DC Power shows its mettle against Jacksonville; Carolina Ascent winning with quality over quantity
Sporting Club Jacksonville remained undefeated at the top of the Gainbridge Super League standings after Week 4 of the regular season in a weekend that saw Carolina Ascent FC get back to winning ways and Dallas Trinity FC earn its first win under new Head Coach Lee Nguyen.
Here are four things we took away from the action.
1. DC Power FC Has All the Makings of a Playoff Contender
There was a level of optimism around what DC Power FC could be going into the new season. The schedule set up in a way that those hopes would either be fulfilled or dashed pretty early on, with the Power facing the top three from a season ago in its first four outings.
Friday night’s 1-1 draw against Sporting Club Jacksonville wasn’t quite the statement the Power were likely aiming to deliver, but the side now has seven points from four games and has matched up well with each of last season’s primary contenders. Over those three contests, DC came out ahead in its underlying numbers, producing 5.49 Expected Goals vs. 5.27 Expected Goals Against.
The schedule has more tests ahead with Dallas Trinity FC next on the slate next Sunday, but if the Power can sustain the performances they’ve shown so far and find a little more precision in the final third, they’re going to be in the mix for the postseason.
2. Sporting Club Jacksonville is Showing Resilience
One of the notable elements to Sporting Club Jacksonville’s success in its inaugural season was the importance of the opening goal. In 20 of Jacksonville’s games, the side that took the lead ended up earning the result, with Sporting rallying to earn a draw on four occasions and letting leads get away on four others.
So far this season, Sporting JAX has already shown a little more resilience to going behind. After its first comeback win in club history against Tampa Bay Sun FC in Week 2, the side hit back quickly after going behind against DC Power FC on Friday night with Maggie Illig’s first professional goal earning the side a point in a 1-1 draw. Sporting JAX has claimed four points from losing positions already this season, equaling last year’s total, and while it would likely prefer to be playing from the front, that resilience should come in useful over the campaign.
3. Quality Over Quantity Wins Out for Carolina Ascent
There’s been an interesting dynamic for Carolina Ascent FC so far this season, with what could be considered normal service being resumed on Saturday night in a 3-0 win against Fort Lauderdale United FC as Mia Corbin had a goal and assist.
While Carolina is getting outshot so far this season 59-44, the quality of chances the side is producing is more than making up for that deficit. Ascent ranks second in the league with a 6.63 Expected Goals mark, averaging 0.15xG per shot. By comparison, it has allowed only 5.82 Expected Goals Against, but those chances have come at a 0.10xG per shot rate.
That was in evidence against Fort Lauderdale. After Jill Aguilera’s opening goal, Carolina was outshot by its visitors but gave up few clean-cut chances, allowing Sydney Martinez to claim another six-save shutout in relative ease. Ascent’s formula is an interesting one, but one that is working well so far.
4. Dallas Trinity’s Attacking Shift Produces Result
The challenge Dallas Trinity FC faced in its defeat to Sporting Club Jacksonville in Week 3 was possession and lack of penetration. The side made 70 final third entries but it resulted in only 12 touches inside the penalty area as attacks consistently stalled out in unthreatening areas.
Head Coach Lee Nguyen shifted his attacking lineup around against Brooklyn FC, and it paid immediate dividends with a higher tempo and execution resulting in a 3-0 win that saw Onyeka Gamero and Seven Castain find the net in the first half before Jasmine Hamid wrapped up all three points late. Castain’s shift into the central attacking role helped provide a catalyst, allowing Hamid to find useful pockets of space and arrive in the penalty area in a timely fashion – Hamid recorded a game-high nine touches in the box as Castain drew attention.
How this plays out against a better opponent – BKFC now has the distinction of becoming the first Super League club to drop its first four games in a season – remains to be seen, but this was at least a good step forward for Trinity.