Midfielder Claire Hutton’s $1.1 million transfer from Kansas City was important in reshaping Bay FC this offseason, but all eyes were on how new head coach Emma Coates would coax more goals out of the team’s offense, which ranked last in scoring last year and stumbled to a disappointing 13th place finish after a feel-good first season.
The Brit, coaching in the NWSL for the first time, had been mum on her tactics and player preferences all preseason, but her first-ever team displayed a dominant, front-footed performance on Saturday, beating expansion side Denver Summit FC 2-1.
Leading the charge was the more unheralded signing of the offseason, the youngest player on the field: Alex Pfeiffer. The 18 year old signed a free agent contract with Bay FC in January after departing from the Kansas City Current, where she recovered from a torn ACL and was on the outside looking in of a loaded frontline.
Starting on the right wing for her new team, Pfeiffer was the most dangerous player on the field at PayPal Park — a speed dribbler, clever with the ball, and often cutting in with her left foot with a eye toward goal. She opened up the scoring in the 7th minute in just that fashion, calmly driving at the back-pedaling defense before finishing the play herself. The goal looked more effortless than it was.
“Today means a lot,” Pfeiffer said after the game. “I hadn’t scored a goal in two years.”
She followed that score with a similar move in the 29th minute when her teammates took a free kick short and funneled her the ball on the edge of the box to lay off to Joelle Anderson — playing center back on the day — who squared up for a powerful shot that put the hosts up for good.
“It’s what I see in training every day when she gets the ball,” her coach Coates said. “We’re trying to add variety to our play and I’ve heard a lot about her in terms of being young, but you have to judge her by her performances and experiences, and I think she showed that.”
Pfeiffer’s start came days after Bay FC traded last year’s leading scorer Penelope Hocking, coincidentally, to Kansas City.
The hosts dominated possession and pinned the visitors in their own half for most of the game, albeit some of that must be caveated by the fact that Bay FC played up a person after Denver’s Janine Sonis got sent off with a red card for a foul (after VAR review) in 27th minute.
Still, Coates’ side overwhelmed their opponent by pushing fullbacks Maddie Moreau and Sydney Collins up high, thus allowing wingers Pfeiffer and Racheal Kundananji to tuck inside, creating multiple 2:1 advantages. In the middle, Hutton controlled the game as the deep-lying midfielder, often between the center backs, scanning the entire field in front of her. Her passes were simple, but effective, and her ball retention and tackling are clear upgrades to this year’s team.
At its best, it was attractive, fun soccer — which is undoubtedly the type owners Sixth Street envisioned the team playing when they launched the franchise three years ago. Previous coach Albertin Montoya talked about playing with such style, but his teams often reverted to a more pragmatic approach as time went on and lacked a consistent scoring threat.
“We should have had another goal, at least two,” Coates said. The first year manager was recruited to the Bay Area by her fellow countryman, Kay Cossington, who joined the franchise last year and heads up its multi-club soccer entity Bay Collective.
Before the NWSL, Coates had only overseen England’s U23s, so little was known about her soccer philosophy or coaching style. But the season opening win was a loud announcement to the rest of the league.
Bay FC’s attack is now more multi-faceted than just Kundananji’s pace, which defined the team’s approach the last two years. There are now threats on either side of the wings with better control in the middle. Italian striker Cristiana Girelli (107 goals for Juventus) and talented but unproven forward Onyeka Gamero are still waiting in the wings as extra options.
“Emma and the staff have come in just really focused on keeping the ball, possession style of play,” Anderson said. “They give us a lot of freedom to just read the game and I think that’s given us a lot of success this preseason.”
However nice the opening day performance was, where the team is at after the next five games will be more telling of its actual improvement. Angel City, North Carolina, Washington Spirit, Gotham FC, and the San Diego Wave beckon. (Gotham beat the Spirit in the NWSL Cup Final last year.)
“This is only a small glimpse of what we’re capable of,” Anderson said. “We have so much talent.”
Odds & Ends
- Caroline Conti, who played mostly as a central midfielder last year, has been converted to a winger under Coates. “The way we see her is that she can play central or wide, which is the way we want to play… which is quite fluid and give players freedom to flow,” the coach said. The former Clemson Tiger also changed her jersey number from 15 to 23.
- Taylor Huff and Hannah Bebar, who both signed with Bay FC last year straight out of college, rounded out the midfield with Hutton. The former played in a more advanced attacking role as she had last season.
- Kiera Barry, signed from Manchester United this year, came on in the second half for Karlie Lema and looked lively playing both striker and winger. The England U23 international runs with pace and has a welcome bite to her game, picking up a yellow card in the 88th minute trying to close down the opposition.
About the Author: Kevin V. Nguyen is a business and sports journalist based in the Bay Area. Follow him on X/Twitter @KevinNguyen_89 or on Bluesky @kevinvnguyen.bsky.social
