Ainsley McCammon

And we did have a lot of other players to highlight who had really great performances and Jess herself in her postgame press conference made sure to, you know, give her flowers to all of her teammates.

Um, uh Ainsley and these are the players that I had on my list just in terms of like performers that I thought played really great Ainsley McCammon back making an immediate impact in the middle of the park Maddie Darlene making her 50th NWSL regular season appearance assist on Fishluck's second goal in a way if this assisting on the first one as well after you're getting completely bodied in the middle of the field but winning the ball yeah talk about I mean, Laura, you and I talked about the whole, you know, these are your teammates and you live and you die for them.

And Maddie Darlene

took one for the team.

But yeah, other, you know, I think we had another shot, um, one of the few shots on target I think a little after that.

But it's just, you, you mentioned it before recording, the lack of a midfield presence, um, in these two matches really seemed to rear its ugly head, and I think it's great that Ainsley McCammon is so good, but I think when you think about, like, where the club is, I talk a lot a- about this on, on my show, is, like, where a club is and where players are in their footballing journey, like in the development.

It's good that Ainsley McCammon really holds the midfield together, but that's a lot to ask of a teenager.

Yeah.

It is.

when they follow the game plan and when they do put out big personal efforts.

But in these two matches, it just didn't seem to be working.

How much of that can we credit to Ainsley McCammon being gone?

There's nobody hurt for the Reign.

But they are missing a few players to the U-20 World Cup in Poland, that being goalkeeper Evan Osteen, winger Emery Adamas, and also the amazing defensive midfielder in Ainsley McCammon.

In McCammon's space, Haz James-Turner gets the start today.

Haz is next to Sam Meza.

Yeah, yeah.

It sounds like it was a really intense matchup going to PKs.

And Ainsley McCammon, actually the captain, and took a PK and scored it.

So we love to see it.