Boston Legacy FC defeated the Kansas City Current 1-0 in Saturday’s game at Centreville Bank Stadium.
Head coach Filipa Patão stuck to a similar lineup as the last few games and kept her usual 3-5-2 formation.
Casey Murphy started in the net with Emerson Elgin, Jorelyn Carabali, and Bianca St-Georges on the defensive line. Lilly Reale and Nichelle Prince were on the wings alongside Barbara Olivieri, Annie Karich, and Alba Caño in the midfield. Aïssata Traoré and Sammy Smith were at the top.
Here are three thoughts from the game:
Another Win
The Legacy (5-8-4) earned its fifth win and third clean sheet of the season, a welcome sign of consistency.
The KC Current were missing key players like Michelle Cooper and Temwa Chawinga, who scored the only goal in the teams’ previous meeting. Boston created the most chances in the first half, taking eight shots versus KC’s five and keeping 58% possession.
The Legacy had to play a more defensive game in the second half, winning 56% of duels and dispossessing the Current 12 times. Possession dropped to 44%, but the Swans were able to record five shots (one on target) as opposed to KC’s four.
Seven of the Legacy’s shots on Saturday were taken outside of the box.
“[KC] is a team that prioritizes closing the central corridor … and inside the box, you need to go around to try to have success.” the coach said postgame. “You will have more space outside or outside of the box or on the wings, and you can try combinations [in the box] and crosses.”
The Legacy has yet to lose a game when first to get on the board (3 wins, 1 draw). The team is currently 13th in standings with 19 points.
Future Forwards
Aïssata Traoré scored the opening goal in the 18th minute, getting a touch on a deflection in the box, striking it past the goalkeeper.
The Malian will be in Morocco for her second WAFCON in the upcoming weeks and will miss at least one NWSL game as Mali completes the group stage.
Her presence will be surely missed, as she is now the team’s leading goalscorer with five goals. Amanda Gutierres was unavailable Saturday due to a thigh injury, but the team did not provide additional details.
Patão previously said that signing Reale and Deja Davis would allow her to put Smith and St-Georges higher up the field, perhaps hinting at what we can expect when the team is without its primary strikers.
Smith has highlighted her versatility by playing several positions thus far, but this was the first time Patão started her as a forward. She played 85 minutes and recorded one shot and three touches in the opposition’s box.
During the first half she would often switch between being the highest player on the field to pulling back to the midfield to receive passes. Traoré and Smith would position well when both were in the box, but their teammates had trouble getting them the ball without KC intervening.
Smith played deeper for much of the second half as the Legacy moved into a more defensive structure. Once Ella Stevens subbed on for Traoré in the 67th minute, Smith spent more time on the left wing, leaving Stevens at the top.
“She creates and she helps [Traoré] a lot [to] attack the deep and other times to do a frontal support, drop between the lines and create the four midfield,” the coach said postgame. “[She] is a player that gives us a lot and can play in a lot of positions.”
Smith’s performance left much to be desired through no fault of her own. She is no stranger to playing as a forward, which was her natural position before joining Boston, and has already scored two goals this season. We know she can score goals when given the opportunity, but it may take her some time to grow accustomed to the new role (if she is even kept there) and combining with Traoré in a more central position.
We’re halfway through the season, and though we’ve seen several variations in the team’s lineup, there are evidently many combinations we have yet to see. Players keep ending up on the injury list, and other players that made several appearances at the beginning of the season are barely seeing the field now (e.g. Aleigh Gambone, Laurel Ansbrow, Nicki Hernandez). There is still experimenting to do as player availability changes.
The Drama
It wouldn’t be a BLFC game without a fair share of questionable officiating and stoppage time drama. Energy was high in the second half, with Boston (nine total fouls) committing seven fouls, and the Current (four total fouls) committing three.
The Current’s Penelope Hocking tripped Caño then stood on her hair. She was only called for a foul despite Caño’s protests.
“The challenge was committed in a reckless manner and did not rise to the level of a caution,” referee Matthew Corrigan said in a pool report. “The step onto the hair was deemed accidental.”
Four minutes into second half stoppage time, Stevens was shown a yellow card for hitting Kayla Sharples' head with her arm when they both jumped for a ball. After VAR review, the referee upgraded it to a red card.
“After review, there was more force in the challenge than what was observed by the on-field officials,” Corrigan said.
Stevens will serve a one-game suspension, which will mark the second time this season she’ll miss a game for disciplinary reasons.
Adding on to the disciplinary report, Karich continues to be on yellow card accumulation watch. She currently has four, putting her at risk of a suspension if she receives another in the next game. If she is not carded on Sunday, her count will be reduced to three for good behavior.
BLFC will be on the road this week and will face the Denver Summit on Sunday, August 2 at 9:00 p.m.
