October 16th @ Snapdragon Stadium
Records:
San Diego Wave FC 10-6-6 (3rd)
Chicago Red Stars 9-7-6 (6th)
Last Match:
San Diego Wave FC Tied vs. North Carolina Courage 0-0
Chicago Red Stars Won vs. Angel City FC 2-0
Playoff Time
The Chicago Red Stars travel to California this weekend for round 1 of the postseason.
Grudge Game
Will the third time be the charm for the Chicago Red Stars? I mean that both for this particular matchup and for the league crown at large (lost twice in the finals). The Wave have walked away victorious on two previous regular season occasions. The first time these squads faced each other in San Diego back in May (i.e. warmer weather times), the Wave won 2-1. The second time in Chicago back in July was again a “W” for the Wave. This time, however, the stakes are higher and the Red Stars seemingly have more momentum.
The Red Stars are also no strangers to the playoffs, this being their seventh appearance (4-time semifinalists, 2-time finalists). Last year they lost the championship game to the Washington Spirit (previously lost to Portland), so the sting of defeat is still lingering on their minds. The Red Stars will be highly motivated to knock the Wave out and get back to the championship for the opportunity to win the club’s first title, in other words.
Playoff Debutantes
Speaking of firsts, San Diego is the first-ever expansion side to punch its ticket to the postseason in its inaugural season of competition. That achievement alone might be satisfactory for some, but this team doesn’t seem like they’d be content to “just make it.” The Wave have been holding or jockeying for the top spot in the table for a while and they lost the Shield to eventual winner OL Reign by a mere four points. The Wave’s regular season performance earned them this home-field advantage, so they did a lot of things right in year one.
Despite being newcomers, the Wave will not bow down to one of the founding members of the NWSL. This SoCal-based club clearly wants to make its mark as a legitimate contender right out of the gate. Their first playoff win would solidify their notable success(es) this season, and set the bar for expansion teams to come in this league.
Local Flair
NWSL coaches and scouts alike will be well-advised to turn their eyes to the state of California in future for talent (if they haven’t already, that is). By my count, there are fifteen players between the teams who were either born in the Golden State or played college soccer there (e.g. Cal Berkeley, UCLA, Santa Clara, Stanford, etc.). All those with California ties will not necessarily be featured in the game, but I think it’s notable in terms of talent concentration and a homecoming of sorts for those players on the Chicago side.
Talent Galore
Both sides boast a plethora of talent (which is obviously one of the reasons why they’re here in the playoffs in the first place). Golden Boot winner (aka league-leading scorer for the regular season) Alex Morgan leads the Wave’s attack (15 goals total). Not far behind her in that race though, was the Red Stars’ Mallory Pugh (11 goals total). They are both up for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, as announced by the league on Friday.
Teams cannot rely on their scorers alone, however. Most sports fans know the famous football coach Bear Bryant’s quote “Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.” So, it would appear the Wave have a good shot with Naomi Girma at the back. She’s up for three awards, including the aforementioned MVP, Defender of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan is also in the mix for an OTY (of the Year) as well as coach Casey Stoney. That’s a lot of potential individual hardware for the club’s trophy case.
See Colleen’s last round summary of fantasy stats below, in which one of the best defenders and best goalkeepers were from the Wave (Naomi Girma and Kailen Sheridan, respectively), while one of the top three points-getting forwards was from the Red Stars (Mallory Pugh)…
*None of which will matter if the team does not take care of business vs. the visitors from Chicago, though.
Sloggy Ending
The six-month slog of the regular season all comes down to this one game on Sunday. I predict a battle in the trenches and a shootout at Snapdragon to determine the winner.