The Portland Timbers and Thorns are getting closer to playing real soccer games, and you have questions.
First off—and most importantly—as we’ve echoed through writing, Twitter, and The Rosette, soccer is just a game. Now is the time to be paying attention and educating yourself on this vital moment in our country’s history.
However, soccer does still exist, and as the weeks go by, we are inching closer to the return of the sport in North America. The NWSL Challenge Cup will kick things off in late June, followed by the resumption of Major League Soccer in July.
In this week’s Q&A feature, we answered questions ranging from our thoughts on the restart to our all-time favorite PTFC post. This article highlights some of the questions that were asked. If you are interested, the complete conversation can be found in our Discord, available to Patreon subscribers at the $5 and $10 levels. Subscribing also gives you the opportunity to participate in future Q&As. Without further ado, let’s get to it!
Some questions and answers have been edited for clarity.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR ODDs-ON FAVORITES TO COME IN 9TH IN THE UPCOMING NWSL CHALLENGE CUP?
I haven’t followed offseason moves super closely, but I’m willing to bet Orlando because I doubt they’ve done enough to significantly improve from where they ended last year. I don’t think their schedule does them any favors either. (My other team would be Houston, but I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt, because Annika Schmidt, one of their non-roster invitees, was incredibly complimentary of the culture there when discussing her experiences during the first week of preseason.)
-Leo Baudhuin
The obvious answer is Orlando, and the group that they have been drawn into does not help them. Yes, Marta is there, but the attacking options are still limited. Alex Morgan won’t be there, which should be a big blow, but Sydney Leroux should.
If I had to pick a second team that nobody else has listed already, I’d say Utah Royals. After the top three or four teams, an argument could be made for any side as this is a short tournament and really anything could happen. Sauerbrunn is getting older, but losing her hurts an already veteran back line.
Overall, Utah is going through a time of change and I can see them struggling out of the gate. They may be more reliant on a single player than many other teams, and if Christen Press can’t keep providing individual moments of brilliance, it could be an interesting tournament for the hosts. While I think Utah has way too much talent to finish ninth, it’s a possibility in what I expect to be an exciting tournament.
-Kyle Pinnell
WHat is our favorite ptfc-related post of all time?
Thinking back, I always really enjoyed Jonanna Widner’s Thorns recap on Stumptown Footy back in the day. They were rarely timely, but for me they always captured the emotion of the match. Here is her recap of the 2013 championship if you are interested: https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2013/9/3/4689942/portland-thorns-fc-2013-nwsl-champs
-Will Conwell
This is absolutely not the answer to your question, but Nadia Nadim retweeted this a couple months ago and I have not been able to stop thinking about the fact that the keeper is Bella Bixby. https://twitter.com/ThornsFC/status/715388272436875267?s=20
-Leo Baudhuin
This isn’t a discrete post, but I had a hell of a time watching the great egg-throwing saga of 2018.
Famously, Tyler found a loose egg in the basket of a Biketown bike while heading home the night before the 2018 championship. We took it as a fortuitous omen. We were wrong.
-Katelyn Best
My loves writing-wise have always been about woso in general because I love to read writing more than I love to read reporting, tbh! From a Left Wing is my classic point of reference: http://fromaleftwing.blogspot.com/
A question that I’m always trying to answer is how to do writerly reporting! Which is why its nice to be doing this with Leo and Best, who have great instincts there.
-Tyler Nguyen
THORNS NEWCOMER THAT WE ARE MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING?
Honestly, I’m super excited to see all the new players, for a bunch of different reasons. Raquel Rodriguez is probably the most interesting one conceptually though, just because I still can’t square that circle in my head.
Rodriguez is such a fun player. Need to go total up her dribbles per game last season because I feel like it was pretty competitive. She certainly put a few in on the Thorns.
Dribble penetration from the midfield offers an interesting look from a midfield that has traditionally put a bigger emphasis on playing into space.
-Tyler Nguyen
Leo Baudhuin and Will Conwell also agreed with Tyler’s selection of Raquel Rodriguez.
Yeah, I think it has to be Rodriguez for me, too. Sophia Smith is a close second, but since I almost never watch college soccer, I have no baseline for her. I’ve enjoyed watching Rodriguez at Sky Blue for years and think she’s been underperforming there for a while—plus, I echo other folks’ sentiment about dying to see where she fits in.
-Katelyn Best
I’ll chime in with a different player since it’s pretty unanimous that we’re all intrigued with Rodriguez and Smith. Can I put in a word for Weaver? I haven’t seen a lot of her as I don’t watch tons of college soccer, but she was the second pick in the draft. I’d be interested in seeing how she fits in the attack as I see her as more of a pacy striker that could be a dangerous weapon in transition.
Can she pair well with a Lussi or Smith on the front line like Parsons tried at times with Purce last season? On a similar note, I see goals coming from a variety of different players on the front line, and I feel like Weaver could easily contribute this season.
And that’s all assuming Parsons may experiment with dual strikers. Obviously there is plenty of strength on the wings, too. Maybe she slots in as an outside winger if a situation arises? So many variables.
-Kyle Pinnell