5
Boston Legacy secures hard-fought win in home finale Game Notes (www.bostonherald.com)
submitted 3 weeks ago by to c/bostonlegacy@feddit.online
5 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

The Boston Legacy had home-field advantage for one final time at Gillette Stadium in their inaugural season on Friday night, and they marked the occasion with a win.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 2 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

I've been traveling that past week or so and missed this game, so I will have to catch a replay. Just from looking at the box score, it's good to see Guti getting some serious minutes finally. Patao said recently that Guti's minutes have been limited due to lingering back issues, so hopefully she has turned a corner there.

The other thing I noticed is that Karich was actually subbed off the field. I'm pretty sure she has the most minutes this season of any player on the Legacy, so it is pretty unusual to see her come off. She is so fundamental to the possession/press style of play that the Legacy wants to play.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [–] [S] 2 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

    I see Karich played in the us youth setup in 2019 for some friendlies -- do you think there's a chance we see her trying out for the six with the full national team at the beginning of the next world cup cycle?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

    I haven't watched enough USWNT to say how well she fits into their system or measures up to the current midfield, but she has been overall excellent at Boston and is a perfect fit for the system Patao is building; a possession/press style of play. I think a lot of people overlook her contributions to the team and their more recent successes at controlling the midfield as the season has gone on - even against top-ranked teams in the league.

    I think a more defensive-minded midfielder is an easy to overlook position as you tend not to end up on the scoresheet a lot or make flashy plays that end up in highlight videos. However, she is incredibly talented on the defensive side of the ball at knowing exactly where to be to clog up passing lanes and when to step in for a tackle/interception. On the offensive side of the ball, she is extremely good at maintaining possession under pressure. She somehow always manages to squeak a pass out to a teammate as defenders are swarming around her. This aspect of her play reminds me of watching Busquets always evading the press.

    If I had a criticism of her play, it would be that she can sometimes struggle to transition from defense to offense. She is so good at defensive positioning, that I find she will kind of do it on autopilot even after Boston has taken possession. She could do a better job of releasing and finding space to more cleanly receive a pass and/or relieve pressure on our front line.

    I would love to see her on the USWNT. Reale is the only US call-up that Boston had in the most recent break, but she didn't have any actual minutes in the two games against Spain. Maybe someday a Boston player will get a US cap, and if I had to guess who is most likely, it would be Karich.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] [S] 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    The two NWSL holding midfielders we see most often in Hayes’ system are Claire Hutton and Sam Coffey, if that helps give you a sense of what she’s looking for. I think of a good six for the US as a Julie Ertz style destroyer who protects the back line, physically when necessary, so I always want to see Sam Meza, who leads the league in tackles, called in. The USWNT midfield is in a bit of disarray as of late, which is concerning this close to a World Cup.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 2 points 3 weeks ago

    I don't think of Karich as a particularly physical player (though she is constantly on yellow watch due to tactical fouls). She more excels at positioning and control. So, it might not be a great fit tactics wise if that is what is needed. However, with her awareness and game sense, I think she would probably be able to fit into other systems pretty well, though I haven't had the chance to see her play on any team other than Boston.

    I think she might be very likely to be in the conversation were something like an injury happen to existing roster members. I think she has the quality to represent well on the international stage.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent