Author: Jaiden Cirioli

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Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 2, Gotham 1

Credit: Matthew Wolfe

In what Mark Parsons called the “toughest game of [their] intense five-game streak,” the Thorns came away with all three points against Gotham FC last night. Last night’s game was the fourth meeting of the Thorns and Gotham this year, and marked their second win (the other two were ties).  

Fresh off their ICC win, the Thorns marketed the game as the  homecoming of their Olympians. It was bittersweet to not see AD Franch welcomed back to Providence Park alongside Crystal Dunn, Lindsey Horan, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Christine Sinclair, but that’s business. Parsons wasted no time in slotting the Olympians back into the starting XI, even if that meant deploying them in different positions from their usual. Sinc played the attacking No. 9 instead of her normal distributing role as the No. 10, where Dunn played instead.

To the eye, the Thorns dominated the first half, attacking relentlessly. The numbers told a somewhat different story. While the Thorns did outshoot Gotham 15–1 with seven shots on target, they were only able to score once in the run of play. Postgame, Parsons said he was disappointed that they hadn’t put more of their many opportunities. The lack of goals resulted from misplaced or overshot passes in the final third, where players took one too many touches or played the ball behind a player who was open on goal.

And despite their overall dominance, there were moments where the team looked a little disjointed. Their passing accuracy was only 75%, and they completed 200 passes, 100 less than Gotham did. With more time back, I expect these numbers to rise, but it will be difficult to find the cohesion the Thorns experienced during the Olympic window with victory tours and national team camps expected to take players out. 

Horan, in her first 90-minute appearance for the Thorns since the July 11th game against Gotham, put in a solid shift. She did have a few noticeable mistakes, like early in the first half, when she received the ball unmarked at the top of the 18 and passed it behind Sophia Smith instead of opting to shoot, sending the ball out of play. However, Horan ended the match with the most touches (68), and an above-average passing accuracy of 80%. That she did so well statistically despite struggling to find teammates at certain moments points to how much more dominant this midfield can be when all the Olympians are fully reintegrated.

While individual players may have been off their rhythms at times, the team as a whole knew their job and were successful in keeping a high press. Parsons spoke about how during the Olympic window the Thorns kept their integrity and didn’t change how they played just because half their starters were gone. Gotham started the match in a 3-5-2, attempting to clog the midfield lanes, but the Thorns’ high press was able to overwhelm their formation.

As you can see on the passing map below, Smith, Dunn, and Sinc all pressed high, and were able to find themselves in 1v1 situations with the Gotham defenders.

Credit: Antonio Maza

Rocky Rodríguez and Angela Salem were able to find them with balls over the top, bypassing the overcrowded midfield, which is where many of the Thorns’ shots came from.

The passing map also shows how crucial Salem was as the No. 6. In 65 minutes, she had two key passes and was 100% on accurate long balls, making 28 completed passes. Her distribution helped to connect the back line to the forwards and work the ball around Gotham, exploiting the available space. Salem is a true No. 6, the deepest midfielder, and was replaced by Moultrie, who is still finding her footing and which position she’s most comfortable in. Without a dedicated holding midfielder, the midfield lost its shape, causing most of the play to go through Horan on the left side. 

This shift forced Yazmeen Ryan to drop back, not able to press nearly as high as Sophia had. These subtle changes resulted in a significant decrease in shots taken, with only five in the second half, and led to “poor buildup, pressing, and fatigue” as Parsons said postgame. The Thorns’ 40.8% possession shows that although they’re dangerous, last night didn’t quite represent their full potential, and they continue to lose focus as games reach the 70th minute.  

Sophia Smith deserves a shoutout, too. In the half she played, she was  one of the most dangerous players on the pitch. Parsons said that her not making the Olympic roster, while heartbreaking, was ultimately one of the best things for her as a Thorn, as it provided the consistency she needs to grow. With 100% passing accuracy and three shots on target, she was lethal up top, slicing apart Gotham’s back line and beating players on the dribble, including Erika Skroski, whose ankles she destroyed to get her goal.

