Tag: emily menges
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Last Saturday, the Portland Thorns earned their second consecutive 3-3 draw, fighting back from going down a goal three separate times against the North Carolina Courage.
“I think to find ourselves down three times, it’s probably hard for to wrap me head around,” Thorns head coach Mike Norris said after the game, “but group kept pushing”—showing a resilience and rebound that Norris said he was “really proud of.”
So, let’s break all that down.
In defense of Emily Menges
Portland was unlucky to go down in the first minute, after a North Carolina cross deflected weirdly off of Thorns defender Emily Menges. It’s the third time the Thorns have conceded off an unfortunate deflection this year—the first being a Meaghan Nally own-goal against the San Diego Wave—and I’m not really sure what to make of that happening twice in the first month and a half of 2023 play. Are the new white kits cursed? Possibly.
North Carolina’s other two goals came in the forms of a brilliant individual effort from Kerolin and Courage rookie Olivia Wingate nutmegging Menges and getting off a cross to meet Victoria Pickett’s near-post run.
“I don’t want to be a team that’s conceded three goals,” Norris said, “but I didn’t think it was a poor defensive performance. I thought it was anything but that, to be honest.”
I don’t think Norris is outright wrong—it wasn’t an awful defensive performance—but the Thorns definitely could’ve been better on North Carolina’s third goal.
In that play, the Courage are working the ball up Portland’s left flank. As we’ve alluded to above, Kerolin sends a ball ahead to Wingate, who drives endline and ‘megs Menges. Klingenberg has been drawn out to mark Kerolin, so it’s center-back Kelli Hubly who has to step to Wingate, leaving Pickett in space.
As we see above, Hubly stepping leaves Natalia Kuikka marking two Courage players (Pickett near post and Tyler Lussi far post). Dunn and Sam Coffey have been standing at the top of the box and are just beginning their runs to cover—but it’s too late.
Of the goals, this one feels the most like a situation that could’ve been avoided with a little more communication and anticipation. Even if Menges doesn’t get beat here, the Thorns are defending three-on-three, which is a situation they’d want to avoid.
(In Menges’ defense, she also wasn’t the only Thorn to get beat on a North Carolina goal; Coffey dove in too early against Kerolin on the Courage’s second goal, getting beat and leaving Kerolin with far too much space in the center of the field.)
Still, I don’t think that’s a cause for concern, yet. Even though individual players got beat on North Carolina’s second and third goals, Portland’s other defenders weren’t able to effectively drop back and cover—an issue that will hopefully resolve itself as the team gets more used to playing together. Or as Crystal Dunn put it postgame, “We’re still early enough in the season where we know that it’s just these growing pains that we’re going to go through.”
Portland can still hurt you in so many ways
Outside of capitalizing on their chances, North Carolina, for their part, put together a pretty solid performance against the Thorns—especially in their work limiting Portland’s space in midfield. The Thorns, for their part, were forced to play wide or find quick passes through the center of the park, the latter of which they struggled to do consistently.
“We’re a team that’s at our best when we’re fluid,” Dunn said, “when we’re able to break teams down and not be stagnant.” Portland’s second goal was a prime example of that, she said.
In the buildup to the goal, we can see the Courage’s pressure—and the Thorns successfully playing out of that through quick passes. After Sophia Smith’s flick on to Meghan Klingenberg’s overlapping run, Dunn just has to push toward goal from where she’s sitting at the top of North Carolina’s box to get on the end of the cross.
Portland’s other two goals—the first from Dunn and the third from Olivia Moultrie—show another area where the Thorns found success: in their late runs out of midfield.
While we’re here, let’s take a moment to appreciate Moultrie’s game-tying goal—the cherry on top of her impressive performance off the bench.
Hey Liv, you dropped this during that unreal goal 👑#BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/fmdicfpNNG
— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) May 7, 2023
It’s still incredibly silly that, as a 17-year-old, she isn’t eligible for a player of the week nomination after that.
