INSTANT REACTION | Portland Thorns at San Diego Wave
The Portland Thorns haven't won a regular season match since July 5, can they finally break the drought?
With Rob Gale still unavailable (illness), Sarah Lowdon would once again be the lead coach on the sidelines. We wish Rob all the best with his recovery.
Before the match started, Kailen Sheridan and the San Diego Wave gifted Christine Sinclair a unique gift: a surfboard. It was a classy move by their organization.
There was very little surprise where the Thorns rolled out the same starting XI and three back formation.
One addition was the return of Payton Linnehan to the gameday roster.
Unfortunately for Portland, Hina Sugita (face), Soph Smith (ankle), and Reilyn Turner (knee) were all out. Sugita and Smith returned to Portland for treatment. They are 5-7-4 all time without the 2022 NWSL MVP & 2023 Golden Boot.
The Thorns also have a CONCACAF Champions Cup match on Tuesday.
First Half
This was a half that was quite dull. Portland looked very timid with the ball. The majority of their possession was looking back and playing the ball that direction as well. The lack of ball movement, creativity, and attack was clear. With a lack of pace, it resulted in a very narrow pitch for them — this allowed San Diego very little defensive work to do. They did not threaten Kailen Sheridan or Naomi Girma in the slightest. Outside of a few long-range efforts from Olivia Moultrie, it was a half you could easily forget. Mackenzie “Macca” Arnold had a few shaky moments in the first half, but did not concede. All credit to Becky Sauerbrunn who’s box defending saved the visitors on many sequences.
On the other hand, San Diego Wave controlled the half (60% possession) and created havoc in the box on several occasions. When they were able to escape the initial line of pressure from Portland, San Diego had several chances in the Portland box. The Wave took advantage of the lack of pace of the Thorns in midfield repeatedly. However, to their detriment, they did not register a single shot on goal.
Second Half
The script from the first half did not change much. Both teams stuck to their strengths. With San Diego struggling to stop set pieces (three of their last six goals conceded were off corners), Portland tried to take advantage several times through Becky Sauerbrunn — she just couldn’t steer it on target. The Wave continued to be the better side at ball progression and continued to pepper Portland’s box with crosses.
The lack of a counterattack from Portland Thorns made San Diego’s job a lot easier. They played very methodical, but slow with their possession. The decision not to make any subs earlier was a tad surprising.
In the 69th minute, the deadlock was finally broken. María Sánchez delivered a set piece delivery into the box. Arnold came off her line but could not get there in time, and the ensuing header by Mya Jones gave the home side the 1-0 lead. Macca looked uncomfortable most of the game and it paid off for San Diego.
It took 70 minutes, but Portland Thorns finally made a sub and brought in Payton Linnehan for the first time in ages.
In the 73rd minute, Melanie Barcenas put a nice move on Reyna Reyes to gain a slither of space and fire a shot off Isa Obaze into the back of the net to double the lead. That would be the final score of 0-2.
Izzy D’Aquila, Nicole Payne, and Alexa Spaanstra would all make come on late in the match to try to insert some life into the game. Although they were able to achieve some looks in front of goal, San Diego Wave were simply dominant on both sides of the ball.
This performance is one that highlights all of the struggles they’ve faced all season: box defending, sloppy play/turnovers, and slow attack. They continue to make the same mistakes.
The Portland Thorns have not won a match since July 5 and only have a single point since play resumed after the Olympics. This team has lost all confidence and the players have not been put in a position to succeed. Even if they manage to hold on to a playoff spot, this season is probably a lost cause.
If your panic button wasn’t being mashed before, it should surely be now.
Melina Gaspar and I will be collaborating on a piece, be on the lookout for that in the next week or two.
At this point, I kinda hope we fall below the red line. It'll give us a head start on hopefully a very very busy offseason. There is no chance in hell this team wins 3 in a row against the top teams, so we may as well get started firin' and hirin'...
Thorns need to stop trying to develop organizational talent from within. It rarely works out. That's what minor leagues are for. This is big league NWSL and if you don't have polished and proven talent managing the club you're going to get left behind.... and we have. Over the years it seems like the club went from having a few bad people who were pretty good at their jobs to having a few good people who are pretty bad at their jobs. It's time to get good people who are good at their jobs. Change needs to happen sooner than later too. Once reputation sets in fixing things becomes even more difficult.