After the most dramatic regular season to date in the National Women’s Soccer League, the playoffs began this weekend with a pair of low-scoring, cagey matches defined by gritty defending. Naturally.
OL Reign and NJ/NY Gotham FC advanced to the NWSL semifinals after defeating Angel City FC and the North Carolina Courage, respectively, in the first round of the six-team postseason. Each winning team prevailed thanks to superior defending that effectively prevented the opponent from exerting its style of play in the game.
North Carolina is the most possession-oriented team in the NWSL, but against Gotham on Sunday, the Courage largely failed to break down Gotham’s pressure in high areas. Angel City, meanwhile, found success in the second half of the regular season by overloading wide areas in an aggressive attacking system. The Reign stymied that by playing ugly soccer early and turning up the pressure after half-time.
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Angel City’s typical 4-2-4 shape in possession turned around its season. The visitors from Los Angeles entered Friday’s playoff match as the hottest team in the NWSL, having previously lost only once in 11 regular-season games under interim coach Becki Tweed, including a 5-1 thrashing of the…
