Seattle Reign FC 1
FC Kansas City 1
NWSL Regular Season
Seattle, WA – Memorial Stadium – June 24, 2017
Seattle and Kansas City squared off in Seattle just one week removed from a 2-2 draw in the Midwestern heat to the surprising sudden Summer heat of Seattle. With both sides close in the standings and right near the red line, the June match had a level of importance not often associated with this time of season.
The match got off to an early physical start, Seattle Barnes was sent off with a straight red in the 4th minute when she fouled Shea Groom. Groom stayed down and was off the pitch for a few minutes, returning holding her shoulder as she played.
Photo by Matt Ferris
In the 16th minute Brittany Ratcliffe got through the Seattle D and scored to make it 1 nil to the visitors. Seattle had defenders warming up after Barnes’ red, but they were sitting down after the goal as coach Harvey faced a different tactical situation than holding a draw.
Seattle continued to press forward on offense, down a player and a goal. There were a few chances, but the FCKC defense held its shape pretty well. For Seattle, only being down a goal at the half was a moral victory as FCKC nearly grabbed their 2nd right at the start of stoppage time before the half.
It wasn’t until the 58th minute that Naho Kawasumi would level the match on a deflection from FCKC keeper Nicole Barnhart. Seattle would then make its first sub, bringing on a forward in Katie Johnson for Merritt Mathias, in lieu of an extra defender to merely hold the lead.
Both coaches faced an interesting conundrum tactically in this match. The early red for Seattle to Barnes, combined with Rachel Corsie being on international duty and Rumi Utsugi injured, left the Reign with a very young defense on the pitch for 86 minutes. By choosing to drop Fishlock back into central defense with Kristen McNabb, Coach Harvey was banking on the work rate of of her midfield and the dangerous counter attack still up front. For Harvey, this played out with the central midfielders Nairn and Elston being up to the task, while the attacking group created numerous opportunities prior to and after the tying goal.
FCKC stuck to their guns, grabbed an early goal with the player advantage, and nearly took a two goal lead into the halftime break. The two teams are remarkably similar in tactics and approach and with KC having a veteran presence in their defense and solid attacking options the 2nd goal was a very real threat on numerous occasions. Even with Seattle drawing level, KC pressed as the match wore on and was not settling for a road draw. Post match KC may have felt like some points got away, but a road point is a road point in Memorial Stadium.
Photo by Vanya Tucherov
It says something of the new longevity of the NWSL that sub-plots from multiple seasons are part of the narrative of mid-season matches. Sydney Leroux’s return to Seattle to face Laura Harvey’s team. The drama from last season in KC between Shea Groom and Merritt Mathias. The time has come where these story lines have moved from season to season, not merely the question of the league surviving.
Photo by Matt Ferris
NWSL Match Report
Match: Seattle Reign FC (3-2-5, 14 pts) vs FC Kansas City (3-3-4, 13 pts)
Date: June 24, 2017
Venue: Memorial Stadium
Kickoff: 7:00pm PT
Attendance: 3,919
Weather: Sunny
Scoring Summary:
KC – Ratcliffe (Newfield) 16’
SEA – Kawasumi 58’
Lineups:
Seattle Reign FC: Kopmeyer, Pickett, Barnes, McNabb, Stott, Fishlock, Nairn (Yanez 85’), Elston (Reed 74’), Rapinoe, Mathias (Johnson 61’), Kawasumi
Substitutes Not Used: Bauer, Dallstream, Hahn, Schiffel
FC Kansas City: Barnhart, Gibbons, Averbuch, Sauerbrunn, Taylor, LaBonta, Scott, Newfield (Kelly 72’), Ratcliffe (Tymrak 81’), Leroux, Groom
Substitutes Not Used: Bowen, Parkhill, Moros, Flynn
Stats Summary: SEA/KC
Shots: 8 / 21
Shots on Goal: 4 / 6
Saves: 5 / 3
Corner Kicks: 6 / 5
Fouls: 10 / 5
Offside: 2 / 1
Misconduct Summary:
SEA – Barnes (Red) 4’
KC – Newfield (Yellow) 30’
KC – Groom (Yellow) 34’
Officials:
Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva
Assistant Referees: Jeremy Weed, Chris Elliott
Fourth Official: Jeff Arthurholtz
Photos by Vanya Tucherov
FC Kansas City
Portland Thorns
