Canada coach John Herdman may be feeling the pressure to beat the United States on June 2. (Photo Copyright: Patti Giobetti | http://www.printroom.com/pro/psgiobetti)

Canadian national team coach John Herdman generally talks long-term. On almost every occasion, Herdman will stress how the Canadian team needs to think about the future more than what’s happening currently and that wins today don’t necessarily mean wins tomorrow, when they might be more important.

It’s especially been the mantra in 2013, as Canada stares down the 2015 World Cup and tries to ensure that it does not repeat the disaster of 2011 when the Canucks finished dead last in Germany.

So consistent has the message been that it came as a bit of a shock to see the line-up released for the June 2 Toronto friendly against the United States. Only four players on the roster could be reasonably described as prospects. The remainder include many of the usual suspects.

Herdman still described the line-up as a “mix between veteran and young players” in a teleconference Wednesday. However, even he was forced to admit that some scoreboard thinking went into the choices.

“There is a reality check,” Herdman said of efforts to include more young players. “Some (of Canada’s younger players) might not be ready to be exposed to the pressure of playing in front of a big crowd in Canada.

“The reality is the bottle is fairly empty,” Herdman added, describing the current state of young Canadian players.

He alluded to the possibility that the amount of hype being placed on the game by the Canadian Soccer Association might have played a role in roster selection. The CSA has widely promoted the game as “The Rematch” of last year’s Olympic semifinal and has tried to evoke some of the emotion that surrounded that game to build excitement for the friendly.

“We can’t hide from the fact that this is an important game for Canadians,” Herdman admitted. “Thus, we needed more of a veteran presence (to increase the possibility of a result).”

Canada is 3-44-5 all-time against the USA.

The need to improve the young player pool in Canada has led the national team to scout every corner of the women’s soccer world. In turn, that resulted in the most surprising call-up of all – American youth international Rachael Quon.

Herdman said that the Canadian team became aware of Quon having a “family connection” to Canada last August and has been pursuing her since. She was formally approached in January, but was unable to accept a call-up until now due to injuries.

Quon is a regular starter with the Chicago Red Stars.

Herdman admitted that the need to look for players with only peripheral connections to Canada was a symptom of a deeper issue in Canadian soccer.

“The reality is that you have to look at the US right now in some cases because there isn’t anyone in Canada that can fit the need,” Herdman said. “In five years we should never have to do this.

“With the resources we have and the amount of girls playing, we should be producing enough Canadian players that we don’t have to look to other countries.”

However, Herdman did stress that the number of players on the national team roster that didn’t play youth soccer in Canada is minimal. Currently, only Lauren Sesselmann, who is from Green Bay, Wis., would meet that description.

“If there were 5, 10, 15 players from other countries we’d have a real problem, but it’s just a few so it’s not as big of an issue.

“The challenge is to create a youth structure that can create a conveyor belt of Canadian players to constantly replenish the national team.”

Rachel Quon played for U.S. youth teams, but has been called into the Canadian senior team for its June 2 match vs. the United States.

Canada coach John Herdman has named his 19-woman roster for the June 2 match against the United States in Toronto, and it notably includes the first-ever Canadian call-up for Chicago Red Stars defender Rachel Quon, who has played for the U.S. U-20 and U-23 teams.

The roster also marks the return of Melissa Tancredi, who took the spring off to go back to school.

Of the 19 players called in, 14 were part of the Canadian Olympic team that won the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. The roster includes a pair of players — Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence — who will be incoming freshman at West Virginia University in the fall.

“It was important for us to bring in a blend of youth and experience for this game,” Herdman said.

The United States named its roster for the match on Tuesday. Click here for the full U.S. roster. The U.S. own a commanding 44-3-5 all-time record vs. Canada, including the epic 4-3 Olympic semifinal victory in extra time last year that has left this June 2 game designated simply as “The Rematch.”

