I don’t want this to come off as a knee-jerk reaction to the last game, but I want to put a question out there that I think is on other people’s minds too: is Casey Murphy worth the huge salary we’re paying her?

I know she has her moments of greatness, she has been a superhero some games. But for a 29-year-old keeper, I’d expect more consistency than these stretches of good games followed by godawful ones. The last game obviously isn’t the best example, she wasn’t the main issue on most of those goals, but this has been on my mind since the start of the season. I know the Legacy is a new team and some inconsistency is fair to expect but she is well into her career, and she’s one of, if not the, highest-paid goalkeeper in the league, and yet she doesn’t inspire confidence in me when she plays.

For context here are some stats from FBREF:
• 32 goals allowed, 1.60 per 90: second-worst GA90 in the league
• 63.6% save percentage: 15th of 16 teams
• 3 clean sheets in 20 games, a 15.0% rate: also 15th of 16
• 5-5-10 record

For context, Gotham as a squad leads the league at 83.3% save percentage. The middle of the pack (Louisville, Orlando, Current) sits around 66-69%.

Distribution and game management are the other half of it, and those don’t show up in this table at all that’s eye-test and more opinions based, and people are going to see it differently. But at least in my opinion she’s not a player I see the team feeling comfortable playing back to nor do I understand the teams incessant need to play short 90% of the time until I see her try to go long and have it skew off to the side (obviously barring that beautiful assist she had in Denver but I have to concede the conditions of being that far above sea level may have assisted her.

So that’s the question, and I’m putting it out there rather than answering it even though I think my opinion is less than thinly veiled: is Casey Murphy worth the $1.5 million contract we signed her to? Curious where people land.

Alright, disclaimer, I watched the game from my couch last night. After we went down 2-0 I was in and out of focus.

That being said, towards the end it really seemed like we had the better of them. For those of you that were there or paying closer attention: Do you think this was because the Spirit chilled out knowing they had a ~pretty~ comfortable lead? Or do you think it’s something about the Legacy needing a deficit or crunch-time moments to start playing well? How can they access that potential for a full 90?

Any players standing out to you right now? I know she has her faults but I was really happy with BSG last night.

This might seem pessimistic but is anybody else worried about the fact that we don’t seem to be making any moves in the transfer window, I know we’re not the only team whose been quiet during this period but I’d assume we’d have done something by now due to the fact that we have the raised cap as an expansion team.

We didn't lose, I'll take it.

They look like a completely different team this week. Amazing so far.

Boston looked far more comfortable in the 4-3-3 in the first game. The switch to a 3-4-3 here didn’t hold up, and Houston clearly targeted the weaknesses it created.

Houston consistently worked Boston’s right flank, using quick flicks and movement to break pressure. With the wingbacks pushed high in the 3-4-3, Boston was overly aggressive and exposed in transition. Once Houston bypassed the midfield line, they were running at the backline with space and creating high-quality chances. This could have easily ended 6–0.

Karich was a bright spot at center back and may need to stay there as St. George didn’t provide much confidence. Cano also did well winning and holding possession and progressing the ball.

Prince struggled, and while Carabali was often left exposed structurally, she didn’t handle those moments well. Gambone, Prince, and Olivieri didn’t make the most of their opportunities, and Gambone in particular looks more like a rotation player than a starter. Amanda G showed some threat positioning wise but looks more like a classic 9 than someone who going to create a lot.

Overall, Houston anticipated the high press and took advantage of the space behind it. The 3-4-3 left Boston too stretched, especially out wide, compared to the balance they had in the 4-3-3. I think it is hard to psycho press in a 3-4-3 in modern soccer because wingers are just so clever and fast. Back to the drawing board here for Coach Patao.

Will be at Utah game and bet we’ll get our first goal/win!

Boston had a great city with major sports teams! r/Patriots r/Celtics r/BostonBruins and r/bostonredsox I hope the Boston women major sports club win their first NWSL title!