Hot Time In Old Town - NWSL Coverage: Chicago Red Stars vs Washington SpiritTRADITION - HONOR - PASSIONhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50655/htiot-fav.png2019-09-24T15:00:00-05:00http://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/rss/stream/206395862019-09-24T15:00:00-05:002019-09-24T15:00:00-05:00Chicago Red Stars 3, Washington Spirit 1: What We Learned
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<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="https://www.instagram.com/shainaben_sports/" target="_blank">Shaina Benhiyoun Photography</a></figcaption>
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<p>The Red Stars clinch their playoff spot and play some impressive soccer as the regular season draws to a close</p> <p id="sjMiPw">The <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/teams/chicago-red-stars">Chicago Red Stars</a> extended their winning streak to four last Saturday. After a series of three matches over eight days, the Red Stars returned to Bridgeview to take on a <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/teams/washington-spirit">Washington Spirit</a> team in the hunt for the playoffs. </p>
<p id="50F1ht">On a rainy night, the Red Stars took the pitch and showed the league those same flashes of special brilliance that they’re capable of. A brace from <span>Sam Kerr</span>, and a goal from Yuki Nagasato, helped the Red Stars notch their fourth win in a row and seal a playoff clinch.</p>
<p id="xqfTxG">Here’s some things we learned from the match.</p>
<h1 id="YEjwQL">Sam Kerr Scores Goals and Sets Records</h1>
<p id="lvRDvS">With Kerr’s two goals on the evening she broke the NWSL previous record of most goals (17) scored in a season. The Australian international now has 18 goals on the season and is in a position to claim the league’s golden boot for a third straight year.</p>
<p id="4i5Rg7">“It’s not easy and these girls make it a lot easier than it should be,” Kerr said in post game comments. “It was an amazing moment for me and something I’ll remember forever. It was nice to do it in front of the Chicago crowd.”</p>
<p id="8E1AHI">“It was her record anyway, right?” Red Stars head coach Rory Dames joked. “Sam is special. It’s not a secret to anybody. I’m happy for her. She was excited so we’re excited for her, but Sam has bigger fish to fry this year than how many goals she scores.”</p>
<p id="cxJiSW">The Red Stars win on Saturday night put them in a position to clinch a playoff spot for a fifth consecutive year. However they would have to wait on the results of other nwsl games taking place that evening. At the conclusion of the other matches, the Red Stars found themselves playoff bound once again.</p>
<h1 id="VukFKa">The International Connection is Worldwide</h1>
<p id="nt8uzH">Chicago carried their momentum into this match and set the tone early with a goal in the ninth minute of the game. The Red Stars second goal, which came off a throw-in, gave us a bit of vintage early season link up play between Katie Johnson, Kerr, and Nagasato. A brilliant back heel pass from Johnson through a crowd of defenders to Kerr - whose presence in the box lured goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe out - but instead of shooting found a patient Nagasato far post who scored the highlight worthy goal. It was a truly world wide goal as that came to life through several of the teams’ international players.</p>
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<p lang="eu" dir="ltr">Domo Arigato Gozaimasu <a href="https://t.co/XFZtpuCYym">pic.twitter.com/XFZtpuCYym</a></p>— Chicago Red Stars (@chiredstarsPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/chiredstarsPR/status/1175576313777860608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2019</a>
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<h1 id="ieOJOd">Positioning Still In Play</h1>
<p id="QFUu9S">With a game remaining in their regular season the Red Stars are still vying for the chance to host a playoff game, something they haven’t done since 2015. Although they currently sit in second place, the Portland Thorns sit behind them in third place with two games remaining on their schedule. A win against Utah Royals next week can only benefit them in their quest to host.</p>
<p id="kcbJMl">Chicago Red Stars will play their final regular season match this Saturday, September 28, at SeatGeek Stadium. An evening kickoff at 7 p.m. CT with a fan appreciation promotional night. </p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2019/9/24/20881326/chicago-red-stars-3-washington-spirit-1-nwsl-2019-week-23-what-we-learnedSandra Herrera2019-09-22T12:57:28-05:002019-09-22T12:57:28-05:00Enjoying the Moment: Chicago Red Stars 3, Washington Spirit 1, NWSL Game Recap
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<p>A performance that reminded everyone how special this team can be</p> <blockquote>
<p id="Hu6dp7"><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/teams/chicago-red-stars"><strong>Chicago Red Stars</strong></a><strong> 3</strong> Kerr 9’, 49’. Nagasato 23’</p>
