This week, we have our annual review of the Westfield W-League 2018/19 regular season.
Westfield W-League 2018/19 Regular Season
This season saw Melbourne Victory, who had missed the playoffs for three straight seasons, do extremely well, leading the table for much of the season and winning the Premiership (Regular Season title). The Brisbane Roar—last season's Premiership winners—again made the playoffs (finishing second, so they will host a semifinal) while Melbourne City—the three-time reigning league champions—surprisingly are done for the year and out of the playoffs. The top two were joined by Sydney FC and Perth Glory in the playoffs; Sydney FC has never missed the postseason in 11 seasons while Perth missed the semifinals in 2017/18. The Newcastle Jets, who made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2008/09, were far apace of the top four.
Melbourne Victory(7-3-2—24 points—First)
Many expected Melbourne Victory to be improved this season but they became one of the stories of the year, topping the table for most of the league's eleventh campaign. They won their first ever Premiership title while it was the second regular season crown for their third year head coach Jeff Hopkins, who won the Premiership (and two league titles from four Grand Finals) with Brisbane Roar in the early years of the league. It was quite the turnaround from last season's tie for seventh place finish and 11 points—finishing with more than double last year's standing points (24). Everyone knew that English international Natasha Dowie (9 goals) was potent but she worked well with U.S. international and Orlando Pride of the NWSL loanee Christine Nairn (5 goals) and Australian international forward Emily Gielnik, who added 4 tallies. This proud franchise won the W-League title in 2013/14 and will be favorites for the title this year. Dowie arguably is the Player of the Year and added substantially to her club all-time goal scoring record (now 24) that she held entering the season (at 15). Goalkeeper Casey Dumont (26), who has played a few games with the Matildas' and won two league crowns with Brisbane Roar early in her career under Hopkins, had a fine season as she contributed massively to the league's stingiest defense (15), tied for fewest goals allowed with city rivals Melbourne City. Hopkins, a former Welsh international who played mostly for Fulham and Crystal Palace, has been mentioned frequently as an interim or full-time head coach of the Matildas' with the recent firing of Alen Stajcic.
Brisbane Roar(6-2-4—20 points—Second)
Head Coach Mel Andreatta certainly is a master of organizing her team for road trips and has described that as a regular and repetitive process—she shouldn't change anything there. Over two seasons, the team has lost one road game during the regular season, a 5-1 loss at Sydney FC this season.In 2017/18, they won the Premiership and this season were in the race to repeat until the final round. The key win of the season that enhanced their reputation as 'Road Warriors' was a 1-0 away win over Melbourne City in front of a crowd of 3,710 at AIMI Park for a W-League/A-League doubleheader on January 11. City dominated possession (65% vs. 35%), passing efficiency (84% vs. 68%) and shots (23 vs. 5) but the Roar incredibly won on a breakaway goal by their first year English international import Chiomu Ubogagu (Orlando Pride) with 15 minutes left. Their defense was solid that game and all season, as the Roar only allowed 17 goals, the third lowest total in the league and only 2 behind the two Melbourne clubs, who each allowed 15 goals. Their new addition from the Adelaide Reds, Jenna McCormick, paired well in central defense with veteran Australian international and Houston Dash's Clare Polkinghorne, with American import Carson Pickett (Orlando Pride) and Australian Natalie Tathem (23) as outside backs in front of Australian international goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, who had an outstanding year. Roar is so good with playing out of the back through their defenders, also utilizing second year American Celeste Boureille (Portland Thorns) as their holding midfielder. Pickett—the three year NWSL veteran who came back to the Roar for her second season—talked earlier this season with this reporter about how she benefited from playing with the Roar in 2017/18: "The biggest thing is confidence; last year I went back [to Orlando] super-confident and went forward a ton in this league. The players around me are really good players and [it's] nice to play with different people from different countries and get a different style of play. I brought back [to Orlando] going forward [in attack]." She scored the Roar's only goal in each of their first two matches, a 1-1 home tie with Perth to open the season and a 1-0 road victory at the Western Sydney Wanderers; without those four points, they wouldn't have made the semifinals.