Canada’s June 2 roster vs. the United States:

GK- Karina LeBlanc | USA / Portland Thorns FC
GK- Erin McLeod | USA / Chicago Red Stars
D- Kadeisha Buchanan | USA / West Virginia University*
D- Robyn Gayle | USA / Washington Spirit
D- Carmelina Moscato | USA / Chicago Red Stars
D- Rachel Quon | USA / Chicago Red Stars
D- Lauren Sesselmann | USA / FC Kansas City
D- Kylla Sjoman | GER / Herford SV
D- Rhian Wilkinson | USA / Boston Breakers
D- Emily Zurrer | USA / Seattle Reign FC
M- Kaylyn Kyle | USA / Seattle Reign FC
M- Ashley Lawrence | USA / West Virginia University*
M- Diana Matheson | USA / Washington Spirit
M- Sophie Schmidt | USA / Sky Blue FC
M- Desiree Scott | USA / FC Kansas City
F- Tiffany Cameron | USA / Seattle Reign FC
F- Christina Julien | RUS / WFC Rossiyanka
F- Christine Sinclair | USA / Portland Thorns FC
F- Melissa Tancredi | unattached

* – Player to join NCAA team in Fall 2013

Alyssa Naeher is headed back to Boston. (Photo copyright ISI/Howard C. Smith)

Alyssa Naeher will soon join the Boston Breakers, The Equalizer has learned. The American goalkeeper played the past two seasons for Turbine Potsdam, whose German season is now over.

Naeher played for the Breakers in 2010 and 2011. She is expected to join the team this weekend, but will not yet be eligible to play.

Boston already boasts two goalkeepers who have been trading starts, Ashley Phillips and Mexican international Cecilia Santiago.  Currently Colleen Boyd is also on the roster, after being called up to travel to Kansas City with the team.

With defender Bianca D’Agostino on the injured reserve list, the Breakers’ maximum roster size is only 19 players.

The Breakers have not confirmed the signing at this time.

Christie Rampone, named NWSL Player of the Week for Week 6, masterfully contained Alex Morgan in Thursday's 1-0 Sky Blue FC win over Portland. (Photo courtesy of David Blair/Portland Thorns FC)

For my money Week 6 in NWSL was the most intriguing so far.  With apologies to the Flash and Red Stars who had the week off there are several interesting storylines that emerged as the season moved past the quarter mark and prepared to dive headlong into summer.

During the last week the Thorns and Breakers became the last two teams to lose while the Spirit entered the win column.  The Thorns loss came to Sky Blue FC who moved to the top of the table and look like serious contenders.  There were also myriad goalkeeper changes and some injuries that could impact next month’s national team call-ups and long-term NWSL outlooks.

Here are a few of the top storylines with 24 of 88 regular season matches now in the books.

Sky Blue upend Thorns, take top spot

Thursday night’s Sky Blue victory over Portland Thorns FC stands as the seminal result of the first quarter of the first NWSL season.  After 80 minutes of controlled defensive play kept the high-powered Thorns offense off the board, Taylor Lytle smacked a long-range shot that beat Karina LeBlanc and gave Sky Blue FC the lead and eventually the 1-0 victory.  The 24-year-old Lytle had been on less than two minutes when she scored the goal that sent shockwaves around the league.

There were certainly moments early in the match where the Thorns could have struck for a goal.  But the bigger picture is that Sky Blue exposed some holes in the Thorns.  Jim Gabarra brought Kelley O’Hara back to left fullback to add some experience in the rear and the organizer, Christie Rampone, was at her best thwarting Alex Morgan whenever she entered the penalty area.  The Thorns also had trouble varying their attack and with the loss it became more glaring that the Becky Edwards-Allie Long combination in midfield has yet to fully click.

[MORE: Sky Blue FC defender Christie Rampone wins NWSL Player of the Week]

Three days later Sky Blue took their act to Seattle and pounded the Reign for the second time in nine days.  Lytle added her second goal of the week to augment strikes by Lisa De Vanna and Sophie Schmidt and Sky Blue never appeared threatened.

The Thorns also won Sunday, 2-0 over the Spirit on goals from the dynamic duo of Morgan and Christine Sinclair.  Both teams have 16 points from a possible 21 and continue to lead the table.  FC Kansas City are a full six points back but have two matches in hand and have also dropped the fewest points of any team.

Reign still scuffle

Laura Harvey made significant lineup changes for both of last week’s matches but the Reign surrendered seven goals and dropped their 5th and 6th consecutive matches.

The offense broke out with a pair of goals Thursday night against Washington but it was no match for their defense which was nothing short of dreadful around the goal.  It didn’t help that Kate Deines left injured before 20 minutes were up (Deines is expected to miss 3-4 weeks), but the issues were more effort and positioning than anything else.

