When I went to watch minor league baseball as a kid (let’s go Ems) they used to play this very corny song before the games which, for some reason, came to me vividly today as I waited for the Thorns to kick off. I think I had the thought, “wow, what a beautiful day for soccer,” and it took hold from there.
It was, honestly, perfect. It was the ideal temperature, the sun was shining off the turf, Prince was blaring from the speakers. I think the ball game song also captures the kind of borderline-unstable giddiness that results from going to do one relatively normal thing after six months of not doing anything normal. The singers sound faintly like someone is physically forcing them to enjoy things as much as they are, but believe me when I say the fun feels just as good regardless of whether it’s being forced upon you. First takeaway: soccer games are really great and I can’t wait for you guys to get to go to them again. Some of my other takeaways are below.
1. Say her name
The Thorns made a powerful statement as they filed onto the field before the game, which I assume they’d been planning for what was supposed to be a nationally televised game against the Reign last weekend:
Breonna Taylor. Say her name.#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/cJmr9OPyZw
— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) September 20, 2020
“[159] days ago, Breonna Taylor, a Black woman, was fatally shot by police officers of the Louisville Metro Police Department. There has not been an arrest of her killers.”
The three Black players on the Thorns roster wore shirts reading “I am Breonna Taylor,” and the last two players onto the field wore the words “please vote.” The display echoed statements by WNBA players.
2. Really good day for the Thorns, really bad day for the Royals
Two Thursdays ago when the Thorns held what was supposed to be their pre-OL Reign press conference, Emily Menges mentioned that one positive of the Fall Series is that the team gets to address some of the issues they had during the Challenge Cup right away. One of those issues was goal scoring. In Utah, the Thorns had just three goals in six games—the same number they scored in 90 minutes today. After today’s win, Mark Parsons noted that this swing isn’t quite as extreme as it looks on the surface: in Utah, the offense was better than that number made it look, and today, the attack improved, but not as drastically as you’d think from the scoreline.
For the most part, a lot of what worked well at the Challenge Cup worked well today, too. Except for a couple moments in the second half where they almost got caught in transition, the defense stayed organized. The basic concept of the midfield diamond is still a good fit for the available players. But Utah, spending much of the game defending low, was mostly able to limit Portland through the middle of the field, forcing them to play wide through Meghan Klingenberg (who was excellent), with Lindsey Horan and Christine Sinclair often popping up in wide areas, too. They didn’t often succeed in attacking centrally.
This is fine if it works, which it did today. It has to be said, though, that this is a tough time for the Royals. We learned on the broadcast today that head coach Craig Harrington had been placed on “a leave of absence” after the ongoing investigation in the wake of Dell Loy Hansen’s departure from the club turned up evidence he had made inappropriate comments to staff members. Amy LePeilbet has been serving as interim coach. Dealing with that, on top of the existing fallout around a reportedly racist, sexist team culture, has to have affected this team, and I’m not convinced this Thorns offense would pull the same thing off against a more organized opponent.
3. Simone!
When I talk about being subjected to fun, this is what I mean:
.@SimoneCharley, a mood 😤
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 20, 2020
1-0 | #PORvUTA
Tune in now on @Twitch.#NWSLFallSeries | #VerizonCommunityShield pic.twitter.com/J8q0f26q6C
Hook this straight into my fucking veins. This is what I need to survive the winter.
On a more serious note: first, let’s just appreciate how much Simone Charley has grown in the last three years. She’s always had the guts and the desire to dribble, but she’s finally at the point where she can do this in a game and get away with it. As Parsons pointed out postgame, that’s all down to two seasons of relentless hard work, one of them unpaid.
Second, let’s step back and think about what this means for the team. The mythical goalscoring forward has long been prophesied for the Thorns, but never quite seems to materialize. Caitlin Foord and Ana Crnogorčević both disappointed in that sense. In Charley, they now have a player who’s just as hard-working as her predecessors but also capable of taking defenders on the dribble, both to open up space and take shots herself. Crucially, she also has a nose for goal. She’s still building consistency, but she just keeps getting better.
4. Sophia!
Speaking of goalscoring forwards: Sophia Smith!
It took six months longer than it should have, but the rookie finally made her professional debut, and she lived up to the hype. She scored just three minutes after subbing in for Charley, a gorgeous header off a recycled corner kick.
Everything I just said about Charley applies to Smith too, except at age 20 she’s already a polished professional-level player with a gorgeous touch and exceptional vision and decision-making. Smith could turn out to be the best Thorns acquisition since Lindsey Horan. Get excited.
