The Wait Is Over

NWSL 2022 Matchday Fourteen

The Lifetime crew was in Houston for a scorcher of a battle between the Dash and the Chicago Red Stars. Game time was moved to 11am Central in order to beat the mid-afternoon heat. Amanda Cromwell had slowly been able to develop a cohesive playing style and set first XI, but the talent gap between the Dash and the rest of the league had grown in the past year, with the Dynamo ownership shipping out players such as Cari Roccaro, Lydia Williams, and Janine Beckie while still paying Atlanta for the trade involving Andi Sullivan. She and Jane Campbell had been the sole bright spots for the team, who entered today's match at 1-11-1 against a Chicago team that had found its stride, closing up to within one point of Los Angeles at the top of the West.

A 3-0 halftime lead allowed Lisa Cole to give significant playing time to players deep on the Red Stars bench, as Sophia Smith replaced Steph McCaffrey, Gabby Carle was inserted for Vanessa DiBernardo, and Brittany Palla got a run-out in place of Cari Roccaro. The Red Stars finished as 3-0 winners and temporarily moved ahead of the Olympias on top of the Western Conference.

***

In Boston, an early penalty kick goal from Allie Long saw the visiting Thorns take a 1-0 lead into intermission. A goal from Caitlyn DiSarcina two minutes into the second half leveled the score. Kyah Simon's insertion for Sarah Troccoli at 63 minutes paid off three minutes later as she took a Jessie Fleming pass in stride and beat Bryane Haeberlin to give the Breakers the lead. With the shutout gone, John Herdman decided to give EJ Proctor some minutes in net. Boston picked up an insurance goal in the 86th minute as Sam Mewis and Abby Dahlkemper connected once again on a corner kick. With the 3-1 win, the Breakers ran their unbeaten run to nine games (7-0-2) and moved out to a 12-point lead in the East pending Atlanta's match against North Carolina.

***

Following their 5-0 win over Philadelphia, Christen and Shelina caught up with their girlfriends from the Charge.

Christen: Sorry about the beat down, Jules.

Julie: We're used to it by now. Boston beat us 5-0 last week, and they were literally toying with us in the second half, emptying the back end of their bench. They have a defense that no one can breach when they have all four major pieces in the lineup and they get goals from everywhere on the field.

Shelina: You guys will get better, Julie. Erin won't put up with those kind of scorelines before making changes.

Julie: We don't have the talent on the roster to really do any better against the top handful of teams in the league.

DiDi: What we need, for real, is BOTH of you on the Charge, then we might have a chance.

Shelina: You never know what could happen after the season.

Christen: Riiiiiiiight.

Julie walked away from the other three, followed in a few seconds by Christen.

Christen: You OK, babe?

Julie: Yeah. Just the idea of another season in Philly doesn't really please me.

Christen: Offer is still valid. Come here next year.

Julie thought about that. She knew in her heart that Christen had finally won her, but she couldn't get herself to admit that, nor to plan out how to leave Zach.

Julie: For the first time, I think I can actually think about that possibility. You guys have Shelina, she probably wants to go back east after the season, and it should be a straight swap if the two of us were dealt for each other.

Christen: You're seriously considering it?

Julie: Why not. You're here, I love you with most of my heart and we'd finally be able to have a full-time relationship. Feel out Mia and your coach to see if they'd have interest in me coming to LA.

Christen embraced Julie and spun her a bit, excited about the possibility of having her all to herself.

Julie: I do ask one thing, Chrissy. Don't ask me to leave Zach until the possible trade happens, which won't be before November 1st.

Christen: I don't know about that, because I'd like us to be a couple by the time of Sam and Abby's wedding, which is a couple of weeks before that.

Julie: We'll be attending together, right? That should be good enough.

Christen chose not to debate that point, but she was already feeling a little bit irked at Julie's reluctance to set a date. The pair headed to their respective locker rooms, but Christen decided not to shower and just get away from the stadium before Julie finished changing so that she could put a little distance between them.

Shelina and DiDi talked for a bit, this being their first face-to-face conversation since the trade. DiDi apologized for not being better at staying in contact or making more of an effort to see Shelina during the season. Shelina had grown tired of the apologies and promises to do better. They went their separate ways and Shelina hung around in the Olympias' locker room until she heard the Charge's team bus drive away from the stadium. Once that had happened, she texted Christen asking if they could get together tomorrow for coffee and kvetching. Her new teammate replied back with a "hell yes!" and they laid down plans before Shelina left the stadium for home.

***

Houston 0 Chicago 3 (McCaffrey/Mewis, Hoy/Colaprico, DiBernardo/Huerta)

Boston 3 Portland 1 (DiSarcina/Troccoli, Simon/Fleming, Mewis/Dahlkemper; Long pk)

Atlanta 2 North Carolina 1 (Lindo/Beckie, Sonnett/O'Sullivan; Doniak/Marta)

Orlando 3 Kansas City 1 (Horan/Sanchez, Morgan/Kennedy, Sanchez/Catley; M. Kelly/Eddy)

Los Angeles 5 Philadelphia 0 (Press/Williams, Press/Hatch, Hatch/Zadorsky, Williams/Prudhomme, Hatch/Press)

Seattle 1 Sky Blue 0 (Lavasseur/Stott)

Washington 1 Vancouver 2 (Pugh/Ship; Rose/Schmidt, Leon/Woeller)