Harvey sat down Canadians Emily Zurrer and Kaylyn Kyle, inserting Jenny Ruiz into central defense next to Deines and Jessica Fishlock into a more traditional defensive midfield role.  The team also went without Keelin Winters and Elli Reed through injury.  Kiersten Dallstream took Reed’s right back spot.  Zurrer was called on to replace Deines and was a culprit on more than one of the Spirit’s four goals.

Sunday night, Harvey made a goalkeeper switch, taking Michelle Betos out of the first team and giving rookie Haley Kopmeyer her first professional minutes.  Kopmeyer saved a penalty shot and had her moments but was poorly positioned when Sophie Schmidt’s free kick left her motionless and was generally not aided by her teammates.

The match featured some history when Ruiz became the first player in league history to be sent off.  It was a sequence that typified the Reign’s poor start.  Danesha Adams blindly turned on a ball in the Sky Blue half and it headed harmlessly to where the Reign center backs were stationed.  But Ruiz took a lazy touch and the energetic De Vanna pounced on it and won a breakaway.  With Kopmeyer staying at home, Ruiz had little choice but to take De Vanna down, drawing her second yellow card and a penalty for Sky Blue.

The Reign next head to Portland without Ruiz—who will be suspended for the red card—and likely Deines and Reed.  Liviu Bird, of Soccerwire and an occasional Equalizer contributor, tweeted a picture from well after the game that depicted Harvey and owner Bill Predmore sitting on the Starfire Stadium pitch, appearing to contemplate the magnitude of the team’s 0-6-1 start.  Already 7 points out of a playoff spot to a club with two matches in hand, the road to contention will be a tough one in the Emerald City.

Goalkeeper changes abound

Three teams made goalkeeper changes Week 6 under three very different sets of circumstances.

The Spirit change drew the most attention when Chantel Jones started Sunday in place of Ashlyn Harris.  The Thorns webcast threw folks into a tizzy by suggesting Harris has been benched.  However, the Spirit tweeted—and have since confirmed directly to The Lowdown—that Harris had a slight knee injury.  The club says the injury occurred opening day and was aggravated Thursday when Harris ironically had her worst outing of the season in the Spirit’s first win.

Harris’ injury is not considered serious and Tuesday she was named to the training camp roster ahead of the U.S. friendly vs. Canada in Toronto a week from Sunday.

As for Jones, she left a positive impression playing a strong match in a 2-0 loss against a quality Thorns side.  The Spirit should not fret if the occasion comes to use Jones again.

The Breakers used Cecelia Santiago for the second time in five matches after Ashley Phillips was ruled out for unspecified reasons that are not injury related.  Phillips is expected to be in goal against the Spirit on Saturday night.

The Reign change was documented above.  They’ll be thrilled when Hope Solo finally makes her debut for the team.

Sky Blue’s keeper Brittany Cameron has played every minute so far and co-leads NWSL (with Karina LeBlanc) with a 0.57 goals against average.  Cameron was drafted to be Loyden’s backup but was thrust into the starting role when Loyden broke her hand in the spring.

It will be interesting to see how and when—Or is it if?—Gabarra transitions to Loyden.  Cameron has fantastic numbers, including three consecutive shutouts.  She also saved a penalty on opening day and made another dazzling save against Kiersten Dallstream two weekends ago.  But Loyden was the backup Sunday in Seattle and as good as Cameron has been there are deficiencies in her game.  Notably Cameron tends to be extra aggressive coming off her line and has been bailed out on a few occasions when those forays did not work so well.  Eventually one of them will cost Sky Blue a big goal.

Loyden is the better keeper, but it is difficult to make a change when the current keeper is rolling.  Loyden was a somewhat surprising selection to the U.S. squad for the Canada friendly so that probably makes it a dead issue for at least the next two weeks.

Injuries starting to creep in

FC Kansas City and Seattle Reign FC were bit by the injury bug this week while Sky Blue’s Brittany Bock returned from one injury and picked up another in a span of five minutes.

The Blues took the field Saturday without co-captain Becky Sauerbrunn, who was nursing a hamstring injury.  Jen Buczkowski dropped in to play centrally next to Lauren Sesselmann and it worked out beautifully.  Buczkowski does not have Sauerbrunn’s knack for sneaking forward but she partnered well with Sesselmann as she once did with Christie Rampone in helping Sky Blue win the 2009 WPS championship.  One level up, Desiree Scott was all-world in patrolling the defensive midfield line she usually shares with Buczkowski.

