What’s that saying in sports, speed kills. I knew Lynn Williams was fast but not this fast. And Alex Morgan isn’t slow, either! Watch as Williams chases down Alex Morgan in the video below.
Never underestimate the speed of @lynnraenie. 👀 https://t.co/nToS4jw7hI
— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) June 11, 2023
What’s funny about this moment, where Williams chases down Morgan and wins the ball, is she’s playing defense. Usually her speed is advantageous for beating defenders and scoring goals! But Williams often uses her speed to harass defenders and goalkeepers.
She reminds me a bit of Samuel Etoo in that way. Who was one of those rare forwards not afraid to do the extra work on the defensive side. And particularly someone who rushed at keepers when they had the soccer ball at their feet, which Williams does too.
The question here though is has Morgan lost a bit of her speed. She is older now. Will she be as key to the women’s national team as she was in the past? But you’d have to say that even if Morgan isn’t as fast as she used to be, she is wiser and knows how to find the right spots on the field to score goals. Plus, Morgan is a tireless worker on the field for her team.
Lynn Williams has scored 74 goals in all NWSL competitions, passing Christine Sinclair for the second most in league history. She needs just 5 more goals to break Sam Kerr’s all-time record of 78 goals scored in the NWSL. https://twitter.com/OptaJack
With the women’s World Cup starting on Jul 20, 2023 and, assuming Williams makes the team, which she should, she might break the record in a couple weeks; especially if she stays on the goal scoring hot streak she’s on and maintains her high confidence. She will have about four or five games to break Kerr’s record before the World Cup.
Will women’s coach Vlatko Andonovski pick her for the World Cup roster this summer is not guaranteed. Surely he has to though, what with the form she is in and with the injury to Mallory Pugh.
With the women’s national team, Williams seems to play more on the outside as a winger rather than upfront as a forward. Not so sure where she is most comfortable and dangerous to opposing teams.
What’s important for the United States women’s national team is if you have a speedy player like Williams, you have to get her the ball when she makes a good run. And of course Williams has to make those good runs in behind the defense. So midfield players like Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan need to find and pick out Williams when she’s in stride. Megan Rapinoe too, as she is someone who has excellent vision and knows how to play the surprise killer pass.
Another player with speed on the women’s team is Trinity Rodman. Who also plays on the wing sometimes but could play up top as a striker. Rodman has the potential to be the star of this coming World Cup tournament. Imagine Rodman and Williams as forwards. That’s a lot of speed and power in the attack. Moreover, two players who would make it very difficult for opposing teams to play out of the back.
Williams says that been overlooked in many ways during her soccer career and it has inspired her to get where she is in the game – doubters only fired her up. Quotes from Sports Illustrated story on Williams.
“I feel like what’s got me here and what’s got me to this point is feeling like I am overlooked all the time,” says Williams, “and I don’t know if that’s always the best way to play, but I feel like that is one of the reasons why I’ve gotten where I am and so people can just continue to doubt me.”
And she’s more than just someone who’s fast!
“I feel like a lot of people are like, She’s only fast, and I am like, well, I’ve scored a lot of goals for only being fast.”
So while Williams chases down Alex Morgan in the video at the top. She wants to be known for more than just her speed.