<p id="2BgbLb"><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/teams/washington-spirit"><strong>Washington Spirit</strong></a><strong> 1</strong> Pugh 80’</p>
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<p id="Idql6P">The Chicago Red Stars won their fourth game in a row on Saturday night, this time against the Washington Spirit. </p>
<p id="LH8tLK">The Red Stars have been a team of streaks this season, losing three games, then winning five, losing three again, and now winning four. That five-game streak was defined by Julie Ertz and the USWNT contingent returning to the squad after the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/fifa-womens-world-cup">World Cup</a>, and this one seems to be significant in marking her move back to the Red Star defense.</p>
<p id="3AImru">This is the same move the team made last year, when the midfield was finally healthy enough to allow her to slot back into that role. The Red Stars are taking a similar approach here, allowing the defense to smother what the opposition is trying to do in front of goal and build up to hit <span>Sam Kerr</span> on the counter.</p>
<p id="ZPtqJQ">I’m starting with the defense here because they were the backbone upon which the Red Stars put together a blazing first half performance against a team with an impressive amount of attacking firepower. <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/285619/rose-lavelle">Rose Lavelle</a> and Mal Pugh were both available for the Spirit for the first time in a while, and Washington looked like they were going to come into SeatGeek in search of a shootout. </p>
<p id="WPLfKw">Instead, Chicago individually worked Washington down. The Spirit came out somewhat methodically, trying to hold possession and work through the midfield. They’re in the middle of a long-term project in their style of play, and you could tell upon watching them that the ideas were there. But possessing out of the back is a tough way to get around the Red Stars, and Chicago stepped up to shut the Spirit down.</p>
<p id="xZAMgu">To say that Sam Kerr’s first goal of the evening was a nice one would be something of an understatement; it one of the nicest goals ever scored in Bridgeview. Chicago did a decent job getting in behind the Spirit defense throughout the match, but Kerr’s chip at that angle had the perfect amount of audacity and spin to open the scoring in the ninth minute. When Kerr has time on the ball, she can do wonderful things, and she was on her game on Saturday.</p>
<p id="9VnrlZ">And when Kerr is feeling that good, the whole rest of the offense responds. Savannah McCaskill is a very different kind of No. 10 than Vanessa DiBernardo, looking forward and taking shots. Sometimes that results in wasted possession, but it also keeps defenses honest in different ways than DiBernardo’s connecting style. </p>
<p id="FzpPyi">I’ve already written a bit about McCaskill and Katie Johnson’s place in this season, and the match on Saturday night was a good example in how they’ve grown. Chicago’s second goal was sprung by a cheeky backheel from Johnson, who found Kerr wide open. Kerr then found a similarly wide open Yuki Nagasato at the far post, who roofed the ball into the back of the net to double Chicago’s lead. The Red Stars were just having fun out there.</p>
<p id="j9OytX">Washington responded well to conceding, and Casey Short had an unlucky moment where she got tangled up in the box, and the Spirit had a chance to get a goal back. But when I say Chicago individually worked, I mean everybody, and Alyssa Naeher read the penalty the whole way.</p>
<p id="xPp4KM">I have less to say about the second half of the match, other than that it was very wet. 45 minutes in the pouring rain let Chicago get a little bit sloppy, and they mentally shut off every once in a while, but not before Kerr got her second of the match. This was the goal that broke Kerr’s own single-season goal record, and it was a classic. Nagasato sent a well-weighted ball through the Spirit defense, Kerr got there in time to get a shot off across her body, catching Aubrey Bledsoe wrong-footed.</p>
<p id="Ekx0yw">The Spirit would get a consolation goal late in the match, and the Red Stars could’ve done better to close the game out, but this is the best team Chicago has faced in a number of games and they were dominant when it mattered. Like all of this team’s streaks, you always wonder in the back of your mind when the magic is going to run out, but that shouldn’t get in the way of enjoying the moment.</p>
<p id="kR0jiB">The Red Stars have clinched a fifth consecutive playoff spot. Sam Kerr has a new scoring record. Chicago has already exceeded last year’s points total by four, with a game to go. It’s a little bit early to wax too poetic about this group and this year, but they have many things to be proud of. The season’s almost over, so let’s enjoy what we’ve got right now.</p>
