Tag: Morgan Weaver

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NWSL Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 0, Wave 2

Photo by Kris Lattimore

It seemed as though the Thorns were picking up momentum headed down the final stretch of games coming off of a very positive 2-0 beating of OL Reign, but all that momentum sputtered to a halt in their Saturday night home defeat to the San Diego Wave this past weekend. All season the Thorns have been unable to string together three wins in a row across all competitions, which is puzzling due to the calibre of players on the team and the strong culture that the Thorns have been building over the past two years. 

Forgive me if I sound like a broken record, but I think that the lack of consistent success comes from head coach Mike Norris being too reliant on certain players and formations as opposed to adapting his deep roster to the specific tactics of the team that they’re playing. On paper, the Thorns are an incredibly dominant team. Against San Diego they had 1.10 expected goals to the Wave’s 0.53 from 15 total shots. Portland had a staggering nine corners and eleven additional crosses into the box. However, none of this attacking firepower was able to translate into a goal. 

Photo by Kris Lattimore

I may be biased because I voted for Morgan Weaver as the SPOTY, but it frequently felt as though Weaver was playing hero ball, trying to shoot from absurd angles and hoping that something would slip by Sheridan. Unfortunately, none of her team-leading five shots were on target. The lack of systemic breakdown of San Diego’s very strong defense meant that all of the Thorns’ closest chances came off of rebounds or parries by Sheirdan, which were few and far between. 

Oftentimes a team’s best eleven players on the team overall are the eleven in the starting lineup. However, because the Thorns have more than eleven starting-calibre players on their roster they have more freedom than most teams. Despite this, Norris heavily favours playing the same players in the same positions game after game. 

Looking at the breakdown of regular season minutes, the thing that stands out to me the most is the vast spread between the total minutes played for different players. Sam Coffey and Weaver are the only two players to have started and plate in every game, with Natalia Kuikka, Bella Bixby, Kelli Hubly, Meghan Klingenberg, and Crystal Dunn have started and played in over 90% of the games. That right there is seven out of eleven players consistently getting time together on the pitch, and should theoretically lead to a large amount of chemistry and consistency across games. So, why hasn’t that been the case? 

Of the 23 players who have earned regular season minutes this year, 10 of them have played over 1000 out of 1780 (56%) minutes. Nine players have less than 500 (28%) total minutes. Using Sam Coffey’s 1780 minutes as the highest number, 12 players have played more than 50% of the Thorns total regular season minutes, 890. These players are Bella, Kling, Natu, Kelly, Menges, Coffey, Sinc, Moultire, Hina, Dunn, Sophia Smith, and Morgan Weaver, which coincidentally is the lineup that Norris uses most weeks. Of course, injuries to players like Rocky and Becky Sauerbrunn affected their available minutes, as Norris has shown in the past two games that if they are available they will start. 

Players like Reyna Reyes and Michele Vasconcelos have earned not-insignificant minutes this year, but have largely gotten them coming off the bench, Reyes typically for Kling and Vasconcelos for Weaver. To go back to the game against the Wave, while Kling was an excellent service provider, she got burned on the wing by Rachel Hill and Jaedyn Shaw multiple times. Instead of recognizing this mismatch in the first half, where the Wave scored both of their goals, Norris decided to wait until the 74th minute to sub Reyes in, but took out Kuikka, not Kling, allowing the mismatch to continue. While Kling has much more experience and is an excellent defender, Norris cannot keep her in the game on principle, and instead must adjust his personnel to the game that is being played at that very moment. Maybe if Reyes had gone in at the half she would have been able to use her speed and dribbling skills to open up the left wing and systematically play Weaver in on goal. 

Post game, Norris said, “At halftime we addressed some things. We addressed the energy. We structurally changed a couple of things,” and I would like to argue against this idea. 

While technically the Thorns didn’t concede any more goals in the second half, they didn’t look any close to scoring any themselves. There were no formation or personnel changes at the half— it was as though Norris was instead relying on the individual brilliance of the players on the field in order to try and forge a comeback. Unfortunately, even in a league as competitive and chaotic as the NWSL, good tactics will always win out over the individual. 

