In what could be considered the biggest upset win of this WPS season to date, the Chicago Red Stars, at the end of a tumultuous week of changing coaches, defeated league-leading FC Gold Pride and ended their five-game winning streak with an early second-half goal from Kosovare Asllani. Gold Pride’s head coach, Albertin Montoya, sighed with deep despondence after the game. “Well I thought it was a pretty even game for the most part, both teams having some quality chances. And they put their chance away in that second half… We were flat for about 10-15 minutes after that goal. We made some changes toward the end that worked out well for us and we put some more pressure on them. But they did a good job of holding on and getting a win.”

In fact, the first fifteen minutes of the game was an even-ended battle for the midfield, which neither team was willing to concede. Chicago’s acting head coach, Marcia McDermott, dropped Formiga back into a defensive midfielder position, which frustrated Gold Pride’s attempts to penetrate up the middle, while Karen Carney continued to play the attacking midfielder role which she recently assumed during the previous game against Philadelphia. While both teams jousted back and forth in search of an opening attack, Chicago earned a moral victory by not giving up the early goal that has cost them three of their four losses so far this year.

Gold Pride ended up dominating the offensive play in the first half and nearly opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Marta received a pass from Kelley O’Hara inside Chicago’s penalty area and refused to be stopped, breaking away from a tandem of defenders to loop a left-footed cross to Christine Sinclair, who was waiting patiently inside the 6-yard box. Sinclair snapped a powerful header toward the open net but lifted the ball just up over the crossbar. Two minutes later, Marta found her again, heading the ball over the defensive line as Sinclair sprinted toward the Chicago goal. However, luck was not on their side this night as Sinclair deposited the ball into the back of the net but was waved off for an apparent offside infraction.

For the rest of the half, Gold Pride attacked mostly up their left sideline, continually sending O’Hara into the corner in search of Sinclair while doing just as good a job of keeping Marta away from the ball as Chicago was managing. The Red Stars, for their part, never really looked threatening in the first 45 minutes. Their best chance came in the 30th minute when Kosovare Asllani lead a long pass up to Cristiane in the penalty area, who deked deftly away from her defender only to fire her shot wide to the left of the goalpost.

But the Red Stars have always been a team that shines brighter in the second half and this game proved to be no different for them. In the 55th minute, Karen Carney passed the ball out wide to Marian Dalmy who took the ball deep into the right corner. Kosovare Asllani found her crossing pass and pushed the ball into the open net. “At the start of the play I was on the top flank, which is Cristiane’s place,” she described the play afterward. “And she ended up in my place. And when I saw that Dalmy took that run… I knew that the ball was going to come to me so I just took the hardest run. We really deserved that goal… I think that it wasn’t just my goal but the team’s goal…everybody had a part in this.”

The goal seemed to raise Chicago’s game as they went on to dominate play for the rest of the game. “After we went down a goal we panicked a little bit and started playing a little more direct than we needed to,” Montoya gave his assessment. “There was plenty of time in the game. And there was a time when we settled down again with about ten minutes left in the half. We could have been a little more composed and in control even though we were a goal down. There was lots of time left in the game. We just had to keep playing our game and not make too many changes and hopefully get the goal.”

Only the players in the locker room really know whether this rise in the Red Stars’ fortunes was due to the change in coaching or to their awareness that there is a contingent of Athletica players waiting in the wings eager to replace them. Marcia McDermott was noncommital about the prospects of acquiring any of the new free agents on the market. “Obviously every team has to consider the different options available and every team has to be very thoughtful of this opportunity. We are going to get ready with this team to enjoy what they accomplished on the field,” she glossed over the topic in sphinx-like fashion. On how long she will continue in her role as head coach, however, she was a bit more emphatic. “We’re conducting a coaching search currently. I think it’s just too much to expect to fill too many roles within an organization. It’s too important, each of them on their own. Right now we’re actively in the position of building a list for the next Red Stars coach. I want to get the right person. So it will take what it takes. We’ll be thorough. We’re conducting the search in the appropriate way.”

At any rate and with any coach, the Red Stars proved with this game that they can still hold their own against any other team in the league. “I feel like it starts now,” Kosovare Asllani expounded after the game. “We had a couple of games where I feel we had dominated the game and we hadn’t won. After all, winning is the most important thing. I think we got really good confidence after this game and we can be everything in this league.”

Match Facts

Chicago Red Stars vs FC Gold Pride
May 29, 2010 – Toyota Park – Bridgeview, Ill.
Attendance: 3845
Weather: Calm clear skies and 73 degrees

Scoring:
55’ Chicago: Kosovare Asllani (Marian Dalmy)

Misconduct:
83’ Gold Pride: Carrie Dew (yellow card)

Lineups
Chicago Red Stars:
Jillian Loyden
Natalie Spilger
Kate Markgraf
Whitney Engen
Marian Dalmy
Formiga
Megan Rapinoe (57: Casey Nogueira)
Karen Carney
Katie Chapman
Cristiane (91+: Julianne Sitch)
Kosovare Asllani (67: Ella Masar)

FC Gold Pride:
Nicole Barnhart
Ali Riley
Rachel Buehler
Candace Chapman
Kristen Graczyk (75: Kiki Bosio)
Becky Edwards
Tiffeny Milbrett (60: Kandace Wilson)
Carrie Dew (83: Solveig Gulbrandsen)
Kelley O’Hara
Christine Sinclair
Marta

Officials
Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero
Asst Referees: Ian Anderson, Victor Herrera
4th Official: Ian Gut