Author: J

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NWSL Soccer Thorns

Endings and Beginnings: F— Seattle

Photo by Riya Patel.

It felt as though the vintage Portland Thorns were back in action Saturday night, as they soundly defeated OL Reign in front of a sold-out Providence Park. It was the last time that the complete trio of Megan Rapinoe, Jess Fishlock, and Lu Barnes would face Christine Sinclair in Portland—which undoubtedly helped increase attendance numbers and added a sentimental tenor to the entire game. All four players reassured the crowd that during those 90 minutes the teams were fighting for more than just three points in a tight end of season table; they were fighting for the pride of their cities. 

It was the first time since the inaugural 2013 season that Portland managed to take both home and away wins against Seattle in the regular season, and their first home win of the rivalry since 2018. Hopefully, such a solid beating of a longtime and fierce rival will propel the Thorns to end the season, helping them pick up their first three consecutive wins since 2019, as well. 

Last week at a league-wide press conference, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman confirmed that the Thorns were on track to being sold by the end of the calendar year and that Merritt Paulson no longer sits on the Board of Governors. (Portland’s representative is currently Portland Timbers and Thorns CEO Heather Davis.) The process of the sale has taken far too long, but the confirmation that the team will in fact get a new owner (and hopefully new grass practice facility) makes me feel as though the Thorns can start to redefine themselves and their relationship to the city after a few dark years. 

I find it hard to grasp the simultaneous nature of beginnings and endings, and this game represented both. The Thorns that I grew up with from 2013 through 2019 were different from the Thorns post-2020. Of course, the coaching and personnel changes are part of the natural course of a professional team, but since 2020, it has felt as though there is a disconnect between the team and its fans, largely brought upon by poor leadership decisions that have directly perpetuated and covered up abuse. Being free from the shadows of Paulson will allow the team to get their spot in the sun that they deserve. 

Endings

Saturday’s game was the last time that Rapinoe played in Providence Park. Even though she is one of the Thorns’ biggest villains, it seems remiss to not talk about her.  Of  course, a rivalry game is about more than one player (and we will still have to deal with Fishlock next year…), but Pinoe seems to embody what it means to really love what you do and who you play for.

“We’re definitely two different types of people,” Sinclair said of Rapinoe postgame. “But what she’s done for the game, I think she’s helped inspire an entire generation of young soccer fans. And I fully support anyone that wants to grow women’s football, women’s sports. I’m gonna miss playing against her. This rivalry is gonna miss having her. I think our fans are gonna miss booing her.” 

Pinoe has always made soccer fun. Even when I’m watching the USWNT play the most mediocre Vlatko-ball I’ve ever seen in the middle of the night, I know that as soon as Pinoe subs on she will liven things up and add flair and fun. I think that element of fun is something that has been missing from the Thorns’ culture for the past few years. The Thorns love emphasizing their mentality of winning and success, but sometimes I’m afraid that they’ve lost sight of the love of the game.

But then I see Pinoe hamming it up to the North End after scoring a goal or Morgan Weaver pretending to be one of those inflatable car-sale balloons, and I realize that these players do still have fun. Going forward, I want to see more of that: fun celebrations and laughing on the pitch and putting on a show. I want to thank Pinoe and the OGs for always having fun on the pitch, because it makes me have a lot more fun watching. 

I also know how hard it is to remember why you are doing something when people, in particular your employers, are cruel or unhelpful. I sincerely hope that the sale of the team and dissociation from Paulson will fill the North End again and start selling out Providence Park. Even at 3:30 a.m. from my bed in Dublin, Ireland, I could see the influence that the city can have on a game.     

Beginnings
Photo by Riya Patel.

With every ending comes a new beginning. Morgan Weaver came alive as the new embodiment of the “F— Seattle” sentiment that is so necessary for a good rivalry. In a weird parallel with Pinoe, Weaver grew up in Washington but now plays for the rival state. Postgame, when asked about her celebration where she pointed enthusiastically at the Thorns badge on her jersey, she said, “I’m from Tacoma, but I’m just gonna show them where I love, and I love Portland, and I love being here and I love being on this team. So, I just had to let them know Portland’s where it’s at.”

Weaver has really come to life on the field this year. Her past seasons in Portland have by no means been lackluster—she has probably scored the most clutch game-winning goals for the team since she landed with the club in 2020—but she often falls into Sophia Smith’s shadow, being drafted second to her and playing alongside her. On Saturday, Weaver scored her 10th goal in all competitions this season off an incredibly well-struck volley straight back across goal. Her confidence in front of goal has skyrocketed, and it has made her a much more complete striker. 

But what makes Weaver such a dangerous player is her dynamism. She had seven recoveries, the fourth most on the team, and also had the most shots on the team at four. Her involvement at both ends of the pitch is part of her core identity as a player. The fact that Weaver has been able to sustain this level of play throughout the season (she has played the third most minutes on the team) while consistently improving her awareness and skill shows how high her ceiling is. Luckily, she’s signed through 2025, and I can’t wait to see how much more she can grow. 

Like Tobin Heath said in her podcast, “Portland being the best every year, that’s tradition.” And even with some traditions ending, the Thorns will always have players who embody the city and its weirdness and propel the team to greatness—just like Weaver showed everybody this weekend. 

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Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 1, Spirit 1

Photo by Matthew Wolfe.

The Portland Thorns played their first game with all five World Cup players back in the squad last weekend against the Washington Spirit in DC. The team was coming off of a much-needed victory where the team set the record as the first NWSL team to receive a first-half red card (awarded to Kelli Hubly) and win the game. Better yet, that game resulted in the Thorns taking three points off the North Carolina Courage, which was probably the biggest win of a game that included some insane ball control from Hannah Betfort for the equalizer and a Sophia Smith game-winner less than a minute into her return to Providence Park. 

