Chicago Red Stars Vs North Carolina Courage: 3 things we learned

2. Sam Kerr absence still pertinent

The same recycled comment about the lack of Sam Kerr must be said once again. The Chicago Red Stars know she’s gone. The media doesn’t need to keep mentioning it every fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, it is just that big of a deal and it shows in the way that the Red Stars play.

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In this game, they managed just two shots on goal, despite consistently breaking through the North Carolina press and engineering openings in the final third. But with little movement ahead and a lack of that sharp, clinical play that Kerr provides, the attack created little from these moments.

With Kerr gone, someone needs to step up. Yuki Nagasato works best in tandem so it’s on Kealia Ohai and Rachel Hill to become the new strikers. The problem is that they aren’t prolific, almost selfish, goalscorers. They are more like facilitators for the main goalscorer, meaning that the Red Stars are specifically built to help a single player that doesn’t actually exist on the squad.

Ironically, Kerr would flourish in this system, feeding off the excellent service provided by Ohai, Hill and Nagasato. But while the Red Stars will bemoan the relentless focus on her absence, it is clear that it is the primary problem of the team. And until it is solved, it must be discussed.