Credit Arielle Dror

Looking at the passing network of the game, it’s clear that the Thorns heavily relied on the left side of the pitch. However, against a team as defensively sound as the Wave, if one path up the field is being consistently blocked, it’s probably time to try a different way, either more direct up the middle or up the right flank, as opposed to sending in the same passes for Weaver to try her luck on. Adding a player like Moultrie on the field as a ten would be a great idea. Her visionary passes through backline are one of her strongest assets and should have been used as a way for Betfort and her speed or Weaver and her runs to get behind the backline. Unfortunately Moultrie didn’t get enough time on the pitch to showcase her brilliance. 

Photo by Kris Lattimore

The Thorns have one more home game before the playoffs begin, and it’s probably too late in the season to expect a sudden change of tactics from Norris, who has been so stubborn all season, but I do hope that next year the new coach uses the full depth of the Thorns’ roster. 

 

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NWSL Soccer Thorns

Endings and Beginnings: F— Seattle

Photo by Riya Patel.

It felt as though the vintage Portland Thorns were back in action Saturday night, as they soundly defeated OL Reign in front of a sold-out Providence Park. It was the last time that the complete trio of Megan Rapinoe, Jess Fishlock, and Lu Barnes would face Christine Sinclair in Portland—which undoubtedly helped increase attendance numbers and added a sentimental tenor to the entire game. All four players reassured the crowd that during those 90 minutes the teams were fighting for more than just three points in a tight end of season table; they were fighting for the pride of their cities. 

It was the first time since the inaugural 2013 season that Portland managed to take both home and away wins against Seattle in the regular season, and their first home win of the rivalry since 2018. Hopefully, such a solid beating of a longtime and fierce rival will propel the Thorns to end the season, helping them pick up their first three consecutive wins since 2019, as well. 

Last week at a league-wide press conference, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman confirmed that the Thorns were on track to being sold by the end of the calendar year and that Merritt Paulson no longer sits on the Board of Governors. (Portland’s representative is currently Portland Timbers and Thorns CEO Heather Davis.) The process of the sale has taken far too long, but the confirmation that the team will in fact get a new owner (and hopefully new grass practice facility) makes me feel as though the Thorns can start to redefine themselves and their relationship to the city after a few dark years. 

I find it hard to grasp the simultaneous nature of beginnings and endings, and this game represented both. The Thorns that I grew up with from 2013 through 2019 were different from the Thorns post-2020. Of course, the coaching and personnel changes are part of the natural course of a professional team, but since 2020, it has felt as though there is a disconnect between the team and its fans, largely brought upon by poor leadership decisions that have directly perpetuated and covered up abuse. Being free from the shadows of Paulson will allow the team to get their spot in the sun that they deserve. 

Endings

Saturday’s game was the last time that Rapinoe played in Providence Park. Even though she is one of the Thorns’ biggest villains, it seems remiss to not talk about her.  Of  course, a rivalry game is about more than one player (and we will still have to deal with Fishlock next year…), but Pinoe seems to embody what it means to really love what you do and who you play for.

“We’re definitely two different types of people,” Sinclair said of Rapinoe postgame. “But what she’s done for the game, I think she’s helped inspire an entire generation of young soccer fans. And I fully support anyone that wants to grow women’s football, women’s sports. I’m gonna miss playing against her. This rivalry is gonna miss having her. I think our fans are gonna miss booing her.” 

Pinoe has always made soccer fun. Even when I’m watching the USWNT play the most mediocre Vlatko-ball I’ve ever seen in the middle of the night, I know that as soon as Pinoe subs on she will liven things up and add flair and fun. I think that element of fun is something that has been missing from the Thorns’ culture for the past few years. The Thorns love emphasizing their mentality of winning and success, but sometimes I’m afraid that they’ve lost sight of the love of the game.

But then I see Pinoe hamming it up to the North End after scoring a goal or Morgan Weaver pretending to be one of those inflatable car-sale balloons, and I realize that these players do still have fun. Going forward, I want to see more of that: fun celebrations and laughing on the pitch and putting on a show. I want to thank Pinoe and the OGs for always having fun on the pitch, because it makes me have a lot more fun watching. 

I also know how hard it is to remember why you are doing something when people, in particular your employers, are cruel or unhelpful. I sincerely hope that the sale of the team and dissociation from Paulson will fill the North End again and start selling out Providence Park. Even at 3:30 a.m. from my bed in Dublin, Ireland, I could see the influence that the city can have on a game.     