With momentum on their side, the Thorns travelled to DC to take on Mark Parsons’ title-contending Spirit. More so than most teams in the league, both the Spirit and the Thorns had players that suffered significant World Cup roster-related injustices. Sam Coffey and Ashley Hatch were inexplicable snubs, Crystal Dunn had to play in a non-natural position, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman were wingers in a system that isolated them and didn’t let them perform to the best of their abilities— the list goes on. With squads filled with players who were looking to prove their talents after a lackluster USWNT performance, tensions were always going to be high, and the match was set to be cagey.

Ultimately, a 1-1 draw was not what the Thorns wanted after dominating 4-2 in the earlier matchup, and the game was less tactically promising than it could have been. Let’s look at why, and how it may affect the Thorns as they head into the final stretch of the season. 

The Thorns need to play to Betfort and Weaver’s strengths

The Thorns debuted their new 4-4-2 formation against the Courage and brought it out again in DC. As someone who has advocated for more defensive coverage with such advanced wingbacks all season, I am delighted at the success of a Rocky Rodríguez-Coffey double pivot. It provides much-needed stability for Portland’s backline, which was especially necessary with the Meaghan Nally-Emily Menges backline that Portland started due to Hubly’s red card. The Thorns held the Spirit to 0.62 xG, not including the penalty—very low for a team that has the attacking powers of Rodman, Ashley Sanchez, and Ashley Hatch. 

While the new formation allows the Thorns to more effectively carry the ball through the middle of the pitch and have adequate defensive coverage, there was a disconnect between the eight midfielders and defenders and the two forwards. The Thorns only had 10 total shots, four of which were on goal, a shockingly low number for the team who has scored an average of 2.3 goals per game this season. The Thorns also only had 78 passes within the final third for a 53% passing accuracy, matching the eye test that showed the midfielders unable to find the feet of Smith and Morgan Weaver. In fact, the players with the highest number of completed passes throughout the game were the four defenders and Coffey. While it is important to be able to maintain possession in your own half, you need to be able to progress the ball up the field in order to win a game. The Thorns were unable to consistently do that against the Spirit. 

The new formation seems to have been created around Smith and Morgan Weaver, who have great chemistry and the ability to change sides and seamlessly float in behind the back line. However, when Smith went down with what we now know is a mild MCL sprain in the end of the first half and the scoreline was still 0-0, the pressure was on for head coach Mike Norris to make some kind of formation or tactical change in order to grind out the win. 

Betfort has been coming in for Smith all season and started in Smith’s absence at the World Cup. However, Betfort’s playing style is immensely different to that of Smith’s. Honestly, there is no player in the world who plays at Smith’s level, and it is unfair of Norris to slot Betfort into Smith’s position and ask her to do the same things, like receiving the ball with her back to goal and dribbling through multiple defenders to get a shot off.

Betfort is an out-and-out No. 9. Her ball control has improved immensely over the course of the season, as has her shot selection. However, she does not have the same dribbling control that Smith has (to be fair, no other player in the world does). A 4-3-3 is much better suited to Betfort’s strengths, where she can receive the ball in the box and use her physical strength to shoot it on target. A 4-4-2 where Betfort is up front with Morgan leaves less room for her to get good services into the box, and it’s not fair to expect Betfort to produce in a way that is not playing to her strengths. 

Additionally, Weaver traditionally has done very well at tight angles, when she is able to cut in from the left side as opposed to starting centrally. Transitioning back to a 4-3-3, where she and Hina Sugita play out wide up top, will allow both players to cut in and threaten goal—a tactic that has historically worked well for both players.

The Thorns only had seven crosses throughout the entire game, compared to Washington’s 14.  I would argue that the Thorns’ only good chance of the night came on Weaver’s goal, and in large part was due to Coffey’s excellent weighted ball behind the backline. Betfort, who played over 45 minutes, only had 17 touches on the ball, meaning that she was essentially boxed out of the game—largely was due to the formation. Reyna Reyes, who played only 15 minutes, had more touches than Betfort. In Smith’s absence the Thorns need to go back to a formation that allows their available forwards to succeed. 

Bella’s command of the box is important 

Despite failing to block Hatch’s penalty kick in stoppage time, Bella Bixby had a very good game. She had four saves on the night, but her real strength during the game was organizing the defense and being aggressive in the box. This season Bixby has become more aggressive off her line, stepping out to get crosses and long balls to mitigate shots before they even happen. A lot of the play in the NWSL is direct and over-the-top, inviting players to go one-on-one with the keeper. By coming off her line early, Bixby forced the Spirit front line to try a different route to goal, which they struggled with. Meghan Klingenberg and Natalia Kuikka were largely able to shut down Washington’s forwards’ attempts at running down the wings, and if they were able to get a cross off, Bixby was quick to track it down instead of waiting for the second ball.

These abilities are ones that should be valued by the USWNT, so hopefully Bixby gets called into an upcoming camp, as her play this season deserves recognition. 

Hina is the GOAT

Honestly, I think Hina was the player I missed most during the World Cup break. Her work rate and ability to stick with the ball is unmatched. I don’t know how she manages to win some of the tackles she does, and her trickery on the ball is so much fun to watch. With Smith likely out until at least the playoff run, I would argue that Hina will be the Thorns’ most important player during the next stretch of games. They will need to utilize her strengths to float around the pitch wherever she pleases. Hina Hive let’s get loud!! 

