It’s been a few games since we have provided a recap, but honestly, soccer has felt insignificant against the horrors of the world. Since we last wrote, the Thorns drew 1-1 against the Washington Spirit, and fell 0-2 in their first loss of the regular season against the Dash.
The Thorns tied for the third time in the 2022 season against the Red Stars on Saturday night, 2-2.
Hina Sugita’s and Sophia Smith’s goals leveled the score after a Thorns deficit, and both were scored off of set pieces. The Thorns have been unable to create a goal in the run of play in three games—and that pattern held true in Chicago where they were unable to generate the game-winner.
Maybe it’s so many lackluster or frustrating games in a row, but I’m finding it hard to feel happy when watching the Thorns play. It’s not for a lack of effort on the players’ part—there are many brilliant things happening on the pitch. Sugita scored her first NWSL regular season goal. Meaghan Nally dominated her passing game, with a 94% accuracy on her 59 passes. Sophia Smith is still an absolute force on the field and in front of goal. Sam Coffey is having one of the most complete rookie seasons the NWSL has ever seen, assisting both of the goals on Saturday.
Coffey and Smith spoke post-game about the dissatisfaction the team felt toward their recent results, despite seeing growth on the field.
It’s from that dissatisfaction that growth is born, as players push themselves to be better than they were the day before. But, how come that same mentality doesn’t seem to exist off the pitch?
The state of the world has become so untenable that not even my favorite team playing my favorite sport seems to bring joy. If that’s my personal perspective, I cannot imagine the mentality of the players who have to work and preform for the public each week.
Three mass shootings in the past two weeks, targeting people of marginalized identities—Vietnamese, Black, Latinx children. Yet, nothing is being done. There is no change or growth coming from these tragedies; we are just forced to be scared and numb to these horrors.
Soccer is a game. It is not a microcosm of life. It isn’t meant to solve world peace or cure cancer. But it is meant to be fun.
Seeing players—people—visibly frustrated and disappointed on and off the pitch is understandable. You can’t expect them to play or be their best selves when they aren’t protected and safe, just as you can’t expect people to enjoy the product in the same way.
The Thorns’ game against the Red Stars was probably as perfect as a metaphor as I could be searching for here. They went down early, and immediately rallied back, leveling the score. Near the end of the first half, they let another transitional goal in, and went into the locker room down.
Yet, they persevered. They didn’t give up, didn’t stop fighting. They got that equalizing goal off of Smith assisting herself via volley. They kept driving at the goal, even when they weren’t being successful. They wanted at least a point on the road, and the Thorns got just that.
It may not have been what they wanted, especially off the back of three games in which they earned just two points. But sometimes in the circumstances you are placed in, you don’t need to thrive, just survive. And that’s what the Thorns are doing. They are surviving, picking up points when they can. That’s what we all should be doing right now.
