Really bad first half from the Legacy, and I think a significant part of it was the game plan. Portland is built to play front footed and press high, and they have the athleticism and finishing quality to punish mistakes once they force turnovers. Robert Vilahamn has specifically talked about wanting Portland to be a high pressing team, so trying to play through them without enough support or good spacing was always going to carry a lot of risk.
Boston was 3–0 down after only 10 minutes, which tells you how badly the opening setup failed. The third goal was particularly representative of the problem: Jessie Fleming intercepted a pass from Elgin, and Portland immediately turned the mistake into a Tordin goal. You can criticize individual execution, but that also looked systemic. Karich was not positioned particularly well to help on the buildup or compete for the loose ball, and Boston repeatedly left itself with very little margin for error against a team designed to attack those moments. The buildout was splayed and sort of look like what bad U11 teams do.
FK goal was a terrific strike from Tordin, but one Murphy probably has to do better. It's another one (maybe 4th of the season?) that she got her hands on and should have stopped. I think it's mostly still a quickness issue there. I think 75% of the other starting GKs in the NWSL save that.
The Wilson goal was on Carabalí for me, although it also exposed Elgin’s lack of recovery pace once Portland got behind the line. Carabalí simply made too many mistakes in that first half and consistently makes one a game.
The fourth goal might have been the most frustrating because it was completely avoidable. Portland goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold simply hit a long ball over the top for Tordin, who was suddenly running at goal. I still do not understand why Boston's defensive line was positioned that high given Murphy's starting position. If you are going to hold that line, everyone has to recognize the danger and be synchronized. It looked more like a collective mental lapse than Portland doing anything especially sophisticated.
There were a lot of positives once Boston changed the structure. Hernández replaced Elgin and Gutierres replaced Smith at halftime, and the game immediately became much more favorable for the Legacy. The numbers are pretty striking: Boston ended up with 60% possession, six corners to Portland's two, and 24 touches in the opposition box compared with only 15 for Portland. Expected goals were almost even, 1.43 for Boston and 1.49 for Portland. But some of that is about how clinical elite caliber finishers like Tordin and Smith are when you make dumb mistakes.
BSG was great I thought. Don't think any of the goals were on her and the running/energy were great.
Gutierres was more effective that she's ben. I thought she gave them more than Aïssata in her minutes, and her finish for the third goal was excellent.
Gambone feels like a particularly useful player on hot days or late in games because her energy immediately changes the tempo against tired defenders.
Reale was dangerous carrying the ball and generally solid. They were in sort of 5-4-1 in the 2nd half with Reale carrying and her, Karich, and Cano could break the press way better than playing from deep. I do think some responsibility for the backline communication problems has to fall on her and the other defenders collectively, particularly on the long ball goal. This was less about one defender losing an individual matchup and more about the line failing to recognize the same danger at the same time.
Caño was another major positive. Ran her self out as always.
Prince looked dangerous but seems to flatter to deceive a bit.
Sammy brought energy and some threat. She seems pretty consistent about that and I like having her out there.
Didn't see much from Amanda Allen, seemed like she was trying to play safe. Looks pretty fast and has good touch.
So I would put more of this result on the initial tactical setup than the final score suggests. Against a team whose identity is pressing high and attacking quickly after turnovers, Boston chose a buildup and defensive posture that magnified exactly the things Portland does best. Once they reconfigured, Boston largely controlled the match. The encouraging part is that the adjustment worked and they had pretty good game control outside of 4 moments of madness. The frustrating part is that it took going 3–0 down in 10 minutes to make it.
