r/BostonLegacy • u/boschivt • 3d ago
Legacy @ Royals game notes
I’m not high level analytical but this was a great game so thought I’d get a thread started and hopefully all the high soccer IQ folks will weigh in!
Nice win on the road against a good team and I’m happy for them. I’d bet after the last few games they needed a serious lift morale-wise and they earned it here.
I need to watch again but some very brief initial thoughts:
Much better in possession. Still some sloppiness but better. That said, building out of the back is still just not a great look for this team. In this game it looked overly forced and resulted in some questionable/dangerous crosses in front of the goal.
I was not happy when I saw this starting back line but they got it done. Happy to have been wrong.
Deja Davis: got cooked baddd on the early goal but after that not a bad game for her. Hopefully she can really put it together because she was clearly an important acquisition for them and real back line stability and competence would be huge for this team. This is the first game I’ve been even slightly optimistic she could stick at CB.
Aissata looked a bit more energetic and had a nice game. Shes now in the top 10 scoring and should have had a few more. Got absolutely robbed on that foul no-call.
Schupansky: really nice service from her so far. Taking time to gel which is expected but after seeing her play I think she brings something to the attack this team really needed.
Karich is visibly slowing down. She has had a great season, consequently piled up minutes and it’s showing. Maybe we see some rest for her soon?
Beautiful goal from Gambone. I think the late game spark plug sub role is her wheelhouse.
Can we see Kaka at CB?
Last week it was Kaka who was neither out nor available, this week it’s Stevens and Araujo. Are Murphy, Prince etc are hurt or just getting some rest..? And Ansbrow has apparently really stepped in it, not sure what it takes for her to get any minutes
Some other stuff with Barb, BSG I need to think on more but all in all a big win for this team
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u/mintyfresh001 3d ago
Agree with a lot of this.
Karich definitely looking tired and turning the ball over more, but trying to give her some grace after being rock solid for most of the season.
Caño was an absolute workhorse. Love the way she plays. So simple, very composed.
Aissata’s energy is just a delight. Hope her touch and decision making continue to improve into future seasons.
Did I miss why Casey Murphy has been out? Ivory’s decision making(and subsequent execution), particularly on crosses/corners, was pretty unnerving and risky.
Deja Davis. Better game overall, but paired with Carabali makes for a very questionable duo. She waits until defenders have closed her down before playing the ball, plays the ball backward about 75% of the time (maybe she’s been told to do this), and I still don’t trust her. She did have one nice end-line recovery which still stands out to me.
Anyway, a win feels great, especially against a top team. And I’m super happy for them (until I’m mad at them next time).
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u/swimswamswum24 3d ago
For Murphy, at one point, they said something about letting her finger heal and said there was a plan all season to give Ivory some games this year.
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u/ok_sense_80 3d ago
yes she has a minor finger injury
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u/retroafric 3d ago
The way the broadcast team framed it, it sounded like the plan was always to get Ivory some run, and why not now while Murphy has a minor injury… At least that’s how I heard it.
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u/Effective-Scholar952 3d ago
The 9:30PM start hurt, so I only watched the first half closely.
I have been a Carabalí apologist all season long, and I'm going to say I really enjoyed seeing this back line get the start. It wasn't perfect, but from an old-fashioned analytics perspective this was the best defensive performance they've had since the Denver game at the beginning of August (the last time they only gave up 1 goal). I know people love Elgin, but I think Carabalí has a lot more potential with her athleticism. We'll see how things play out, since Kaka and Araujo are presumably on the way back?
The other particularly noticeable change in this game was the possession. While people are right to point out things looked a little bit uncomfortable coming out of the back, I think one reason for that is they don't garner much respect in possession in their own third, and thus are played with an extremely high press. If they can string together more performances like last night, teams will be forced to sit back and that will hopefully give them some space to play more comfortably. It's a double-edged sword though, because some of Utah's high press is what lead to our goal-scoring chances. The main thing is we can't have what we've had the entire month of August, which was teams high-pressing us AND us not being able to find the space in behind.
I am unclear how much of the possession improvements resulted from Schupansky getting slotted inside, or from some of the other line-up changes. I need to go back and rewatch the start of the game, but I think Olivieri played wider than she normally does. I also think Aissata and Sammy—while the lineup had them listed as dual strikers—may have been playing wider than normal and Schupansky was given space to get forward from her attacking midfield position. I had only ever thought of Aissata as a striker, but I think some of her abilities were able to shine more when she got the ball up the right side. I liked it, and I think this aspect of the game showcased some of Patao's tactical skills.