Things were looking rosy until Sesselmann took a hard hit and had to come off late in the second half.  The club has not released any firm information on the nature of either injury, but it could be that FC Kansas City are forced to use Buczkowski and Katie Kelly in central defense against Sky Blue this weekend.

Sky Blue are likely to be without Bock for that match.  The 26-year-old tweeted that she broke her left wrist in Sunday’s win over the Reign.  Sky Blue later announced it as a broken arm.  Bock was five minutes into her return from a broken rib.  It is not impossible to play soccer with a broken arm but it depends on many factors so Bock’s status will be worth keeping an eye on.

As for fallout, Sky Blue has fared pretty well without Bock, who is a versatile, middle-of-the-park player.  But they’ll be missing her June 1 when national team call-ups are will cost them Rampone, O’Hara and likely Schmidt.

The Reign do not play the weekend of U.S.-Canada, a bit ironic since none of their originally allocated U.S. players are with the team.  It is good news though if injuries on defense make for an all-Canadian pairing of Zurrer and Kyle this coming weekend.

The Red Stars did not play during Week 6 and have been quiet on the Leslie Osborne front.  The midfielder is expected to miss some time with a knee injury, a blow to a club already missing Shannon Boxx.

Sermanni names 21 for camp

U.S. national team coach Tom Sermanni, having made the rounds in the early days of NWSL, has named 21 players to train ahead of the June 2 friendly in Canada.  Here is the breakdown by NWSL club:

Sky Blue FC (3):  Jill Loyden, Kelley O’Hara, Christie Rampone
Thorns FC (2):  Rachel Buehler, Alex Morgan
Kansas City (4):  Nicole Barnhart, Lauren Cheney, Kristie Mewis, Becky Sauerbrunn
Breakers (2):  Sydney Leroux, Heather O’Reilly
Flash (2):  Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach
Spirit (2):  Ashlyn Harris, Ali Krieger
Red Stars (0):
Reign FC (0):

There are six players not currently on NWSL rosters, including Tobin Heath, who will join the Thorns in a few weeks.  The other five are Amber Brooks, Crystal Dunn, Whitney Engen, Julie Johnston, and Christen Press.

The notable absence is Megan Rapinoe who was left off the squad to focus on the Champions League final and French Cup final coming up with Lyon.  Hope Solo is not on the roster but will be with the team for evaluation on her surgically repaired wrist.  There are no players on the roster who were not in the mix prior to playing in NWSL.

[MORE: Full U.S. national team roster for June 2 game vs. Canada]

Where are the goals coming from?

Throughout the season The Lowdown will track where the goals are coming from in terms of the different levels of roster building.  Allocated players continue to dominate as they accounted for 8 of 14 goals during Week 6 and 33 of 59 overall.  Here’s how the goals break down with Week 6 totals in parenthesis:

Allocated players – 33 (8)
College Draft – 4 (1)
Free Agent – 12 (2)
Supplemental Draft – 6 (1)
Discovery et al. 3 (2)
Own Goals – 1

Note:  Free Agent refers to any player signed during the free agent window immediately following the college draft; Discovery includes any player acquired through means not included in any other category

Free Kicks

-It was strange to see a lineup sheet sans Becky Sauerbrunn, who played every minute for the Washington Freedom in 2009 and 2010.

-Nothing official but I’m told Sauerbrunn and Sesselmann could both play Saturday.  Sauerbrunn’s inclusion on the U.S. roster would seem to indicate at least she is doing alright.

-Diana Matheson became the first NWSL player to have a goal and assist in the same match on Thursday in Seattle.  Two days later Lauren Cheney did the same thing against the Breakers.

-The Breakers were the last NWSL side to lose but the Thorns (4-0-1) went more games than the Breakers (2-0-2) before taking their maiden loss.

-It would have been very interesting if Jenny Ruiz was not carrying a yellow card when she took Lisa De Vanna down for her second and subsequent red card.  Referee Kari Seitz did pull out the yellow card before showing Ruiz the door, but the play was worthy of a straight red card.  As the last defender Ruiz was guilty of denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO in online shorthand)

-The preliminary phase of the 2014 Asian Women’s Cup kicked off Tuesday.  Four of 16 countries will advance to face Japan, Australia, China, and South Korea at next year’s final tournament.  The top five finishers next year will qualify for the next World Cup.  That means at least one of the 16 nations in action this week will be at Canada 2015.  North Korea is not entered after being banned from Canada due to positive drug tests at the last World Cup in Germany.

