NWSL: Laura Harvey’s Final Hill To Climb
Written by Oluwaseun Oyediji
OL Reign wants to win a championship for their “OG three” of Rapinoe, Jess Fishlock, and Lauren Barnes, but they also have a point to prove about coach Laura Harvey.
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Harvey was reportedly passed over for the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) head coaching job for the second time, with Chelsea coach Emma Hayes set to assume the role.
“Laura’s the best manager that I’ve ever had,” Rapinoe said at Thursday’s media day.
Harvey, who signed a two-year contract extension with the Reign in July, has led them to three National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Shields but has never won the NWSL Championship.
"I actually think a lot of people still underrate Laura Harvey as a coach anyway, which is absolutely mind-boggling to me. I don't understand what else she needs to do," said Fishlock.
Meanwhile...
Since the NWSL expanded the playoffs to six teams in 2021, five of the last six finalists have been teams that began the postseason in the quarterfinals.
The top two seeds coming off a bye round are 1-5 in three years of semifinals, including San Diego and Portland going 0-2 in 2023.
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No. 4 OL Reign and No. 6 Gotham FC are the lowest collective seeds ever to reach the NWSL Championship.
This year marks the first time since playoff expansion that none of the top three seeds have reached a final.
The bye for top seeds was compounded by the international break that took place between the quarterfinal and the semifinal rounds.
When top teams struggle this mightily after being awarded time off, one has to wonder if it's actually an advantage.
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