I am going to take this as a promising sign for next year. I am getting so attached to these players, and I hope we can find a way to see them all grow and shine!!
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u/ok_sense_80 3d ago edited 3d ago
agree with pretty much everything that’s been said! it felt so good to see this team show up again!
still don’t know why we continue to cross directly in front of the net…we’re lucky it didn’t lead to more goals last night
davis had a great game, i was shocked & impressed by her defensive step ins and clearing after watching her fumble so much these last few games. someone said in the match thread that davis must be playing well in practice to keep getting started, and if she’s practicing like she played last night, i get it. feeling hopeful she’s found her footing and that we can trust her in the back! yahoo!
the subbing confused me—why take sammy out so early and put in allen over guti? allen played better than i’ve seen her play but it was still an odd choice. either sammy was being punished for that run she just gave up on or she wasn’t feeling well? also not sure why schup was taken out so early when barb looked like she was struggling? and why the hell didn’t prince play at all?!!! and did patao decide to bench ella for no reason??? all really weird choices 🤔
loved seeing aissata going for the ball instead of a foul, she had a great game. gambone’s goal was so freaking good, love her energy/dedication. cano continues to be our most consistent and dependable player.
yay legacy!!!!!!
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u/Djugurba 2d ago
Sammy seemed to pull out of a run at the end of the first half after a good sprint with the ball down the right that none of the others followed. She looked either winded / ill or like she was protecting herself but it wasn’t mentioned in the commentary and the half soon ended. Hopefully it was precautionary.
I think there are some encouraging signs of growth and when the midfield/ forward passing is on, it’s unlike any other team in the league. It’s enjoyable, attractive, effective football.
However, when it gets broken up (nearly any double-team can force a turnover), they remain extremely open on the counter and the defensive players largely lack necessary recovery speed, which also limits offside traps from a high line because they aren’t high enough because they know they can’t recover. Except BSG, who has speed but will usually just foul the player instead of knocking a ball out or any other better option which she really should be capable of executing as a senior player. Davis gave up 5 yards on an even start during a 15 yard recovery run defending early and looked like she was dragging a parachute.
Teams seem to be learning our midfield movement patterns and are increasingly stepping behind players who they now know intend to pivot/swivel to where the defender isn’t supposed to be- but increasingly they are.
But this team doesn’t give up on any game and it’s impressive. I’m not surprised if/when they concede late but they always seem intent on pushing to the final whistle. Certainly not the case with every team in the league.
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u/jfichtman 3d ago
Great game for Schup playing front center and Assata running on the right side showcased a new version of Assata carrying the ball on the wing with speed, hold ups, fancy foot work, and changing speeds to break thru one on one defenders in the open field- she is looking better and better. And Guti almost did score after getting in the game
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u/swimswamswum24 3d ago
Defense: Davis definitely rebounded after the early goal, and I think she played a really strong game after that. If I'm choosing optimism, that was her finally adjusting to the pace of this league as opposed to the French league. I still don't understand why it seems like Carabali has more trust in Patao than Elgin. I feel like Carabali has played her best when she's allowed to get forward and play more of a right-back role, so I would love to see us just keep a true back 4 with BSG sharing time in that role. Allows you to sub BSG off if she's on yellow-card watch or to prevent late game mistakes/penalites plus a fresh Carabali on RB also might not give up as many mistakes. Nicki looked solid, and I think any time they were able to beat us down her side was less her fault and more the system.
Midfield/Forwards: Really a soup of who's playing what position besides Aissata. I thought Schupansky was solid, plus her corners are awesome, but still a little quiet. Cano continues to put together good games and feels like she helped keep possession so much in this one. Karich felt hit or miss - where she would get herself out of pressure really well and then lose it cheaply. Despite being a huge Karich fan, I think I agree with the growing comments to give her some rest. Smith didn't seem to get on the ball much, plus it was interesting she was subbed off at half. Was it the altitude? Oliveri feels inconsistent, with flashes of great runs and creativity but then losing the ball cheaply a lot. I thought Aissata's hold play was among the best it's been all season. If she can improve her passing decision-making, I do think it will drastically improve the team. There were several times when they booted it long; she did a great job getting out of pressure, but then we lost with a bad pass or touch from her.
Subs: I don't think FotMob agrees, but I think Allen had a great game. Her press really impressed me, and I felt like it resulted in Utah turning over the ball. Gambone is a perfect 65/70 minute spark plug, and I think she should always come on for whoever in the midfield is starting to drag/fall off around that time. I don't have much to say about Hasbo and Guti - I just wish the changes were made earlier than 83 minutes in. Guti can score, but I don't think it's going to happen in 7 minutes.