After wrapping up the preliminary round of the Challenge Cup winless in last place, the Portland Thorns pulled out a thrilling 1–0 win over the North Carolina Courage with a 68th-minute goal from rookie Morgan Weaver.
The match marks the first playoff game that the Courage have lost since the 2017 NWSL Final, and the first time North Carolina has been shut out since last May.
1. Injuries didn’t bode well for Portland early on
Beyond the tournament-ending injuries for AD Franch, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Sophia Smith, Bella Bixby, Lindsey Horan, and Emily Menges were also listed as questionable ahead of today’s match. While both Horan and Menges started the game, Bixby’s right knee injury paved the way for Britt Eckerstrom’s first start since August of last year.
Unfortunately, the knocks didn’t end there. The first half of the match saw both Horan and Katherine Reynolds go down—for Reynolds, in a head collision with Lynn Williams that saw both of them bleeding and Reynolds subbed off the pitch.
Horan was able to come out in the second half, but fell to the ground again in Portland’s defensive box. She was subbed out for Celeste Boureille in the 51st minute.
Especially given the fact that the Thorns have looked uninspired without Horan in this tournament, these early injuries were worrying.
2. Parsons made some interesting defensive choices, but it worked out alright
Portland started the game with Reynolds on the right, Meghan Klingenberg on the left, and an Emily Menges-Kelli Hubly centerback pairing. In her 40 minutes on the field, Reynolds was often left dealing with Williams up North Carolina’s left flank, and found herself burned by Williams a handful of times—including in the first minute of the match.
While Reynolds is a better defender when isolated one on one, the decision to start her over the faster Christen Westphal was questionable, and the Thorns were lucky that the Courage didn’t take advantage by overloading that side with Williams and Jaelene Daniels.
The other somewhat illogical choice, in the first 20 minutes at least, was the partnership between Menges and Hubly. At the beginning of the match, Menges was consistently the player stepping higher to win the ball while Hubly hung back, something that felt counterproductive given their respective strengths. However, the duo figured things out as the match went on, with Hubly more often pushing up to win the ball and Menges stepping to take on players.
3. Believe it or not, the Thorns scored a goal
After scoring a total of two goals in the preliminary rounds—with one of those goals coming off a Horan set-piece header—things didn’t look particularly promising for Portland’s attack heading into this one. On top of that, they’ve looked significantly worse without Horan.
Regardless, the Thorns broke through when Christen Westphal played a pass up the line Rocky Rodríguez. Rodríguez dribbled to the endline and squared her hips to send a low cross front of goal and beat her defender. Morgan Weaver peeled off Addisyn Merrick at the far post to tap the ball in, and the Thorns were up with their first game-winner of the tournament.
Go on and shine, Rook ✨
Morgan Weaver gives @ThornsFC the lead!
0-1 | #NCvPOR
Tune in now on @CBSAllAccess and @Twitch.#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/pFSBk0XrKk
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) July 17, 2020
4. Britt Eckerstrom had the game of her life
Slipping down Portland’s goalkeeper depth chart to the third string, it was hard to know what to expect from Eckerstrom going into this game. Fortunately, she did really, really well.
If she had any nerves, Eckerstrom worked through them in the first half; her handling was a bit shaky, and she was lucky to catch her own rebound on two separate occasions. She was also fortunate in the fact that North Carolina struggled to put their shots on target, with a handful of sitters hit wide of goal or missed completely.
However, the Thorns ended the half 0–0, and Eckerstrom showed flashes of the fantastic positioning and ability off her line that she relied on heavily in the second part of the game.
And that second half was something to behold; Eckerstrom was everywhere across the face of goal. She came out several times to smother a through-ball in traffic—including blocking a Courage breakaway and deflecting the rebound wide—and got a strong punch to a brilliant Debinha free kick to preserve the Thorns’ lead.
