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Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 5, Gotham 0

Photo credit: Matt Wolfe

The Thorns had yet another resounding win against Gotham FC on Saturday, beating New Jersey/New York 5-0 with five different goal scorers. At the halfway point through the season, Portland has five wins, six ties, and one loss and sits second on the table. All five of the Thorns’ wins have been shutouts, and they have scored at least three goals in each. While the Thorns have had trouble holding onto a lead if the other team scores, they have proven time and time again to be lucrative in front of goal when their defense is solid. 

Credit: Matt Wolfe

Portland came out of the gates firing against Gotham. From the moment the whistle blew, the Thorns were hungry for a goal. The first came courtesy of Taylor Porter—filling in for Sam Coffey after Coffey’s sudden call-up to the full national team—in the fifth minute. Olivia Moultrie hit an absolute worldie from the top of the 18-yard box in the seventh minute, and Marissa “Dangerous” Everett tapped in a third goal in the 11th. These first three goals were the fastest an NWSL team has scored three in the regular season, beating the record previously set by the Thorns (15 minutes). The second half saw two more unique scorers, with Hannah Betfort scoring her first career NWSL goal in her first touch of the match off her head, and Morgan Weaver ruthlessly pressing and intercepting a pass from Gotham keeper Ashlyn Harris and slotting the ball home on an open net. 

Exactly half of the Thorns’ 20 shots were on target—a very strong ratio. The game against Gotham marked the third game without the Thorns’ seven international players. Head coach Rhian Wilkinson said that she was “proud of the two previous performances [both ties], but they wanted to put a stamp on this game and on this three-game series. And my goodness, they did that.”

Now, the Thorns feel as though they have multiple players in each position that can come in and deliver, according to Wilkinson, which is crucial to work towards a deep playoff run. 

Credit: Matt Wolfe

With a goal differential of +19, over two times the next highest team’s goal differential, the Thorns are on track to set a new record for goals scored in the NWSL. Portland has scored twice as many goals as eight of eleven other teams, and four times as many as Gotham this season so far. The Thorns have more individual goal scorers (12) than some teams have scored goals. 

These stats highlight the depth of the team and the creation of a strong team mentality. Each and every player, regardless of where they play or whether they start in the XI or on the bench, knows the job they need to do and how to execute it. Last season, the players reiterated the strong culture they were building under Mark Parsons. Now, with a new head coach, the players are still maintaining the strength and intensity of their connections with one another, showing that they believe in one another and hold each other to high standards. 

Credit: Matt Wolfe

“The team’s biggest strength is that they like one another,” Wilkinson said. 

Against Gotham, the Thorns looked like they were having an absolute blast. Each player was playing with swagger and joy and complete confidence in themselves. It was infectious to watch. Seeing the over 16,000 people at Providence Park cheer and wave flags felt incredible. The players deserve the support of the fans, and are showing how well they can play when they are hyped up. 

One player who has stepped up to the plate in a big way during the international tournament window is Moultrie. She had gotten limited minutes in the beginning of the season, starting the vast majority of games on the bench. With Coffey, Christine Sinclair, and Rocky Rodríguez all out with their respective countries, midfield spots are open for the taking, and Moultrie is trying to set her name in stone in that starting XI. 

Moultrie completed nine passes in the final third, and half of her shots were on target. With 10 recoveries as well, Moultrie showed her box-to-box skills and that she is able to take shots as well as prevent them. 

Credit: Matt Wolfe

When asked about her goal, Moultrie said: “as soon as I got the ball, I was like, ‘I’m gonna rip this. I’m gonna touch it out and I’m gonna hit it.’ And it went exactly where I wanted it to, and I got very excited, I’m sure as the video shows for itself. I’ve never scored in a regular-season match at Providence Park, so to get a rose and go through that was a really awesome moment for me.”

Being aggressive in front of goal was a goal for the Thorns, and their dominating 5-0 scoreline was a testament to the competition of their goal. 

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Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 6, Pride 0

Credit: Kris Lattimore

The Thorns dominated the Pride in a landslide 6-0 victory on Sunday, their largest in club history. The win firmly cemented that the Thorns are the best scoring NWSL team this season, placing them with a +14 goal differential and second in the standings (with a game in hand) heading into the international break. 