Beginnings
Photo by Riya Patel.

With every ending comes a new beginning. Morgan Weaver came alive as the new embodiment of the “F— Seattle” sentiment that is so necessary for a good rivalry. In a weird parallel with Pinoe, Weaver grew up in Washington but now plays for the rival state. Postgame, when asked about her celebration where she pointed enthusiastically at the Thorns badge on her jersey, she said, “I’m from Tacoma, but I’m just gonna show them where I love, and I love Portland, and I love being here and I love being on this team. So, I just had to let them know Portland’s where it’s at.”

Weaver has really come to life on the field this year. Her past seasons in Portland have by no means been lackluster—she has probably scored the most clutch game-winning goals for the team since she landed with the club in 2020—but she often falls into Sophia Smith’s shadow, being drafted second to her and playing alongside her. On Saturday, Weaver scored her 10th goal in all competitions this season off an incredibly well-struck volley straight back across goal. Her confidence in front of goal has skyrocketed, and it has made her a much more complete striker. 

But what makes Weaver such a dangerous player is her dynamism. She had seven recoveries, the fourth most on the team, and also had the most shots on the team at four. Her involvement at both ends of the pitch is part of her core identity as a player. The fact that Weaver has been able to sustain this level of play throughout the season (she has played the third most minutes on the team) while consistently improving her awareness and skill shows how high her ceiling is. Luckily, she’s signed through 2025, and I can’t wait to see how much more she can grow. 

Like Tobin Heath said in her podcast, “Portland being the best every year, that’s tradition.” And even with some traditions ending, the Thorns will always have players who embody the city and its weirdness and propel the team to greatness—just like Weaver showed everybody this weekend. 

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Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 1, Spirit 1

Photo by Matthew Wolfe.

The Portland Thorns played their first game with all five World Cup players back in the squad last weekend against the Washington Spirit in DC. The team was coming off of a much-needed victory where the team set the record as the first NWSL team to receive a first-half red card (awarded to Kelli Hubly) and win the game. Better yet, that game resulted in the Thorns taking three points off the North Carolina Courage, which was probably the biggest win of a game that included some insane ball control from Hannah Betfort for the equalizer and a Sophia Smith game-winner less than a minute into her return to Providence Park. 

With momentum on their side, the Thorns travelled to DC to take on Mark Parsons’ title-contending Spirit. More so than most teams in the league, both the Spirit and the Thorns had players that suffered significant World Cup roster-related injustices. Sam Coffey and Ashley Hatch were inexplicable snubs, Crystal Dunn had to play in a non-natural position, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman were wingers in a system that isolated them and didn’t let them perform to the best of their abilities— the list goes on. With squads filled with players who were looking to prove their talents after a lackluster USWNT performance, tensions were always going to be high, and the match was set to be cagey.

Ultimately, a 1-1 draw was not what the Thorns wanted after dominating 4-2 in the earlier matchup, and the game was less tactically promising than it could have been. Let’s look at why, and how it may affect the Thorns as they head into the final stretch of the season. 

The Thorns need to play to Betfort and Weaver’s strengths

The Thorns debuted their new 4-4-2 formation against the Courage and brought it out again in DC. As someone who has advocated for more defensive coverage with such advanced wingbacks all season, I am delighted at the success of a Rocky Rodríguez-Coffey double pivot. It provides much-needed stability for Portland’s backline, which was especially necessary with the Meaghan Nally-Emily Menges backline that Portland started due to Hubly’s red card. The Thorns held the Spirit to 0.62 xG, not including the penalty—very low for a team that has the attacking powers of Rodman, Ashley Sanchez, and Ashley Hatch. 

While the new formation allows the Thorns to more effectively carry the ball through the middle of the pitch and have adequate defensive coverage, there was a disconnect between the eight midfielders and defenders and the two forwards. The Thorns only had 10 total shots, four of which were on goal, a shockingly low number for the team who has scored an average of 2.3 goals per game this season. The Thorns also only had 78 passes within the final third for a 53% passing accuracy, matching the eye test that showed the midfielders unable to find the feet of Smith and Morgan Weaver. In fact, the players with the highest number of completed passes throughout the game were the four defenders and Coffey. While it is important to be able to maintain possession in your own half, you need to be able to progress the ball up the field in order to win a game. The Thorns were unable to consistently do that against the Spirit. 

