CHICAGO RED STARS V SKY BLUE FC

Adam Ant?

Sky Blue FC won their first match, Chicago Red Stars lost their first match. Sarah Walsh scored her 1st goal and so did Natash Kai. A game of many 1st's at Toyata Park, Chicago.
Sky Blue came out to attack from the start with the midfield picking up all the loose balls and harassing Chicago's midfield. Not letting them have time on the ball.Even in the first 5 minutes Sky Blue were looking to put the speedy Australian forward Sarah Walsh through with the through ball.She was just off side.Her Australian international teamate Collete McCallum got the range right a couple of minutes later. In the 7th minute McCallum passed a perfect ball to Walsh(wearing war paint! nah it was sunblock-she is Australian after all) who had timed her run brilliantly slipping in behind two Red Stars defenders.She coolly passed the ball past GK Caroline Jonsson to the left of her goal putting Sky Blue one up and shocking the Red Stars.
Sky Blue never let up in the first half. They were 1st to every ball.Chicago were making mistakes and couldn't get their offensive players on the ball a lot.When they were they were swarmed by orange jersey's. Who were hunting in packs. At times it looked like Sky Blue had more players on the field than Chicago. I even tried to count them just to make sure.
On 10 minutes the very busy Heather O’Reilly played the ball up to Kai and then ran onto to the striker’s flick.As O’Reilly broke into the box alone and took a shot at goal, Red Stars GK Jonsson came off her line to stuff O’Reilly’s shot.Five minutes later, Sky Blue appeared to double the lead after a steal in the box by Julianne Sitch playing in the center of the midfield after playing at right back in previous games. Sitch stole the ball from Chicago's midfielder Frida Ostberg in the box and cut the ball across for Walsh to hammer home but the flag was up for offside.
Chicago's talented offence were held in check by Sky Blues defence brilliantly marshaled by Christie Rampone. The defence played very high. I mean VERY HIGH!They compressed the field knowing that they had the speed in Rampone and English star Anita Asante as insurance. At times the defence were on the halfway line. Chicago were caught out time and time again with offsides. They came close when the ball was fed through the defence by substitute Cristiane. Carli Lloyd and Karen Carney both raced to the ball and ended up getting in each others way. The ref calling offside for Lloyd. Carney was onside and through but Lloyd had touched the ball negating the opportunity.
Sky Blue sealed the game when play started once again by the impressive McCallum in the 78th minute. The Australian playmaker fed a nice through ball behind for Kelly Parker to run onto. As Jonsson charged out off her line, the Canadian midfielder slid a slow roller across the goal and Kai flew in to bury the ball into the open goal from five yards out.
Chicago’s last play came in stoppage time off the foot of Lindsey Tarpley. Carney passed in from the left and Tarpley hit a first time shot from the top of the box but GK Jenni Branam was there to punch her shot wide of the goal. 2 nil Sky Blue.

"Chicago made it very difficult, especially at the end of the game. I’m getting old, but that last ten minutes of the game made me even older. I’m very proud of the players today; they really stepped it up and expressed themselves." Ian Sawyers.

"Collette McCallum and I know each other’s game inside and out so the ball through was perfect. We’ve had three or four games without a goal, so it was just a huge relief to get a goal and to be up. To be honest, I was surprised we were up.""I’ve never been so relieved, to have my club win a game. We worked hard for it and we deserved it." Sarah Walsh.

"The goal came off a great run from Kelly Parker. The ball was probably already going in, but I made sure it went in to secure a 2-0 lead.""It felt good to score not just for me, but for our team in general. I just hope this carries on to our next game." Natasha Kai

“I don’t think any one of our players had a good game today,” “You can’t win games if your players are under performing. Unfortunately, we didn’t do some basic things, got exposed and were punished for it. I don’t think it was one single area, I thought it was everywhere.” Emma Hayes

Lineups:
Chicago Red Stars: – Caroline Jonsson; Marian Dalmy, Nikki Krzysik, Ifeoma Dieke, Chioma Igwe (Natalie Spilger 79’); Megan Rapinoe (Ella Masar 66’), Brittany Klein (Cristiane 54’), Frida Ostberg, Karen Carney; Carli Lloyd, Lindsay Tarpley.

Sky Blue FC: – Jenni Branam; Meghan Schnur, Christie Rampone (Christie Shaner 72’), Anita Asante, Keeley Dowling; Collette McCallum, Julianne Sitch, Kelly Parker, Heather O’Reilly; Natasha Kai (Rosana 82’), Sarah Walsh (Yael Averbuch 65’).