Category: Soccer
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This year’s preseason tournament at Providence Park saw the Portland Thorns hosting OL Reign, Racing Louisville, and the U-23 Women’s National Team.
While Seattle and Portland finished first and second in the league, respectively, in 2022, Racing Louisville had a chance showcase the ways they have improved since last season.
In 2021 and 2022, Racing Louisville finished ninth in the NWSL.
As a club entering their third season, making the playoffs is a goal they feel is attainable, and rightfully so. Their welcome to the NWSL has resulted in a rough first two seasons, thus far.
Racing Louisville are closer than ever, and this could be the year it all comes together.
Blockbuster trade & backline
This team completed a blockbuster trade this offseason by sending superstar Emily Fox to the North Carolina Courage for one of the greatest defenders of all time in Abby Erceg and left back Carson Pickett.
After having a shaky situation at center back in their first two years, they’ve made it a strength in one offseason.
Although it is impossible to replace a USWNT left back starter in Emily Fox, they somehow still managed to get an elite one in Pickett.
The backline was Racing’s biggest question mark after surrendering the the third most goals in 2022, and it has looked remarkably improved in 2023.
Erceg’s partnership at center back with Finnish defender Elli Pikkujämsä was excellent in preseason. Her leadership was been on display: she’s vocal, directs the defense, and showcased her superb play.
“I enjoy coming in and helping people,” Erceg said. “I like seeing people reach their potential and get better as a player. I enjoy that aspect of it.”
Pickett and Lauren Milliet have been tremendous coming forward and delivering dangerous crosses. The fullbacks have more reign in attack, and it’s paid off in preseason. Defensively, their speed has been on display. The recovery runs have been impressive. This pair is going to cause problems all season.
Goalkeeper Katie Lund has been lights-out and will only get better from here. After leading the league in saves, she has solidified herself as a top NWSL goalkeeper.
Head Coach Kim Björkegren has been extremely impressed with Lund, who he says has made so many world class saves.
“The funny thing with [Lund] is she still has much higher potential,” he said. “In three to four years, I don’t know how good she could be because in my opinion she’s already one of the best goalkeepers in this league.”
These four players have a chance to make this backline from a question mark into a strength.
Familiarity with the system
Björkegren will be entering his second season as the head coach. In 2022, the team had to adjust to a brand new system, and we saw a ton of growing pains as a result.
For most of 2022, they struggled to adapt to what Björkegren was asking of them. Players who did not fit the system, struggled and some were let go or traded away.
In order to get more information on the system, I reached out to Michael Shaw who covers Racing Louisville for Fleur-de-lis FC. One key note is that they play a traditional 4-3-3 formation, which is a staple for both Lou City and Racing Louisville.
Björkegren’s expectations and system is explained in detail by Shaw: “Staring with the front line, he expects defensive effort to try to force the issue when opponents have the ball deep in their territory. When you think about the forwards that Racing released last season, I believe it was more for their defensive effort than their goal scoring ability.”
Shaw expects the midfield to have some versatility, but the main pieces are in place. “At times, the midfield played with two in front of the back four, and that may be how they play at times this season, but Howell is a classic central defensive midfielder, DeMelo is a classic No. 8, and Wang is a classic center-attacking mid,” he said. “I expect him to play to their strengths.”
On the defensive end, this team is looking for players who fit the philosophy.
“The full backs will push forward,” Shaw said, “especially now with Pickett. Indications are that Milliet could start on the back line, too. More than any other player, Milliet explains [Björkegren’s] type of player. She always gives full effort and doesn’t shut off mentally. That’s why she has been ever-present in his lineups.”
At the end of the day, the talent and ability of each player will be highlighted and valued. “When playing out from the back, [Björkegren] values the technical ability to allow the team to keep possession,” Shaw said. “I would say that he tends to prefer the wide areas when building from the back. Now that he has Pickett, Milliet, and [Paige] Monaghan as options on the wings, expect that to continue.”
Even after the team’s 13-game winless streak last year, they never wavered or stop believing in one another. The team’s belief in each other is powerful.
Down the stretch of 2022, Racing Louisville started to figure it out. They won three of their final four games, including the finale over NWSL Championship finalist, Kansas City Current.
That seems to have carried over into the preseason tournament. They narrowly lost to Portland 0-1 on a late set piece goal by Meaghan Nally. Louisville rebounded nicely by coming out 2-0 over OL Reign. Closing out their final preseason game against the U23WNT, they won again.
This is the first time, the staff will have the players they need to make it work. Everyone is going to be more confident and have their roles clearly defined going into Coach Kim’s second season.
Talented roster
This team also returns two of the best young players in the league: Savannah DeMelo and Jaelin Howell. Both also signed long-term contract extensions to remain with the club. DeMelo and Howell have already had stints on the USWNT and will be part of the the squad after this 2023 WWC cycle.
DeMelo said she wants to keep improving in her second NWSL season. “I have some things that I want to take from year one and apply to year two, but also add a couple pieces to my game,” she said.
In regards to the her and Howell’s role, DeMelo said, “I think just us being so young, I think we want to just provide energy and that little spark that the team needs.”
The club has made numerous high-profile player acquisitions in recent years: Monaghan, Nadia Nadim, Wang Shuang, Pikkujämsä, Ary Borges, Rebecca Holloway, Thembi Kgatlana, Alex Chidiac, Satara Murray, and most recently Uchenna Kanu.
Racing Louisville’s roster is very talented, and they possess one of the top rosters in the NWSL.
The Bev Yanez Effect
In a league where former players are now starting to become coaches, one of the highest-regarded ones is Bev Yanez. As a player, Yanez was a former best XI and won multiple NWSL shields. When she is ready, there will be a head coaching job waiting for her.
The respect she has from the team has been very apparent.
“She’s awesome,” Erceg said. “I think, especially for such a young team, to have a coach come in and just drill us on technique and technique and technique, it’s really good. I really enjoy her style of coaching. It’s very direct; there’s a lot of information, and it’s really good that she breaks things down. And I’ve really enjoyed that the training is different. Each time we go in, the drills are different, they’re challenging, [and] you’ve got to think.”