Postgame, Smith said she has been working on her off-ball runs, and that work is showing results. As she gets more time to grow (she is only 21, as the commentators never fail to remind us), she will develop into one of the most lethal threats in the league. 

The Thorns go again against the Reign on Saturday, and while there isn’t much time to prepare, hopefully the rhythm and connection between the Olympic players and the team will grow, leading to a game that is equally dominant to the eye and on paper. 

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ICC Soccer Thorns

WICC Preview: FC Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais

Ana-Maria Crnogorčević will make her return to Providence Park with Barcelona. Photo by Kris Lattimore.
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Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 1, Pride 1

Photo by Nikita Taparia

The Thorns extended their unbeaten streak with a hard-fought 1–1 tie against the Orlando Pride yesterday evening, thanks to Simone Charley’s fourth headed goal of the season. The Thorns beat the Pride 2–1 just a few weeks ago, but that was before then-coach Marc Skinner abruptly left for Manchester United. The Pride they played tonight, under interim head coach Becky Burleigh, was more physical and harder to break down, but the Thorns were able to dig deep and find a point on the road. 

At the outset, the Thorns appeared tight and disjointed. Despite only two changes to the starting eleven from the previous week—with Natalia Kuikka getting the start over Christen Westphal and Marissa Everett stepping in for an injured Celeste Boureille—the team struggled to find a rhythm in the early minutes. That was a departure from previous games, where they’ve started on the front foot: the Thorns have scored 11 times in the first 15 minutes this season, a league record.

Last night was a different story: defensively, the Thorns trailed in the first half, winning 43% of their duels. And it was the Pride who found the back of the net early with a header from Jodie Taylor in the 13th minute. The Pride’s initial run of momentum came off of a 4-v-1 battle against Sophia Smith at the top of the 18, where Smith was offered no support or options to get the momentum on Portland’s side.

After the break, though, the Thorns turned things around. In the postgame presser, Charley and Meghan Klingenberg both framed that change as a shift to “Thorns Soccer,” which refers to the core principles that the team follows. Basically, the players hold each other accountable, focus on process over results, and play the same way regardless of who’s on the field. This consistency allows for them build momentum through a game, to where they can score with ease and class.

And that’s what happened: Charley, who is absolutely on fire, recorded her fifth goal of the season off a free kick by Klingenberg that looked straight off of the training ground. Although the goal didn’t come until the 78 minute, the Thorns had been building for a goal throughout the second half. They recorded three shots on target (up from just one in the first half) and only allowed the Pride four shots total, which is much more typical of the Thorns’ dominant, offense-focused style. 

After the game, the players talked about their first-half struggle in finding a rhythm and acting on what the other team was presenting them with. “Somebody is always going to be open, and we need to find that opportunity,” said Kling after the match. She added that once the Thorns are able to find open spaces in game and make adjustments on the fly, they’ll be “scary good.”

Watching that first-to-second-half shift, it’s clear that the Thorns are more than capable of making necessary tactical adjustments and executing plans, and it’s more of a matter of finding the confidence to adjust on the fly, rather than being too shaken to act without having to wait for a break to discuss what to do. 

The Thorns Soccer that Charley and Kling discussed in the post-game conference was also present on an individual level. Parsons cited that nine players were out for this match, but that those absences showed the depth of the team culture, as players went a full 90 and didn’t relent.

With Portland’s five international players still out, many players have gotten more minutes than they did in the first half of the season, but the tactics that they employ don’t change. Angela Salem, who got deservedly high praise from Parsons postgame, had the second-most touches (77) and the most chances created (5), as well as boasting a 78% passing accuracy. She’s a pivotal player in the midfield, acting as the glue to help facilitate movement forward and maintain possession. Against Orlando, Salem was one of the most successful in exploiting the space that the Pride left open and has made an exceptionally strong case to keep her starting spot on the team, as her visions and consistency are emblematic of the Thorns culture that the team has been cultivating all season. 