The Roar lost Australian international Katrina Gorry late in the season to injury but they were able to keep central defender Jenna McCormick, who was due to join the AFLW Australian Football League Adelaide Crows in their preseason at the beginning of January, ahead of their February/March seven game season. Instead she decided to stay through the end of the W-League season as she has done the past two years—the difference is that in her past two seasons with Adelaide she was free to go to the AFLW at the end of the regular season as they never qualified for the semifinals. McCormick did play in the Crow's opening fixture on February 1, since the Roar had clinched a playoff spot. where they lost by one-point to the Western Bulldogs in a battle between the 2017 (Crows) and 2018 AFLW Grand Final winners.
On the offensive side, their English-American import Chiomu Ubogagu finished with two goals while missing time away with England on two different occasions. The Roar received a huge spark late in the season when Haley Raso returned after rehabbing from fracturing three vertebrae in her back late in the 2018 NWSL season while with the Portland Thorns and had to learn to walk and run again. She scored early in a 4-1 win over Canberra United in her second game (after playing the second half of the Roar's 3-1 home loss to Sydney FC on January 19 in front of a crowd of 2,118). She seems to have not lost a step at all in her speed and dribbling ability, which is very crucial for the Matildas' World Cup campaign.
Australian youth international Allira Toby (24) had 5 goals in a breakout season and showed she can be an effective target player at the head of the attack. She has 12 goals now in 4 W-League seasons, starting with Adelaide in 2015/16 before joining the Roar for the last 3 seasons. Japanese international Yuki Nagasato (Chicago Red Stars) had 3 goals in her attacking midfielder/floating position and hopefully will return for a second season in Australia as she was a key import to the league.
Andreatta has been linked with the Australian national team job after Alen Stajcic's dismissal last month, though she has come out and said that she feels that she does not have the experience at this point in time to take on the position. She told the media after a 3-1 home loss to Sydney FC after Stajcic's removal: "I've been asked this question many times even after the last season and some of the achievements we've made. I'll say the same thing now as I said then, I don't know about the future. For me, I'm still an apprentice senior coach and this is my third season only and getting the experience and learning in this environment first is the most important." Andreatta says her priority is on her role with Brisbane and becoming a better coach with the club: "I have to focus on being better here, leading this program, staff and players before I look ahead. Every coach is aspirational; we all want to test ourselves at the highest level. If those opportunities down the track are presented then cross that bridge but I'm nowhere near thinking about that. I'm focused on this lot and bouncing back from a loss."
Sydney FC (6-1-5—19 points—Tied for Third)
Matilda's fans should be heartened by the fine season that Caitlin Foord (Portland Thorns) had for Sydney, scoring 9 goals with four multi-goal games, including a hat trick in a 5-1 home win against Brisbane on December 8. Sydney pipped Perth on goal difference to finish third by one goal (+9 vs. +8). The Sky Blues were potent this year, tied for the league lead in goals with Perth (28 goals). Australian international forward Princess Ibini (19) had 4 goals—equaling her total in three previous seasons with the club—while U.S. international Savannah McCaskill (Sky Blue FC) had 3 in her first season in Australia and was one of the best new imports this season. U.S. and former Mexican international Sofia Huerta (Houston Dash) attacked from her right back position and contributed 2 goals. Midfielder Danielle Colaprico (Chicago Red Stars) had one tally and spent time with the U.S. national team in Europe for games with France and Spain in January, but did not appear in either match.
Matildas' Chloe Logarzo (ex-Orlando Pride in the NWSL, Eskilstuna United of Sweden and Alvadsnes of Norway) and defender Allana Kennedy (Orlando Pride) each had three goals. Sydney FC overcame a slow start to continue their 11 year streak of always making the W-League playoffs by winning 5 of 6 games from Round 6 on.
American goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe (Washington Spirit) was strong in goal in her second season in the Harbor City and her team surrendered 19 goals, tied for the fifth best tally in the league with Adelaide.