Yanez has made sure it a priority to help players as much as possible. She is also known to bring a lot of clarity to the squad, if needed. Whenever there may be any confusion or questions, Yanez makes herself available.
“She’s given us a lot of feedback, a lot of detail around our performances and the shape of the team,” Erceg said. “I think the girls are really thriving with that. She’s just a really good personality to have on the team as well… So I think people enjoy having her on the field and off the field.”
Team unity
A NWSL season requires you to be around your teammates for nearly the entire calendar. There are teams who are close, but the 2023 Racing Louisville squad has something special.
Their training sessions are filled with laughter, fun, and joyful vibes. They enjoy being around each other so much, and most of them want to be around each other all the time.
“I think just us being so close makes us want to work for each other,” DeMelo said. “We all want to win for each other [and] for our coach. So I think it just adds that level of family to it and makes it a little bit more special and more meaningful. And it’s not really about like one specific player. We all like want to do well just for the club and the team.”
The final lap
In 2022, the Kansas City Current went from last to nearly winning the NWSL championship. They were one game from a fairy tale ending.
After everything Racing Louisville players and fans have been through, it would be quite the story if they were to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
“What would that mean?” DeMelo said. “The world. I think we’re trying to grow something really special here in Louisville. And I think we’ve been like puzzling in a lot of good players, and then extending people’s contracts. And I think we really want to build something here.”
“It would be pretty cool,” Erceg said. “I think playoffs for any team is cool. You lose that specialness, a little bit, when you’re repetitively doing it. So I think for a team like this, they just, they just want it so bad.”
Erceg said the team’s positive culture helps. “The team culture is really good,” she said. “And I want nothing more than for this team to be rewarded for that. You don’t get that all the time. It’s not common, especially in pro teams.”
This team has all the ingredients to be a playoff contender: improved backline, studs in the midfield, and options on the frontline.
Racing Louisville supporters, be proud of the team you have because they’re going to make you proud this season.
Nightmare at Mercedes-Benz Stadium! Atlanta embarrassed the Timbers on Saturday night, trashing them 5-1.
Saying Portland had a bad game would be an understatement. Everything was fine the first minutes after kick-off. Eryk Williamson scored a banger at minute two, and it looked as if the Timbers were about to leave their two back-to-back losses behind.
But then… the referee called Williamson’s goal off due to a teammate’s offside position, and everything went downhill from there.
What could’ve been a dream start away from home ended up being a 90-minute nightmare.
𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙌𝙐𝘼𝘿 𝙄𝙎 𝙄𝙉 📜
▪️ Ivacic makes his 2023 debut 👋
▪️ D. Chara's 337th start ©️
▪️ Ikoba returns 👏#RCTID pic.twitter.com/9jsknveTuK— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) March 18, 2023
Back five formation
With a formation of a back five, Timbers head coach Gio Savarese expected to stop Atlanta and, most importantly, keep United’s Thiago Almada at bay.
The score doesn’t lie… or maybe it does. The gap between a depleted Portland and a fully loaded Atlanta was that big, and the visitors were lucky not to have been scored on more.
Portland’s chosen formation has its strengths and weaknesses, as happens with every formation. In this particular case, the space between the center backs and fullbacks is pivotal and can be exploited by the opponent if a team is not deploying it right. That is because the wingers can have more room to go forth, and a team needs to be very disciplined to stop them.
And that’s one of the things that went south with the Timbers on Saturday night.
Notice the huge space that opens up between Claudio Bravo and Zac McGraw. The opening allows Atlanta to find time and lots of space to pass the ball and shoot.
A five-back maybe could’ve stopped Atlanta with the right personnel. Of course, with that formation, it is expected for the fullbacks to go back and forth on the wings. When under attack or when building from the back, they need to stay back and when they have the ball.
Bravo and Juan David Mosquera were going to be key in that regard, but Bravo coming back from injury clearly wasn’t up to the task. Mosquera didn’t do that well, either.
Savarese said at the post-match press conference that he assumes full responsibility for the loss, but he also thought that some players could’ve done better.
Among those players was Bravo. He lost six duels—tied with Nathan with most duels lost—and only won two and had 66.7% passing accuracy, the lowest of the entire backline after the goalkeeper. He made four crosses, and all of them were unsuccessful. Bravo also conceded two fouls and won a yellow card.
In transition
Over and over again, Atlanta put the Timbers under the test with fast transitions that left players out of position and running like hell to go back to defensive formation. This was especially on display in the second half.
“They were dangerous in the moments when we lost the ball and were high up the field. In their transition, [Atlanta United] created so many moments in the first half as well,” said Savarese about this.
Caleb Wiley can't stop scoring!
The 18-year-old gives @ATLUTD the lead. pic.twitter.com/qG8X3D2H5H
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 19, 2023
Almada deserves a special mention here. He not only scored a golazo with the filthiest swerve you’ll ever see from a free kick, but he also scored a brace and registered two assists that night.
Almada was a fundamental part of that fast transition to the attack and had Portland’s number all game long. As you can see in the clip above, he assists Wiley after Bravo and Mosquera obstruct each other and lose the ball.
It was 3-vs-3 in this attack. The Timbers should’ve been able to do something more, but they were caught in a fast attack. Mosquera didn’t help much either. He tries to close down Almada but ends up obstructing Bravo, and no one can recover the ball for Portland. In doing so, Mosquera also left the left side of the field totally uncovered, giving Luiz Araújo all the space to add himself to the attack.
Not the best goalkeeping
Aljaž Ivačič started on goal for the first time in the season after recovering from injury.
It wasn’t the best of games for Ivačič who, besides being scored on five times—which wasn’t entirely his fault—had problems distributing the ball. Against Atlanta, he had 51.6% passing accuracy—and 15.4% in the opponent’s half. Of course, that is far from ideal.
