Abby Dahlkemper is not happy with NWSL officials on the call for Wednesday night’s match between Gotham FC and the San Diego Wave. She is grateful to have her health after a nasty, near-disastrous moment late in the second half.
The 31-year-old defender is furious!
Dahlkemper, who made 84 appearances for the United States Women’s National Team, is in her third year with the Wave after stints with the North Carolina Courage, Houston Dash and Manchester City. It’s not like she hasn’t played the sport on a professional level for more than a decade and doesn’t know what she is talking about.
Hence, her frustration stems from experience. Dahlkemper was shocked that Midge Purce got away with such a violent play— even if it was unintentional. VAR even confirmed that a red card was not warranted.
The player who almost shattered her ankle disagrees.
Purce, a forward for Gotham, went to play the ball in the attacking half and completely whiffed. As Dahlkemper slid in to make the tackle, Purce’s foot came down hard on her right leg. More specifically, the cleat landed right on top of her ankle. Full spikes. Full bodyweight.
Dahlkemper believes that Purce should have been charged with a red card. A review decided otherwise.
Purce was not penalized for the hard challenge. Dahlkemper did not suffer an injury.
In the end, it was a situation of “no harm, no foul,” even though a foul might have been warranted. There is an argument to be made for both sides. On one end, it didn’t look like Purce meant to stop on Dahlkemper’s ankle and it was ultimately ruled incidental contact on a standard soccer play. On the other end, Purce did stomp on Dahlkemper’s ankle and could have caused a serious injury.
What’s the verdict?