<p id="9yplLE">Chicago will finish the regular season against the Utah Royals on September 28th at 7pm CT at SeatGeek stadium.</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2019/9/22/20878442/chicago-red-stars-3-washington-spirit-1-nwsl-2019-week-23-game-recapClaire Watkins2019-09-21T21:12:09-05:002019-09-21T21:12:09-05:00Chicago Red Stars 3, Washington Spirit 1: Woman Of The Match
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<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="http://www.shainabenphoto.com" target="_blank">Shaina Benhiyoun Photography</a></figcaption>
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<p>All we do is win, win, win</p> <p id="K5sFfr">The Red Stars are riding high as they get the job done against the Spirit and get one step closer to another semi-final ticket. For her record-breaking night, we’re going with Sam Kerr as our Red Stars Woman of the Match!</p>
<p id="RZQA3L"><em>Now let us know how you saw it. Vote for your choice for WOTM in the poll below. The poll will be open for two days, after which we’ll publicize the results. (Note: if you’re viewing this post from AMP or Apple News, you won’t see the poll below. Feel free to tell us your pick in the comments.)</em></p>
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https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2019/9/21/20877355/chicago-red-stars-3-washington-spirit-1-nwsl-2019-week-23-wotm-best-performancesAdriana Hooper2019-09-21T15:00:00-05:002019-09-21T15:00:00-05:00Chicago Red Stars vs Washington Spirit: Gameday Primer, How To Watch, & Open Thread
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<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="http://www.shainabenphoto.com" target="_blank">Shaina Benhiyoun Photography</a></figcaption>
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<p>Lineups, streaming info, and live NWSL coverage as the Red Stars face off against Washington </p> <hr class="p-entry-hr" id="8XbQ94">
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<a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/teams/chicago-red-stars"><strong>Chicago Red Stars</strong></a><strong> vs </strong><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/teams/washington-spirit"><strong>Washington Spirit</strong></a>
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<p id="EMlw17">Saturday, September 21st, 2019</p>
<p id="CTMFdZ">NWSL Week 23 | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview IL</p>
<p id="5Hcl0G">Kickoff: 7:00 pm CT</p>
<p id="r7p2kf">Referee: Mark Allatin</p>
<p id="bssPi0">Assistant Referees: Maggie Short, Kaili Terry</p>
<p id="ksi1Fl">4th Official: Zachary Bond</p>
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<p id="GFrRo4">It’s the Red Stars penultimate game of the 2019 regular season— and there’s a lot at stake. Chicago will be looking to secure a playoff spot and jockey for seeding. For Washington, their hopes of making the playoffs at all may depend on winning tonight.</p>
<h2 id="JR9hsa"><strong>PREVIEW & VIEWING OPTIONS</strong></h2>
<p id="KzuNsY"><strong>Full Preview: </strong><a href="https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2019/9/20/20875316/chicago-red-stars-washington-spirit-nwsl-2019-week-23-game-preview">Red Stars vs Spirit</a></p>
<p id="LySqQ0"><strong>Television</strong>: NBC Sports Chicago</p>
<p id="TyKsOl"><strong>Online Streaming:</strong> Yahoo Sports</p>
<p id="O1TKtI"><strong>Live Updates:</strong> <a href="https://twitter.com/HTIOT2">@HTIOT2</a> (livetweets by <a href="http://www.twitter.com/SandHerrera_">Sandra</a>) | <a href="http://www.nwslsoccer.com/game/chicago-red-stars-vs-washington-spirit-2019-09-21">NWSL Game Center</a></p>
<h2 id="BBAopP"><strong>CHICAGO RED STARS</strong></h2>
<p id="oFcXh4">Teamsheets released approx. 1hr before kickoff.</p>
<h2 id="ZByaSF"><strong>WASHINGTON SPIRIT</strong></h2>
<p id="nCxd6n">Teamsheets released approx. 1hr before kickoff.</p>
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<h2 id="rV9jLr"><strong>JOIN THE CONVERSATION</strong></h2>
<p id="rsXQqP">Be sure to follow our full coverage of every Chicago Red Stars game this season, along with breaking news, tactical analysis, and opinion. Join the conversation in the comments below or on social media.</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2019/9/21/20877301/chicago-red-stars-washington-spirit-nwsl-2019-week-23-info-lineups-streaming-kickoff-timeBridget Gordon2019-09-20T13:30:00-05:002019-09-20T13:30:00-05:00Switched Up The Pattern: Chicago Red Stars vs Washington Spirit NWSL Week 23 Preview
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<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="https://www.instagram.com/shainaben_sports/" target="_blank">Shaina Benhiyoun Photography</a></figcaption>
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<p>Chicago Red Stars able to clinch playoff birth with win over Washington Spirit this weekend</p> <p id="Hm2jOv">The <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/teams/chicago-red-stars">Chicago Red Stars</a> have returned from war with 3 victories. After tackling 3 games in 8 days, the squad is back for their final two regular season games at home. </p>