Also, this. It is true that Almada’s kick was pretty much unstoppable, but Nick has a point here:
Thats 30+ yards out. Should be max 2 players in wall, theres 4 & Atlanta adds 3. 7 man wall now. GK blinding himself. If theres not a wall I guarantee he saves it. Puts him in the right angle and sees the ball the whole way. Less is more when the free kicks are are at distance. pic.twitter.com/HUN277CTIt
— Nick Rimando (@NickRimando) March 19, 2023
Switching the point of attack
Besides fast transitions, Atlanta added another layer to their offense by switching the point of attack. This is something that worked well in the first half but especially brought results in the second half with Atlanta’s third goal.
First start, first MLS goal.
Giorgos Giakoumakis opens his @ATLUTD account! pic.twitter.com/xDKhXG1eir
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 19, 2023
Notice how the Timbers focus on that switching ball to Wiley so much that they don’t even pay attention to Giorgos Giakoumakis, who heads the ball and beats Ivačič.
The last two of Atlanta’s goals were similar in the fact that both goalscorers were marked closely but found space to shoot, nonetheless. Justin Rasmussen came into the match for Bravo and didn’t have the desired impact. He was the one marking Araújo, but Araújo beat his mark easily. At minute 86, something similar happened with Larrys Mabiala while marking Almada.
The Timbers got one back through Tega Ikoba, who beat Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan with a header. This goal was special because with it, at the age of 19, Ikoba became the youngest goalscorer in the team’s history.
Congratulations, Diego Chará!
In the midst of so much negativity surrounding the game in Georgia, there was something to celebrate last Saturday. Diego Chará has always been essential for Portland, and his presence in the midfield is something the team can rely on.
Now, he’s not only a club legend but also an MLS legend after becoming the only field player to amass over 30,000 regular season minutes, all of them played with the Timbers.
A league of his own.
Congratulations to @DiegoChara21 on becoming the only field player in @MLS history to play over 30,000 regular season minutes with one club 👏#RCTID pic.twitter.com/VlXQt9q3KX
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) March 19, 2023
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.
After a 2-3 defeat at LAFC, the Portland Timbers faced off against MLS’s newest expansion side, St. Louis City SC. The Missouri side came into the game undefeated, with victories over Austin FC and Charlotte FC.
In a game the Timbers could have won, they were left with no points and a home defeat. The injury list continues to pile up and their identity continues to be a mystery.
With the Timbers bringing a makeshift lineup into the game, there were a lot of questions and concerns. Still, they saw the return of Claudio Bravo and the first start for Nathan Fogaça in 2023.
One of the biggest question marks is the identity of this Timbers side: Who are they? Unfortunately for Portland, St. Louis knew the answer.
St. Louis has capitalized on mistakes early this season, and this game was no different. Their side is physical, tough, and opportunistic. As a result of their ability to grit out results, they’re currently the only 3-0-0 team in MLS.
St Louis City head coach Bradley Carnell said the club has spent preseason trying to prepare their players for MLS. “We played a very competitive opponents in pre-season,” he said. “We’ve been committed to a style of play for over a year now. We’ve had a very committed group of guys and this style of play is not easy. It demands a lot of commitment, not just to the philosophy but to each other as a teammate.”
The takeaways were plentiful, but I broke it down into a few.
🚨 The XI is in 🚨
▪️ Bravo returns 🇦🇷
▪️ Nathan leads the attack 💥
▪️ Paredes' first start of '23 💪 #RCTID pic.twitter.com/Z7EE79AcWA— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) March 12, 2023
Injuries and Officiating
With Evander less than 100%, Portland opted to insert Cristhian Paredes in the game. Sadly, that plan quickly went awry, as the Timbers were forced to make a change in the 11th minute, with Evander coming in for Paredes.
Timbers head coach Gio Savarese said the team was “very unlucky” in terms of injuries. “We felt maybe that we still had our group to put a fight, and all of a sudden this first sprint [Paredes] gets injured,” Savarese said. He said this is the team’s second hamstring injury—the previous being to Yimmi Chará—though he is optimistic that Paredes’ is less severe.
“And then we have this situation with Evander during the week,” Savarese said. “He couldn’t train, and then we were able to make it to the game. In the game, he was feeling a little bit of groin tightness, and we didn’t want to risk in any way to get another injured player.” Saverese said the move to sub Evander out in the 69th minute was a reflection of that precaution.
“We’re very thin,” he said, “but we still have to continue to work a good fight.”
The officiating allowed physical play throughout the game without much repercussion. In a game with five yellow cards, head official Victor Rivas could have set the tone way earlier. Portland was very fortunate to not have more injuries.
St. Louis won 61.6% of duels, while the Timbers only won 38.7%. To make matters even worse, the Timbers only had nine tackles with four won, compared to St. Louis’ 29 and 17 won.
Fogaça for Niezgoda
Fogaça has provided a much-needed spark in the Timbers’ attack in each opportunity he’s received this season. He continues to have an insane work rate and relentlessness that is unmatched by any other Timber on the frontline.
Fogaça allows the Timbers to play their press higher up and consistently throughout the game, but he also has the ability to open lanes in the counterattack. This was evident early in Saturday’s match, when Fogaça almost put one away in the second minute.
The Timbers have not been able to find their trademark counterattacking this season, and it showed again this game. If they are going to sit back and counter, it has to be way better.
Fogaça should be the starter moving forward, unless another option presents. He gives them the best chance to win right now.
Jarosław Niezgoda could very well regain his finishing form, but it needs to come soon; unfortunately for Portland, he has not looked like himself this season.
Just before PTFC conceded the second, they were breaking 4v4 and Niezgoda had Mosquera running outside of him. Instead of playing that simple ball to JDM that would’ve forced StL to break open, he played a hopeless and pointless ball into the middle that killed the break. #RCTID
— Chris Rifer (@ChrisRifer) March 12, 2023
CB1 and FB1: Zac McGraw and Juan Mosquera
Going into the year, the Timbers’ backline was a question mark, with Juan David Mosquera and Zac McGraw being two notable exceptions. Mosquera and McGraw continue to be the two bright spots on the team.
Against St. Louis, McGraw scored his second ever goal in third minute off a beautiful corner kick by Eryk Williamson, and Mosquera routinely created chances and dominated the right side of the pitch.
An early goal for @TimbersFC.