The new formation seems to have been created around Smith and Morgan Weaver, who have great chemistry and the ability to change sides and seamlessly float in behind the back line. However, when Smith went down with what we now know is a mild MCL sprain in the end of the first half and the scoreline was still 0-0, the pressure was on for head coach Mike Norris to make some kind of formation or tactical change in order to grind out the win. 

Betfort has been coming in for Smith all season and started in Smith’s absence at the World Cup. However, Betfort’s playing style is immensely different to that of Smith’s. Honestly, there is no player in the world who plays at Smith’s level, and it is unfair of Norris to slot Betfort into Smith’s position and ask her to do the same things, like receiving the ball with her back to goal and dribbling through multiple defenders to get a shot off.

Betfort is an out-and-out No. 9. Her ball control has improved immensely over the course of the season, as has her shot selection. However, she does not have the same dribbling control that Smith has (to be fair, no other player in the world does). A 4-3-3 is much better suited to Betfort’s strengths, where she can receive the ball in the box and use her physical strength to shoot it on target. A 4-4-2 where Betfort is up front with Morgan leaves less room for her to get good services into the box, and it’s not fair to expect Betfort to produce in a way that is not playing to her strengths. 

Additionally, Weaver traditionally has done very well at tight angles, when she is able to cut in from the left side as opposed to starting centrally. Transitioning back to a 4-3-3, where she and Hina Sugita play out wide up top, will allow both players to cut in and threaten goal—a tactic that has historically worked well for both players.

The Thorns only had seven crosses throughout the entire game, compared to Washington’s 14.  I would argue that the Thorns’ only good chance of the night came on Weaver’s goal, and in large part was due to Coffey’s excellent weighted ball behind the backline. Betfort, who played over 45 minutes, only had 17 touches on the ball, meaning that she was essentially boxed out of the game—largely was due to the formation. Reyna Reyes, who played only 15 minutes, had more touches than Betfort. In Smith’s absence the Thorns need to go back to a formation that allows their available forwards to succeed. 

Bella’s command of the box is important 

Despite failing to block Hatch’s penalty kick in stoppage time, Bella Bixby had a very good game. She had four saves on the night, but her real strength during the game was organizing the defense and being aggressive in the box. This season Bixby has become more aggressive off her line, stepping out to get crosses and long balls to mitigate shots before they even happen. A lot of the play in the NWSL is direct and over-the-top, inviting players to go one-on-one with the keeper. By coming off her line early, Bixby forced the Spirit front line to try a different route to goal, which they struggled with. Meghan Klingenberg and Natalia Kuikka were largely able to shut down Washington’s forwards’ attempts at running down the wings, and if they were able to get a cross off, Bixby was quick to track it down instead of waiting for the second ball.

These abilities are ones that should be valued by the USWNT, so hopefully Bixby gets called into an upcoming camp, as her play this season deserves recognition. 

Hina is the GOAT

Honestly, I think Hina was the player I missed most during the World Cup break. Her work rate and ability to stick with the ball is unmatched. I don’t know how she manages to win some of the tackles she does, and her trickery on the ball is so much fun to watch. With Smith likely out until at least the playoff run, I would argue that Hina will be the Thorns’ most important player during the next stretch of games. They will need to utilize her strengths to float around the pitch wherever she pleases. Hina Hive let’s get loud!! 

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Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 0, Wave 2

Photo Credit Kris Lattimore

The Thorns recorded their second straight loss against the San Diego Wave at home on Saturday evening. Coming into the home match, the Thorns were averaging over four goals a game in Providence, yet have scored only one goal over the last two matches while conceding five. After spending several weeks sitting alone at the top of the table, the Thorns have fallen to fourth place with just five games left to clinch a playoff position. Dropping more points could put them in danger of making a postseason run. 

 

While it is nearly impossible to identify just one thing that went wrong, let’s take a look at several factors that could have contributed to the Thorns’ downward trend.