-Sky Blue FC owner Thomas Hofstetter told The Lowdown last week that despite what appears to be troubling attendance figures, the club is ahead of projections for the season (he would not divulge the projections.)  Hofstetter also confirmed that more than one MLS club is interested in NWSL ownership.  He stopped short of saying Red Bull is ready to become involved in that capacity.

-The Red Stars were expecting Inka Grings and Sonja Fuss on Tuesday.  They will be the first Germans to play in NWSL.  None played in WPS.

Carli Lloyd returns to the USWNT for the June 2 game vs. Canada.

United States women’s national team coach Tom Sermanni has named his 21-player roster for the June 2 match vs. Canada in Toronto and it includes very few surprises.

The biggest omission is midfielder Megan Rapinoe, but she faces a busy couple of weeks ahead with her French club team, Olympique Lyon. That includes Thursday’s UEFA Women’s Champions League final vs. VfL Wolfsburg.

“Megan has two big matches coming up and we thought it best for all involved for her to stay in France to properly recover from the first and prepare for the second without that international travel mixed in between,” Sermanni said. “We wish Megan the best in her pursuit of what would be a tremendous achievement in winning the treble with Lyon, and we’ll see her on the East Coast for the South Korea matches in mid-June.”

Hope Solo is scheduled to train with the team in Toronto but will not be on the roster. She is still targeting the mid-June games vs. South Korea (on June 15 in Foxborough, Mass., and June 20 in Harrison, N.J.) for her return from wrist surgery.

“Hope’s rehabilitation has been progressing well, but we want to make sure she doesn’t jump back into competition prematurely,” Sermanni said. “The week in Canada seemed like the perfect time to give our medical staff and our goalkeeper coach, Paul Rogers, the chance to gauge her progress. Then we can take the appropriate steps to make a plan for her return to action.”

Carli Lloyd returns to national team duty after breaking a bone in her shoulder at the Algarve Cup. She just returned to the field with the Western New York Flash on May 11 in a 2-1 win over F.C. Kansas City.

The most interesting addition is Bayern Munich midfielder Amber Brooks.

As Sermanni told The Equalizer last week, it’s too early to call-in players based solely off of a few games of NWSL play. Expect that to happen toward the end of the season.

“It’s very hard to make (judgments) unless somebody comes out and really does well. But I’ve seen a few players that have kind of caught my eye that I’ve maybe not known about or that haven’t been in the national team structure,” Sermanni said. “I think I can make better judgments on players in the second half of the season because that’s really the test. The test is about longevity and about consistency.”

Full USA roster for June 2 game vs. Canada:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Nicole Barnhart (FC Kansas City), Ashlyn Harris (Washington Spirit), Jill Loyden (Sky Blue FC)
DEFENDERS (8): Rachel Buehler (Portland Thorns FC), Crystal Dunn (North Carolina), Whitney Engen (Liverpool), Julie Johnston (Santa Clara), Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Amber Brooks (Bayern Munich), Lauren Cheney (FC Kansas City), Tobin Heath (Paris Saint-Germain), Carli Lloyd (Western NY Flash), Kristie Mewis (FC Kansas City), Heather O’Reilly (Boston Breakers)
FORWARDS (4): Sydney Leroux (Boston Breakers), Alex Morgan (Portland Thorns FC), Christen Press (Tyresö), Abby Wambach (Western NY Flash)

Christie Rampone, 37, hasn't lost a step, evidenced by last week's stellar road trip.

This one was very close — a toss-up, 0f sorts.

In the first Thursday-Sunday Pacific Northwest road trips in NWSL history, it was a pair of players on those road trips that stood out in Week 6 of National Women’s Soccer League play: Christie Rampone and Ali Krieger.

Both received significant votes, but Rampone ultimately is The Equalizer’s Week 6 Player of the Week for her role in Sky Blue FC’s 1-0 victory over Portland Thorns FC on Thursday and a 3-0 win over Seattle Reign FC on Sunday.

Rampone was a key part of a Sky Blue FC gameplan that neutralized Portland’s potent attack and, in particular, helped shut down Alex Morgan throughout Thursday’s match.

The six-point road trip for the New Jersey club puts them tied atop to the table with Portland (16 pts. each) with the exact goal differential. Sky Blue FC own the head-to-head tiebreaker after Thursday’s win.

