Chicago Red Stars Vs Sky Blue FC: Week 11 Preview
Following the return of Sam Kerr, the Chicago Red Stars return home in hopes to run back up the table. This starts against Sky Blue FC.
The Chicago Red Stars are looking to find their stride once again. After a Sam Kerr hat-trick eased them past the Orlando Pride, it’s time for a good winning streak to pick them up from the bottom of the table. This week, they’re coming back home to The Geek to face Sky Blue FC.
The biggest thing I learned from the Red Stars’ win over Orlando Pride is that Arin Wright will play through anything. After two weeks of suggesting that she won’t be ready, I’m not making that same mistake again.
On the injury report, Katie Naughton did come out of the last game early and is listed as questionable with a hip injury this week. I don’t think there’s much of a chance she’ll be sacrificed; same with Vanessa DiBernardo and Nikki Stanton who also have questionable leg problems.
With only a single win over the past two years, Sky Blue FC is the poster child for what not to do as a soccer club. Off-field issues with management have caused a mass exodus of players from the club, many of which have ended up in Chicago (Sam Kerr, Katie Johnson, Nikki Stanton, Savannah McCaskill). This season, those problems have continued, even with promises of change from upper management. The coach has been fired, but play on the field still has not improved.
The biggest difference-maker for Sky Blue FC has been: Savannah McCaskill. Oof. Other than McCaskill, who is now on the other side of the pitch, Raquel Rodriguez has been their main scoring outlet. She’s scored twice in the team’s last five games, although it’s a real stretch to mention them since they have only collectively scored a single goal from the penalty spot in the last three. One player I do want to call out at the very least is Jen Hoy, who is a former Red Stars player and has an amazing work rate. She will be running around, trying to wear down the Chicago defense.
The biggest weakness right now facing the Chicago Red Stars is that Sam Kerr seems to be their only way of scoring. Without Sam Kerr, the team looked unable to find goals. As soon as she returned, she scores a hat-trick and the rest of the team watched. With a deficiency in the midfield to keep possession and maintain pressure, something has felt off about the Red Stars since the World Cup started.
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At the same time, it’s the same team. It may very well be that the rest of the team hit a slump when Kerr left and it’s possible that playing against a team who is less-than-good is going to help break them out of that slump. The team itself seems safe in Kerr’s hands, but the other ten players out there are gonna wake up eventually.
Projected XI:
Chicago Red Stars (4-3-3): Emily Boyd; Arin Wright, Sarah Gorden, Katie Naughton, Casey Short; Danielle Colaprico, Nikki Stanton, Vanessa DiBernardo; Yuki Nagasato, Sam Kerr, Savannah McCaskill
Sky Blue FC (4-3-3): Didi Haracic; Caprice Dydasco, Gina Lewandowski, Erica Skroski, Sabrina Flores; Raquel Rodriguez, Sarah Killion, Nahomi Kawasumi; Imani Dorsey, Jen Hoy, Elizabeth Eddy
dark. Next. Orlando Pride Vs Chicago Red Stars: 3 things we learned
How To Watch:
Saturday, July 6th, 7:00 PM CDT; At SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL, on NBC Sportsnet Chicago, and online with the Yahoo Sports App