Categories
Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 0, Kansas City 1

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

The Portland Thorns have officially wished their international players well in the FIFA Women’s World Cup and are embarking on the next portion of the season without their most prolific attacking threats. Portland will play six games before the international players are slated to come back at the end of August: three for the regular season and three for the Challenge Cup. 

This week, we got our first glimpse at what the Thorns will be like during this next stretch of games. Without Sophia Smith, Crystal Dunn, and Hina Sugita up front, it was underwhelming to say the least.

The refereeing in both games was questionable at best and atrocious at worst, but regardless of what the officials are doing, it is the players’ job to put the ball in the back of the net. 

After the sensational send off game versus the Spirit—a top of the table clash that resulted in a 4-2 Portland victory—the Thorns had a pair of disappointing 0-1 losses at home.

What happened? It is a mix of available personnel and coaching decisions that can no longer be hidden behind the individual brilliance of Sophia Smith. 

Of the healthy and available players in Portland, three are goalkeepers, eight are defenders, four are midfielders, and five are forwards. Since the NWSL trade window has opened, the Thorns have only made one official signing, bringing center back Kayla Morrison into the team as a national team replacement player and adding depth to probably the only position that already had it. Morrison will join Kelli Hubly, Meaghan Nally, Emily Menges, and Gabby Provenzano—alongside Natalia Kuikka, who has slid into the position several times this season. 

Graphic via Arielle Dror

Against the Current, the Thorns lined up in their usual 4-3-3, with the most notable change being that Sam Coffey was able to play higher up the pitch and was given the freedom to carry the ball forward. Meghan Klingenberg and Kuikka, as the fullbacks, were asked to play incredibly high up the pitch, leaving Menges and Hubly exposed as a flat 2-back pairing. By this point in the season, it seems clear that head coach Mike Norris’ game plan is to try and instigate attacking momentum through his outside backs, as Kling and Kuikka had 40 and 47 carries, respectively. When this number is compared to  midfielders Taylor Porter’s and Coffey’s carries of 18 and 28, respectively, it shows the Thorns’ lack of meaningful possession in the midfield. 

When Smith is waiting up top, playing through the wings to try and send her on a one-versus-one breakaway isn’t that bad of an idea, but without her dribbling skills up top, the Thorns did not look dangerous coming out of the wide areas. Subbing Reyna Reyes on for Michelle Vasconcelos at the half to bring a more defensive-minded winger onto the pitch did not change the way in which the Thorns attacked, as Reyes did not cut inside or play as fluidly along the front line as the Thorns typically do. Granted, it was Reyes’ second time playing up top for the Thorns, and she has been having a terrific rookie season, but nonetheless her appearance did not mark a change of tactics in order to try and earn a win in the second half. 

Once the Thorns were able to bring the ball into the attacking third, poor shot selection was their downfall. Portland, always a team that is able to wrack up a lot of shots over 90 minutes, had 26 against the Current, with nine on target. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Only Izzy D’Aquila and Morgan Weaver had more than 10 touches inside the Current’s penalty area throughout the game, with 12 and 13, respectively. The next highest player, Olivia Moultrie, had only six.

In previous games the Thorns have been incredibly successful inside their opponents’ box at playing dummy balls and creating space for easy tap-in goals, but over the past two games we have not seen this type of play. What we have seen, however, is players taking shots early instead of taking extra touches to get themselves around a defender or to fin a better angle. If you had to take a shot (pun intended) for every time the Thorns players gifted the ball directly to Kansas City goalkeeper Cassie Miller without challenging her to make a save, you would have had a much better time at the game. 

So, what is the reason for this flat, uninspired play the Thorns have shown in both their midweek game against the Reign and the weekend’s one against the Current? While it may be a multitude of reasons, the most glaring one is the lack of changing tactics either mid-game, when the current plan isn’t working, or around the available personnel and their strengths. 

For example, the Thorns’ xG in the first half against the Current was 0.75, while the second half was 0.85. The marginal difference between the two numbers is negligible, indicating that there was no real change or improvement in the attack between the two halves. Another example was the 70th-minute sub of Hannah Betfort for Porter, which shuffled D’Aquila to the wing and Kling into the midfield. D’Aquila, a prolific striker for Santa Clara, was incredibly effective with her head. Even though the Thorns had not been able to take advantage of this asset for the previous 70 minutes, they chose to bring on a player whose main advantage is her height in aerial duels. Betfort ended up not having a shot that evening. 

When playing from the outside in wasn’t working, the Thorns should have tried to carry the ball through Coffey in the middle. Coffey only had 94 yards worth of progressive carries over 90 minutes, much fewer than Kuikka and Kling, who both had over 200. Coffey, playing the attacking mid position she excelled at in college, was far and away the best player on the field. Her confidence while wearing the captain’s armband was high, and she was able to float around the opposing team with ease, completing 76% of her passes. The Thorns are incredibly lucky to still have Coffey during this World Cup period, and it is in their best interest to make her the primary playmaker during this time. 

Sam Coffey with the ball
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Hopefully the Thorns will have signed a few more national team replacement players—Norris hinted at at least one more signing on Saturday—to bolster their sparse frontline before they go again next weekend against Gotham in New York. 

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Soccer Thorns

So, What’s Up With the Thorns’ Defense?

Photo by Matthew Wolfe.
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Categories
NWSL Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 4, Chicago 0

The Chicago Red Stars and the Portland Thorns could be two sides of the same coin. Both have young, brilliant, marquee forwards (Mal Swanson for Chicago and Sophia Smith for Portland), brilliant keepers (Alyssa Naeher and Bella Bixby, respectively), a long history making the NWSL playoffs, and both teams are currently for sale after a myriad of scandals and abuse were perpetrated and ignored by the teams’ front offices. 