Sydney coach Ante Juric has also been linked with the Matildas' after Stajcic's recent termination. Stajcic was the Sydney FC coach before taking charge of the Matildas' in 2014 and Juric was his assistant at the club. While Juric stated that he was open to the opportunity, he was also quick to throw his support behind his former mentor, saying: "If it happens great, but I'm focused on these girls. I don't know. Staj should still be there, I don't know why he is not. It's a little bit of a shame." The theme on the Matildas' coaching search has centered on the current head coaches of the top three teams in the W-League, but long-term Australian native Joe Montemurro, who is currently so successful as coach of Arsenal Women, keeps coming up as a leading candidate in discussions among followers of the game down under.
Perth Glory (5-4-3—19 points—Tied for Third)
The Glory scored lots of goals (28—tied for first in the league with Sydney FC) but allowed quite a few (20—seventh best in the league) and a tighter defense could have propelled them into first or second and the opportunity to host a semifinal. Sam Kerr was at her devastating best with 13 goals to lead the league, after scoring the same number last season, and overtaking all-time W-League goal scoring leader Michelle Heyman (66 to 63 goals), as Heyman had only one tally this season with Adelaide. Kerr is also the NWSL's all-time goals leader in the States as well; she paired well this season with two Americans up front: Rachel Hill (Orlando Pride), who had five goals, while Alyssa Mautz (Chicago Red Stars) scored four times. Young Australian midfielder Alexia Moreno (17) scored a wonderful first W-League goal in the road win against Western Sydney in Round 13 (5-1). Goalkeeping improved with the addition of Australian international pool player Eliza Campbell (in her fifth season in the league after time with Newcastle, Adelaide and in Norway) as the starter but for next year, the Glory need more experienced defenders, perhaps importing a top full back like Canberra did with Scottish national team captain Rachel Corsie from the Utah Royals.
Melbourne City(6-1-5—19 points—tied for Third)
No Jess Fishlock (Paris St. Germain in France) and no Aivi Luik (Levante of Spain) in 2018/19 equaled no playoffs for Melbourne City, though they went down fighting to the end, winning their last two games by a combined 6-0 scoreline (4-0 over Newcastle Jets in the penultimate round and 2-0 in the finale away to Sydney FC). The problem was that they needed to win by 5 clear goals against the original Harbor City side to jump ahead of Sydney FC on goal difference and into the playoffs. No one saw this coming for the three time Grand Final winners in their three years in existence as City still had Australian international goalkeeper Lydia Williams (Seattle Reign), American defender Lauren Barnes (Seattle Reign), New Zealand international Rebekah Stott (Sky Blue FC)—who was outstanding all season—and Japanese international Yukari Kinga (who scored three times), all of whom had won titles with City. In addition, Kyah Simon, who joined the club in 2017/18 and won the title last year, appeared in only 4 games (but scored twice) before being lost for the season due to an ankle injury that required surgery.
Adding Australian internationals Elisa Kellond-Knight (who will join the Seattle Reign this season) and Tameka Butt—both long-time Roar players—was productive as Butt had three goals while KK had two on the season. American forward Jasmine Spencer (Seattle Reign) led the team with 4 goals but 3 came in one game—an early season 3-1 home win over Sydney FC; she has 16 across 4 W-League seasons with 3 different clubs, finishing as Grand Finals runners-up in 2015/16 with Sydney FC when they fell to City in their inaugural season.
City started off with 3 points out of 15 from their first 5 games and left too high of a mountain to climb at the end. The death knell was a 1-0 home loss to Brisbane Roar on January 11 where City absolutely dominated Brisbane but the Roar scored on their second shot of the game by English/American Chiomu Ubogagu, while City had 18 at that point. City made 611 passes to only 335 to the Roar during the game. City's Elise Kellond-Knight missed a penalty kick early in the second half. Ubogagu scored in the 74th minute completely against the run of play from a long ball out of the back by Roar defender Jenna McCormick and the English international put the ball past City goalkeeper Lydia Williams (Seattle Reign).