Eryk Williamson and Zac McGraw connect from the corner kick in the opening minutes. #RCTID pic.twitter.com/L1TL9o7UPK
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 12, 2023
Backline Changes and More of the Same
After Timbers rolled out a traditional four-back for the first two games, Savarese threw a changeup to St. Louis in the form of five defenders. The new formation allows the Timbers to maximize their attacking fullbacks in Bravo and Mosquera.
By replacing an attacker in the starting XI, the Timbers were also able to add veteran Larrys Mabiala as the third center back.
What does this formation not solve? Their set piece defending. In the 75th minute, the Portland Timbers surrendered another one, conceding their second goal of the match. If this team wants to finish in the top half of the table, this needs to be cleaned up.
Still, we must give credit to St. Louis; they played this game on their terms and made sure the Timbers were particularly ineffective coming forward.
Missing: Portland Timbers
What is this team’s identity? Where is the counterattack? Where are the dynamic runs? Where is the creativity?
Whatever product the Timbers are putting out on the pitch right now is not good enough, and there’s absolutely no rhythm to it. Portland has a lot of soul searching to do before the results start pouring in.
They can’t move forward until these questions are solved.
Standouts
Zac McGraw Opened his scoring account for 2023 and has been the best CB for Portland.
Juan David Mosquera continues to be excellent moving forward and helping on defense. As always, he was dominating the right side of the pitch and even paced the team with four chances created.
Santi Moreno led the team in four shots, with one shot on goal, and two tackles.
Bonus Stat
On a positive note, Portland has somehow continued to find the back of the net consistently:
23 – @TimbersFC have scored in 23 consecutive matches, the longest active streak in MLS and the longest in club history. Standard. pic.twitter.com/J9BEoq5SqZ
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) March 12, 2023
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Portland Thorns defender Kelli Hubly played for Chicago Red Stars Reserves team in the summers of her college career, so she had their gear. The only other team she has merchandise of is the Thorns.
Besides the Red Stars, “The only other pro team that I ever had a connection with was the Portland Thorns,” she says. “This kind of feels like it was meant to be.”
After almost quitting soccer in college, going undrafted, and receiving limited opportunities in the early years in the pros, Hubly has shown that all paths to the league aren’t the same. Through rediscovering her love for the game and believing in her abilities as a player, she has forged a path for others to follow and succeed in the NWSL.
Hubly’s journey to PTFC stardom has been truly extraordinary. Her story represents a lifetime of hard work, determination, and perseverance. Although it was an extremely difficult path, she would not change it one bit.
“My path has been crazy, says Hubly. “Looking back, it was really hard. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything because it’s gotten me exactly where I need to be. I’ve needed each step that I had to take.”
Hubly’s love for sports started at a young age. She enjoyed playing soccer and basketball. She was always around sports, thanks to her family.
“I started like, as young as I could,” she says. “I have two older siblings and younger one. My two older siblings would always be on a 3v3 tournament. So they threw all the younger siblings together. It was, like, boys and girls co-ed.”
She wasn’t always just a soccer player; Hubly’s love extended to basketball, too. For a long period of time, it was her preferred sport, but soccer was always calling.
“I realized that the club team that I had, we were pretty good,” Hubly says. “We started together really young. So, once I kind of realized like our team was pretty good, I started doing [U.S. Soccer’s Olympic Development Program] and everything.”
Even though she was getting called up into youth national team camps, Hubly still needed more belief in her own talent before she could go all-in.
“At 15, I was going to National Team camps,” she says. “I never thought I was that good. I thought I was decent, but to go into national team camps, I still didn’t believe I was good enough to be there.”
But, she says, “I kept getting called in, so obviously I had to then start to realize, okay, like maybe soccer is the way to go.”
The love of the game has its highs and lows. In college, Hubly experienced both. The time period would be a huge reflection point in her life. She spent three years at the University of Kentucky before transferring to DePaul.
“Kentucky was really an interesting experience because SEC schools are huge,” Hubly says. “Going there my freshman year, I honestly didn’t even feel like I was there for school. I was mostly there for soccer.”
After her third year at Kentucky, she decided to transfer to DePaul. Hubly’s love for soccer was fading, and she didn’t even know if she wanted to play anymore.
“When I transferred to DePaul, I kind of, like, wasn’t gonna play soccer anymore,” Hubly says.
Hubly says Kentucky wasn’t the best fit for her, but Depaul was. “I really lost my love of the game,” she says. “Going to DePaul, finding my love for soccer again is what got me wanting to continue to play soccer. I didn’t ever think I was gonna play pro.”
After going undrafted in 2017, Hubly’s career could have been over before it even started. Luckily, fate had other ideas. Former Thorns head coach, Mark Parsons reached out and asked her to come to preseason. When the Portland Thorns offered her an opportunity as a National Team Replacement Player that year, Hubly wanted to give it a real chance.
Hubly’s start with Portland was definitely not what she imagined, but she always remained strong and determined.
In her rookie season of 2017, she made two substitute appearances.
“I think that year, I needed that to grow,” she says, “and it wasn’t fun. I didn’t have a of friends. I was really quiet.” The normally-outgoing Hubly found herself watching Love Island eight hours a day, by her estimate.
“I was sad, but I promised myself: I’m gonna give it a year,” she says. “The next year, I came back and earned a roster spot. So I think it was just like, putting my head down doing the dirty work to get here.”
From 2018 to 2021, she earned 22 appearances with 18 starts. In 2020 and 2021, she started all the NWSL Challenge Cup matches for the Thorns.
Hubly blossomed in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup. She was dominant and staked her claim as a starter at center back moving forward—but also as one of the top defenders in the league.
Dubbed “unsung hero” of Portland’s defense, per Just Women Sports’ Hanna Martin, Hubly had the stats to prove it. She had a 100% success rate in tackles, a 68.2% success rate in duels, a 75% success rate in aerial duels, and successfully completed 84% of her passes. “Often overlooked among the Thorns’ star names, Hubly is as reliable as they come in the defensive third,” writes Martin.
1,980 minutes ⚽️
Only one Kelli Hubly 👑Congratulations to our iron woman, @kellihubly who played every minute of the regular-season! 🌹 pic.twitter.com/5x8902gwTL
— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) October 12, 2022
In 2022, Hubly became Thorns’ Iron Woman by starting and playing in every game. She was one of only seven players in NWSL to achieve this honor.