Rampone also played a role in Sky Blue’s third goal against Seattle on Sunday, delivering the free kick that was flicked-on for Taylor Lytle’s goal. The Sky Blue and U.S. national team captain has quietly been having an incredible start to the season as arguably the best center back in the league.

For her part, Krieger scored in a 4-2 win over Seattle on Thursday and was electric on the right flank vs. Portland on Sunday.

Player of the Week Archive:

Week 1: Adrianna Franch, Western New York Flash

Week 2: Christine Sinclair, Portland Thorns FC

Week 3: Heather O’Reilly, Boston Breakers

Week 4: Sydney Leroux, Boston Breakers

Week 5: Lori Lindsey, Washington Spirit

Portland drew two large crowds to JELD-WEN Field in four days this week. (Copyright Patricia Giobetti | http://www.printroom.com/pro/psgiobetti)

This was the week that the NWSL had been waiting for.  Portland’s two home matches helped get the week attendance to almost 30,000 and also cross the 100,000 mark for the season.  FC Kansas City also proved that they can continue to have solid draws.  Boston, Washington, and Kansas City are leading the charge and now are the only teams getting over 80% of their tickets sold.

Not all of Week 6 was positive.  What happened in Seattle?  Just over 2,000 people total showed up for their two matches.  With these two poorly attended matches, the Reign now take over the bottom spot in the attendance rankings.  They need to get a big crowd on Saturday for the matchup with the Thorns.

Here are the NWSL’s attendance numbers through Week 6 (24 games):

Average Attendance: 4,228
(Average Attendance Without Portland’s Home Games: 2,927)

Attendance Standard Deviation: 3,894

Median Attendance: 2,979

Total Attendance to date: 101,476
(Total Attendance Without Portland’s Home Games: 61,468)

Week Six Attendance Numbers:

Washington Spirit @ Seattle Reign FC (Starfire Stadium) – 1,011

Sky Blue FC @ Portland Thorns FC (JELD-WEN Field) – 11,055

Boston Breakers @ FC Kansas City (Shawnee Mission District Stadium) – 4,362

Washington Spirit @ Portland Thorns FC (JELD-WEN Field) – 12,474

Sky Blue FC @ Seattle Reign FC (Starfire Stadium) – 1,046

Archive:

Week 1 attendance figures

Week 2 attendance figures

Week 3 attendance figures

Week 4 attendance figures

Week 5 attendance figures

U.S. head coach Tom Sermanni has been to every NWSL stadium at least once so far this season. (Photo Copyright Linehan Photography for www.equalizersoccer.com)

TUKWILA, Wash. — United States head coach Tom Sermanni has seen it all when it comes to the National Women’s Soccer League. Of course, in such a young league and with only eight cities, that hasn’t taken him long.

“It’s important to get around to all the grounds in the league and see how things are going. It’s good to be here at last,” Sermanni said in the press box of Starfire Stadium at halftime of the Washington Spirit’s 4-2 win over the hosting Seattle Reign on Thursday.

Because the NWSL is into just its fifth week of play, Sermanni’s scouting trips around the country haven’t yielded any unexpected returns yet. When the U.S. takes the field next month in a friendly against Canada and two against South Korea, no player who earned their spot solely based on league play will be on the roster.

“It’s very hard to make (judgments) unless somebody comes out and really does well. But I’ve seen a few players that have kind of caught my eye that I’ve maybe not known about or that haven’t been in the national team structure,” Sermanni said. “I think I can make better judgments on players in the second half of the season because that’s really the test. The test is about longevity and about consistency.”

That test also applies when looking at the league as a whole.

“It’s really important — not just for national team players, but for players to have a potential career after they finish their years in college, for players to keep playing soccer — to have strong clubs and to have another layer of development in the game,” he said, “but also to have a place where, particularly, young girls can come along and see the top players in the country play.”

For that to happen, the NWSL will have to be able to survive to an extent without its national team stars, he said. Although the June friendlies will overlap with league play, it is a chance for other players to make their case for both the national team and for becoming another household name.

“It’s important that we build strong clubs and we build a strong league with the support of the national team players, but not necessarily having them all the time,” Sermanni said. “They need to be able to do it without them as well.”

Coming to terms with competition from overseas leagues is another part of that process. Reign midfielder Megan Rapinoe won’t join her NWSL team until after Lyon, the team to which she is currently contracted, plays in the UEFA Champions League final on May 28. Similarly, Portland Thorns midfielder Tobin Heath won’t be available until her stint with Paris Saint-Germain is over.

