You know, when you finish watching something on TV and the ending credits roll, and you ask yourself, what did I just watch? That’s how watching the Roses FC game against the Halifax Tide on Thursday night felt once the final whistle blew. There was a feeling of confusion as to what the game represented, given that the playoffs are right around the corner for one of the teams. Every game counts as Roses FC continue their journey to finding their identity. Every setback that this team has taken with injuries seems to bring them back to square one as the team continues to struggle to dominate games either home or away. They lose games that they should win and they win games that they should lose. Talent isn’t an issue. Neither is the fan’s support. They have every tool to succeed, but the adaptation period seems to be taking longer than it should. At some point, the staff needs to start upping the pressure and standard for the team’s flexibility and adaptation to new schemes and positions so the team can continue performing even during high-pressure situations. It’s not all grim. The team continues fighting for coach Robert Rositoiu, who clearly convinced his squad to buy into his coaching, which is probably one of the hardest tasks that every coach battles in general. But at some point, the results on the field need to reflect Rositoiu’s effort because his players will inevitably start questioning everything if they can’t seem to overcome obstacles with ease. I’m not talking from an individual perspective; it comes from the collective. Last week, I suggested that they play with three in the back line seeing how well Lucy Cappadonna, Stephanie Hill, and Julia Leas all played individually. On Thursday night, the team seemed to deploy a back three with Megane Sauve and Hailey Whittaker as wingbacks and Chaerim Kang and Charlotte Bilbault playing the 10 position under Tanya Boychuk.
The result?
The team seemed to be a bit lost, which led to a lack of cohesiveness and a lot of turnovers. Again, I like that Rositoiu is testing things out to see what works best, but it seems like his team is having a hard time adapting to change. The only thing one can hope is that the changes click at the right time, and this team makes a deep run in the playoffs.
Okay, time to talk about the game overall: Halifax once again struggled against Montreal’s high press and gave up a lot of possessions to the Roses’ midfield, which gave Montreal more offensive opportunities but this also exposed the lack of cohesiveness from Montreal’s forwards as they couldn’t put together the pieces to build a solid attack. On the defensive side, Roses seemed vulnerable to the Tides’ transition plays, which were heavily focused on the left side, which caused heavy mismatches with Leas and Whittaker (more on that later). Offensively, Roses had a simple game plan: make the offense go through Chaerim. Coach Rositoiu clearly wants to focus the attack on her side, and he has every reason to. She’s shown the ability to play at a different level. Defensively, both Halifax goals started on the left side and developed into a scoring chance for the Tide. Something needs to be done about this aspect of the defense since teams are finding it way too easy to exploit that side of the field and Rositoiu and co. have had no response. I’m actually concerned about the length of Lara Schenk’s absence because of her importance on the right side and the difference she makes defensively.
All right, let’s dive into the full breakdown:
Goalkeeping and Defense
I want to keep this as concise as possible because it would be a copy and paste from last week, but Anna Karpenko is not the solution for this team in the goalkeeping position. Karpenko once again struggled with the high press, giving away possessions frequently. Her long distribution was a constant issue and so was her decision making (a clear example in a Tides’ corner kick, she came out for the punch which landed right in the middle of the box). It wasn’t all bad, Karpenko did have some sole 1 v 1 stops that were important and clutch but there are so many phases of her game that need massive improvement to be considered a starting goalkeeper and important to this team. At 23 years old, she’s still very young, but there needs to be more competition or mentorship to grow her game and be the future of this team. I might say it 10 times in this article, but the playoffs are right around the corner, and the details need to improve.
On the left side of the line, there was Stephanie Hill, who had an amazing season so far as a contributor offensively and defensively. She has scored 5 goals so far this season and has solidified her place in this team, but I have to say, it’s the first time I saw her struggle in this game. Granted, the Tides didn’t test her side too much, but she did struggle against their high press, which impacted her offensive contribution. I really did like her impact and influence on defending the set pieces because I felt she used her imposing figure to fend off threats from Halifax and give Roses back possession. I don’t know if the back three scheme is her fit or she just needs some time to adapt, but I definitely feel that she struggled a bit. Hill will need to adapt quickly in the upcoming weeks, so she continues her positive trend into the playoffs.