On June 3, 2022 she scored her first ever goal off a ridiculous header against Angel City at Providence Park.
At the end of 2022 season, she would be an NWSL champion for the second time. However, for the first time, she was named NWSL Best XI Second Team.
“Honestly, I didn’t even [know],” Hubly says. “I skipped over the email because it wasn’t even a thought in my head.”
Kelli Hubly didn’t read the entire message at first, but when she looked at the NWSL email congratulating her, it was pure disbelief.
“I’ve never been the player even in college [to] win awards like that,” she says. “I’m just used to it by now. So, I was really shocked that I got the award.”
Naturally, the first person Hubly told was her other half of Portland soccer’s premier power couple: boyfriend, Portland Timber, and USMNT player Eryk Williamson.
Williamson continues to be her biggest supporter and fan, Hubly says. “He is always pushing me to be even more, even more, and even more,” she says. “He never wants me to settle.”
She then went onto tell her parents. “They’re just so happy for me,” she says, “all the hard work that is finally being recognized. I think for me, that’s the biggest part: just being recognized, like, how far I’ve come.”
In 2022, Hubly signed a contract extension that runs through 2024 and looks to be a player who could spend her entire career with the Thorns. After a lifetime of dedication to soccer, she is finally being recognized for her talent, work ethic, and consistency.
Her development since 2017 is why the NWSL matters, but also why being patient and developing players is so important. Hubly has shown that she’s only getting better and will continue to do so from here.
The Timbers forgot how to play soccer in the first 45 minutes, but they got their memory back in the second half. Even if it wasn’t enough for them to come away with a point against LAFC, Saturdays match saw Evander score his first goal as a Timber, and Cristhian Paredes also put his name on the score sheet.
The odds weren’t right
That Timbers XI 🤩
▪️ Santi returns 💪
▪️ Bingham between the sticks 🙌
▪️ Jaro leads the line 💥#RCTID pic.twitter.com/UQpGHnUYRy— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) March 4, 2023
The Timbers went to California searching to spoil the LAFC title party, but they fell short. According to The Analyst, Portland was the underdogs, with only an 18% chance of winning against the MLS reigning champions, and they just couldn’t beat those odds.
LAFC started to move the ball fast and find spaces from the get-go, putting the entire Timbers XI to work to stop the fast transitions. Portland could only break the pressure twice before LAFC scored the first goal of the game
The host showed they can use the half spaces very well, as we could see in the previous play to the goal. It was Kellyn Acosta who sent a long pass through the half-space, full back Juan David Mosquera lost Denis Bouanga, who got to the ball before it went out, forcing Timbers goalkeeper David Bingham to make the save and send the ball to the corner.
Defending set pieces
One of the many weaknesses the Timbers showed in the first half was their defense of set pieces. That’s how Giorgio Chiellini scored the match’s first goal. Justin Rasmussen lost the mark on Chiellini, and the Italian finished with a tap. Marvin Loría and Zac McGraw contributed to the defensive mistake, obstructing one another and favoring the bouncing of the ball toward Chiellini.
Before the end of the first half hour, the hosts could’ve scored their second goal, but the referee deemed it as a foul. This time, Portland double-marked Chiellini, with McGraw helping Rasmussen. It was the latter who couldn’t clear the ball and gave LAFC’s Ryan Hollingshead the chance to tap it and score. Loría was marking him, but for some reason he stopped following Hollingshead closely and let him get to the ball. The visitors had to thank the referee for calling it off.
Not long after that, LAFC had another corner. Bingham got to punch the ball but it fell to Kwadwo Opoku. Santiago Moreno came too aggressively on him, and the referee granted the home team the PK. LAFC star Carlos Vela took it and scored, and it seemed like the Timbers would have a long afternoon.
Set pieces and defensive problems aside, some of the players looked slow when taking decisions. LA was pressing high during the entire first half, and they were taking advantage of turnovers in the midfield, which led to fast transitions in the attack. So, you would expect the Timbers to pass the ball quickly and be aware of their surroundings.
Well, that wasn’t always the case.
We had to wait almost 50 minutes to see a decent chance from Portland in the attack. This started with Rasmussen sending a good service to the far post. Loría headed the ball but goalkeeper John McCarthy reacted quickly and made a save with his chest. The Timbers created one more chance, but weren’t able to finish it.
Starting the second half with a bang
Just seconds after the start of the second half, Vela could’ve scored a brace, but a great tackle by McGraw denied him of the opportunity.
But LAFC was on a mission, and the slowness of some players was this time reflected in Diego Chará, when José Cifuentes stole the ball from him. The turnover led to Portland’s defense being outnumbered and to Opoku scoring. (Fun fact: Opoku was the LAFC player most involved in attacking sequences in 2022, with Vela coming in second, according to Opta.)
So yeah, LAFC was actually the one starting their second half with a bang.
The impact of the subs
By 54′, it was obvious the Timbers needed some subs to change the dynamic of the game… and quickly.
Head coach Gio Savarese moved the bench. Christian Paredes replaced Loría, Larrys Mabiala entered for Moreno, and Claudio Bravo came in for Rasmussen.
The Timbers finally put one in in minute 62 with a fast transition, outnumbering LA’s defense. Paredes showcased nice off-the-ball work, and left the ball to Evander after sucking the attention of LAFC defenders. That made it possible for the Brazilian to shoot, unmarked.
Off the mark in @MLS 💥@OficialEvander x #RCTID pic.twitter.com/gfELi4C43b
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) March 4, 2023
Jarosław Niezgoda didn’t have a good game in the attack. True, no Timber did in the first half, but at the end of his 72 minutes, he registered zero shots on target, zero duels won, and zero chances created, and he barely stepped a foot inside LAFC’s box.
No wonder he was replaced by Nathan Fogaça. The Brazilian didn’t do well in duels or passes—he missed three out of seven passes total and lost nine duels—but he made his presence notorious in the last 10 minutes of the game. After a corner, McCarthy couldn’t get ahold of the ball and left his goal open for Mosquera to score. The defense reacted, but Fogaça kept the ball inside the box and, by doing so, assisted Paredes.