.@Breck28 take a bow 🙌
An absolute incredible save by the @ThornsFC goalkeeper for the @Verizon Save of the Match.#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/8lyM7tG9HF
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) July 17, 2020
Bonus: #FreeNadine
Eckerstrom was absolutely fantastic today, but it was kind of cool to see Nadine Angerer listed as a sub for the Thorns—even if it was the result of Portland’s first- and second-string keepers being injured. And, yeah, it was a great game, but can you honestly say it wouldn’t have been better if Angerer had gotten a couple minutes at the end?
emily armstrong (gk)
Was a non-roster invitee for the Thorns ahead of 2017. Never appeared for Portland, but ended up playing ten games in Norway that same year. According to Soccerway, is now affiliated with a second-tier club in Sweden (joined by a teammate of the name Emilie Brandt).
Emily kruger (gk)
Stuck around for two seasons as Portland’s third-string keeper in the pre-Bella Bixby days. Was called up as an amateur player for a bit in 2016—presenting us with the never-realized possibility of having an Emily in goal behind an Emily center back pairing—but didn’t get to take the field for the Thorns. Allegedly went to Cal, claimed the number 19 jersey in Portland, and is a Scorpio, but otherwise her identity is something of a mystery.
Emily Menges (D)
The Thorns’ longest-tenured center back. Drafted out of Georgetown in the third round in 2014, making her arguably the best value ever to emerge from the NWSL College Draft. Had a legendary block against Jess McDonald late in the 2017 championship. Coined the phrase “let’s make a constellation.”
Emily Sonnett (D)
The wildest ball of lightning to ever pull on a Thorns jersey. The number one overall pick in the 2016 draft. Incredible one moment, inexplicable the next, and an absolute content machine, on and off the field. The inaugural NWSL Most Online Player; hexed by Amy Rodriguez late in the 2019 season.
Emilee O’Neil (MF/D)
Made four appearances for the Thorns in 2013 after starting as a trialist. A 2004 Stanford graduate who stepped away from the game before joining the Bay Area Breeze of the now-defunct USL W-League. The rest is lost to history.
Emily Dickinson (MF)
The legendary poet out of Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. Refused to play if the Thorns weren’t in their white kits. After a playoff loss in the 1861 season, she was asked a generic question about the emotions in the locker room, and replied:
Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne’er succeed.
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.
Not one of all the purple Host
Who took the Flag today
Can tell the definition
So clear of victory
As he defeated – dying –
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear!
emily ogle (mf)
Selected 24th overall as Portland’s only pick in the 2019 NWSL College Draft, the clear result of a need to maintain a plurality of Emilies in anticipation of losing Sonnett. Still young, usually strong on the ball, yet to be defined.
Emily Brönte (MF)
Unlike her sister Charlotte, a prolific goalscorer for England and the Chicago Red Stars, Brönte was a hard-working No. 6—a real shit-kicker of a midfielder. Some have called her a limited player, but what she did—namely, a calculated professional foul to stop a developing attack in its tracks—she did well. Both feared and respected by opposing midfields.
Emilie Zebulon (FW)
Portland’s first Martian-born player. A discovery player acquired in 2132 after she failed to impress for Paris Saint-Germain and had been playing in the Moon League, a gimmicky non-FIFA-sanctioned competition played on a giant field with goals that hovered several dozen feet off the ground. A manager who believed in her and a more constructive training environment did wonders, and she went on to score a team-leading 21 goals in 32 games in her first season.
emily rowie (fw)
Joined the Thorns midway through the 2024 season after completing a psychology degree at the University of Minnesota. Was fourth all-time in Gophers goals scored (38) and tied for seventh with assists (25), despite playing fullback for most of her sophomore year. Effective as a No. 9, but thrives as a Hayley Raso-esque wide forward.
3M1-lY (FW)
After waiting decades for an effective goal-scoring center forward to materialize, the 2079 Thorns decided to take advantage of the league’s new roster rule expanding the number of android player slots. The prototype, 3M1-LX, had played in preseason several seasons earlier but tended to have finishing problems; even when the service from Lindsey Horan 2 (a clone of her namesake) was perfect, it tended to sky the ball over the net. Training its ball trajectory algorithm on several billion additional data points didn’t work. Oddly, the turning point came when it was fed a dataset of human knock-knock jokes—all it needed, it seems, was to feel like part of the team.