After a lackluster start to the season, the Thorns have finally hit their stride, picking up all six points,  scoring 10 goals, and earning two clean sheets in their last two games. They are entering the international break with forward momentum—and hopefully that force continues despite player absences for the Euros and CONCACAF W tournaments throughout the month of July. 

Sunday’s game celebrated Juneteenth, a federal holiday recognizing the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. To honor Juneteenth and Black Portlanders, the Thorns partnered with the Black Women’s Player Collective and the Portland-based Maurice Lucas Foundation to donate $100 for every corner kick earned. 

Before kickoff, Kyra Smith and her father Trevor Smith sang the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. 

Post game, head coach Rhian Wilkinson spoke on the importance of celebrating and honoring Juneteenth, Father’s Day, and the Portland Pride parade during the game. 

“I think our women have never shied away from having very clear positions on their social media accounts and continue to highlight the social injustice out there and how we can be better allies and advocates for those that are less seen,” she said.

Sophia Smith, a Black woman, moved into second place in the golden boot race, with eight goals after her performance against the Pride. 

There were five different goalscorers for the Thorns’ six goals, with Smith registering her third regular season brace and Hina Sugita, Becky Sauerbrunn, Taylor Porter, and Natalia Kuikka each recording a goal apiece. 

Photo by Kris Lattimore

Sauerbrunn’s goal was her first for the Thorns, coming three years after her last goal, which happened to be against Portland. That 2019 Thorns vs Royals game is a piece of NWSL history. Perhaps Sauerbrunn scoring again in Providence Park undid the rift in the universe she created in 2019. Further, because Sauerbrunn finally scored, she will be donating $500 to Athlete Ally’s “Playing for Pride” initiative to fight for transgender children’s right to play sports as the gender they identify with. 

And on her celebration?

“That celebration was completely spontaneous,” Sauerbrunn said. “I’m sure I was briefly possessed by something. I was just super excited. I just saw people looking at me. They were as bewildered as I was. And I finally got a rose for scoring a goal. It’s actually really fun. I can see why people like scoring goals.”

Sugita has quietly become a stalwart in the Thorns’ midfield in place of Angela Salem and Lindsey Horan, two prior pillars. Her aggressiveness has increased with each game, something that she credits to “learning the importance of winning the ball,” in the NWSL. 

Against the Pride, Sugita had the second highest passes into the final third with 15, showing her ability to distribute the ball effectively, and helped set up many of the goal-scoring opportunities. Her 80% passing accuracy also helped bolster the Thorns’ midfield, with her primary target being brace-scoring Sophia Smith.

Photo by Kris Lattimore
Photo by Kris Lattimore

After spending the international break with Japan, Sugita will be back with the Thorns for the month of July, looking to help the team in the absence of CONCACAF and Euro players.

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Not Soccer Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 2, Red Stars 2

Photo by Nikita Taparia

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. 

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Soccer

Takeaways: Thorns 0, Reign 0

The Thorns faced off against the OL Reign on a rainy Friday night for the first time of the 2022 regular season, settling for a scoreless draw. Over 14,000 fans showed up to support, including the Rose City Riveters, who presented a Tifo and capo’ed their first match in many months.  

With the NWSL’s embarrassingly-hectic division of streaming rights between Paramount+, Twitch, CBS Sports Network, and CBS, it is nearly impossible to find the game each week if you cannot be there in person. It becomes exponentially harder to watch your favorite teams when, on one of their very few CBSSN broadcast appearances, the first twenty minutes of the game are lost in favor of showing bull-riding. This error does not fall on the Thorns’ shoulders, but it is a reflection of the way the league is treated as a lesser-product, and is incredibly frustrating for fans—especially for an intense rivalry game. 

Despite having played the Reign three times already this year, Coach Rhian Wilkinson said that “there was experimentation on both sides, and you never really know what the other side will bring come regular season.” All four games have been close, with three ties and one 1-0 loss for the Thorns, which shows how competitive the two top teams are. Wilkinson described her tactics for the game as “chess-like” against the Reign’s coach Laura Harvey due to the cagey nature of the match. In what could be a top-of-the-table decideder, neither team wanted to drop points to the other. Both teams have top talent (including Megan Rapinoe, who made her obligatory appearance against Portland), and it was on full display on Friday night. 

