Chicago Stars Off the Mark in Home Opener
The Chicago Stars remain winless on the season with a loss to Houston Dash 2-1
Positive Pressure
The Chicago Stars started off the second match of the season on the front foot against Houston. Just a couple of lineup changes with the insertion of Sam Staab and Ludmila back into the starting lineup. Nadia Gomes and Hannah Anderson were moved to the bench. This meant that Bea Franklin started at center back for a second game. Starting the match off, Chicago looked like a completely different squad from the Orlando game. The pressure they applied to Houston caused several turnovers and Chicago possessed the ball and moved it forward more fluidly than they had in the prior game.
The pressure applied by Chicago led to the opening goal of the match. Franklin played a long ball over the top that Houston’s Paige Nielsen struggled to corral and Jameese Joseph pounced on the ball and slotted it near post, past a sprawling Campbell. Joseph seems to have a knack for being at the right place at the right time when defenders and keepers make even the slightest error in their touch. Unfortunately for Chicago, this was the only goal they scored in the game.
Struggles Continue
Houston leveled the score 3 minutes later off a corner kick. Chicago has struggled over the last few seasons with their marking in the box and this was another case of that. Nielsen gained inside position and got a touch on the ball and past Alyssa Naeher. The Dash scored a second goal in the 2nd half on slip pass to rookie Maggie Graham, which caught the Stars’ defense out of position. Marking has to be something addressed by the coaching staff if the Stars are going to fall into a low block throughout this season. You can’t choose to play a defensive strategy and not be excellent at marking. There looked to be multiple times in this game where players were having lengthy discussions after marks were missed.
The outside backs continue to struggle this season being able to connect passes with the midfield. The pressure from Houston seemed to cause them to want to move the ball as quickly as possible into whatever space they could find, regardless of a teammate being there or not. I’d like to see the outside backs gain a little more confidence and hold the ball for another beat to find the open outlet. This also will require the midfield players to do a better job at becoming outlets for their defensive line. This issue stems from the midfield players dropping back so far they aren’t available as outlets when the defense does regain possession. The Stars are going to have to revamp their plans in the midfield or move to a different outlet strategy on the backline if they want to handle the press. Another change could be to have the outside backs become outlets for the center backs instead of trying to constantly jam the ball up one side of the pitch over and over without success.
The Stars continue to struggle at getting shots off. Against Orlando, Chicago only had 8 total shots. Against Houston, Chicago ended up with 11 shots. I would like to see Chicago getting 15 or more shots per game. I’m hoping as the season progresses we see players gain more confidence to take shots from outside the 18. Set pieces also seem to be a bit of a mess to start this season as well. Grosso is taking some good corners but Chicago have yet to get players into the proper position to score from them. I also believe our free kicks have struggled and nothing dangerous has comes from them so far. With the return of Staab this hopefully will change as she usually provides excellent service into the box from free kicks.
Positives Moving Forward
The way the Stars started the game gives hope that the team is capable of pressing other teams and maintaining some possession. The front line of Ludmila, Ally Schlegel, and Joseph did a great job of pressuring the defense of Houston but at times it did seem disjointed and not everyone was on the same page. If they work out some of the kinks, this could be a great strategy for the team to incorporate. Joseph ended up with a goal because of the pressure applied to the back line so we are already seeing positives. Micayla Johnson continues to be a wonderful addition to the Stars roster. The 17-year-old brings a spark off the bench as well as a fearlessness to take on defenders with her foot skills.
Staab returning to the starting line up and playing for a half in the second game of the season is incredible. There aren’t enough words to express what Staab means to this team and the leadership she brings. Staab being 90 minutes fit will be a game changer for the squad as the season progresses. I did wonder what the reasoning was behind the decision to bench Anderson with Staab returning to the line up. I found the choice interesting just because of how well Anderson played as a rookie last season and Franklin is transitioning from midfield. I do think Franklin has looked steady on the backline and I hope to see her continue to grow into the role. Franklin last season seemed to possess good vision of the pitch and it would be great to utilize that from the backline.
Who’s Next?
The Chicago Stars will take on Racing Louisville at home next Sunday at 3pm CT on CBS Sports Network. Chicago’s midfield struggles are going to be a big concern with the tall presence of Taylor Flint for Racing. Chicago is going to need to somehow neutralize Flint in the midfield as she was one of the best in the league last season. I believe Chicago’s best strategy is to attempt to press like they did at the start of the Houston game to try to force Louisville into turnovers. Chicago can then use the width of the pitch and speed to their advantage to attempt to beat the Louisville backline. Micayla Johnson was called into the U17 US camp so she will be unavailable for the game, so hopefully someone else can become the spark the club needs off the bench. This is a winnable game for Chicago if they choose to come out of the low block and not allow Flint and company to hold the ball without pressure.
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Great analysis!