from the bottom (based on -5 goal differential) after 9 weeks. Who had that on their bingo cards? Not me, for sure. Injuries to Quinn and Stanton haven’t helped, but there seems to be something else missing. While the second half against Toronto was encouraging, the first was a bit of a disaster. The biggest issue has been the defensive phase, particularly in transition and generally compactness between the lines. Despite Woeller’s omnipresence, the left-sided center back position is still up in the air, with four different players stepping in so far.
The Rise continue to struggle to score in open play (scored two set pieces vs Toronto) meaning that they have yet to unlock their potential in the final third. Quinn is back, and likely feeling motivated to show out after not being selected for the NT this window. Their quarter-back abilities will elevate the buildup play. On a positive note, two areas of strength have been 1. Set pieces, and 2. Goalkeeping. Chang’s service from corners has been excellent, and Quinn has kept a cool head from the penalty spot. Keeper Morgan McAslan leads the league in saves, indicating that the Rise concede a lot of shots, but also that they have a keeper that’s up to the task.
Back to full strength, and back in the win column. It’s as simple as that. Boychuk and Bilbault’s central roles in Montreal’s system have been apparent in their last two matches. The aggressive pressing style with two strikers works well with two, and I say this with kindness, madwomen who have an insatiable hunger to be involved, to run, to press, to disturb the peace. Boychuk forced Ottawa’s O.Scott into making a difficult tackle and rewarded her team with the ability to play with one player advantage for 60+ minutes. Her partnership with Abdu makes the Roses’ attack that much scarier.
In addition to the vicious press, the Roses also consistently have one of the highest passing accuracy percentages in the league, partly due to midfield duo Bilbault and Hess who do not make a lot of errors. Centerbacks Stephanie Hill and Lucy Cappadona have also been excellent in this regard, topping the player stats for both total passess and touches.