Even though the game was scoreless, the Thorns finished with 17 shots, seven of which were on target (a much better ratio than the Reign’s 17:3). Being clinical in front of goal has been an issue of consistency for the Thorns. Their previous game against the Kansas City Current was a 3-0 win where they had 19 shots. The Thorns’ defense has been organized and efficient at keeping clean sheets, and the front line needs to ensure that they get on the score sheet as well to earn three points. Wilkinson said that she is not expecting large goal differentials each game, since that is not the nature of the league, but even one goal games still earn the team three points. 

Bella Bixby earned her second clean sheet of the regular season against the Reign, despite the difficult playing conditions. After the game, Bixby spoke that tempering the emotions of a rivalry game is important in order to still play the game of soccer that they are trying to play the whole season. “In games where I’m not making a lot of saves I focus on my positioning as play develops to put myself in the best position in order to make the saves,” she said. “If I’m in the right position, the save doesn’t need to be crazy.” 

Friday’s game also marked Rocky Rodríguez’s 100th NWSL regular season appearance. She is the ninth international player to reach this milestone, something that she said she only dreamed of when she first came to the United States. For Rocky, she is most proud of believing in herself and the dream that she had. “I took a bet on myself,” she said, “and I feel proud of that.” 

Some of her most cherished moments in her NWSL career thus far have come at Providence Park, both for and against the Thorns. “Every moment has made me appreciate soccer in a different and special way,” she said post-match. 

For me, Sam Coffey is one of the most complete and well-rounded rookies that the league has ever seen. She stepped right into the shoes of the Thorns’ heralded 17 jersey and is showing the creativity and confidence of a seasoned veteran. While most of her efforts appear on the stat sheet—top recoveries, passes in the final third, and crosses among them—most of what makes Coffey special isn’t quantifiable. Her positioning and awareness on the field allow her to intercept passes and see through balls before they happen. Against the Reign she was able to nullify Sofia Huerta and Rose Lavelle’s connection, forcing the Reign to use their weaker left side. The completeness of Coffey’s attacking and defensive playing is already high, and will only grow exponentially as the season progresses. Keep an eye out as she makes her Rookie of the Year campaign. 

The Thorns go again Wednesday night against reigning NWSL Champions Washington Spirit. 

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Soccer Thorns Timbers

Photos: PTFC For Peace

Photo by Matthew Wolfe.
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Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 0, Angel City 1

Sunday’s game against Angel City was world’s apart from the Thorns’ first game against them. After beating Los Angeles last time around, the Thorns bowed out of the Challenge Cup in the group stage with a 1-0 loss. 

It’s impossible to analyze this game without talking about the five players and head coach Rhian Wilkinson’s absences due to COVID-19 protocols. Sophia Smith, Meaghan Nally, Hina Sugita, and Sam Coffey had all solidified their spots on the Thorns’ starting eleven. A preseason tournament is the ideal time to test out and formulate a consistent starting roster, especially after the turnover the Thorns experienced in the offseason. In the postgame presser, Meghan Klingenberg said that “COVID has been disrupting the world for two years, and now it’s closer to home than it has been. It’s been great to see players on the field who don’t normally start.”

As COVID-19 policies begin to relax nationwide—despite us still being in the midst of a deadly viral pandemic—NWSL teams are going to be caught in the crossfire. This is especially prevalent in the lifting of the federal mask mandate on transportation, as NWSL players do not fly chartered planes. With the country deciding that COVID-19 has ended, long lists of COVID-protocol related absences for teams could become more commonplace, no matter how tight the teams bubble is or how diligent they are in their masking. 

Despite the absences, the Thorns were able to put out a great starting eleven, showcasing the depth and quality of their team. Young Olivia Moultrie got her first start of the calendar year, and Janine Beckie played a full 90 minutes on her debut game for the Thorns.  Acting coach Mike Norris said after the defeat that the “challenging week” was “no excuse for the team’s poor performance.”