However, the Thorns have been able to maintain their status-quo performances on the field while the Red Stars have floundered greatly so far in the 2023 season. Granted, Swanson is out with an unfortunate knee injury, and Chicago lost most of their midfield during the league’s first free agency period while the Thorns have largely retained their roster. But the talent, particularly in Chicago’s back line, is far better than scorelines have reflected. 

The Thorns, back at home after a two-game road stretch, desperately needed to bounce back to the dominance with which they started the season. After two consecutive 3-3 ties and a 2-1 loss to Houston, it was clear that the Thorns needed a mental reset. Their tactics and ability to score goals were clearly still on display throughout all three games, but the defensive mindset and ability to shake off mistakes and close out games effectively was noticeably absent. 

While the resounding 4-0 win over Chicago at home—which marked the third time that the Thorns have scored three times in the first 16 minutes of a game—might not have been the team’s best performance of the season, it provided the mental reset that Portland so desperately needed and reminded them of the importance of playing with joy. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

There is no one player who embodies this mantra better than Meghan Klingenberg, who is emphatic with her words and isn’t afraid to speak blatantly on her feelings with the team. Her pregame hype huddles are iconic, and the passion she has for the Thorns is palpable, so it is only right to look at the Thorns’ stomping of Chicago through her own words. 

Kling began her overall thoughts by saying that, “It’s the first time in a couple games where I felt like we put together really good stretches of quality minutes, limited their opportunities and looked more like us. We looked like we are having fucking fun. When we look like that, we are at our best. I think we are pretty unstoppable when we are at our best.”

The Thorns had four different goal scorers against Chicago: Kelli Hubly, Crystal Dunn, Olivia Moultrie, and Natalia Kuikka. Half of those players are defenders for the club, while Dunn plays defense for the USWNT. If there’s one way for a shaky defense to have their confidence skyrocket, it would definitely be for them to outscore the entire forward line. The unexpected joy that Hubly exuded after she perfectly placed her volley into the far corner of the net set the ball in motion for how the rest of the game was going to go. The Thorns looked like they were having fun again. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Kling also referenced that it was the first time that the Thorns were “putting together really good stretches of quality minutes.” The Thorns put up absurd numbers. They had 12 shots on target out of 22 total, and limited Chicago to eight shots total, none on target. The Thorns had 124 passes in the final third and 43 touches in Chicago’s box—showcasing their relentlessness in their high press and creating numerous opportunities. Compare these numbers to the previous game against Houston, where the Thorns had 74 passes in the final third and only 12 entrances into their opponent’s box, and it’s clear that the Thorns had a more successful press. 

When a team has been imbued with as much off field trauma as the Thorns have, it can become hard to focus on the on field successes. That is what I think is happening with the Chicago Red Stars. Throughout the ongoing sale of their club, they have lost investment and belief in the players, which in turn makes it harder for them to perform on field. The Thorns, on the other hand, have had consistent support from general manager Karina LeBlanc and the die-hard Riveters that has allowed them to keep up their desired level of performance on the field. 

 Kling, who is not a captain nominally but embodies the leadership and passion of one, is right when she says that the fun the team is having is directly correlated to their successes on the field. I hope that the Thorns are able to take this regained confidence after a rocky stretch and show San Diego who the best team on the west coast really is. 

Categories
Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 2, Racing 0

Photo by Matthew Wolfe.

The Portland Thorns claimed sole possession of the top of the NWSL table with their 2-0 win over Racing Louisville on Saturday evening. All time against Louisville the Thorns are 5-0-0, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one. While the scoreline may suggest a dominant performance over Louisville, the game itself left fans nervous that the Thorns would concede a goal late—not closing out the game with the professionalism and deftness the team normally shows. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

The largest reason the Thorns nearly threatened their dominant 2-0 first half lead was due to the sheer number of minutes that this roster has played recently. Portland was coming off of a stretch of three games in eight days that fell right on the end of an international break. Natalia Kuikka, Christine Sinclair, Adriana Leon, Hina Sugita, and Rocky Rodríguez played international matches in Europe, while Crystal Dunn, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Sophia Smith played in the United States. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Here are the minutes that each player played for their country during the week of April 6:

Kuikka: 180’ vs Slovakia

Sugita: 77’ vs. Portugal, 3’ vs Denmark

Rodríguez: 90’ vs Poland, 90’ vs Scotland

Sinclair: 63’ vs France

Leon: 76’ vs France

Dunn: 67’ vs Ireland

Smith: 135’ vs Ireland

Sauerbrunn: 120’ vs Ireland

Six of these eight players already seemed to be heavily favored in head coach Mike Norris’ preferred starting lineup (Leon, the new arrival, and Rodríguez, who consistently comes in around the 60’ mark in the midfield notwithstanding). 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Norris’ starting XI against Houston on April 14 featured nine of 11 players that started against Louisville on April 22. This would not be much of a concern, if five of the players did not also start against San Diego midweek. 