Photo Credit: Kris Lattimore

Too few subs, too late

In a move unlike ones we have seen previously from head coach Rhian Wilkinson, she waited until the 80th minute to make any changes to the Thorns’ formation. In a must-win game to remain at the top of the table, the Thorns started the strongest eleven players they had in a 4-3-3. 

Both Sophia Smith and Morgan Weaver started, when usually Wilkinson starts one or the other, with the second player ready to come off the bench and make an impact with their fresh legs on a tired defense. With both Weaver and Smith on the field, Wilkinson was left with few options of a different style of attacking player when neither of her starters were able to produce. Smith regularly had two or three defenders surrounding her touch-tight, making it hard for her to complete her signature spin-and-dribble-out-of-pressure. Weaver is known for her infinite engine and power for the entire 90 minutes. Against the Wave she had the only two shots on target, and delivered four crosses. She was the most dangerous attacker, but wasn’t able to connect her crosses with the players making runs into the box, oftentimes seeing the ball frustratingly roll across the entire box only for a Wave player to clear it on the opposite touch line. 

Both forwards played all 90 minutes of Saturday’s game, and while in theory Wilkinson starting her two top producers gives the Thorns the best chance of netting goals, when it doesn’t work out, there are no backup options. Ideally, a player like Yazmeen Ryan would start in one of those wide forward spots in order to provide service, and if she isn’t connecting with either Smith or Weaver, then there is an opportunity for a change to be made and for a different perspective to attack the opposing defense. 

Photo Credit Kris Lattimore
Photo Credit Kris Lattimore

Janine Beckie and Yazmeen Ryan got eleven minutes each, both of whom were attacking-minded substitutions. When they made their appearance, the Thorns shifted to a three-back, pushing Beckie up along the right side in front of Kuikka. In her short cameo, she created one chance, which tied her with the second most for the Thorns. Ryan applied similar pressure from the moment she appeared on the pitch, making several dangerous dribbles into the box, but was unable to get her shot off. 

Olivia Moultrie, Portland’s third and final sub, only got three minutes. In an interesting and previously unseen formation move, Sam Coffey slid back to play the third defender as Wilkinson made another attacking substitution. Although Moultrie only got two touches, her change showed that the Thorns were capable of changing their formation and structure of attack mid-game. 

Time can’t turn back, and the Thorns will never get those three dropped points, the game against San Diego begs the question of what could have happened if these changes had been made sooner. For eighty minutes the Thorns tried to score using the same tactics, namely feeding balls to Smith and expecting individual brilliance. However, once it became clear that Naomi Girma and the rest of the Wave’s backline was too strong to penetrate this way, a different tactic needed to be implemented, and a change in personnel was the obvious way to do this. 

 

Defensive Lapses

Simply put, the Thorns’ defense was not organized enough to effectively stop San Diego’s attack. Post-game, Becky Sauerbrunn commented on where she thought the game was lost for the Thorns. 

“A lot of credit to San Diego. I think they’re very good at what they do, and even though we knew what they were going to do, they still got that second goal on us. It’s tough to win games when you’re letting goals in,” said Sauerbruun, finishing that she thought the Thorns’ heads remained high despite the loss. 

The Wave’s first goal was allowed because they were able to have an unmarked player at the top of the box. A missed clearance by Kuikka allows the ball to be picked off by the Wave and passed back to McNabb making an open run at the top of the eighteen. Rocky Rodriguez makes a last-ditch effort to close her down, but was ultimately too far away and too late to prevent the shot from going off. 

Both Morgan Weaver and Sauerbruun mentioned post-game that the Wave’s plan was to flick the ball off of Taylor Korniek’s head onto Alex Morgan, and that is exactly how the second goal came about. While it is hard for any player to match Korniek’s aerial abilities and height, it is possible to shut down the second pass to Morgan and prevent her from running at goal with no defenders. 

Photo credit Kris Lattimore

While it is hard to be consistent for an entire ninety minutes, small changes and closer marking from Thorns players could have changed the outcome of the game, not allowing open players in their own box. 

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Soccer Thorns

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

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 1, Dash 0

Credit: Matthew Wolfe

For the Thorns, the 2021 season has been all about building a strong mentality and culture. Through interviews and post-game pressers, Thorns players and coaches have spoken about the importance of their culture shift to their success this season. Back in August, Christine Sinclair said that “[the Thorns] want to put [themselves] in the best position to win, and not by chance,” which has been the byproduct of a team that has fun together—and fights and gives everything for each other. 