Last year, the theme of the Thorns was about building a strong culture. With a new head coach, it’s inevitable that the culture will shift, and a new one needs to be created. In the final game of the Challenge Cup, the Thorns were forced to test the strength of that new mentality. 

During the tournament, the Thorns debuted two primary formations, a 3-5-2 and a 4-3-3. With the change of formation and change of head coach comes a change of principles. Unfortunately, it seems as though the Thorns have lost their way in recent games. The second half of the game against San Diego and all 90 minutes of play against Angel City felt uninspired and lacked urgency. The Thorns were unable to score in those 135 minutes and allowed three goals.

With eight shots total against Lost Angeles, three of which were on target, the Thorns didn’t look nearly as threatening as they normally do. 

At no point after Angel City scored their penalty kick did I believe that the Thorns were going to score an equalizer. The midfield was nonexistent, and the forwards were not making the necessary runs in the box when the ball was crossed. The game was a must-win if the team wanted to move onto the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup and defend their title, yet it felt as though there were no stakes. Going down in the first half of a must-win game needed to turn on a fire for the Thorns, but it didn’t. Like Kling said postgame, “the team got away from their principles.” 

While the league itself is making the Challenge Cup seem more like a joke with each announcement (Reign having to host their semi-final game at Segra Field, anyone?), the Thorns needed to use the tournament to try and gain chemistry, especially between pairings. Unfortunately, they ended the tournament poorly.

Still, it’s important to remember the extenuating circumstances. The stress of playing sports in the middle of a (still ongoing) global pandemic is hard enough when there aren’t national or league-wide safety procedures in place to help protect players and staff. Emotions are high, and it’s important to remember that the athletes on the field are people. The Thorns didn’t play with intensity or drive like they normally do, but they are still the Portland Thorns, and there is always another game for them to play. 

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Soccer Thorns

Thorns Breeze Past Angel City with 3-0 Win: Takeaways

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Wednesday night’s inaugural game against Angel City FC saw several Thorns professional debuts in a decisive 3-0 victory. The Thorns dominated on every stat except possession and played a high-press game, particularly in the second half. Portland ended the night with 14 shots—seven of which were on target—and 13 crosses, all of which were double what Los Angeles was able to produce. Despite being early into preseason with several key players out on injury or limited minutes, the Thorns are looking strong and cohesive, and the numbers reflect that. 

I’ve attended all of the Thorns games thus far, this was by far the most fun. Nearly 10,000 people attended a mid-week game, which brought a lively atmosphere into the Park. The purple smoke for domestic violence was sent off and the “YOU KNEW” banner flew, reminding everyone about the horrific actions of the front office. On the field, however, the team seemed as though they were having fun and enjoying themselves and the freedom they are given on the field, which is amplified by the crowd. 

Three different players scored on Wednesday—including Yazmeen Ryan, who tallied her first professional goal. And, because I think scoring goals is really fun, I am going to attempt to break down what went well to allow the Thorns their first multiple-goal game of the 2022 Challenge Cup. 

In the screen cap above, Sophia Smith is the red circle, and the green arrow is the trajectory of the ball played in by Natalie Beckman. Smith gets on the inside of her defender and has the pace to outrun her. If Beckman plays the ball too far ahead, or too hard, there are two Angel City defenders who are ahead of Smith to reach it first. With the quick movement of her hips and feet, Smith is able to fake out the defender on her shoulder and sit her down. From there, she has a clear path to goal.

When Smith reaches the inside of the penalty box, she is able to put the ball on her preferred right foot and deftly place it in the lower left corner of the net, out of reach of the Angel City goalkeeper. Postgame, Smith talked about how her shooting accuracy has been something she has developed through repetition, largely alongside Morgan Weaver. Seeing the fruits of training pay off in a game is very fulfilling. 

Ryan scored the second goal off a rebounded bullet shot by Natalia Kuikka. 

Ryan, circled in red, is watching Kuikka set up her shot. Once it goes off, she is able to turn on the inside of her defender and be prepared for the rebound. Her positioning here is what allows her to easily deflect the path of the ball into the back of the net. All of the Thorns were heads up during this play, with Kelli Hubly even with Ryan and ready to receive the ball if the initial shot didn’t make it. 

Weaver recorded her first Thorns goal of 2022 in the final 15 minutes of the game.

