#amber brooks

[idkwtfishappening]

i not only support womens rights but i support womens wrongs

[emalemaleigh]

Some of my favorite shots that I’ve seen so far!

📸: Kelley Piper

[newbiesquadgoals]

I’m here for everyone fighting for employment on Stephanie McCaffrey’s NWSL team.

[noodle-fc]

If you want honest play in women’s soccer, please learn to recognize it when you see it, or: Stop being salty about the PK foul on Charley, you walnuts.

The scene: Portland Thorns vs. OL Reign, October 10th, 2020, the 42nd minute. The following ensues:

Simone Charley receives a long ball from Lindsey Horan at the edge of the penalty area. She initially heads the ball into the air, then chases it and takes a touch to control. The ball bounces past Kristen McNabb. Making no attempt to play the ball, which is now behind her, McNabb initiates contact with Charley, tripping her. Charley stumbles but keeps her footing, trying to get a shot off. Amber Brooks comes in, kicks the ball but doesn’t clear it. She and Charley tangle legs and fall down. McNabb clears the ball. The referee blows play dead and calls a PK.

Now, I don’t know why 99% of the world didn’t understand this sequence, but I guess it needs explanation. The referee sees a clear foul; fouled player attempts to continue play; referee waits a few seconds to see what happens; no advantage develops; referee stops play and awards a free kick. Yet somehow everyone thinks the PK award is for contact with Brooks?! I submit for your consideration:

This is a clear and obvious foul committed on Charley by McNabb, well inside the penalty area. Tell me truly that if Charley falls down here you’d have any problem whatsoever with a PK call. Watch it as many times as you need.

But she doesn’t fall down. She is impeded and knocked off balance but tries to get a shot anyway. She ultimately fails:

We can all agree that this is not a foul. Brooks plays the ball, Charley is off-balance, their legs get tangled. Happens all the time, nothing special about this except what happened literally 2 seconds before and—astonishingly—apparently very few people can remember such distant past events once a whistle blows.

So here’s the thing. Charley did exactly what we say we want in Women’s Soccer. She didn’t intentionally fall down to get a favorable call. She continued playing. Players are only going to play fairly if it is treated fairly. The referee did exactly that, encouraging what we say we want in Women’s Soccer.

The significance of this call and our reaction to it transcends a single game. The avalanche of complaints surrounding this situation matters. The load of shit the ref’s getting for her decision matters. If you can’t see and understand a play and a call like this, players and referees are going to do the safe thing instead of the right thing. So do you want to complain about this or do you want to keep WoSo from devolving into a diving contest?

[incorrectnwsl]

Rachel Daly: I don't need gasoline to burn stuff down, Amber. All I need is these two hands and a lack of adult supervision.

[wosoissoooogay]

NWSL players/coaches/owners really said “They can’t fine all of us!” (but Rose had her mom send the tweet, just in case.)

[equal-pay]

Huerta and Brooks to Reign I guess!

(I'm happy for Sofia tbh)

[come-on-you-blues]

I am so excited for this Reign game.

This is such a strong lineup considering they're missing a couple of players.

Huerta and Baler and Cruz oh my heart sings.