Here are the minutes that the starting XI against Lousiville played during the three game stretch: 

Bella Bixby: 180’

Meaghan Klingenberg: 180’

Becky Sauerbrunn: 148’

Kelli Hubly: 270’

Reyna Reyes: 158’

Sam Coffey: 180’

Crystal Dunn: 137’

Morgan Weaver: 202’

Christine Sinclair: 158’

Hina Sugita: 174’

Sophia Smith: 197’

Compounded with the minutes that these core players played during the international break, many were averaging over 300 minutes in a two-week time span. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

I bring all this up because the Thorns lost the game against Louisville in a clinical sense. Racing did not play a midweek game, and many of their players did not get minutes internationally during the break either. The miles on players legs showed from the initial whistle, and it was both mental and physical fatigue that prevented the Thorns from closing out the game in a clinical sense. Every touch seemed a little heavy, and their passes seemed inches off or hit too hard, allowing Racing’s players to read and intercept them. Despite outshooting Racing 20-12, the Thorns did not outplay Louisville by any means. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

While, like Norris commented on postgame, the Thorns “did not have  a complete performance [and] were just a bit off in moments,” they still were able to persevere and that is a testament to the professionalism of the individual players. 

However, across the highest levels of professional women’s soccer, it seems as though long term ACL, hamstring, and calf injuries are plaguing players. The schedule of women’s players have increased to match men’s sides with the introduction of things like midweek Challenge Cup games, but funding and research toward preventative care and the anatomical differences between different genders has not kept pace. The Thorns have already lost one player to a season-ending ACL injury and have yet to name a new head trainer after the firing of Pierre Soubrier. All the positive culture and fun that the Thorns have at trainings and games cannot combat the “big ask coming back from Wednesday, travel Thursday, manage players [Friday] and then put a performance in [Saturday] to get the three points,” in the words of Norris. 

While the players, except Sauerbrunn, who went off around the 60th minute with an ankle injury that was being monitored all week, seemed to have made it through the three game stretch unscathed, a game against Louisville, a team the Thorns have a comprehensive history of victory against, would have been a good chance to give some of the players who typically come off the bench an opportunity to get regular season minutes. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe
Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Thorns 1, Dash 1

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

The Thorns dropped their first points of 2023 campaign Friday night against the Houston Dash—but not without a myriad of close chances to earn the win. Since the Dash joined the NWSL in 2014, the Thorns have had an oddly hard time winning outright against Houston at home in Providence Park. In both 2021 and 2022, the Thorns won away in Texas, and lost at home in Portland, and they have already continued their non-winning streak in the 2023 season. 

Luckily, Crystal Dunn seems to hate the Dash as much as I do; she scored her eighth career goal last night, making the Houston the team she has scored on the most in the NWSL. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Statistically, the Thorns were by far the better team on the night. They had 2.84 expected goals to Houston’s 1.47, which came from 22 shots, almost 500 passes, 133 passes inside the final third, and eight corners. So, how did the Thorns, who are currently sitting on a +7 goal differential after two games, only manage one goal? 

The game was won and lost in the final third. An international break that saw Hina Sugita, Rocky Rodríguez, Christine Sinclair, and Natalia Kuikka all go to Europe for games while Sophia Smith, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Dunn played significant minutes in the U.S. was always going to produce a rocky first game back. Thorns fans got their first glimpse at what the team could look like during the World Cup as Reyna Reyes, Olivia Moultrie, and Michele Vasconcelos got their first starts of the season. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

When a team scores as much as the Thorns do, their defense is usually overlooked. Against the Dash, who have one of the most threatening front-threes in the league, Portland’s defense was able to hold strong and only allow a combined 11 shots from Diana Ordóñez, Maria Sánchez, and Ebony Salmon. Reyes, this year’s fifth overall draft pick, got her first professional start as right back, placing her up against a fellow Mexican international in Sánchez. Reyes grew into the game during her 45 minutes, showing her quick feet and aggressive overlapping runs with Vasconcelos on the right flank. 

Postgame, Kling complimented Reyes, saying that, “she is super tough and gets in there and tackles. She has a lot of potential, and it was nice to see her get some minutes and have some fun.”

Thorns head coach Mike Norris acknowledged Reyes’ role in the allowed Dash goal. “She wants that moment back,” he said, “but she’ll be good moving forward. I think the first 15, 20 minutes, how she started, she started positively, and she looked comfortable in the environment.” 

With more minutes under her belt, Reyes will be hungry to show her talent and redeem herself for the missed interception. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

For me, the player of the match was Kling. She was all over the place, and her link-ups with Morgan Weaver on the left side were incredibly productive at launching Weaver one-on-one against Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell. If Weaver can increase her shots on target, the partnership will become lethal. Additionally, Kling had 98 touches on the ball—nearly double what the highest Dash player had—seven crosses, and three chances created. She is also a leader, and her postgame analysis was an honest and unbiased reflection of the game.

“There were periods in the game where we lost ourselves a little bit, and when we do that, teams can compete with us,” she said. “I think Houston is a good team. They’re physical, and they’re high pressure. They’re direct, and that’s difficult to combat sometimes when you’re playing on your backfoot. The part that I was really proud of, though, was that the team didn’t stay on the backfoot. We kicked it into gear, got on the front foot again, and started getting after them, getting good chances. And it was a winnable game. We had chances that we could’ve won and put one away in the first half. The thing about us is that we’re never satisfied even when we win; we’re satisfied being unsatisfied. And I think that’s the story of this match.”

While the draw was won on the backline, it was lost in the front line. The majority of substitutions came through the front line, sans Reyes for Kuikka at half, and it was these changes that took the lethal sting out of the game for the Thorns. Olivia Moultrie has a real talent for seeing potential through-balls, but her actual delivery isn’t quite there yet. If she can get her 54% passing accuracy in the final third up, she will be able to fully put Smith, Sugita, and Weaver in on goal. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Vasconcelos will be Mike Norris’ first choice on the wing to fill in for Hina and Soph when they are gone on international duty, and she had flashes of brightness to show that she deserves a valid shot. However, she only had one shot over 64 minutes, which is not quite good enough for a forward. Both Weaver and Smith are high-volume shooters, which usually results in a goal or two for each of them. This tactic is embedded in the Thorns’ recent playing, which regularly sees the team put up over 20 shots. For Vasconcelos to more regularly get that starting position, she needs to start putting up similar numbers to Sugita or Weaver. 