Madison Pogarch, coming back from injury and earning her first minutes of the year, was playing as a winger (finally one step closer to playing as a forward) and intercepted the ball high up the pitch. She controlled it, and passed it to Weaver at the top of the box. Weaver was able to swing the ball across her body into the open space in the arc. Both the defenders were crashing onto her left side, and by simply changing the direction, she was able to open up the entire goal. She then sent an absolute screamer curling into the side netting. Much like Smith, her goal is one that she has been repeatedly working on in practices and on her own time. As the season progresses, we can only hope that she will be prolific in front of goal. 

Challenge Cup group play is halfway over, and the Thorns remain undefeated. As they go against each team in the West once more, the Thorns’ depth will be tested. But, if they keep finding the space in front of goal as they did against Angel City, they should end up with plenty of points from these next three games.

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Soccer Thorns

Thorns Continue Challenge Cup With 1-0 Win Over San Diego: Takeaways

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

The Thorns look very different than when they stepped off the field in 2021, and two games into a preseason tournament, they are still finding their footing. Without being too critical of the team, there are plenty of bright spots to take away from the inaugural Thorns versus San Diego Wave game. 

Debuts!

Saturday night’s game marked the professional Thorns debuts of Abby Smith and Natalie Beckman. Both players appeared in the preseason games and showed new head coach Rhian Wilkinson that they had valuable skills. Although Beckman only played about 10 minutes coming in for Klingenberg, she looked confident on the wing as part of the Thorns’ five-back and should be an exciting prospect in the games to come. Smith has plenty of NWSL experience, most recently for the Kansas City Current, but had yet to make an appearance for the Thorns since signing mid-season in 2021. 

In her inaugural game, Smith registered seven saves and a clean sheet, making her the fourth Thorns keeper to record a clean sheet in a Challenge Cup match. The decision to start Smith over Bella Bixby, Thorns No. 1, was a collaborative one between head goalkeeper coach Nadine Angerer, Bixby, and Smith. Head coach Rhian Wilkinson  said post-game that it was Bixby’s suggestion to have Smith play so that Smith has the minutes and confidence to fill in when Bixby is unavailable. Smith also spoke highly of the Goalkeeper Union in Portland and how all keepers push one another and inspire greatness. With such a solid culture in goal, any of the Portland keepers should be able to control the backline. 

Sophia! Smith!

Saying that Sophia Smith is good at soccer is probably the understatement of the year. Her technical skill and ability to get in behind the backline has already proven to be crucial to the Thorns’s attacking strategies. Sinking three out of three shots on target, Smith is lethal in front of goal. However, in the game against the Wave, Smith showed that she is more than just a pacey striker. In the run up to the Thorns’s lone goal, Smith was able to draw out three San Diego defenders to surround her, leaving both Natalia Kuikka and Christine Sinclair with plenty of space on the wings to send a ball in that Smith hit one-time deftly around Sheridan. 

Post-game, Wilkinson had high praise for Smith. She cited that Smith not only has a high ceiling that she delivers on, but that she is able to quickly implement feedback. One thing that Smith and Wilkinson are working on is “when to go in behind defense on transition and when to hold back to create different types of scoring opportunities.” With the combination of skills she possesses, it is a no-brainer that Smith will be a crucial member of the Thorns this year. 

Young players!

Sam Coffey, Yazmeen Ryan, and Meaghan Nally all got the start on Saturday. With Becky Sauerbrunn out after undergoing surgery to repair her meniscus, Nally has been able to slide into a starting role on the backline. She didn’t look out of place in the slightest alongside veteran defenders Emily Menges and Kelli Hubly, registering the highest number of touches and completed passes of the three. 

Ryan and Coffey, alongside Hina Sugita, are working to rebuild the midfield that the Thorns lost in the offseason. Together, the two young players in their first full season with the Thorns have already impressed. As the holding midfielder No. 6, Coffey had nearly an 80% passing completion rate. She was able to exploit the wide open spaces left by the non-existent Wave midfield, and looked as though she controlled the field. As she gains more experience and confidence on the field, she will be a real force to be reckoned with. Finally, Ryan also worked hard in the midfield, completing several successful dribbles to bring the ball into the final third, playing in Smith. As both Sophia Smith and Ryan get more time together and their partnership solidifies, they should be a lethal duo on the left. 

