Whether Crystal Dunn should have been in Canada with the United States women’s national team is still up for debate. Had Dunn gone, would she have actually seen the field anyway? Would it have mattered? To the USWNT, probably not. Whether you think Dunn deserved to be one of the 23 or not, the U.S. seemed to do fine without her.
NWSL week 16 in review: Crystal Dunn cannot be stopped
Seattle knocks off Boston, Washington beats Houston, Western NY gets a big win in New Jersey and FC Kansas City and Chicago play to a draw.
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
There is one team that definitely wouldn't be fine had she not been around, though: the Washington Spirit. Dunn's season thus far -- and the Spirit still has six games to go -- has landed her not only atop the Golden Boot list with 12 goals, but also as a definite candidate for MVP.
The first pick in the college draft in 2014, Dunn has won Player of the Week honors three times already this season. After a hat trick on Saturday that helped the Spirit further cement a place in the top four heading into the final month of the season, Dunn could very well be adding a fourth.
No player has been named Player of the Week four times in the history of the NWSL, and only one other player -- Vero Boquete, in 2014 -- has won it three times.
And what about Dunn's 12 goals? She joins a list of just seven players -- Lauren Holiday, Abby Wambach, Amy Rodriguez, Sydney Leroux, Kim Little, Jess McDonald and Jodie Taylor -- who have scored 10 or more goals in a season. That's some pretty impressive company. Little holds the NWSL record, with 16 last season, but she needed 23 games to do it. Oh, and six of Little's goals were penalty kicks. So ...
Beverly Yanez scores again as Seattle stays atop the table
Things just keep getting worse for Boston. A week after falling to Sky Blue FC, the Breakers lost again on Saturday, though this time it was at least to the league leading Seattle Reign. It was the third straight loss -- and the eighth in a winless streak that dates all the way back to May -- for a Boston team that's landed at the bottom of the table and is quickly running out of time to make a push for the postseason. The Breakers also lost Julie King, who was sent off after receiving a second yellow card and will now be suspended for Boston's game in Portland on Wednesday.
Beverly Yanez scored in the first half for Seattle, her third goal in two games, to give the Reign a 1-0 lead. The goal was Yanez’s ninth of the season, three behind league-leader Crystal Dunn for the Golden Boot. Kristie Mewis equalized for Boston just 10 minutes after Yanez’s goal, sending the two teams to halftime tied at one. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad for Boston. Maybe they could still salvage at least a point from thi—oh. What’s that? Kim Little taking a penalty? Little, as she has so often done, of course converted for the eventual game winner.
Seattle's win, combined with Chicago's draw against FC Kansas City, not only kept the Reign atop the table for another week, but also gave them a little breathing room -- putting a three-point gap between themselves and the Red Stars heading into the home stretch of the season. Seattle has five games remaining, while Chicago has six.
Houston gets Dunn in by Washington
After a midweek win against FC Kansas City landed Houston in a playoff spot, things were starting to look up for last season’s last-place team. And while the Dash is still in fourth after Saturday, a loss to Washington probably wasn’t the way Randy Waldrum’s team wanted to celebrate their new position on the table.
Crystal Dunn scored all three of Washington’s goals, including one where she fought off the entire Houston defense, to give the Spirit the win, their second in three games. Dunn’s 10th, 11th and 12th goals of the season keep her atop the Golden Boot list for another week. Seattle’s Beverly Yanez is next, with nine.
Jess McDonald scored the Dash’s lone goal.
Washington has six games remaining, and is currently in third, separated from fourth place Houston by four points, and three behind second place Chicago. The Dash is still a point up on fifth place Kansas City, with five games remaining.
Sky Blue stalls out as Western NY gets a big win in New Jersey
Heading into Saturday on season-high three-game unbeaten run and with an offense that was finally clicking, things were starting to look up for Sky Blue FC. They were out of last place for the first time in a long time, as close to full strength as they’d been all season and facing a Western NY side that was winless in its last five games.
Both of those streaks -- Sky Blue’s unbeaten one and Western New York’s winless one -- came to an abrupt halt on Saturday night, though, with Elizabeth Eddy netting the game winner for the Flash in the 89th minute. Eddy had been in the game little more than 10 minutes.
Lady Andrade, making her third appearance for the Flash, scored the first goal of the night for Western NY. It was the Colombian international’s first NWSL goal. Kelley O’Hara had the lone tally for Sky Blue FC, her third of the season and third in two games.
Western NY is now in sixth, two points behind Houston for the final playoff spot. The Flash has five games remaining. Sky Blue, meanwhile, is still stuck in eighth, and with five games remaining, the Jersey team has an increasingly big hill to climb to make it into the postseason.
FC Kansas City and Chicago play to a draw
It was a rough week in the Midwest. Chicago fell out of first place, FC Kansas City fell out of the top four. Both teams decided to commiserate with each other by getting together and playing to a 2-2 draw that did little to help either.
Lori Chalupny and Christen Press scored for Chicago, and Amy LePeilbet and Sarah Hagen scored for FCKC.
The Red Stars are now four points back of first place Seattle, but do have a game in hand. FC Kansas City, now winless in three, currently sits in fifth, but just a point out of the final playoff spot. The Blues have five games remaining, all but one against teams currently below them in the standings.
Scores
Wednesday
Western NY Flash 0 - 2 Portland Thorns FC
Houston Dash 3 - 2 FC Kansas City
Saturday
Boston Breakers 1 - 2 Seattle Reign FC
Washington Spirit 3 - 1 Houston Dash
Sky Blue FC 1 - 2 Western NY Flash
Chicago Red Stars 2 - 2 FC Kansas City
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