Seattle Reign FC currently occupies the bottom slot in the league table with a 0-1-2 record. Their typical starting XI is a group of passionate individuals with heaps of talent. Unfortunately they haven’t lived up to that talent just yet, and are playing too physically so far.
Seattle Reign FC vs. FC Kansas City: Preview
FC Kansas City performed exceptionally well last week against Seattle, and they will need to continue in that stride for this second back to back match against the Reign.
Four of Seattle’s starting players have yellow cards, and Jessica Fishlock has received two bookings. From a tactical angle, Seattle must play smart soccer pushing their talent on the ball rather than pushing their bodies on Kansas City players. The physical style of play was futile against Kansas City as they managed to score the lone two goals and maintained strong possession of the ball. For Seattle, Christine Nairn and Kaylyn Kyle were, and will remain instrumental in creating offensive plays to seed crosses into Fishlock and Keelin Winters.
It remains unclear whether Seattle’s forward Lindsay Taylor will play this week. Fortunately for the club, they recently welcomed back their second star striker Tiffany Cameron during week 3 as a substitute that played for 11 minutes against Kansas City. The club has yet to confirm whether Taylor is still tending to an eye injury sustained prior to the start of the regular season.
It is not necessary for FCKC to experiment with their starting squad but perhaps head coach Andonovski will start Sinead Farrelly in hopes that she can shine in a similar fashion as last week. Farrelly scored the opening goal of the match and Renae Cuellar followed up in the second half with her second goal of the season. As long as the back line consists of Lauren Sesselmann, Becky Sauerbrunn, Leigh Ann Robinson and Katie Kelly then the Seattle offense won’t have many opportunities in the box.
If this match results in a win for FCKC it will allow them to bump Sky Blue FC out of the second spot and FCKC will be competing for the top slot with Portland.
FC Kansas City Injuries
OUT: N/A
Seattle Reign FC Injuries
OUT: Hope Solo (wrist injury), Megan Rapinoe (completing season with Olympique Lyonnais), Amy Rodriguez (pregnant) IN DOUBT: Lindsay Taylor (eye injury),
Match Date/Time: Saturday May 4, 8:00 pm EDT
Venue: Starfire Stadium, Seattle, WA
Online: NWSL Soccer YouTube Channel
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