several things from the spirit's semifinal win over the bats

Anyone who happened to turn on CBS at noon on Saturday was treated to an instant classic, whether they knew anything about the teams or not. The match was a barrage of intensity and entertainment, skill and determination, swings and shifts. Audi Field, home to the two largest crowds in these playoffs provided the perfect score, and requisite noise levels.

When it was done viewers were treated to a classic match containing a stoppage time equalizer, a red card, plus a once-in-a-lifetime goalkeeping performance in a shootout. After the game I couldn’t help but sit back in my chair, exhale, look around at 19,000+ (excluding a well-filled Gotham supporters’ section) and be grateful. The players have always deserved this stage and platform, and in this game thousands of the previously uninitiated saw why.

After I put the Honey Nut Feelios back in the pantry I started reliving match moments and reviewing data from the match. Here are several things I remembered or found out that I need to talk about.

the xG battle was unexpectedly lopsided

Heavens. Yes the Washington Spirit had 120 minutes to do it, but still, Gotham rarely lose an xG battle, and never by this margin. Their last “loss” was against Orlando Pride (1.66/1.53), a game the Bats won 3-1. The last time Gotham conceded over 1.89 xG in a match was April 20th, also against the Washington Spirit.

The numbers may seem inflated by extra time but tell a similar story at the end of full time too. Washington headed into extra time with 1.33 xG while Gotham posted just .47 in the previous 90+ minutes of play. Their best chance of the match came in extra time, and Esther’s .31 xG shot could have been the winner if not for Aubrey Kingsbury maaaaaybe getting a fingertip on the ball to send it over the bar. An ominous portending for the Bats.

well damn ok then spirits

Gotham just straight up do not allow this. Their pressing structure is aimed at providing little time on the ball and forcing turnovers through mistakes. The Spirit, somefuckinhow, did not care at all. In fact, the extent to which they did not care was entertaining. Leicy Santos literally juggled her way through three pressing players in a tidy 1-2 with Rose Kouassi along the sideline.

This was genuinely wild to witness, and I don’t really blame Gotham for faltering. When a plan A is as good as it’s been (Gotham had a season just as historic as the Spirit), you rarely need to break glass in case of emergency.

a very un-gotham pass network

Oh dear.

Aside from the strong and productive combination on the right side, this is the least Gotham’y pass network of Gotham’s season. They’re rarely this disconnected and have so few players in the attacking half, as well as none in the attacking third. This is some Houston Dash type shit, early season Bay FC type shit, Chicago Red Stars type shit. I don’t mean to be mean, I’m just stunned. This is not the Gotham that I know, and I did not think it was possible to do this to them.

Having said that, they came within minutes and inches of advancing to their second consecutive championship game.

rose kouassi said hello, gotham fullbacks hated it

Every team Rose Kouassi played against prior to her suspension absolutely hated the experience. She hadn’t scored, but she was making defenders’ lives hell while racking up ridiculously high numbers in dribbling, carrying, key passes and assists. Her return to the Spirit’s lineup meant that she was not only fresher than most starters, but new to Gotham defenders.

And they, too, absolutely hated every second of their introduction.

As a result Gotham burned through fullbacks. Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós ended up using four on the day, with three received yellow cards and one earning a dismissal after a second yellow. A foul on Rodman drew the second yellow, but that is the problem of having both the Spirit’s dynamic wingers on the pitch at the same time. Keeping both flanks marked would be a strain on a normal defensive setup, but is (and was) even more pronounced in a rabid pressing team like Gotham.

The Spirit being able to position their dynamic wingers in space—and get them the ball—meant that they often had opportunities to isolate and attack defenders. This happened, a lot, and wow did Gotham’s fullbacks hate it.

how does esther keep doing this

FBref lists Esther at 5’3, which isn’t Crystal Dunn height but it’s not far off. Yet Esther has this truly uncanny ability to not only win aerial duels, but routinely score headers as well. Seattle Reign striker Jordyn Huitema, who’s listed at 5’11, has scored four headed goals in the past two seasons. This season Esther scored three. She should teach seminars.

From a Spirit perspective, there was some complaining that this was solely the result of poor marking. The defenders certainly aren’t blameless, but I always find it more interesting to look at how or why a breakdown may have happened, and credit the opposition for creating the scenario. It’s true that if 5’10 center back Esme Morgan was in front of Esther the header would become significantly more difficult. However, this sequence was one of the few times Gotham actually looked like themselves.

A good combination got Yazmeen Ryan behind the line in space and with possession. Morgan was trying to get back in line with Tara McKeown and gesturing toward Hal Hershfelt to fill-in, who starts to before realizing where the cross is headed. Hershfelt leaving Esther so suddenly seemed to catch McKeown off guard, and was too late to challenge the Gotham striker in the air.

These are the quick decisions Gotham normally forces teams into, and if they’re not entirely on the same page, without hesitation or a false step, they’ll punish you. The Spirit didn’t do a ton wrong here—there were reasons they were out of position—but sometimes all a good attack needs is a moment of confusion.

god mode aubrey kingsbury

I just, legitimately, still, have no words.

Ok actually I found some words lol.

In the postgame presser Spirit head coach Jona Giráldez noted that Aubrey Kingsbury is the most prepared goalkeeper he’d ever been around. He also commented on how she approaches every training, saying “I’ve never seen anything like it.” For a coach who’s been around several world class players, those words carry a planet’s worth of weight.

Kingsbury’s preparation is shown in snippets of how she approached each kick taker. For the first save, against Esther who’d beaten her earlier, she waited for the tell of the runup and started cheating to her right as Esther stared at the ball, rather than her. Against Zerboni she switched it up. Zerboni is not a forward or known goalscorer, and perhaps leaning on that Kingsbury anticipated a short, quick runup and gave a false early movement to her left before diving back to her right and making the save.

When tricky left-footer Jenna Nighswonger stepped up all the pressure was on her to keep Gotham alive. For Kingsbury, another save would win the game. Nighswonger stood wide to the right of the ball and as she angled her approach, Kingsbury remained patient. Maybe Nighswonger could have wrapped her left foot around the ball and sent it to Kingsbury’s right, but the left footer shot left, and Kingsbury was ready.

After, Kingsbury picked up the ball and flung it into the air while she waited to be mobbed by her teammates. The performance was one of the most ice cold penalty shootout performances there’s ever been, and postgame Kingsbury told us that it could have gotten even more badass—she was the Spirit’s sixth penalty taker. She ensured the shootout only went half as far.

bye bye bruninha

I love a true chaos player and Trinity Rodman continues to prove that she’s that player. I also love Jona—knowing how important Rodman is and that chaos is unpredictable—stepping in between her and Bruninha to try and guide Rodman away. Rodman got a yellow card, but that was all. Bruninha, as mimed by Rodman, received her second yellow and was sent off.

Personally, I feel that certain players should be allowed to get away with stuff like this, and Rodman would certainly be one of them. Not just because I am extremely here for this energy (I still think back gleefully on Rodman’s performance for the USWNT v. Colombia), but because Rodman gets fouled a lot, every single game. If you absorb that much punishment and you’ve continued to beat your opponent to the point where they’re receiving maximum punishment, you should be able to celebrate that with an imaginary card.

In a more just world you’d also be allowed to grab the mic and lead the crowd in a rendition of Steam’s classic goodbye song. This is why they will never let me write the rules.

a security guard chased jona around postgame and it was extremely funny

Short Kings everywhere feel his pain. Grown ass man with a full trophy cabinet reduced to being mistaken for an unruly adolescent trying to use the cover of the moment to live out a dream. I can’t stop watching, this is tremendous content.

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