Since Sinc spoke in August, a reckoning has occurred in the league, with its shockwaves landing firmly in the Thorns’ locker room. In a turnaround from the recent four-game winless streak that’s had people doubting the team’s chances of winning the Shield—something they were favored to do for the majority of the season—the team managed to pull out a win against Houston, looking the best they had against the Dash all year.

The season isn’t over yet, with one last home game against the Courage to go, but I think last night’s win against Houston to claim the shield was a culmination of an entire season’s worth of work both on and off the field. So, in honor of that, here are some things that went really well for the Thorns. 

High Press

Historically, the Thorns have struggled to break down the Dash’s back line. In the Thorns’ 1–0 win in July, they recorded 14 shots, dramatically lower than usual. Just a few weeks ago in October, the Thorns lost 2–3, putting only nine of 26 shots on target. Forwards Sophia Smith and Morgan Weaver (among others) like to sit high, ready to either get the ball at their feet or receive a long ball over the top, and over the course of the season, the Thorns have struggled to score when they weren’t able to press high and sit along the back line. But last night, Smith and Weaver were able to find all sorts of space between the Dash’s defense, and exploited it well, combining for six shots.

One moment that exemplified the ever-strengthening Thorns mentality was a shot by Sophia Smith in the first half. She was played a ball in from Meghan Klingenberg and after taking one touch to settle it, sent it rocketing towards the goal. She missed, but the important element of the shot was Smith having the confidence to take it early. So many times over the course of the season we have watched Smith dribble towards the goal, only to end up passing it straight to the keeper, and it’s much better for her to test the keeper with a harder, earlier shot than not. 

Strong midfield diamond

The Thorns have clearly found their ideal starting midfield with Sinclair, Rocky Rodríguez, Angela Salem, and Lindsey Horan (it’s wild that they still have Dunn on the bench to bring on). The passing chart below shows how important it is that the midfield keep their shape in order to dictate play throughout the center of the field. The heavier lines extending from Rocky and Horan’s bubbles indicate the volume of passes that each player gave and received, showing how they maintained possession, continuously feeding balls forward toward the pressing forwards.

Mark Parsons said post-game, “we knew we needed to control everything we can to put it in our favor,” which manifested in the form of the midfield being first to what felt like every ball. They dominated the center of the pitch, intercepting Houston passes and serving as the catalyst for counterattacks, many of which nearly paid off. 

Credit: Arielle Dror

When looking back at the season holistically, the Thorns struggled to reintegrate their international players after the Olympic break, largely due to the bulk of them being in the midfield. Finally having a consistent lineup over the past few months has let the Thorns implement the tactics they have been working on, allowing them to improve each game.

Brick-wall Bixby

Bella Bixby and the Thorns defense earned their 12th clean sheet of the season, and Bixby’s eighth. While a lot of the glory goes to the forwards and midfield for scoring, the defense has been quietly and consistently dictating games all season. Outside backs Kling and Natalia Kuikka had the most touches out of both teams on Sunday, and center backs Becky Sauerbrunn and Emily Menges contributed to the 48 duels won.

A quote from Bixby sums up the defense’s mentality quite nicely: “despite having big outcome-based goals, we have been extremely process-based, and [are] really just taking it one game at a time.” Bixby, who became the Thorns’ starting keeper after AD Franch went to Kansas City, has excelled at the position. She exudes confidence when directing her back line and stays focused until the final minutes, which yesterday was when the majority of the Dash’s crosses and shots came in. Plus, watching her palm the ball on saves is just epic. 

With one more regular-season game to go before postseason, the Thorns are in a good place to continue growing and proving that their elite mentality is what sets them apart.

As Horan said after the game, the Thorns set out to win everything this season—and now the elusive quadruple is within reach.

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Soccer Thorns

Do the Thorns Have a Scoring Problem?

Photo by Lucas Muller
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Soccer Thorns

Four Takeaways from Portland’s Quarterfinal Victory over North Carolina

Photo by Lucas Muller.

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.

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.

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?

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Soccer Thorns

Four Takeaways from Portland 0, Chicago 0

Photo by Rob Gray/ISI Photos.