After that, both teams could’ve scored at least one more, but the hosts kept the three points at home.
What Gio said
If anything, the game against Sporting KC showed us Savarese has some decisions to make regarding the Timbers’ starting XI.
The coach spoke about Fogaça, Paredes, and Bravo and what they brought to the game after the LAFC loss. “[Bravo] didn’t look off at all,” Savarese said. “It looked like he was comfortable, and he created a lot of good moments going forward.
“Bravo and Paredes brought a lot of energy into the team,” he said, “and I think that’s also the reason why the team elevated their level at a particular time.”
Fogaça surely made a case to be in the starting position next game. “Nathan is competing very well,” Savarese said, “and he’s putting himself in a situation that he’s pushing me to get more playing time.”
It is true that the Timbers were missing Sebastián Blanco, Dairon Asprilla, Felipe Mora, and Yimmy Chará, but part of the coach’s job is to find a way for the team to work without them. And this game against LAFC showed that maybe there’s a way for Savarese to do so.
Two of the things to look at are the style and system of play. “We pressed completely differently,” Saverese said. “We pressed 4-4-2 last game. We played more with a 4-3-3 [in this game] that ended up being with five midfielders. That’s why we changed, to be a little more aggressive, to press a little bit higher.”
Categories
Berkeley’s Blue Devil
Goalkeeper Leah Freeman standing on her head and pulling out an explosive save to keep her team in a game became almost routine for the University of Oregon junior in her time in Eugene—even in a 2022 season that saw her miss games due to both COVID-19 and a red card suspension. Now, her collegiate career is entering a new era: In spite of a hip surgery in December 2022 to repair a torn labrum, Freeman has made the transfer to Duke University ahead of the 2023 college soccer season.
Moving across the country and working her way back onto the pitch is a tremendous change for anyone—especially for Freeman, who had never been to North Carolina before she signed with the team. But it’s been relatively smooth, all things considered, she says.
“It’s hard to be injured,” Freeman says. “It’s hard to come into a new environment injured. But I think everyone around me has done everything they can in their capabilities to make me feel comfortable and make me feel welcome.”
The transfer also puts Freeman in a position to compete for a national championship, as she joins a squad that made it to the quarterfinals of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
“Leah is one of the top goalkeepers in the country,” Duke head coach Robbie Church said in a press release. “She is very good with her feet, is an excellent shot stopper and is good on crosses. Leah has been playing at a high level at Oregon and was one of the top goalkeepers in the Pac-12 over the last three years. She has tremendous experience and is going to be a really good addition to our goalkeeping core.”
Still, the loss of a starting keeper will hit the Ducks hard. “When we do the scout on Oregon before we play them, there’s a giant circle on Leah Freeman,” Cori Callahan, goalkeeper coach at University of California, Berkeley, told me during the 2022 fall soccer season. Callahan coached Freeman when she was growing up. “She’s the catalyst for that team,” Callahan says.
Freeman, originally from Berkeley, California, was a stalwart on the Ducks backline and off the pitch. In her three seasons at the UO, she set the school record for career shutouts and holds the record for lowest goals against average in program history. She was recognized for her goalkeeping prowess on November 8, when she was named Pac-12 goalkeeper of the year—the first Duck to win the honor.
Growing up in Berkeley played a big role in that. Freeman was able to watch collegiate women’s soccer powerhouses in the Cal and Stanford teams throughout her childhood. “She just had this fire and this enthusiasm for the game,” Callahan says. “She wanted to be great.” And that drive, alongside Freeman’s natural instincts, made her “a joy” for Callahan to train.
“At the right times, she made the right leaps and bounds,” Callahan says, alluding to Freeman’s private training and, later, the jump she made to join an elite club team in Danville, California, despite the commute. And having supportive parents didn’t hurt either.
So, Freeman made her way to Oregon. “I visited in May,” she says. “It was beautiful. The sun was out, and everything was really green”—a contrast from the less-forested landscape she was used to in the Bay Area.
Although Freeman was the first in her recruiting class to commit to the UO, then-club teammate Megan Rucker wound up joining her. The two were roommates beginning freshman year and grew especially close after living through the pandemic together. Rucker, in her words, “would literally do anything for that woman, as she would do for me.”
Despite Freeman and Rucker’s freshman year aligning with the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two came into the team in a landmark year for a Ducks soccer program that was going through a rough patch. Their first season was also the first under UO head coach Graeme Abel, who had previously served as an assistant and goalkeeper coach on the USWNT.
“That class coming in and him coming in really lit a fire under us and showed us that we do have what it takes,” fifth-year Ducks midfielder Zoe Hasenauer says. “We can compete with anyone we need to.”
The Ducks proved as much that year when they beat Stanford, a perennial superstar in women’s college soccer, 2-1 their 2020 season in Freeman’s third match of her collegiate career. That same year, UO beat Cal at Berkeley—a personal success for Freeman in her hometown—and tallied 2-0 and 1-0 victories over Oregon State.
Freeman and her former team grew together from there, putting up back-to-back winning seasons in 2020 and 2021 for the first time in 40 years.
For Freeman, that development has also shown up in the expansion of her vocabulary.
As a Berkeley native, she’s used to the nearest water being the ocean, rather than the rivers and lakes she explores in the Pacific Northwest. “I’m not used to not being by a body of water,” she says, “and so I called the river and the lake the ocean for my first two years.” At Duke, she’ll be back to the ocean, but it will be to the east, not the west.
The growth is also apparent in her maturity as a player. She’d get stuck in her head as a freshman, she says, and wouldn’t necessarily know how to get out of that mindset.
It was advice from Coach Abel that broke her out of it. “The message was that fish have six-second memories,” Freeman says. Abel told her to have the memory of a fish.
“When you make a mistake, you have to have a six-second memory,” she says. “You have to forget about it because another play is going to happen.”