<p id="fmLcby">Chicago will play host to <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/teams/washington-spirit">Washington Spirit</a> this Saturday with an opportunity to secure a playoff position Their most recent wins comes against <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/mls/teams/sky-blue-fc">Sky Blue FC</a> where they won, 0-3 and set themselves on a new streak of wins after losing 3 matches just weeks ago. With 2 games remaining in their regular season, playoff positioning is still in play for a handful of teams. While that includes the Red Stars, the team has an opportunity to secure a playoff spot this weekend.</p>
<p id="GjwD7n">Washington are still very much alive in their hunt for the playoffs this weekend, and will need a win against Chicago to insure they stay on their path for positioning on the league table.</p>
<h1 id="zF8yY5">Where We Last Saw Them </h1>
<p id="gktb8e">Chicago and Washington last played each other back on August 10. The Red Stars were the on the road and were able to secure a victory against a very organized Spirit team achored by goal keeper Audrey Bledsoe. Casey Short served in a cross which connected with Yuki Nagasato on a header for the lone goal of the match. It marked the fifth consecutive win for Chicago at the time, their longest streak of the season. </p>
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<h1 id="Du33nH">Starting Lineup We’d Like To See</h1>
<p id="IIfYVL">Before heading off on a multi game road trip last weekend, some Red Stars were hit with illness, leaving Arin Wright and Vanessa DiBernardo unavailable for selection. Along with a red card suspension to Katie Johnson, the week allowed us to see the Red Stars in slightly different player scenarios. Two games remaining on the schedule means the starting eleven moving forward truly needs to be the chosen ones. Time to clinch.</p>
<h1 id="ADMyVQ">Keys To The Match</h1>
<p id="2jy9d1"><strong>Goals for Success: </strong>Washington Spirit are the only team the Red Stars have failed to score multiple goals against. Their first meeting was a 0-2 loss, and their most recent match ended in a 0-1 win. While Kerr and Nagasato lead the team with a combined 22 goals, Chicago will want to keep their offense a mixed bag of tricks and get everyone involved.</p>
<p id="xUAHWG"><strong>Disorganized the Organized:</strong> Washington has played rather organized in front of Chicago in their prior matches with their lines defined and difficult to break down. Having a collective of offensive looks can help in breaking things down.</p>
<p id="HyApgt"><strong>Clean Sheets: </strong>Audrey Bledsoe and the Spirit come to Chicago with 7 clean sheets on the season. While Alyssa Naeher has 6 to her name, the current back line rotation of Short, Davidson, Ertz, and Gorden account for 3 of those after this past week. Let’s see them get shutouts against other teams in the playoff hunt.</p>
<h1 id="npywC0">Players To Watch</h1>
<p id="7ItNKv"><strong>Washington Spirit:</strong> Aubrey Bledsoe has the stats, but Mal Pugh is looking in form once again and Ashley Hatch has connected on goal for the Spirit 6 times this year.</p>
<p id="VfXjWJ"><strong>Chicago Red Stars:</strong> They’re All Good Red Stars.</p>
<h1 id="J9yLa9">Wild Predictions</h1>
<p id="GcVmkv">You should get to the stadium early and hang out with Chicago Local 134 at their co-tailgate with ESPN’s Sarah Spain. There will be good people, there will be food, there will be beverages, there will be an epic playlist, and there will be a meet and greet with Democratic congressional candidate Marie Newman. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">First we brought you voter registration drives, and now...<br>MARIE NEWMAN!<br><br>That's right, <a href="https://twitter.com/Marie4Congress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Marie4Congress</a> will be at our tailgate this Saturday!! Marie is running in the Democratic primary in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IL03?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IL03</a>, where SeatGeek Stadium is located.<br><br>Come meet Marie and enjoy our tailgate! <a href="https://t.co/r8IftSqX2x">pic.twitter.com/r8IftSqX2x</a></p>— Chicago Local 134 ✶✶✶✶ (@ChicagoLocal134) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChicagoLocal134/status/1174738346876317699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2019</a>
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<h1 id="MOQZG9">How To Watch</h1>
<p id="I4QsUy"><strong>Kickoff: </strong>Saturday, September 21 at 7:00 p.m. CT at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL</p>
<p id="nEZlYj"><strong>TV</strong>: NBC Sports Chicago</p>
<p id="hQVjkk"><strong>Stream: </strong>Yahoo Sports</p>
<h2 id="41EuXR">Final Thoughts</h2>
<p id="5MeVwx">Do you think the Red Stars punch their ticket to the playoffs this weekend? Who do you think should start? Make sure you leave your thoughts in the comments below!</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2019/9/20/20875316/chicago-red-stars-washington-spirit-nwsl-2019-week-23-game-previewSandra Herrera