A big spring time theme in sports is the underdog story. In 2021, small conference basketball teams like Wright State in the women’s NCAA bracket and Ohio University in the men’s are all but counted out, and still, find a way to win. The NWSL has an underdog of their own, and they play in New Jersey. Sky Blue FC has gone through ups and downs in recent history. In the last two full NWSL seasons, Sky Blue won six of a possible 48; earning only 29 points combined.
The difference between teams like Wright State and Sky Blue is that on one end, lack of media attention sells a team short. On the other end, the issues are self-inflicted. In 2019, Sky Blue FC began to control the narrative, off the field. General Manager Alyse LaHue, formerly with Chicago in the same role, took over; players started receiving better treatment through improved training facilities and they began to revamp their roster. Now that 2021 offers the promise of a full season, Sky Blue FC may be in a position to make people forget the bad times.
2020 Season
Challenge Cup: Seventh place – lost to the Chicago Red Stars in the semi-final
Fall Series: Fourth place – 6 points
Sky Blue FC came into 2020 making big moves. On Jan. 8, they acquired fullback/forward Margaret “Midge” Purce from the Portland Thorns. Purce was in and out of the US National Team before joining Sky Blue. Her 2020 put her more firmly in the United States 2021 plans. Forward Ifeoma Onumonu came in from OL Reign. In return, Sky Blue sent the rights to Julia Ashley, one of the two draftees from 2019 that decline to sign. Onumonu scored three goals and had one assist, appearing in all 10 matches. They also found players in unexpected places, like Ghanaian midfielder Jennifer “Cujo” Cudjoe, who tried out for the team and went on to start seven matches, appearing in nine.
In the Challenge Cup, Sky Blue had only one bad performance, a 2-0 loss to NC Courage in the preliminary round. They bounced back, almost making it all the way to the Challenge Cup final. In the quarter-finals, they took second-seeded Washington Spirit to penalty kicks, winning 4-3. The semi-finals’ first half didn’t go according to plan. Chicago came in strong, with two goals in the first eleven minutes. They added a third in the third of the match and looked to coast into the final. Sky Blue FC didn’t quit. Within five minutes, a Sky Blue goal and Julie Ertz’s own goal turned the last ten minutes into a nerve-racking one for Red Star fans. Chicago ended the night on top, but Sky Blue took that momentum into the Fall Series.
Outside of a 4-1 loss to the same Red Stars, Sky Blue won two and gave up only two goals. On the final match of the year; they finally got revenge against Chicago, winning 3-1 on goals from forward Paige Monaghan and Onumonu.
To get an opinion that covers the team exclusively, BWS spoke with Robbie Rogers from Jersey Sporting News.
BWS: How would you describe Sky Blue’s 2020 season?
Robbie: At the beginning of the season, Freya Coombe, their coach, said “Hey, we want to make the playoffs and want to be top four,” and I think that they did that. They made the final four of the Challenge Cup and then finished in the top four of the Fall Series. So, I mean, I feel like they met that goal. “We’re gonna finish top four, we’re not going to guarantee a championship, we’re going to get in the hunt for one.” I think that’s the best way to really sum up their 2020 campaign. I mean, it was a roller coaster.
We had an ugly tie versus the Reign. We got blown out by the Courage, came back to beat Houston, and then went to penalty kicks against Washington. And then vs. Chicago, they had a fight, went down three early and then came back, and then almost beat Chicago. So I definitely felt like they met expectations.
Offseason moves:
The New Jersey NWSL side made relatively low-key moves in the offseason, except one. Sky Blue sent midfielder and team captain Sarah Woldmoe, along with forward Mallory Pugh, to the Chicago Red Stars. Woldmoe played every minute of all 10 matches for Sky Blue in 2020. She brought consistency and stability to the midfield and was a key part of the team since Sky Blue chose her in the 2015 NWSL draft.
Pugh is a World Cup winner with the United States but has had a rough time with injuries since she joined the NWSL in 2017. The forward only logged 30 minutes in 2020, as a substitute, but still had an assist. Sky Blue received two international slots, the fourth and eighth picks of the 2021 NWSL draft and a conditional pick for the 2022 draft.
At the expansion draft, Racing Louisville FC selected two members of Sky Blue: defender Kaleigh Riehl and midfielder Cudjoe. Riehl had one start in the Challenge Cup, in the 1-0 loss to Utah. She left the states for a loan to Paris FC; where she received starting minutes for much of her time in France. Cudjoe’s time with Louisville didn’t last long and Sky Blue traded for her on draft day, for a third-round pick.