Freeman says she’d also gotten more fit since coming to the UO and grown more comfortable speaking up—on and off the field. “As a goalkeeper, you see everything,” she says. It was tricky for her to call things out to her defenders at first, though, especially playing behind veterans like Croix Soto and the now-graduated Mia Palmer.
“They wanted me to talk to them,” Freeman says, “and they were able to give me the confidence in my voice to actually speak up.”
At games, Freeman’s calls of “man”—signaling the approach of an opposing player to her teammate who has the ball — and directions to organize her defense cut through the cheering in the stands. Even when the clock isn’t running, she’s there taking a knee for the national anthem—a nod to Colin Kaepernick’s protest to draw attention to systemic racism and police brutality—or checking in with her teammates.
Abel sees Freeman’s growth as a huge asset to the team as a whole. “She’s gone from being a goalkeeper to being able to be a game-winner,” he says. “She has those big moments. The big players with big personalities have big moments.”
But Rucker says you wouldn’t even know Freeman plays soccer if you talked to her. “She’s so humble about it,” Rucker says, “and will try her hardest to make sure other people around her are getting the recognition as well, even though she should be getting a lot of credit for how far this program has come.”
And those across the country are taking note. Ahead of the 2022 season, Freeman was placed on Mac Hermann trophy watch list, an award given to the country’s best men’s and women’s Division I soccer players each year. She’s made various all Pac-12 teams, joined the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team for camps in December 2021 and May 2022 and had the opportunity to train with the National Women’s Soccer League’s Kansas City Current the summer before her junior season.
Abel says she excelled in the Current’s environment. Freeman relished the chance to experience a week of day-to-day life as a professional athlete—and to explore Kansas City alongside former UO midfielder Chardonnay Curran, who was in her rookie season with the Current. Gaining mentorship from players like U.S.Women’s National Team goalkeeper AD Franch was invaluable, Freeman says, as well as understanding the little areas where she’ll have to grow her game to make the jump to the next level. For Abel, that means looking at the areas where a goalkeeper could be exposed in a faster-paced environment, like points to decision making and “being a little bit more advanced with your feet.”
“I knew I wanted to play soccer,” Freeman says, “but I never knew what it was going to be like. Being in that environment showed me that’s something I know I will be able to do. I will be able to get to that level if I put in the work.”
Beyond making that jump, Freeman says she wants to continue to grow as a goalkeeper and learn as much as she can from her political science classes. Although the last of these is a relatively new aspiration—Freeman says she wasn’t super invested in academics until college—the first two targets reflect ambitions she’s had for much of her life.
Freeman’s proven her abilities as a goalkeeper, Callahan says, but “she’s just as incredible of a human being off the field.”
That off-the field personality shows up in Rucker’s friendship with Freeman. “She has been my biggest support system,” Rucker says. “I literally would not be alive if it wasn’t for this girl.”
Freeman has been an irreplaceable presence in Rucker’s life—and for her teammates on the field. But now Freeman has new challenges ahead of her: recovering from an offseason hip surgery, moving across the country and filling the shoes of graduating Duke goalkeeper Ruthie Jones, who helped her team to a sixth-place NCAA regular season ranking and all the way to the quarterfinals in the postseason tournament.
“It’s a change and a new beginning,” Freeman says, “and I’m so excited for that new beginning.”
This story was originally written as a profile for Eugene Weekly in fall 2022, but it never ran, as Freeman transferred before its publication.
With NWSL turning 11 this year, nobody can deny the league has been through many growing pains. It has taken them several years to get where they are right now, with many sponsors investing their money in it and new teams interested to get into the league every year.
Back in 2013, the Federation of Mexican Football was part of the NWSL, but the lack of playing time given to national team players, among other reasons, ended up drawing Mexican players away. The FMF announced at the beginning of 2016 that they would stop allocating players to the American professional league.
By the end of the same year, Liga MX Femenil was announced, which kicked off in 2017 with the Copa MX Femenil. That cup was a few days long and only 12 teams competed in it—the ones that already had a roster ready to participate in the upcoming league.
Afterwards, the first official tournament began, and Chivas ended up being crowned champions in the inaugural season. Fast forward six years, and it’s incredible to see how much the league has grown.
Making connections
People say there’s strength in numbers, and the United States’ southern neighbors understood that from the beginning. Shortly after the league played its first few seasons, they decided to start making connections.
That’s how they found an ally on the Houston Dash.
It was 2018 and Rayadas de Monterrey decided to play a friendly against the Texan club. A year later, Tigres hosted the Dash. That would not be the last time those two would cross paths because two years later they played a rematch, this time in the Dash field. That was the first time a Mexican team would venture itself into American soil.
The Dash, with former coach James Clarkson at the helm, was back then the only NWSL club willing to compete with Mexican teams. A year after the second game against Tigres, they faced Pumas in the 2022 preseason.
By that year, more NWSL teams started to imitate Houston. After establishing records of attendance for a Panamerican league and the Regio teams—Monterrey and Tigres—showing great quality, Mexican clubs started to be included in the conversation. That’s how Rayadas ended up playing the Women’s International Champions Cup in 2022 and beating the Portland Thorns, making it to the highlights of the entire women’s soccer world.
By then, Angel City was playing its first NWSL season, and since the beginning, they’ve made efforts to make their Latino community feel included. In accordance with that, it was announced last May that Angel City and Tigres had signed a partnership for two years, which includes some friendlies among other collaborations.
What is more, Angel City couldn’t resist the appeal Club América has nowadays and invited them to play a friendly on the upcoming Women’s Day on March 8 at Banc of California Stadium.
European teams joining the fun
This year couldn’t have started in a better way for the league, especially for Tigres. Last January, they announced a partnership with one of the mightiest clubs in Germany: Bayern Munich. Said partnership was sealed with a friendly between the teams at the Universitario stadium, with the host getting the win.
In February, Club América announced an alliance with the eight-time Champions League winner Olympique Lyonnais and three-time NWSL Shield winner, OL Reign.
The partnership with those top teams is one anyone in the world would want. The clubs will share knowledge and skills, exchange information, and play friendlies between them. The deal involves both senior teams and the academies.
The partnership with the OL Group came only six months after America played against German club Bayer Leverkusen, the first European club they crossed paths with.