“Players play all over the world in the men’s game, and they play all over the world now in the women’s game,” Sermanni said. “From a national team perspective and (Rapinoe’s) development, playing in Europe has its benefits as well. Hopefully, this league will get the benefit of her playing there so that when she comes back, she’ll really be in top shape, match-fitness-wise. Hopefully, playing in Europe is actually continuing to help her development.”

In the end, the NWSL doesn’t live in a vacuum. Despite the enormous support for the league in the U.S., other leagues won’t yield to it simply because it exists within American borders. Ideally, league officials will find a way to make the NWSL subsistent enough to make the best American players — and players from all over the world — want to play here.

However, at this point, the U.S. coach said that hope might be more fantasy than inevitability.

“Obviously, having every player in America is ideal,” Sermanni said. “But you don’t ever get the ideal world, unfortunately.”

Liviu Bird is the Cascadia regional editor for SoccerWire.com. He covers all levels of soccer — men’s and women’s, professional to youth — for the site.

Follow @liviubird

Kelley O'Hara was back up top and had an assist as Sky Blue won their 3rd straight

Sky Blue FC completed a sweep of the Pacific Northwest clubs with an authoritative, 3-0 victory over Seattle Reign FC before 1,046 at Starfire Stadium.  Sky Blue have now won three straight, all shutouts, and continue to lead Portland Thorns FC on the head-to-head tiebreaker for first place.  The Reign dropped their sixth straight since an opening day draw and became the first team reduced to 10 players when Jenny Ruiz was shown the door just after an hour.

The Reign made more lineup changes including a goalkeeper switch to rookie Haley Kopmeyer.  The Michigan grad was greeted rudely when the first shot she saw, off the foot of Lisa De Vanna, beat her for a 1-0 Sky Blue lead.  Caitlin Foord set it up with another dynamic run followed by a threaded ball between defenders to her Australian mate De Vanna.

The Reign began the second half with some better possession but were not close to finding an equalizer.  Then Ruiz made a lazy play on a harmless long ball by Danesha Adams, lost possession to De Vanna and then took a red card when she chased her to the penalty area and pulled her down.  Kopmeyer went right and stoned De Vanna on the penalty to keep the Reign in touch, but they were forced to go the rest of the way a player down.

Sophie Schmidt iced it in the 79th by walking up to a free kick and curling a left-footed shot past a frozen Kopmeyer.  Taylor Lytle added the finishing touch taking a flick off Kelley O’Hara’s head and chipping Kopmeyer from close range.

Goals:

Sky Blue – De Vanna, 10th
Sky Blue – Sophie Schmidt, 79th
Sky Blue – Taylor Lytle, 86th

Sky Blue:  Cameron (GK), Foord, Rampone, Goodson, Johnson, Makoski, Schmidt, Freels, O’Hara, Adams, De Vanna

Reign:  Kopmeyer (GK), Dallstream, Ruiz, Kyle, Barnes, Fishlock, Nairn, Noyola, Bogus, Cameron, Taylor

Attendance:  1,046

Alex Morgan scored her fourth goal of the year in Portland’s Sunday victory over Washington. (Photo Copyright Amanda McCormick | www.amandamccormick8.com)

PORTLAND, Ore. – A first half goal from Christine Sinclair followed by Alex Morgan’s fourth goal of the season got Portland back in the win column, with Thorns FC bouncing back from their first loss of the season to defeat the visiting Washington Spirit, 2-0.

In front of 12,474 at JELD-WEN Field, Portland improved to 5-1-1, temporarily moving into first place pending Sky Blue’s Sunday night game in Tukwila, Wash. The Spirit, coming off their first win of the season, fall to 1-3-3.

While Portland looked the slightly stronger side in the opening moments, with a cutback from Morgan creating a near-chance in the eighth minute, Washington slowly came into the match. By the mid-point of the half, the Spirit were dictating play, able to get into their attacking third with ease through Ali Krieger down the right side. Either through crosses from Krieger or the occasional try on goal from their right back, Washington had developed into the more threatening side.

“Make no bones about it – Washington is a very talented team,” Thorns FC head coach Cindy Parlow Cone said after the game, asked about the Spirit’s success down with Krieger and Diana Matheson on the right flank. “You only talk about Diana and Ali, but all over the field they have quality players, and I think we saw that today.”

