Going into the 2016 season, many eyes were on New Jersey’s Sky Blue FC to see how they would return from their eighth place finish last year. It was a wild season from start to finish, and the team spent most of it floating in the middle of the table while beating some notable opponents along the way. Sky Blue opened their season defeating the Seattle Reign, who won last year’s NWSL Shield by ten points, in a shocking 2-1 victory. This result raised many eyebrows, with a team that hasn’t been known to produce pulling out such a big win to start their season. Somewhere along the way, though, their progress plateaued, resulting in a seventh place finish.
Biggest Weaknesses
Sky Blue was not unable to score, but instead unable to hold onto their leads. In their final match against the Portland Thorns, they went from winning 1-0 to losing the match 3-1. Holes in their backline proved to be their biggest weakness, and the 30 goals scored against them can attest to that. Five of those goals were scored in one game against the Western New York Flash, resulting in arguably their worst loss of the season when the match finished 5-2. While the team would have once been able to rely on the abilities of individual stars to sort out their defense, other teams have begun to navigate that and find their way through. This season saw the arrival of many rookies who were trying to find where they fit in the team, and that confusion resulted in a lot of goals scored against them, and a lot of missed opportunities on offense
Biggest Strengths
A shocking announcement at the beginning of the season revealed that Natasha Kai, a former member of the USWNT who had retired from soccer in favor of professional rugby, would be returning to the sport, and more specifically, Sky Blue FC. She and Australian Sam Kerr were a powerful attack that kept defenders on their toes until the very last minute. Combined with outside back Kelley O'Hara's forward runs and crosses, the team’s offense was a lot more effective than the table would give them credit for. The team was incredibly hard working and gritty throughout the season, so while their final position in the table was second place, that is not reflective of the rest of their season, which saw them in contention for the fourth playoff spot for a few weeks. Although they weren’t about to pull out as many results as they would’ve liked to, their first victory against Seattle, which ended up being their biggest of the season, gave fans a hope for the future, one that remains as the team enters the offseason and reevaluates how they’ll secure their first ever NWSL playoff spot.
Team MVP
Although she had a quieter season this year, the importance of Christie Rampone can not be understated. She has been a solid member of the back line for years, and she can always be counted on to make thoughtful decisions when under pressure. Although she has been playing for the better part of 20 years now and has said goodbye to her days on the national team, she has still proven to be essential to the success of Sky Blue. She is able to out run and out play girls who are ten years her junior, which speaks volumes about her exceptional talent. Although the club had some defensive issues through out the season, with the presence of Rampone, the team would be far less organized and cohesive.
Looking to 2017
Outside of physical ability, something that Sky Blue lacks when compared to other teams is a noticeable team culture. While their supporters group, Cloud 9, brings spirit to all of their home matches, the team has drawn smaller crowds than what would be expected in New Jersey, the center of youth soccer in America. In the offseason, Sky Blue needs to define what they want their team to be and how they will market themselves to get there. Playing in a stadium on the campus of Rutgers University, there are opportunities to expand the fanbase even more beyond just youth players, and the addition of older fans spending money at games would be a huge asset to the team going forward, making the team more desirable to players coming into the league from college or overseas. 2016 may not have been the season Sky Blue had hoped for, but the team has the potential to continue to progress into a huge threat.