The Thorns go again tonight at home for their inaugural match against Angel City FC as they continue their run to secure their second Challenge Cup championship.

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Soccer Thorns

Thorns 2021 Draft Recap

Coming off of their strong 2021 season, the Thorns are retaining their core players, and weren’t looking for players in the 2021 NWSL college draft to make an impact right away. With a successful history of developing college players, the Thorns went for players who could add depth to their already deep roster. Here’s a rundown of their selections:

13th pick: Sydny Nasello, Forward, University of South Florida

Nasello has a public history of racism, transphobia, and xenophobia, which doesn’t with the “open” and “inclusive”—as new head coach Rhian Wilkinson described the team yesterday—culture on the Thorns. We’ll get into that more in a separate piece, but for now, her merits as a field player need to be evaluated separately.

A two-year first-team All American, Nasello has many personal accolades to her name. As a No. 11 forward at the University of South Florida, she had a 41% conversion rate, scoring 11 goals in the 2021 season. She is a strong passer and creates plenty of chances off a dribble. USF is consistently battling for the top of the American Athletic Conference (AAC), and Nasello has scored four game-winning goals to help send her team to the top, winning offensive player of the conference two times. USF lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament, which prevented Nasello from exhibiting her talents on the national stage. In order to fit in with the Thorns’ play, she will need to improve her crosses so as to not be wasteful in the final third. She will need to mature quickly to fit in with the Thorns, both on and off the field. Despite her stats, I don’t rate Nasello.

22nd pick: Gabby Provenzano, Defense/Midfield, Rutgers University

Rutgers has proved a successful college for the Thorns to draft from, with Madison Pogarch—along with the now-traded Amirah Ali—attending the school. Rutgers made it to the NCAA College Cup, falling in the semi-final game to eventual champions Florida State. Provenzano played primarily as a center back, a position where she can learn from The Great Becky Sauerbrunn and Emily Menges. An excellent passer, Provenzano boasts an 86% pass completion rate. Provenzano has received numerous individual awards throughout her time at Rutgers, recently earning All-American, Big 10, All Region, and NCAA College Championship first team honors for her role on the back line. Taking her fifth-year of eligibility due to COVID-19, Provenzano captained Rutgers for three seasons. Despite her holding-down of the backline aiding shutouts, she has posted five goals over her 103 career games. With both proven leadership and solid stats, Provenzano could be a great impact player for Portland—and has a high ceiling to grow. 

48th pick: Natalie Beckman, Forward, University of Denver

Beckman is an excellent pick late in the draft. She has posted incredible stats throughout her four years at University of Denver and has the potential to grow into an impact player if she gets a contract with Portland. While Beckman has posted 21 career goals, her 47 assists set a college record. Her crosses are always spot on, and her 78% passing completion rate confirms this. In a system with talented strikers like Morgan Weaver and Sophia Smith, Beckman could prove valuable in feeding balls into the attack. An All-American second-teamer, Beckman helped lead Denver to Summit League champions three times. Beckman is also a competent dribbler, able to get into tight spaces and get crosses off at the endline. She is a two-time Summit offensive player of the season and a two-time offensive player of the region. Playing in an elite-level system like the Thorns will help aid Beckman’s development greatly. 

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Soccer Thorns

Some Thoughts on Endings

Credit: Matthew Wolfe

TW mention of suicide

Watching the Portland Thorns and Chicago Red Stars semi-final alone in my dorm room in Los Angeles, I felt numb. From the kickoff, something was off in the final third. The Thorns weren’t themselves. They seemed to be getting inside their own heads and psyching themselves out. While the stats showed the Thorns absolutely raining shots down on Chicago’s goal—21 to Chicago’s five—none of them were particularly threatening. It didn’t feel like the Thorns deserved to score. 

I wasn’t “having an okay time” seeing the team struggle on the field. They weren’t fighting for the ball as if their season depended on it, which it did. Maybe it was Lindsey Horan’s sudden freak injury or Crystal Dunn’s pregnancy announcement, but the personnel on the pitch seemed as though they had hardly played together. 

