What "great players" in the back are you referring to?
If our outside backs were told not to make runs, it might be because they didn't have good recovery speed. This has been an issue for us at that position for a while and at wingback in '22. Three/four years ago we had Burdette playing outside back--but she was not good as she simply did not have enough speed for the position. She could not keep up with opposing forwards. It is a position that demands speed and athleticism. Burdette was switched to defensive mid and that was one of the best position switches for the team in recent years. Hennessey, Hofmann, and Brown all struggle with recovery speed, as did Nelson when playing wingback last season. Nelson is pretty fast once she gets going--but she's got a lopey running style and it takes too long for her to get up to speed. Renie had the same issue--long legs and lopey running style. Brown is a good player--but she doesn't quite have the speed you want for an outside back.
The Rain I refer to is Claire Rain--who was our starting left outside back in '21. Great speed and athleticism--transferred to FSU with Huf and tore her ACL in one of their first matches last season. She is, in my view, the best defender we've had in 10+ years. (Vignola was the other outstandingly athletic defender we've had--now starting for Angel City and has been invited to 2 senior NT camps. Katz played opposite Rain on the right in '21 Those two were a BIG reason for our success that season--as they played forward and were very good at winning balls and keeping the opponent bottled up in its defensive half. But you have to have the speed to get back if the ball is played behind you. They could. When they were both switched to centerback by Kirt in his first year, the team's performance level dropped, as he inserted Nelson and Dipasupil at wing (essentially in their place), and they were a level below in speed and overall quality. Disastrous decision. We won some SEC games, but we were clearly not as good as we were the year before. And what was really insane is that Kirt apparently didn't recognize our falloff and played the same damn formation, with the same players, all season.
What players do you thing are being "thrown to the side"? Are you related to a '22/'23 recruit? (I sense you might be.) There's Mitchell--played a little as a freshman in OOC games, Barr (hurt), Brown (hasn't played much at all), Duval (hurt), Price (hurt), Brown--played. I sense you are close to one of them, yes? That's cool, if you are. Which one(s) should have been playing?
I certainly thought Greiner should have played more and maybe even started at right forward. I'm sorry, but starting Nelson every game--a player who was, er, not smart, to put it politely. I certainly would have liked to have seen Mitchell get some minutes in SEC matches at defensive mid. Playing Washington at all was...not smart, IMO. Great person, I'm sure--but not a good soccer player.
Your comment about a midfield "showoff" is strange. Are you referring to Fusco? You have to be because she made runs with the ball. That's what good attacking players do when the space is there. She was a key to our attack for three years. Without her we would have had...what exactly? Not much. She's a very good player, IMO--was very influential for us since her very first game. She's at Penn State now--what does that tell you?
If you have a beef with some of Kirt's decisions, well, we certainly have that in common. If a young player feels she's been overlooked, she of course needs to go to the coaches and express her feelings and viewpoint. I agree that some could have/should have played more: It requires smart personnel decisions and management. Enough said...
. No offense to the young women who are covid players. A lot of offense to the programs, coaches and NCAA that supported and abused it.
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