For City, it's clear that the savvy and bite of Fishlock and Luik (always understated but vastly influential and a certified winner with 4 Grand Finals Winner medals—three at City and one at Brisbane) was missed. English international forward Jodie Taylor was thought to be coming in January on a short-term guest contract but ended up staying abroad, with an England national team camp last month in Qatar. Melbourne City did sign American defender Hallie Mace as a guest player for the last two games of the season and playoff matches (which didn't happen) and she contributed one goal in her two matches and was dynamic up front. Mace was selected with the number 2 pick in the 2019 NWSL College Draft earlier this month by Sky Blue FC. As we discussed a few weeks ago (https://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/the-week-in-women-s-football-nwsl-draft-results-and-rule-changes-orlando-pride-hire-new-coach-4265742), she was focused on playing in Europe rather than in America. She also contributed 24 goals in 79 games at UCLA. She has been capped three times by the full U.S. national team and told the media in Melbourne: "I've always wanted to come to Australia and I'm really excited to learn from the players and coaches. Hopefully I can score some goals or get some assists to help the team."If indeed Mace is European bound and bypasses the NWSL and Sky Blue FC, her time in Australia could have been important to making contacts and showcasing her in a league with professional and national teamers from around the world.
A tally of 20 goals scored was fourth best in the league, but the two sides that they were chasing for a finals spot—both Perth and Sydney—had 28 goals. Their 15 goals allowed was tied for lowest in the league with city rivals Melbourne Victory and Williams in the back is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.Their defense is solid, but they desperately need to find a prolific goalscorer for next season and Spencer could move on to yet another W-League side if she returns to the league for 2019/20. Adriana Jones (23)scored 9 goals two seasons ago at Adelaide but only scored once in 10 games in her first year with City; she still has untapped potential. Expect the side that four years ago galvanised the league with an unbeaten first season and raised the level of standards on the field and off to bounce back strongly into the playoffs next season.
Adelaide United(5-3-4--18 points—Sixth)
For much of the season, Adelaide United looked Glory Bound to the postseason for the first time in their history but saw the season end as just yet another campaign without finals football—for the eleventh straight year—despite the fact that Adelaide set team records for most wins in a season (5) and points (18), finishing a single point out of the playoffs; the team and city should feel proud of their accomplishments. United squandered a great start after going undefeated through their first five games and gleaned 9 standings points. A Round 8 home victory over league leaders Melbourne Victory at home (3-2) was followed the next week with a 3-2 come from behind road victory against the Newcastle Jets as the Reds scored two goals in the seven minutes of second half injury-time, with the winner coming from first year American loanee from the Houston Dash Veronica Latsko. However, their winning ways came to a clattering end with a devastating spiral of three consecutive losses at the end of the season, most crucially a Round 12 shellacking at home (4-1) to previously winless Western Sydney, giving up three second half goals. Then an injury-time goal at home the next weekend from Newcastle Jets (2-1) confirmed that Adelaide was out of the playoff race.
Australian international and all-time W-League goals leaders Michelle Heyman (entering the season) was active up front but only scored once all season. The Reds scoring came primarily from Veronica Latsko, who finished with 9 goals and was clearly the import of the year and newcomer to the W-League. This reporter interviewed Latsko recently and when asked what she has learned after playing in Australia, she said: "I've learned so much from the players and the coaches here, but probably the most important thing I've learned was how to be confident again. The NWSL can be incredibly challenging mentally at times, and after the season I definitely needed a reminder of who I am as a player. The team and coaches here supported my personal goals from day one and I am so grateful for how comfortable they've made me feel on and off the field here. I was also able to learn so much from Michelle Heyman. She's such an amazing person on and off the field and it was so much fun playing with her this season. She does not get the credit she deserves for how much work she's put into this team and how much she's taught players like me to be the best they can be." When asked about playing overseas again in the future, Latsko said: "If I'm healthy after this next NWSL season, I'd love to come back to Australia. I think it's an incredible opportunity to play soccer year round and the people are absolutely amazing. I've loved my time here and I'm already counting down the days until I can come back again."