In its second game in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, the Portland Thorns played the Chicago Red Stars to a 0-0 draw.

With both teams playing last Saturday, lineup rotation was no surprise. Only four of the players who started for the Thorns against North Carolina did so again today, while Chicago showcased a completely different starting XI.

1. Chaos is the name of the game

We saw it in yesterday’s 3-3 draw between the Utah Royals and Houston Dash: chaos is fun. Today’s match was less back-and-forth on the scoreboard—and, admittedly, a little less fun because of it—but scrappy play and all-out attacking soccer set a somewhat similar tone throughout the game.

From a very physical midfield battle with few fouls actually called to Autumn Smithers making her NWSL debut at centerback to Morgan Weaver running full-steam at Chicago’s backline, this morning’s match stood in stark contrast with last night’s build-out-of-the-back game between Sky Blue FC and OL Reign.

2. Lots of chances, finishing needs work

The Thorns got a decent number of looks on goal in the opening 20 minutes of the match, especially finding success through Weaver and Simone Charley’s wide runs. Both of Portland’s forwards found a handful of crosses in the first half, trying to find the central run of Lindsey Horan or try their own luck on frame.

Weaver had success putting Chicago’s defense under pressure with her speed, cutting inside, and beating the Red Stars backline to get on the end of through-balls, while Charley was tasked with dropping back more and beating players on the dribble.

Unfortunately, too many of Portland’s chances were directed high or straight at Chicago’s keepers, never really testing Emily Boyd or Cassie Miller.

Making runs out of midfield, Celeste Boureille looked sharper than she has in a while, threading balls ahead to Weaver and earning her own looks on goal. If she had been slightly quicker in taking those shots, that’s yet another potential scoring opportunity for Portland.

3. Christen Westphal is (almost) a solid utility defender

Earning her first start for the Thorns alongside Smithers—a player making her professional debut—and in front of a goalkeeper playing in her second ever NWSL game, Christen Westphal had a lot of defensive responsibility in this match. With two of Portland’s veteran defenders, Becky Sauerbrunn and Katherine Reynolds, sitting out the game with injuries, this game became Westphal’s chance to prove herself as a reliable depth piece.

And, for the most part, she did just that: anchoring the Thorns defensive line, finding a handful of blocks against a similarly-untested Chicago attack, and carrying that performance outside when Emily Menges came in at halftime.

However, as a team that likes to push high with wingbacks, or play out of the center with the distribution of Reynolds (or now-departed Emily Sonnett or Elizabeth Ball), Westphal’s performance left gaps to be desired. Often, she’d get on the end of balls and simply play it out rather than working her way up the field, or she’d push high to win a ball but miss the header.

Granted, Chicago wasn’t giving Portland all that much time with the ball at their feet, and granted, she’s coming off two injury-ridden seasons, but that’s something Parsons will want to see more of as Westphal earns more time in the future.

4. At some point, we’re going to have to play more than 20 minutes without Lindsey Horan

It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that Horan was everywhere in her time on the field. Whether she was making the run to be Portland’s target in the box or dropping back to help out Madison Pogarch or combining with Celeste Boureille in midfield, her presence was clearly felt across the pitch. And yeah, the Thorns didn’t get as much out of her as they would have liked last year, but otherwise that’s been her role throughout her time with the club.

However, we all saw how battered her shin looked after coming off for Raquel Rodríguez in the 69th minute, and at some point or other in this tournament, the Thorns are going to have to play significant time without her and without Christine Sinclair in the No. 10. Rodríguez can fill one of those roles, but not both—she may be good, but she’s only one person. Boureille showed promise stepping in at the No. 8 today, but she’s still a clear step below The Great Horan. With only three days off between this game and the next, we’ll see what Parsons pulls together.

Categories
Soccer Thorns

Four Takeaways from Portland 1, North Carolina 2

Portland Thorns team in Black Lives Matter warmups. Rob Gray / ISI Photos

The NWSL Challenge Cup has begun, marking the return of live professional sports to the United States.

In a reminder of just how much has been going on in the world outside the NWSL bubble, all the starting players wore Black Lives Matter warm-up shirts and Black Lives Matter armbands throughout the game, and took a knee for the national anthem. Which was played by a saxophonist in a suit, with slicked-back hair, who could not resist getting in some delicious licks at the end of a very smooth rendition of the Star-Spangled banner.