To strengthen a Woldmoe-less midfield, Sky Blue signed South Korean international midfielder Sodam Lee. It’s her first NWSL contract. The 26-year-old played in four World Cups, U17, U20, and the 2015 and 2019 senior team World Cups. Her minutes in 2019 came in one substitute appearance. Time will tell how Lee adjusts to a competitive NWSL but in a March 28 preseason victory over the Washington Spirit; she scored off a long-distance volley that turned a lot of heads. Here, you need to watch it for yourself:
The satisfying swish 🥅, the supporters’ angle, yes it’s Monday and we’re posting THAT Sodam Lee volley 💥#veomoment
— Sky Blue FC (@SkyBlueFC) March 29, 2021
(Via: @veocamera ) pic.twitter.com/xr0eOsqdlm
Draft Picks
Round 1 – Brianna Pinto – Midfielder – North Carolina
Round 3 – Taryn Torres – Midfielder – Virginia
Round 4 – Delanie Sheehan – Defender – UCLA
Round 4 – Tess Boade – Forward – Duke
Pinto’s selection with the third pick can also go a long way in reinforcing the midfield. The North Carolina Tarheel standout is foregoing her senior season to join Sky Blue FC. Pinto has 150 shots, 23 goals, and 16 assists in 65 college games; three of those goals coming this past week against Tennessee. That performance made her the ACC Offensive Player of the week, on Tuesday. She is finishing her junior season before joining the club this summer.
Torres was selected in the third round, even though she suffered a preseason injury in the fall, limiting her playing time for team scouts. In 2018 and 2019; she started all but one match for UVA and brings in a stat sheet of 11 goals and 10 assists in 70 matches. Torres, Sheehan, and Boade are also completing their current spring seasons.
2021 Season
The great thing for Sky Blue FC is that the squad that showed great improvement last season is largely back for 2021.
In goal, Canadian international Kailen Sheridan hurt her quad muscle early in the first match against the United States. On March 22, she posted on Instagram that she has permission to run and perform some goalkeeping moves; which means she’s closer than expected. Her recovery will give the goalkeeping core good minutes that will be needed when she joins Canada for the Olympics this summer.
Offensively, US international forward Carli Lloyd returns, after missing 2020. She signed a contract with Sky Blue in the offseason and has a renewed focus to compete in the Olympics with the United States. That motivation only helps a Sky Blue team that already showed offensive improvements in 2020.
Another name on offense to watch is forward Evelyne Viens. The 2020 Sky Blue draft pick out of the University of South Florida returns to the NWSL from a winter loan to Paris FC. In her short time in France, she scored 11 goals; making her one of the top scorers in the league. She appeared in 14 matches, starting half. As a striker against Issy, Viens scored a hat trick. Her performance overseas was so strong that it earned a call-up into the Canadian SheBelieves Cup camp, and made substitute appearances in all three matches.
In the midfield and backline, two players returned from injuries that sidelined them for 2020. Midfielder McCall Zerboni, who joined Sky Blue prior to last season, won two NWSL Championships with NC Courage and was a finalist for the 2018 NWSL MVP. On defense, Caprice Dydasco returns. The fullback tore her ACL after a 2019 campaign where she played in all but one match. She’s likely to compete with Sabrina Flores for the position opposite Imani Dorsey.
Manager Coombe has tough decisions to make in the midfield. Between Zerboni, Lee, Cujo, Japan international Nahomi Kawasumi and Domi Richardson. A problem that she and Sky Blue supporters don’t mind having.
All this newfound excitement for Sky Blue isn’t lost on Robbie Rogers.
BWS: What do you see for Sky Blue in 2021?
Robbie: I think they can take one of the three, at least one of the three, whether it’s the Challenge Cup, the shield, or the playoffs. I definitely think they have a good shot to take one of the three. They’re not as flashy as a Houston or one of those teams. But I feel like they’re gritty and they make teams work those 90 minutes. And especially with their defense, they have the best backline in the NWSL with like Gina Lewandowski and Estelle Johnson. You also have Sheridan, who I think is the best goalkeeper in the world, too. I just think like they’re going to get the job done. And they’re going to outlast teams in the playoffs. They’re going to take home something. If it’s not a shield, it’ll be a playoff. It’s not the playoffs. It’s going to be the Challenge Cup.
Sky Blue begins their Challenge Cup preliminary stage on Wednesday, April 14 in Orlando. The tournament starts with a rematch of the Challenge Cup title match from 2020, with Houston welcoming Chicago on April 9. Check BWS for coverage of the NWSL all season long.
Follow me on Twitter @1ThomasCostello. And check out Beyond Women’s Sports for more articles on amazing women and their sport.