Adelaide's defense was led by goalkeeper Sarah Willacy (23) and Matilda defender Emma Checker (22), who is playing in her eighth W-League season. Their two Icelandic imports Fanndis Fridriksdottir and Gunnhildur Jonsdottir (Utah Royals loanee) were both solid but only had only three goals between them (two by Fridriksdottir and a Jonsdottir winner in their 1-0 season finale at home to the Roar). Look to Adelaide to consider other attack-minded imports for next year to support Latsko, who hopefully will return. The Reds finished seventh in team goals for (17) and were tied for fifth best in goals allowed (19), which dovetailed with their sixth place finish in the table.
Newcastle Jets—(5-1-6—16 points—Seventh)
Newcastle Jets' lack of scoring hurt them in qualifying for a second consecutive finals this season (only 18 goals, tied for fifth with Brisbane—with half of them coming in their last four games, when they won three times) plus the injury bug; a big loss was when they lost speedy American international Taylor Smith halfway through the season to an ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. Newcastle's Australian international Larissa Crummer was stretchered off in the Adelaide United game in the penultimate round of the season in the 21st minute with a broken tibia and was slated to have surgery over the weekend. Crummer led the league in scoring with 11 goals in 2015/16 with Melbourne City, but former Matildas' head coach Alen Stajcic had seen her as filling into a central defender role for the national side and she had been in that position at times for the Jets this season. She sustained a foot injury while playing for City during the 2016/17 season and thus only played four games (with one goal) for the Seattle Reign during the 2017 NWSL season.
Australian youth international Cortnee Vine led her team with 4 goals, and at just 19 years of age and having completed her fourth W-League season (two at Brisbane) is one to watch in the future. Australian international midfielder Emily Van Egmond (Orlando Pride) also missed games through injury and was scoreless while American forward Katie Stengel (10 goals last year in 13 games) only had 3 in 2018/19. American goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom (Portland Thorns) had 2 shutouts and led the league in saves with 61, ten ahead of Adeliade United's Sarah Willacy in second place. Arin Wright (formerly Gilliland) of the Chicago Red Stars came back for her third season with the Jets
A real high point for the Jets was Lobby Copus Brown (21) scoring a wonderful long range blast which their reporter felt was the Goal of the Year; it was her first ever W-League goal to boot. She scored in the 82nd minute to pull her side within one of Sydney FC on January 4th. Down 2-1 at that point, the Jets gave up a late goal in injury time to Savannah McCaskill (Sky Blue FC) and fell 3-1. On her goal, Copus-Brown ran onto a loose ball ten yards outside of the penalty box and shot it into the upper left hand of goal over Sydney goalkeeper Audrey Bledsoe (Washington Spirit). Copus-Brown had put a ball in the side netting from a strong shot just five minutes before her goal. She is in her fifth season in the league, all with the Jets.
Canberra United (3-3-6--13 points—Eighth)
Canberra United was in the running for the semifinals until a late season collapse. Former Australian international Heather Garriock should be brought back as head coach for another year, but two years on the trot without a semifinals berth is not good enough for this two time W-League champion side. Garriock had a unique mix of four new internationals this season. Midfielder Refiloe Jane (2 goals) and forward Rhoda Mulaudzi (4 goals) from South Africa and Chilean forward Maria Rojas (1 goal) combined for over half of their side's goals on the season (7 of 13) and were strong additions; all three did miss games due to international call ups. Garriock, herself a former Matilda, said that she couldn't refuse to release them in a World Cup year but that: "Three internationals missing—it affects us quite a bit." The other new import, Scottish international defender Rachel Corsie, on loan from the Utah Royals of the NWSL, was a very good selection and she stayed in Australia in January rather than leave for international matches to help the team. It is unclear if any of them will return in 2019/20 if they have strong World Cups and attract other offers, though Rojas has gone to school in Australia and she said that a goal for her during her time in Australia was to play in the W-League.
Injuries was a big bugaboo to this side as Australian U-20 international Natsaha Prior was lost for the season after 5 games due to a concussion. United lost midfielder Karly Roestbakken (18) late in the season to injury and that hurt their flow in the middle; Roestbakken scored once this season, her third for Canberra. American defender Paige Nielsen left the club in midseason for personal reasons and returned home. Nielsen played in the Korea Republic last season with Suwon UDC WFC and with Western Sydney in 2016/17.