This strange image just about summed up the odd sensations of watching live sports again: the seriousness of the threats against life around the globe—Black life in particular—weighs on us all. We stand in solidarity.

The Thorns played better than expected for a young squad who saw significant departures in the off-season, and it was only a late defensive lapse that cost the Thorns a point in stoppage time. Leaving Lynn Williams unmarked is a very familiar way to lose against North Carolina, but the competitiveness showed by a young team in what was effectively a preseason game was admirable. Simone Charley notched her first goal for the team off a Lindsey Horan header for the only Thorns goal in a 2-1 opening day loss.

1. Raquel Rodríguez is the real deal

The Thorns swapping an iconic defender in Emily Sonnett for the player taken after her in the 2016 College Draft was a huge moment in the off-season. Rodríguez (affectionately called “Rocky”) has been a solid NWSL contributor for years, but did a midfield already stacked with talent really need another attacking player?

Yes, it turns out. Rodríguez was a killer addition in midfield, keeping the team ticking over well, holding the ball up and waiting for support, and even putting in some impressive defensive play. Getting overrun by North Carolina’s four midfielders has been an issue for the Thorns in the past, and Rodríguez’s competitive energy and strength were much-needed additions. It looks like this pairing with Lindsey Horan might work out after all.

2. Bella Bixby is ready for the spotlight

She got thrown directly into the fire against the team that shoots more than any other team in the league, but Milwaukie, Oregon’s own Bella Bixby had an impressive NWSL debut. She got tempted off her line unadvisedly for the Courage’s first goal, but otherwise showed well in her first competitive minutes, getting called upon regularly to defend her near post, nabbing everything she could in the air and holding some real rockets from distance.

AD Franch being a late scratch for the whole tournament was bad news for the team. But this is such a weird tournament, one where the Thorns get to try out stuff they normally wouldn’t. Giving Bixby a chance after two years with the club feels right, and she didn’t disappoint. It’s hard to feel like the future isn’t secure.

3. Parsons has some clever squad management plans

Seeing Tyler Lussi and the newly-signed Marissa Everett in the starting lineup threw a few people for a loop. While both players who have made an impact in their minutes for the club, they seem like they would be further down the depth chart than others. After halftime though, it quickly became clear what the plan was: Morgan Weaver and Simone Charley were double-subbed on for the starting forwards and immediately went to work, with Charley scoring and both looking dangerous the remainder of the game.

Charley has been minutes-limited in her time with the club, even in normal NWSL play. She’s clearly a sprinter who leaves it all on the field, and up against tired defenses, this could be a real game changer. Weaver is still getting used to professional fitness. Especially in the opening stages of this tournament, both can be maximized by holding them in reserve from the start. And with five substitutions now allowed per game, why not? It’s a pretty different approach to soccer than most people think of (where your best players must always start) but it’s worth a shot, and it will be interesting to see if it stays the same through the knockout rounds.

4. Aggressive defense works, except when it doesn’t

The Thorns defense has many qualities. They are not as fast as the North Carolina Courage’s attackers. Therefore, they should sit back as deep as they can, right?

Wrong. Becky Sauerbrunn, playing in her first game in Thorns colors, played her markers incredibly aggressively, coming well upfield to head away from Lynn Williams. Kelli Hubly, starting her first game in a while, looked excellent going to ground to win balls near the edge of North Carolina’s penalty box to unsettle them and prevent them from having an easy time building out of the back. It’s hard to say it didn’t work.

And yet, at the same time, the winning goal was conceded because Sauerbrunn was caught upfield trying to cut out a pass, which left two Courage players unmarked at the back post, when most would probably say that the team should have been trying to protect a point.

There’s no doubting that the Thorns made a real impact on the Courage’s midfield buildup in this game, and it cut down on their shooting opportunities throughout. Looking a little foolish once or twice on the break is normally a trade-off that the team will take. Some one has to step up and be the hero in that kind of situation, and looking at Bixby’s face after she conceded, she clearly felt like it should have been her. Those kinds of decisions will get more automatic for her in the future, but she shouldn’t feel too bad about it: the team made a calculated gamble—one that meant that they would sometimes end up in those situations.