Like Leo said last week, the way the Thorns play during the World Cup will make or break the rest of the season. With more time, players like Moultrie and Reyes will become crucial to winning points during this period. In the meantime however, the Thorns need to practice on tightening up their passes in the final third. With three games this week, they will have plenty of time to try new techniques and improve their chemistry. 

By the way, the new kits are incredibly sick.

Photo by Matthew Wolfe
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Soccer

Takeaways: Thorns 4, Pride 0

Photo by Nikita Taparia.

The Portland Thorns’ 2023 NWSL campaign started with an absolute bang on Sunday at Providence Park against the Orlando Pride. Historically, the Thorns have dominated in games against the Pride since Orlando joined the league in 2016, putting more than four goals past them on four separate occasions.

This time was no different: The Thorns picked up right where they left off in 2022 and came out firing. In that victory, Portland emphatically told their fans that they need not worry about the mentality of the team and its off-field messes. 

Inspired by the four goals that four different Thorns scored last weekend, here are four key takeaways about the first league game of the year. 

Morgan Weaver, 16’: High pressure and following shots is key

In the pre-game press conference, head coach Mike Norris said that the Thorns were going to play a much more forward game. This new style of play was evident from the first whistle. The Thorns had 27 total shots, 16 of which were on target, compared to Orlando’s nine and one, respectively. The high volume of shots came from the high press the Thorns implemented. Every ball played out of the back was contested, and anytime a player took a shot, other players consistently flooded the goal, ready to put away any rebound or bobble by the keeper. This is exactly how Morgan Weaver got her first goal of the 2023 season from within the six yard box. 

When asked about her goal, Weaver said, “I think it was something very special. Shot, save, and then I was right there.”

If the Thorns are able to keep up this intensity of play throughout the entire season, then their relentlessness will tire defenses out, forcing them to make more mistakes. Being able to see the fruits of their labor work against an admittedly young and weak Orlando defense will hopefully inspire them to continue to apply the same pressure for future games.  

Sophia Smith, 22’: Christine Sinclair, you have proven yourself. 

When Christine Sinclair was named in the starting lineup, I was skeptical. In the three open-door preseason matches, Sinc consistently seemed a step behind the rest of the team in terms of pace and passing precision. Luckily, Sinc seems to have taken personal offense to the RCR discord messages about her and came onto the pitch with something to prove. She was an absolute machine in the midfield, plowing through the Orlando defense and setting up dangerous opportunities for her teammates. Even when her goal  from the top of the box was called back for a foul, you could see the drive emanating from her. 

“I love seeing Sincy like that,” Weaver said when asked about the aggressiveness of Sinclair’s play. “It’s my favorite. She’s just someone very special to play with, and I’m very fortunate to be with her. It’s just so much fun because I can just look at her and she’ll just be like, ‘Let’s go. C’mon. Keep going.’ And it’s something that’s really refreshing for me, honestly, because if I’m down on myself or anything, I can just give her a look and she’ll be like, ‘You got this. Keep going.’ It’s very supportive and I enjoy it.”

Similarly, Norris said Sinclair “brought a calmness on the ball. She brought a different gear in terms of defending. Just being a bit more front-footed and we did that as a collective group.”

Going forward I will remember to not doubt Sinc’s abilities even in her twenty-plus season of professional soccer. 

Hina Sugita, 49’: HINA HIVE ARE YOU READY??

I am a card-carrying member of the Hina Hive and am absolutely stoked to watch her play this year. She already had the sauce, the skills, and the swagger and has now fully embraced the speed and physicality of the NWSL. This combination is a guaranteed recipe for success, and Hina Sugita’s talent was on full display against the Pride. 

Sugita had a 94% passing accuracy rate and won nine duels, an exceptionally strong number compared to her numbers last season. What continues to amaze me is Sugita’s ability to get out of tight spaces when there is heavy amounts of pressure being applied. Her skill and comfort on the ball has grown tremendously, and Norris recognized that. 

“It’s what you see on the field there,” he said. “I mean, how she got out of that pocket in our half I’m not quite sure. I just turned to the bench like, ‘how did she do that?’ But, I mean, she does that in training. She just brings that energy every day, just a smile that she has and so I’m not sure about maturity. I just think it’s probably a comfort in our environments and being able to express herself.”

Now being asked to play winger in Janine Beckie’s absence, Sugita will continue to grow into that role over the course of the season. 

Michele Vasconcelos, 76’: Substitutes carry the same quality and drive as starters

The Thorns included new nomenclature on their starting XI graphic this season. Instead of just a bench displayed in small print underneath the starting lineup, the Thorns’ have chosen to call the players their “finishers” in order to underscore their importance to playing a cohesive game. Michele Vasconcelos was one of those finishers against the Pride, coming on for Weaver in the 63rd minute. Vasconcelos is poised for a lot of time this year, as it is understood that she is likely going to be one of Norris’ first choices off the bench for the forward line. Being able to maintain the same level of quality and pressure that the three starting forwards bring is a high ask. Luckily, Vasconcelos was able to meet it. 

“Whether we’re playing well or down, just trying to always come in with that same mentality of bringing energy and fire,” Vasconcelos said. “Hoping to always come in that way.”

