The San Diego Wave lost to the Chicago Red Stars, 1-0, in a disappointing defeat on the road.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Lacking Star Power

The Wave tonight missed their stars Alex Morgan and Naomi Girma. Despite winning the time of possession and shots on goal by a significant margin the Wave couldn’t capitalize on any of their attempts. The team without the stars didn’t look like they had too much chemistry with a lot of moves that didn’t result in much. They will be forced into playing more together and hopefully get something going in these next stretch of games. 

Sloppiness

The Wave tonight had their fair share of chances to score. They were significantly hurt by their sloppiness on the offensive side of the ball. The Wave had seven offside penalties called against them. As a team, you cannot have 7 offsides calls and expect to win. This is especially true when the opposition only had 1 offside. By all means the Wave were expected to win this game as the Red Stars are near the bottom of the NWSL standings. 

Regroup

Despite the loss, the Wave should keep their heads up. They are still in the playoff picture and have a long 2nd half of the season ahead of them. Tonight the team still played some good defense and didn’t give the Red Stars too many opportunities. When they get their world cup players back they should be able to regroup and get back what they had before this rough stretch as of late.

The Wave will be back on the pitch next Saturday vs the Washington Spirit at Snapdragon Stadium