Another player it’s impossible not to talk about is Olivia Moultrie, who recorded her second professional start against the Pride and played 82 minutes, nearly double what she played last week. And although she recorded the second fewest touches with 39, her work ethic on the field to recover, pressure, and infiltrate the open space opens up the field for her teammates. Especially in the second half, Moultrie played end to end, making several tackles back in her own 18-yard box, showing that she has the mental fortitude to play with the Thorns. 

As the Thorns head into a busy few weeks, with five games in sixteen days thanks to the Women’s International Champions Cup, it’s crucial that they maintain the momentum they have built during the Olympic period. For this team to succeed, every player has to deeply believe in the “Thorns Soccer” culture that allowed them to get back a point on the road against Orlando.

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Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 1, Dash 0

Photo by Nikita Taparia

From the second the whistle blew, the Thorns looked like they were going to dominate the Dash, with Sophia Smith scoring the fastest Thorns goal ever 32 seconds into the match. However, Smith’s goal would be the only one that Portland scored that night, holding the Dash to a 1–0 win on the road.

As a team who has “struggled with scoring,” said Kelli Hubly after the match,” it was really special to score early on the road.” Putting themselves on the board early was a needed confidence boost. However, the Thorns struggled to add to that tally, despite playing a great defensive game. 

Here are a couple of my takeaways from the match:

1. 90-minute defensive mentality

The Thorns were dominant against the Pride last week, holding a 2–0 lead for 93 minutes. Then, in the last minute of stoppage time, they conceded on a strike from outside the box. This week against the Dash, the Thorns immediately worked on correcting their mistakes, remaining committed to defense until the very end of stoppage time.

The Thorns led the Dash on duels won, interceptions, tackles, and aerial duels, spread not just across the defense but the midfield and forwards as well. One area of defense where the Thorns did particularly well was tracking back on wide balls that Houston would attempt to play. By preventing players like Jasmyne Spencer and Makamae Gomera-Stevens from getting crosses or passes off inside the 18-yard box after quick turnovers, the Thorns successfully shut down most of the Dash’s shooting angles, giving Bella Bixby an easy job that night. The cohesion between Natalia Kuikka, Hubly, Emily Menges, and Meghan Klingenberg was evident.

After the match, Rocky Rodríguez spoke about the team’s defensive mentality, saying that they “had a lot to lose” and the Thorns “need to get better at closing out games, especially if [they] are winning.” Those last twenty minutes of the game are crucial to securing three points, and players have to keep working hard even as they are beginning to tire. Parsons’s substitutions, which slotted defensive players like Christen Westphal and Meaghan Nally into the midfield to help overwhelm Houston’s offensive-minded substitutions, worked. The Thorns’ game changers came in and locked down the win, bringing accurate passes and high pressure and holding Houston to only 13 shots. Rodríguez’s statement is true—the Thorns do need to work on closing out games—but they’re already showing improvement from last week. 

2. Defense wins games, but scoring helps too

When Sophia Smith set the new club record for fastest goal, it seemed as though Portland was going to have another performance à la the season opener against Chicago, where they went  up 4–0 in the first half.

Unfortunately, Smith’s goal was the only one for a Thorns side that has struggled to score in recent games. The Thorns have had no problem getting the ball into their attacking third. Last night, they had 50 more accurate passes in their attacking half than the Dash had on them, even without their midfield of international stars. Rodríguez, Angela Salem, and Celeste Boureille link up in the diamond well, and are able to control the ball and distribute to Smith, Simone Charley, and Marissa Everett, but where the Thorns are struggling is getting off that final cross or shot on goal. All players are rising to the occasion of getting more time than they had been seeing prior to the Olympics, and are beginning to find their groove and consistency with this new starting lineup. 

While typically the Thorns outshoot their opponents two to one, against Houston they only registered 14 shots to the Dash’s 13. To the eye, that decrease was clear, with Charley and Smith often taking one too many touches before getting a cross blocked, or a defender crashing on them, neither one of them making an accurate cross on the night. With a team full of talented attackers and a midfield with good rates of distribution and control, there should be more shots on goal. Being able to set themselves up with a wider margin of goals will only complement the Thorns’ defense as they work on closing games without conceding more consistently.