The Spirit’s control forced Portland to play on the counter, with a deep-dropping Sinclair getting multiple chances to orchestrate breaks as the match approach the 40-minute mark. Initially unable to connect with Morgan, Sinclair was left with speculative shots from outside the Spirit penalty area.

“I was trying to find open space, trying to drag the defender away or at least have her drop,” Morgan said of the first half’s failed counters. “[The defender] was either going to step to [Sinclair] or drop to me. She ended up dropping to me the first time, stepping to Sinc the second time. We were a little unlucky with our shots …”

In the 41st minute, Sinclair finally broke through. From outside the area and to the left of goal, Thorns midfielder Allie Long chipped a ball into the right of the box, finding Sinclair. Settling onto her left foot, the Portland captain got a shot off from 16 yards out, the ball sliding inside Chantel Jones’ right post for the opening goal.

“[Allie Long] was actually sicker than a dog today,” Sinclair said, describing her teammates’ contributions. “Her pass to me on the goal, we talked about it halftime. She was like ‘I just saw your eyes light up.’ Their outside back wasn’t aware of me, and I felt like if I called for the ball, she’d know I was there. She was like ‘I just saw your eyes.’”

Sinclair, however, after her chances from distance earlier in the half, gave Jones no chance to stop the owner, patiently waiting for the ball to fall to her left foot before burying her third goal of the season.

“I can’t say enough positive things about [Sinclair],” Cone said of her captain’s performance. “She does everything for the team … both on and off the field. If you see us needing for defense, she’s dropping and defending. If we need more attacking, she’s pushing forward, trying to get the goal or the assist or set up the attack.”

With their 1-0 lead, Portland briefly resumed control of the match out of half time, showing improved movement and connections through midfield. As the teams started making substitutions, Washington slowly became the aggressors, though to little avail. While the Spirit were occasionally able to cause panic in Portland’s defense, their forays never seriously threatened Karina LeBlanc.

In the other goal, the Spirit were without U.S. international goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, who was held out of the starting lineup. Originally classified as a “coach’s decision,” the Spirit eventually clarified, saying Harris failed a late fitness test. Jones got her first start of the season.

As time wound down, it was Portland that generated the better chances. Substitute Angie Kerr forced a save from Jones, while a yellow card drawn by Morgan on Robyn Gayle allowed Marian Dougherty to put a late direct kick on goal.

In the 87th minute, Portland finally put the game away. Played behind the defense by substitute Courtney Wetzel, Morgan’s right-footed finish past an oncoming Jones gave Portland their final margin of victory.

For a Thorns FC side coming off their first loss of the season, the quick turnaround from Thursday’s loss to Sky Blue allowed the team to get back on track.

“After the loss, we were really down,” Morgan said, after the match. “It was our first loss. So we wanted this game right away. We wanted to have one a couple of days later, just to get our confidence back up, and I think we did that.”

Fatigue, however, was cited as a major factor in the game. Like Portland, Washington has only two days rest between Thursday’s 4-2 win at Seattle and Sunday’s match at JELD-WEN. But whereas Portland spent their recovery time at home, the Spirit were travelling down the Pacific coast, playing there second match in four days away from the Maryland SoccerPlex.

“Everyone saw the fatigue that both teams had in their legs,” Cone said. “It’s a difficult turn, to play Thursday-Sunday.”

“Both teams gave up some counterattacks, but that’s just the nature of playing [on short rest]. Washington had to travel, so they have that extra, added fatigue in them, too.”

Portland finished the match having put eight shots on goal to Washington’s three. Thorns FC also held the edge in total shots, 14-8 over the Spirit.

Goals
41′ – Christine Sinclair 3 (Allie Long)
86′ – Alex Morgan 4 (Courtney Wetzel)

Starting lineups

Portland: Karina LeBlanc / Nikki Marshall, Rachel Buehler, Kat Williamson, Marian Dougherty / Nikki Washington (Courtney Wetzel, 71′), Becky Edwards, Christine Sinclair, Allie Long (Jessica Schufelt, 90+1′) / Mana Shim (Angie Kerr, 78′), Alex Morgan

Washington: Chantel Jones / Domenica Hodak, Robyn Gayle, Tori Huster, Ali Krieger / Stephanie Ochs, Julia Roberts, Lori Lindsey, Diana Matheson / Ingrid Wells (Jasmyne Spencer, 71′), Tiffany McCarty (Caroline Miller, 65′)