Next to Hill, you had Cappadona as the center of the back three, and I thought she had a great game. Her role in this kind of scheme magnifies the importance of her communication with those around her. She’s shown in the past that she can command her teammates around her and that her presence in the back line is important to this team’s success. Thursday night was no different. She showed a lot of poise throughout the game and would mask some of her teammate’s flaws. She had her own share of mistakes but also came clutch a few times at the end of the second half with some solid defending to protect the draw. Cappadonna is another player that I think will need to increase her impact in games by giving this team more scoring opportunities, especially since she’s played so many games this season and must have an understanding of the urgency this team faces going forward.
On the right side, we had Julia Leas, who I still feel is catching up with the rest of the squad due to her extended time away from the team with an injury. On Thursday night, she was given the daunting task of shutting down Roses FC’s right side, which had been their biggest struggle all season. How did she do? Well, with the lack of defensive help from Whittaker, Leas was always catching up to the speedy Tide attackers and was constantly forced out of position. The two Tides goals came from Leas’ side, but they were not necessarily her fault. It was a combination of bad cohesive defending, and in the second goal, she was simply beaten by Saorla Miller, who proceeded to take fantastic shot way out of Karpenko’s reach. I really liked her 1 v 1 defending, and she also did a decent job running back on defense to stop the Halifax transitions. I think Leas has a high ceiling to be a dominant center back, but the time away from the field clearly has impacted her performances.
Midfield
In the middle we had Felicia Roy playing a more defensive role. Her selection got me confused because I thought Chloe Minas had done enough to justify her starting more games. I don’t believe Roy had a performance to justify her starting again. I think she could be a great replacement for Charlotte Bilbault when she needs the rest, but I don’t think she’s a starting caliber midfielder right now. Against Halifax, she struggled mightily to build any offensive momentum and help the attack. Defensively, I really liked her reads and her timing when she had to help her teammates out, but offensively, she didn’t seem to fully understand the runs that were being made by any of her forwards. The game seemed to be going at a different speed than her, and she seemed to be slow at making decisions. I don’t think this is fully her fault because of her lack of minutes, but this was a crucial start for her to justify starting more games. If she is selected again to start, she needs to have a more impactful shift.
Next to Roy, we had Allie Hess, who I thought had decent game given the circumstances. When I say circumstances, I mean that her teammates around her didn’t really perform up to standard that would put her in the best position. However, I felt this was one of Hess’s better games as she showed an incredible ability to use her big frame to fend off Halifax players all over the field. It started a little rough for her (but honestly, it was the case for everyone), but as the game progressed, her game grew. Offensively, she was also very technically advanced and distributed the ball very nicely. She also had a very well-timed pass to Chaerim on the second goal and was crucial in pushing the Roses FC up field. If she continues in this direction. Roses FC may have found their facilitator from defense to offense that could help them win more games. Her role and performances will be crucial in the playoffs.
Whitaker was deployed as a winger/wingback on the right side of the pitch, which to me is the position that fits her profile best. However, on Thursday night, she looked out of place and confused as to what her role should be. I thought her contribution offensively was important, and I really like her crossing ability and her 1 v 1. Defensively, she does very little to no effort to aid the team. She’s slow to get back and won’t really impose her presence among attackers, so teams have been having a field day exploiting Roses’ right side. This is the most vulnerable position for Montreal, and it’s something they will need to address during the off-season.
Magan Sauve has been a tremendous revelation for Roses FC in the past few weeks as a left back and Thursday night was no different. Sauve was decisive and aggressive, especially in the second half. I would say that her offense is limited but she does make some very interesting crosses that continue to give Roses FC chances in the box and her cut inside is also lethal, it’s the finishing in front of goal that needs a lot of work. Besides that, as I mentioned, defensively, she has been outstanding at stopping momentum. I do have to say, though, on the first Halifax goal, Sauve played a very weak defense on the Miller and didn’t really engage with them once Miller had the ball, choosing instead to jump. Again, it was not fully her fault, but I would have wanted to see her be a bit more aggressive in that instance. I like the collaboration she had with Chaerim. That left side could turn into something very interesting if they continue clicking.