Tigres’ success and fame internationally are unquestionable, and more teams have been trying to seat with them at the adult table. It was 2020 when Club América assigned Claudia Carrión as sports director, and she has been working hard to put the women’s team on the map ever since. Carrión is responsible for many important player signings, among them club-favorite and former Chicago Red Star Sarah Luebbert.
But what about the other teams? Partnerships and friendlies are being established, little by little. The latest was North Carolina Courage with Rayadas de Monterrey. Both clubs announced they’re playing a couple of friendlies, with the first of them set for March on Mexican soil. Coach Eva Espejo’s team will travel to the United States later this year, at a date to be determined, to see if they can obtain their second victory against an NWSL team.
Giving players a choice
Historically, Mexican players drafted by NWSL teams have had little to no playing time in the league. Some even didn’t get offered a contract after being drafted, and that forced them to look for opportunities somewhere else. Spain was the desired destination for many, but some, like Tigres striker Stephany Mayor, went as far as Iceland to find a team where she would get minutes.
Another good example of this is Club América forward Kiana Palacios. She was drafted by Sky Blue in 2018. After not being offered a contract, she received an offer from the Spaniard club Real Sociedad. Three years later, she landed at Coapa and started, little by little, to become one of the most prolific goal-scorers in the league.
Another americanista who put her name in the NWSL Draft was Scarlett Camberos. In her case, however, she wasn’t drafted by any club. She said last year that back then she did have offers to play in the United States, but after seeing Club América’s facilities, the fans, the training fields, and the Azteca Stadium, she decided to play in México. Camberos is now one of the best on the team and a fan favorite.
Maybe the most resounding case of a player from the United States going to Mexico was forward Mia Fishel. In 2022, she was drafted fifth overall by the Orlando Pride, where her former college coach was. So it was a big slap in the face to the club when it was announced that she was going to play for Tigres instead.
“What I did was historic,” said Fishel back then, and rightly so. She became the first American player to choose to play in Mexico just because she could—and not because she wasn’t wanted in the NWSL. “The rate at which the league has been growing was also very appealing. They’ve only been here for five years or so, and the global media recognition, the passionate fans, playing in [large] stadiums, you just don’t get that in the U.S.,” she said.
Players going from the United States to play in Mexico were the norm until 2021. Last year was historic for the league transfer-wise. In January, Tigres announced they closed a deal with Angel City FC for the Brazilian player Stefany Ferrer. Almost a year later, they closed another deal; this time with Racing Louisville FC for the Nigerian player Uchenna Kanu. Days later, former Rayadas midfielder Bárbara Olivieri was announced as the new Houston Dash signing.
She’s a dangerous striker with an eye for goal.
Nigerian international @UcheOfficial_'s coming to Louisville. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ciD6yrj2Yf
— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) February 2, 2023
Previous examples show how much these and many other players just needed an opportunity to showcase their talent—and Mexico gave them that chance. Winger María Sanchez was drafted by Chicago Red Stars in 2019, but had only seven appearances in the entire season. The lack of minutes led her to go to Mexico, where she played for Chivas and a year later for Tigres. Once she had her opportunity to showcase her skills to the world, she picked the Dash interest, and they signed her on loan in 2021. A year later, Houston offered her a two-year contract.
Luebbert won the hearts of the fans when she went on loan to Club América, also searching for playing time. She would go back to Chicago in 2022, while Mexican fans would beg for her return. Their prayers were heard, and by the end of the same year, Chicago announced they transferred her permanently to the Coapa club.
The addition of Spanish international Jennifer Hermoso by Pachuca in 2022 left everybody shocked, but it was a great statement made by a club that has bet on their women’s team from the beginning. No wonder another Mexican star who had already left her mark in the Spanish league Spain, Charlyn Corral, decided to play in the same club as well.
As seasons go by, more and more internationals are interested in going to Mexico, and rightly so. The playing time, the quality many of the clubs enjoy, and the salaries are things many players don’t get in their home country leagues.
Still developing
Mexico still has a lot of work to do. Their national team not qualifying for the World Cup was a huge blow, not only to the program but to the self-esteem of the players that week-in and week-out put on great performances for their clubs.
Nonetheless, it seems like the federation has learned from this and started to rebuild its women’s program from the ashes, with a new women’s national team director position and a new coach.
And even though they’re not going to the World Cup this July, they’re not using this year to take a break. They’re using every international window to compete and learn, to test what works and does what not.
Most recently Mexico hosted the Revelations Cup, where they went against three national teams that have qualified for the World Cup in Costa Rica, Colombia, and Nigeria. In the end, Mexico had to battle against the always-tough Colombia and finished raising the Cup.
🇲🇽 🫶🏻 🏆 #TuCanchaLaEligesTú pic.twitter.com/J2RCHBxkhL
— Selección Nacional de México Femenil (@Miseleccionfem) February 22, 2023
Another thing they should put their focus on is players’ safety. It has been known that in the past “fans” have been threatened players, stealing their identities, hacking their accounts, harrying and harassing them. And that keeps happening. Tigres center back Greta Espinoza went through this, and recently asked for action in support of América’s Scarlett Camberos, who’s unfortunately going through the same thing.
“The level of harassment I suffered was documented in over 100 slides with irrefutable evidence, and nothing was enough to stop this individual from stopping with the harassment,” Espinoza said on her social media channels. In the same message, she demanded laws to protect them.
Players’ safety should be Mexico soccer’s top priority—especially in a country known for, as Espinoza put it, a “delicate history of frequent harassment towards women and [where] the vast majority of these cases go unpunished.”
🚨 COMUNICADO IMPORTANTE 🚨 pic.twitter.com/tDoZJmX7yf
— Greta Espinoza Casas (@GretaEspinozaC) February 18, 2023
Mexico wants to be a powerhouse in women’s soccer, and they’re doing their utmost to reach their goal. That starts with their league, which is one of the most well-organized in the continent—you get the new season schedule two weeks after a tournament is over—and ends with their national team.
If they do things right, in four years they should qualify for the 2027 World Cup with flying colors. And their league will stand among some of the best leagues in the world.