Which Goalkeepers Won the Challenge Cup (and What They Still Have to Work On)
/By Bill Reno
The NWSL Challenge Cup looked to be set on a predictable path when the knockout stage started but some penalty heroics and general top-notch goalkeeping gave way for the top seeds booking early travel plans back home. But which goalkeeper stood on their head to keep their team’s tournament hopes alive? And what questions do they need to answer going forward? And how many rhetorical questions can we fit in this post? Keep reading to find out!
1) Bella Bixby / Britt Eckerstrom (Portland Thorns) - It’s only a little ridiculous that Eckerstrom was named the goalkeeper of the tournament despite playing only two matches but no one can deny her outstanding performance in the massive upset win over the North Carolina Courage in the quarterfinal matchup. “Performance of the tournament” seems like a more fitting award but either way, but let’s not forget Bixby’s worldclass save either. How many goalkeepers are even able to make this safe, much less execute it?
Although it might get lost in the shuffle, Thorns goalkeeper coach, Nadine Angerer, should be commended for preparing her backup goalkeepers to be ready to step in when injuries plagued the team.
Question to answer: What does Portland do with their goalkeeping core now? They have a national team goalkeeper with Adrianna Franch and two starting NWSL-ready backups with Eckerstrom and Bella Bixby. Although Bixby is now unfortunately going through ACL surgery and rehab, it’ll be interesting to see if the Thorns try to flip one of their goalkeepers for a draft pick. Sending Franch to the Royals for a first-rounder seems like a win-win for all parties, but Racing Louisville FC’s expansion draft looms as well.
2) Casey Murphy / Michelle Betos (OL Reign) - A fairly quiet tournament run for Reign goalkeepers, who showcased no major mistakes nor game-saving moments. Fans might want Murphy to do more in the quarterfinal penalty shootout but honestly most of the penalties she faced were well struck and out of her range.
Question to answer: How will the Reign balance Betos and Murphy? Murphy is one of the best U24 goalkeepers in the world while Betos is one of the best veteran goalkeepers in the league. Betos looked really good despite not playing in a year while Murphy’s footwork looks extremely slow at times. If Murphy can find a little more mobility, it should be her spot to lose. Otherwise, Betos may prolong Murphy’s ascension to the number one spot.
3) Alyssa Naeher / Emily Boyd / Cassie Miller (Chicago Red Stars) - Naeher had a rough start but rebounded well for most of the tournament. Naeher’s game is a little old hat by now - sit back and let the game come to her - but she did well when called upon for the most part.
Question to answer: Can Naeher expand her game to handle more than just shots from long range? Naeher struggled mightily with balls at the end line, often showed a troublesome approach to angle play, and looked uncomfortable with any substantial forward movement. It’s unreasonable to expect wholesale changes in Naeher’s game at 32 but tactically she seems prime to make minor adjustments to prolong her career.
4) Jane Campbell (Houston Dash) - After a tumultuous group stage showing, Campbell started every match for the Dash in spite of many fans calling for backup Lindsey Harris to see the field. However the one takeaway from Campbell’s tournament run is that a goalkeeper’s success is largely dictated by what the defense concedes. The Dash were a leaky ship in the four group stage games, calling on Campbell to confront crosses, through balls, and awkward scrambles in the box. In the knockout rounds, things tightened up and Campbell was basically limited to penalties. Campbell saved two penalties in the quarterfinal matchup against the Royals and suddenly she goes from zero to hero. The life of a goalkeeper!
Question to answer: How much responsibility can Campbell take? She’s still running a yard or two into the goalmouth on crosses and vertical movement doesn’t seem comfortable for her yet. She has national team aspirations and while playing against USWNT opponents is admittedly easier than playing for the Dash, she would do well to not limit herself to only handling shots atop the 18.
5) Aubrey Bledsoe (Washington) - To little surprise, Bledsoe was named Australia’s W-League Co-Goalkeeper of the Year in the middle of the Challenge Cup. Bledsoe had a handful of moments to change the outcome of the game but couldn’t quite get Washington to the next level. We highlighted this earlier but the fact that she was an inch away from earning the save of the tournament on Horan’s header in the 69th minute shouldn’t be overlooked and sums up her career in more than one way, for better or for worse.
Question to answer: Is Bledsoe a national team goalkeeper? She’s won three Goalkeeper of the Year awards in two years (two in the W-League, one in the NWSL) but it’s anyone’s guess if she’ll get a proper chance at the national team.
6) Abby Smith / Nicole Barnhart (Utah Royals) - Smith seemed to be plummeting to the bottom of the stack after the two first games but rebounded with some big saves in the back half of her tournament run. Barnhart made a brief appearance but it seems that the Royals are finally moving on from the former national team goalkeeper.
Question to answer: Are Smith’s positive moments repeatable? For example, in the Houston Dash match Smith got caught leaning in the 39th minute. It was a tough shot destined for the net, but she was fortunate to be leaning the right way, and made a game-changing save. Is it a product of luck or was Smith perfectly reading the shooter’s body language? Time will tell.
7) Kailen Sheridan (Sky Blue FC) - Sheridan’s tournament run can be defined as “chaotic.” Showcasing great saves and over-complicating easy goals earmarked Sky Blue’s goalkeeping, although this did little to dissuade media votes into awarding her with the Golden Glove.
What to look for going forward: Will Sheridan clean up her game to become an elite goalkeeper or will simple mistakes keep her at “good but not great”? Sheridan can absolutely save the second and third goal in the semifinal against the Red Stars. Weak hands and uncharacteristically slow reflexes end up seeing Sky Blue go home early, but if Sheridan makes capable saves, it’s a different narrative.
8) Katelyn Rowland / Stephanie Labbe (North Carolina Courage) - A surprising upset sent North Carolina home early so there’s not much to report on here. The one minor note is how the level of goalkeeping didn’t see any dropoff from Labbe to Rowland, the former dealing with a minor injury.
Question to answer: Is Rowland playing behind a bulletproof defense ideal for her development? Rowland doesn’t seem like a goalkeeper who would shy away from more competition and seeing her shortcomings as of right now, she might be better served getting exposed a little more. However, training against the best in the world in practice isn’t a bad strategy either. It’s two sides of the coin, but Rowland’s development is on a curious path for the time being.
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It’s anyone’s guess when we’ll next see these goalkeepers back in action, but if there’s one thing shown from the Challenge Cup it’s that finding an effective integration of vertical movement is becoming more and more necessary. Sitting back on one’s line and waiting for the game to stumble down to the goalkeeper is going out the window. Every year the gap between goalkeepers who can handle a cross or through ball versus ones who can’t continues to grow. Although expansion plans (Louisville in 2021, LA in 2022) bring the excitement of seeing more goalkeepers get a chance, the game is only going to put more responsibility for young goalkeepers. A big question for NWSL goalkeepers and goalkeeper coaches to answer is, “can you continue to develop your goalkeeper as the game continues to evolve?” Only time will tell.