After steadily improving over three seasons in NWSL, it's Allie Long's time.
Jill Ellis is on a mission. You might have heard her talking about it. Jill Ellis is on a search to find a defensive midfielder - the number 6 as she insists upon referring to the position. From attempting to thrust defensive duties onto Carli Lloyd - a colossal and thankfully rectified mistake - to the ill-fated Tobin Heath defensive midfielder fiasco, Ellis has not been shy about her willingness to resort to wild experimentation in order to find someone who sticks out.
Or rather, someone who doesn't stick out but does as the best defensive midfielders do - fluidly and, almost invisibly, acts as a shield for the back four and provides a link between the defensive and attacking phases.