Her statement encapsulates the drive that all Thorns players must have, whether or not that see many minutes on the field. The Thorns’ advantage in the NWSL is their deep bench and squad mentality, and in order to make a convincing run for that fourth star, all players must fully embrace it.

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Soccer Thorns

Preseason Takeaways: Thorns 4, USWNT U-23 1

Photo by Nikita Taparia

The Thorns met with the USWNT U-23 team Wednesday night and came away with a sound 4-1 victory. Still, the game was not as comprehensively dominant for the Thorns as the scoreline would suggest.

The U-23s got on the scoreboard early, in the 13th minute, with a chipped ball from inside the box that sailed into the side netting. The Thorns wouldn’t score their first goal until nearly an hour later.

Portland’s starting XI was heavily rotated from Sunday night’s game against Racing Louisville:

Hogan

Nally- Menges – Provenzano – Beckman

Sinc – Porter – Rodríguez

Beckie – Bedfort – Vasconcelos

Here is a quick breakdown of how these starters played:

Players I want to see more from

Hannah Betfort: Betfort is the definition of a player who doesn’t quit. She is often taken to the ground and is unlucky to not be rewarded with more fouls. However, for the amount of chances she had on Wednesday alone, she should have had more positive output. There was one moment in particular when a loose ball made its way to her feet within the six yard box, the U-23 keeper caught off her line. Instead of tapping it in, Betfort ended up completely skying the ball, unable to tie the score. Before Betfort can compete for a starting spot in the Thorns, her scoring and shooting needs to be much more consistent. 

Michelle Vasconcelos: Vasconcelos was one of the only players to start both preseason games so far. Unfortunately, neither performance has been that convincing. She played on the left wing on Wednesday, but was often caught losing the physical battles to the U-23 defenders, getting the ball poked out from under her, or unable to round the corner to get off a cross. With the forward pool so deep for the Thorns, I don’t foresee Vasconcelos getting many minutes, but it does seem that Mike Norris rates her and is giving her plenty of opportunities to show her skills.  

Christine Sinclair: Sinc is an absolute legend of the game; that I cannot deny. However, watching her play, especially against a team of entirely college students, her age and speed are on full display. While her soccer IQ is still undoubtedly high, her body seems to be moving much slower than her mind is. Her first touch was often off, and she played the ball backwards more frequently than she did forwards—a problematic distinction for an attacking midfielder. She had a shot or two on goal, but both were tame, rolling straight at the U-23 keeper. Unless Sinc can show she can keep up with the pace of the game, she is much more adept in a role of mentor and supersub for the Thorns. 

Players I thought played well

Izzy D’Aquilla: The newly-signed Thorn was subbed on in the 20th minute after Janine Beckie was injured. From the moment she stepped on the field, which is always more difficult when you’re coming on at the last minute to replace an injured player, D’Aquilla showed her pace and nose for goal. In only her second preseason game, she has shown her quality and her readiness for the league. With Beckie’s devastating injury, I would expect her to immediately get deserved minutes. 

Natalie Beckman and Gabby Provenzano: The two 2022 draft picks have been showing consistent growth as they begin their second year in the NWSL. The two played next to one another on the left side of the backline and had good chemistry and communication. Provenzano has the necessary calm presence of a veteran center back, and Beckman’s high press on the wing caused frequent turnovers and created dangerous opportunities in the box. 

Taylor Porter: Porter is starting her first full year under contract with the Thorns strong. She is a solid back-up No. 6, and in the second half, was able to show her talents alongside Sam Coffey in a double-pivot. Against the U-23d, she was able to dictate play forward toward Rocky Rodríguez and D’Aquilla. I would like to see her get minutes with the likes of Sophia Smith and Morgan Weaver up front in the next games. 

The goals

One of the largest takeaways from the night was that the Thorns’ starting XI, largely comprised of players who got limited minutes in the 2022 championship campaign, are just as strong as the super team of the best college players in the country. In a year where depth will be paramount to success, seeing all the Thorns players put on a strong showing provides reasons for optimism. However, it must be said that all four of the Thorns’ goals came after their starting players from the championship game took the pitch. Sam Coffey and Natalia Kuikka came on in the 64th minute, while Smith, Weaver, Crystal Dunn, and Reyna Reyes came on in the 72nd minute. 

Portland’s first goal was a pinpoint cross from Dunn to D’Aquilla, which was deftly redirected away from the keeper. The second, third, and fourth goals—all of which were scored after the 84th minute—came from recycled balls that the veterans preyed upon. Smith, Weaver, and Hina Sugita, respectively, were able to settle rebounded balls and calmly slot them home. To me, this is one of the most positive takeaways of the night, as it showed a linear improvement from last season, where the team often almost immediately lost set pieces and recycled balls. 

Categories
Soccer Thorns

My Dream Starting XI

With very few offseason moves from the Thorns after their championship winning 2022 season, creating The best Starting XI for the 2023 season is rather easy. 

My ideal starting XI is a 3-2-3-2. Early in the 2022 season, Portland deployed a three-back, and it was effective. Having traded Yazmeen Ryan, the Thorns’ strongest pure-winger, I think it would be to the Thorns’ tactical advantage to use their outside backs as true wingbacks, playing the length of the field to send in crosses and dropping back provide cover. This will free up the attacking midfield and forward four players to creatively interchange through the center of the park.

Here’s why that works on a player-by-player basis.

