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New York teams as bad as the weather

 After the WPS Player Allocation in August, I thought Sky Blue would be the team to beat, but acquiring the top domestic players is only one piece of the puzzle. New Jersey/New York (they’re special enough to come from two states) has a record of 2-5-3. The defense doesn’t seem to be a huge issue. Sky Blue has at the most allowed two goals in one game all season. The problem is at the other end of the field. Yes, Sky Blue couldn’t find the back of the net if they were given a compass and a map. Forwards Natasha Kai, Heather O’ Reilly, and even Sarah Walsh has the ability to score, but the team can’t put goals away. I’ve seen the opportunities, but Sky Blue lacks the ability to finish.

 

The franchise recently parted ways with Ian Sawyers, who was the head coach and general manager, and promoted assistant coach Kelly Lindsey to the head position. It’s difficult to say how this coaching change has impacted the team with a record of 1-1-1. Sky Blue enters the second half of their season on Wednesday when they host the Chicago Red Stars at 7pm. If the team doesn’t start producing now, then it will most likely be out of WPS’s wacky new playoff system.

 

 

I thought I would have some solace from WPS once the WNBA started, but the Liberty have been a total disappointment so far this season. The Liberty are currently 0-3 and are in last place in the eastern conference standings. Yes, it’s only three games into the season, but the season is pretty short and by time you look around it’s going to be August. Nothing much has changed in the Liberty’s roster. They lost Jessica Davenport, who spent a majority of last season on the bench anyway, and Erin Thorn, who also spent an inordinate amount of time next to Davenport. But the Liberty gained center Kia Vaughn and shooting guard Sidney Spencer. A healthy Tiffany Jackson has also returned to the rotation.

 

The Liberty lost its home opener to Connecticut and just dropped two straight on the road to Phoenix and San Antonio. The bread and butter of this team, which has been shooting from behind the arc, has been pretty dismal so far this season. New York is in third to last place in scoring (67 points per game) and in tenth place in three-point shooting – a category which the Liberty dominated last season. Something the Liberty had trouble with last year was cleaning the defensive glass. That stat hasn’t seemed to improve much in the Liberty’s first three games. You would think adding a former WNBA head coach to the sidelines would somehow boost the Liberty’s game, but so far New York leads the league with rebounds allowed (38 per game) and are in 12^th place in assists per game behind the Connecticut Sun.

 

Even though Sky Blue and the Liberty's bleak seasons have been as ubiquitous as New York’s nasty weather, I’m stupidly optimistic that these teams will turn things around.