The Thorns haven’t had the best run of play leading into the playoffs; despite winning the shield, they won only three of their last 11 games. Ever since Paul Riley’s predatory behavior was made public, there has been a weight on the league that won’t lift. In the postgame, Emily Menges said that the team has done a great job of leaving these traumas off the pitch and focusing on soccer when they’re playing. I have to take her word for it, since I’m not in the locker room. However, I can’t help but think of the extreme mental toll that’s been taken on the players. 

Trauma and abuse as severe as what the players in the league have been through forges intense bonds between people. The foundation for that bonding was already in place. The Thorns have praised their team chemistry and culture throughout the season, saying that they are a team unlike they have been in the past and that they truly believe in one another.

But Menges and Christine Sinclair were on the team back in 2015, too. Having to relive terrible experiences while simultaneously working your job at a place that is entwined with toxicity is impossible for me to imagine, yet these players have done it.

They end the 2021 NWSL season with three of four trophies, which is an incredible feat they should be proud of. 

And yet, I think all these players need a long break. I’m not saying that it’s great that their season was cut short and that they are off now, but from the outside, it’s a bit of a relief. 

I’ve been through my own mental health struggles, which I wrote about for my school newspaper. I played soccer for 12 years at the club and high school levels, but had to quit due to the incredible pressure placed on me by my coaches and the toxic atmosphere my teammates created. Watching the game on Sunday, I couldn’t help but worry that this heavy NWSL season would turn players away from the league—or even from the sport they love altogether. I don’t want to make assumptions about what the players are going through, but I can’t help thinking about it in the context of my own experiences. 

After Chicago scored their second goal and the ref made several bad non-calls, the numbness overtook me. One aspect of the broadcast that particularly got to me was the repeated replays of the goals scored against Bella Bixby. Having only jumped up to first keeper midway through the season, the semifinal was her NWSL playoff debut. The Thorns’ playoff hopes rested on her shoulders. She was visibly frustrated after both goals, and the commentators talked about her reaction as the film looped. The broadcast even lingered on her after goal kicks, as if to implicitly blame her for the scoreline. As soon as the final whistle blew, the camera panned to Bixby, who was overcome with emotion. The camera stayed on her face far too long, and I, too, started to cry. 

Midway through Mark Parsons’s final media call as head coach of the Thorns, Bixby announced on Twitter that her father had died by suicide earlier that week. The rest of the world fell away as I read that. I barely registered another word that Parsons said. I knew exactly what Bixby was going through, and I couldn’t believe that she had just managed to play the most important game of her career. 

When I was 16, one of my close friends died by suicide, and I couldn’t do anything for weeks. Still, five years later, it’s hard for me to do things we used to do together. I can’t listen to Taylor Swift or have a picnic where we only eat veggie straws or see our horse, Willow, without crying. The mental strength it took for Bixby to go to work, to compete at the highest level, is something I cannot imagine, and I am so unbelievably impressed. It also made me more angry at the ways the broadcast fixated on her emotions. No matter the reason behind the sadness or emotions, they’re not for broadcasts or journalists to turn into content. 

When I lost my friend, I hated how people asked my mom, “oh, how is Jaiden doing?” for weeks. It never felt like genuine concern, just morbid curiosity. Like I was a museum piece.

I’m sad for the team, and how their season ended. There will not be a Thorns team like them again, with Parsons leaving and a roster shakeup inevitable with a double expansion draft next month. I’ll be sad to see people go, but I also know that the culture and community that the team has worked hard to create will inevitably be broken up. Losing that sense of safety and community so suddenly is hard to deal with.

Even with the team splintering off in the off-season, I hope they are still able to lean on one another as results of investigations are revealed. I particularly hope that Bella Bixby has people to support her. Having a group of people you can lean on no questions asked is one of the best tools for grieving. 

I don’t have much to say about the soccer played in that semifinal. But I do know that when you lose someone to suicide, it feels like the earth has stopped spinning.

If you suspect someone is suffering from suicidal thoughts or ideations, ask them about it point-blank. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s so much worse to regret that you didn’t ask. People who are suicidal feel as though they have no one to talk to. Showing them you’re the person they can talk to might save their life.