Bella Bixby, goalkeeper
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

You can’t go wrong putting any Nadine Angerer-trained keeper in goal, but Bixby has earned her spot as the Thorns’ first-choice keeper. In her 22 games last season, she had 10 clean sheets and recorded a 75% save record. She conceded only 21 goals, making her tied for least number conceded for players with over 22 games played. She has a commanding presence in goal and ensures that her backline is in the right place to make her job easier. One of the skills that sets her apart from other keepers is her ability to not only save the ball, but catch it so that there are no easy rebounds for the opposition. Her calm demeanor gives a sense of security for fans and players alike.

Becky Sauerbrunn, center back
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Despite her years of experience, Sauerbrunn has shown no signs of slowing down. Her ability to pinpoint sliding tackles and deftly clear the ball are intangible skills that have not diminished. In the 2022 season, Sauerbrunn had an 88.1% passing success rate, an incredibly high number for someone who plays under so much direct pressure from NWSL forwards. Of those passes, 46% were forward and only 5% backwards. Having Sauerbrunn has the stalwart of the backline will help to ensure that play will build from the back accurately and quickly. And you cannot forget that she scores goals as well, having a 50% conversion rate. She truly does it all. 

Kelli Hubly, center back
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

The Thorns’ 2022 Ironwoman has more than earned her spot in the starting lineup since joining the team as a discovery player in 2018. She had 110 clearances and 35 interceptions last season and won nearly 60% of her duels. Hubly is a gritty player who consistently puts her body on the line in order to protect her goal. Working alongside Sauerbrunn at the back has increased her ball awareness exponentially, and when Sauerbrunn is absent for the Women’s World Cup, Hubly will be an excellent leader of the backline. Plus, her TikTok skills have increased her swagger tenfold—and, hopefully, that will translate to the pitch this season.

Meaghan Nally, center back
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Nally is one player that I really wish had gotten more game time than she did last season. She started the season running, with both Menges and Sauerbrunn out with injury, and she handled the starting role with grace and confidence. In her 12 games played for the Thorns in 2022, she had 11 starts, recording an 82% passing success rate and winning 75% of her duels. Having only played 19 minutes in her rookie season the year prior, Nally showed how much she is capable of growing during an offseason—and hasn’t even hit her ceiling yet. With the opportunity to get more time at the back, she has the ability to become a pillar of the Thorns’ backline, much like Hubly. 

Meghan Klingenberg, left wing back
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Reyna Reyes will be hot on Kling’s heels to win that LWB starting position, but for now, Kling has put in the time and the heart to show that she deserves her place. She made 17 appearances (16 starts) for the Thorns last season, controlling the left zone of the field. While technically a defender, Kling’s biggest asset is her ability to win the ball and carry it up the field to send off a cross. Without Ryan on the left this season, the chance creator role will fall more heavily on Kling’s shoulders. She had 29 open play crosses last season, 25 of which were key passes. If she can keep those numbers up, she will be threatening in her final few seasons as a Thorn. 

Natalia Kuikka, right wing back
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Kuikka has been one of the Thorns’ best international signings in recent years. While her passing rate sits at a 75% accuracy, her invaluable nature comes from the tenacity of her tackles. She is 10th in the league for her number of progressive carries and eighth in the league for successful tackles of dribblers. As the Thorns’ right wing back she consistently is able to get into the attacking third and play a dangerous ball in. Kuikka also has the ability to track back and stop attackers mid-stride. The ability to be deadly on both sides of the ball will make her a strong asset for the Thorns yet again. 

Sam Coffey, defensive midfield
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Coffey had one of the strongest debut seasons in the NWSL, ever. She transitioned to defensive midfield—a role that she had not played before—with ease and learned on the job extremely quickly. She ranked second in the league for passes into the final third with 113 and fourth overall for progressive passes with 121. Her confidence on the ball is incredibly high, as is her IQ of the game itself. Only 24 and coming off her rookie year, Coffey’s ceiling is sky-high, and her value to the team will continue to grow exponentially. Despite her being more than deserving of a spot on the USWNT’s WWC roster, I would not complain if she stayed with the Thorns for an entire season.

Hina Sugita, center midfield
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

It took Sugita a few games to adjust to the speed and tempo of the NWSL, as well as its physicality. She started 20 of the 23 games she appeared in in her first season with the Thorns, scoring five goals and providing four assists. Sugita’s ability to turn out of dangerous situations is uncanny, and her left foot has some killer power behind it. Giving her the ability to play interchangeably up the middle with Sophia Smith and Morgan Weaver will give her the freedom to both drive the ball forward herself and make dangerous runs to the top of the box, where she has proven to be a threat. Hina Hive sound off!!! 

Rocky Rodríguez, center midfield
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Rodríguez has quietly been one of the most consistent Thorns for years, and I think that last year was when people began to realize that. Not only is she regularly scoring bangers, like in the semi-final game against San Diego, but she is one of the best progressive dribblers in the league. Her control in the middle of the field is second to none, and with her impressive performances with Costa Rica over the offseason, she is coming into the 2023 season in incredible form. 

Morgan Weaver, forward

In some ways, it has felt as though Weaver has been living in Smith’s shadow since she joined the Thorns. Being picked second overall behind her and playing the same position, it is easy to see why the two players are constantly being compared. But in 2022, Weaver showed how different of a player she is from Smith. She had the second most goals on the team last season with seven, showing that her accuracy and consistency in front of net—something that she has been criticized for and is actively working on—is rapidly improving. Weaver has an engine that never quits and some of the best celebrations on the team. If her finishing numbers continue to increase, as they have every other season, she will be a force to be reckoned with. 

Sophia Smith, Forward
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Do I really need to elaborate here? Smith is the best soccer player in the world, currently. Of course she will start for the Thorns.