Christen Press is an impressive player. And no, my word choice isn’t for pun-related reasons. Watching Press run full speed, with the ball screaming toward her off a well-placed cross, puts me on the edge of my seat every time. I know she is able to create magic out of an inch of space or half a second of a defender trying to find her footing.
But that magic has been limited to club performance and national team friendlies.
As Kim McCauley wrote here, “She didn’t play in the last two games of the 2015 World Cup, she lost all three NWSL playoff games she’s participated in, she lost the only Champions League final she’s played in, and she missed the decisive penalty when the United States got knocked out of the 2016 Olympics.