Attack
To start, we had Charlotte Bilbault playing a higher position up the field and scored one of Roses’s goals, which didn’t seem intentional, but it worked! So, who cares, right? In any case, I’m still not convinced that she’s being played in the right position by playing so up high. The role requires her to play at a high tempo and constantly be running at the backline, which doesn’t seem to fit her profile. Maybe I’m wrong, and she ends up blossoming in this position, but her game on Thursday left a lot to be desired. Simply said, at times, it seemed that she had the intention to make certain runs and actions, but her body didn’t let her or would limit her play. However, whenever she goes lower on the field and needs to do the long pass, it’s a whole different level from anyone in the field. Her long-distance passing is at an elite level and so is her 1 v 1 defending and she showed that up field, but as we all know, soccer is so much more than that, especially in the position she’s being played in. If Coach Rositoiu wants to see the best version of Bilbault, he needs to put her back in her natural position.
On the left side, we had the other goal scorer in Chaerim Kang, who, in my opinion, is playing at another level than everybody else on the field for Roses FC. Her constant energy and hustle that she applies for 90 minutes on-ball or off-ball is admirable. She’s an engine that never stops and helps both defensively and offensively, and clearly, this coaching staff has noticed. It seems like Roses FC have decided to run their offense through her, regardless of which side she’s positioned in. But similar to every player I’ve spoken about so far, she had her faults. She was the forward with the greatest number of touches, so she was the one with the most chances to make a difference in the game, and she did! She scored a perfectly placed shot on top of Halifax’s goalie. However, it wasn’t all positive. One of the things that concerns me about Chaerim is her ability to cross and go 1 v 1. At times, she would cut across to the left side and do very risky passes to the middle from far, which were intercepted and allowed Halifax to go on the breakaway. A more talented opponent would eat up Montreal in those chances. I really like what Chaerim brings to the team and I believe she will only improve with time as she starts getting more comfortable with the team and the league and most importantly her teammates, but right now she might seem like a bit of a firecracker, which again isn’t necessarily the worst thing.
Up top, we had Tanya Boychuk, who struggled mightily to impact the game. It’s not the first time I noticed that either. It seems that Boychuk is a streaky player who needs momentum to perform at her best, and when she’s at her best, she is nearly unplayable. She’s a threat in front of the goal and can be a lethal goal scorer. But ever since Latifah Abd left the team, she’s been trying to find her place in the team. At time’s it seems like she does the runs, but her teammates will either mis-time it or place it in very difficult sports for her. It’s hard to put the blame solely on her, but as I mentioned earlier in the article, if this team wants to make a deep run in the playoffs, these are the details that they need to figure out. They need a Tanya Boychuk playing with confidence and scoring at will because at the moment, teams are starting to figure out how to neutralize her and take her away from the game plan. With Noemie Paquin already out with injury, the offense will have no one to turn to. Against Halifax, Boychuk seemed to lack motivation to work on defense and the high press and at times seemed checked out of the game.
The subs
Theres nothing much to be said about the substitutes that were brough in the game, except that they were better than those they replaced, and it was evident by the Roses FC scoring the moment Roy and Whittaker we subbed off. Lorie Thibault impressed me with her ability to use her big frame in the transition and stay calm to distribute the ball. Her passing was crucial in thr 1st goal. Minas is a player that, to me, is highly underrated. I believe her technical ability is higher than many of those other players in the field and she uses that ability and her speed to get out of tough spots and continue possession. In 29 minutes, she had 24 touches compared to Roy’s 33 in 61 minutes, which to me shows her influence in the game and how impactful she can be regardless of how many minutes she is asked to play. At 23 years old, Minas, like Chaerim, has the potential to be a key player with the Roses FC but she must be played in the right position, and for me, it would be in the 10 position. I don’t have much to add about Claire Monyard who had a yellow card in 8 minutes played. Should Monyard give Boychuk some rest in the last games of the season?
In conclusion, Roses FC are not bad, but they’re not good either. I believe they need to get their act together quickly to be able to start the playoffs on the right foot with some momentum. They need to have a clearer identity and a clearer starting 11. The injuries have started piling up at an inconvenient time, but these last two games are going to be crucial for players and coaches to figure out the winning formula. It feels like the players have taken their foot off the pedal, and coach Rositoiu will need to quickly gather the troops and manage to get the most out of each one. I’m not saying another scheme change or personnel change will make all the difference, but there seems to be a lack of effort from the starters, and the substitutes and teams have simply shown that Roses FC is vulnerable right now very beatable. Rositoiu needs to find his mojo back and get his team back on their feet.
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