The side was so depleted that Garriock had to turn to one of her own coaches to help. Ashleigh Sykes (27), the former Australian international—who scored 5 goals in 19 games for the Matildas' and played the 2017 season with the Portland Thorns (1 goal and 1 assist)—had retired after last season and became a Greens assistant coach, but stepped back onto the field to help the side. Garriock said at the time: "Ash has already shown the wealth of experience she possesses through her work on the sidelines this season. Now she can use that leadership and winning mentality on the pitch as we head into the back half of the season. Her skill and experience will be very valuable for this squad and I know that our Canberra United family will be so excited to see her out on the pitch, and this is a great example of Ash's selflessness and willingness to put her club first." Sykes won a Julie Dolan medal for W-League Player of the Season (2015/16) and a Golden Boot (2016/17), both with Canberra. Sykes played the last 15 minutes of the Brisbane 1-1 tie on December 27, for her 109th W-League match (40 W-League goals), all with Canberra.
Australian international defender Ellie Carpenter (Portland Thorns) scored three times and was very important to the Greens as a wing back. She seems to have done her Women's World Cup hopes to start in defense absolutely no harm at all this season. Another good young Australian, forward Nicki Flannery, scored once in her fourth season with Canberra, which was her fifth all-time W-League goal; with more support she is a key to future success for the Greens. Republic of Ireland international Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage) was a guest player for a few games.
Western Sydney Wanderers (1-1-10—4 points—Ninth)
As with City, this was a hard one to figure out as no one expected the Horror show that former Sydney FC coach Dan Barrett had to deal with all season. They won the Wooden Spoon with the worst record in the league, gaining only one win and one tie all season. Their one win was a big one however, defeating Adelaide on the road 4-1 on January 19 in Round 12, which put the Reds in a deep hole for the playoffs that they never pulled out of. Jada Whyman in goal did well for the Wanderers and 2017/18 returnee Lo'eau LaBonta from the Utah Stars and her teammate and first time W-Leaguer Sydney Miramontez in defense were both influential—though the latter missed the season finale due to a concussion protocol. Other imports who were not as productive includes Elizabeth Addo (Ghana and Seattle Reign and in her first season in Australia) and Dutch defender Maruschka Waldus, who returned for a second season; neither should be brought back in 2019/20. Addo scored two goals in the last three games—a case of too little, too late. Addo was just released this week by Seattle to pursue an opportunity in China.
If Barrett returns, which he should be given the chance, he needs to think about the wholesale import of Sydney FC veterans which he brought with him this season, though most of the scoring came from three of the five Sydney FC group that moved crosstown—with Kylie Ledbrooke scoring three and Georgia Yeoman-Dale and Leena Khamis each scoring twice, out of only 11 team goals. Wanderers will move to a purpose-built stadium next season with their A-League brothers and should reconstruct their team, particularly with regard to their imports, in order to make a strong impression and a chance at a first ever W-League playoff berth.
2018/19 W-League Table
GP W D L GF GA Pts
Melbourne Victory 12 7 3 2 21 15 24
Brisbane Roar 12 6 2 4 18 17 20
Sydney FC 12 6 1 5 28 19 19
Perth Glory 12 5 4 3 28 20 19
Melbourne City FC 12 6 1 5 20 15 19
Adelaide United 12 5 3 4 17 19 18
Newcastle Jets 12 5 1 6 18 21 16
Canberra United 12 3 3 6 13 18 13
Western Sydney Wanderers 12 1 1 10 11 30 4
Note: Melbourne Victory and Canberra had a game postponed for weather in Week 12, that was moved to February 5 after all of the regular season games were completed—the League should have cancelled the match at it forced the Victory to play three games in a little over a week, including their semifinal against Perth, though it was moved back a day to Sunday February 10. The replayed game had no effect on the standing.
Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women's football. Get your copy today.
Follow Tim on Twitter: @TimGrainey
