Great person, great player, great Thorn. Probably doesn't get enough credit for her technical ability in small spaces because of how strong she was physically, but she'd have stretches where she'd absolutely take over games in the midfield. The Reign game near the end of last season stands out in particular, especially for the ass-kicking she gave Fishlock including the below-mentioned shoulder check.
(Also worth mentioning that though Dunn's game-winner against SD (deservedly) gets all the headlines, Rocky's was both a better goal and came at a really important part of the game where the Thorns were struggling after Kornieck's opener)
Rocky, well first your the smile, it could melt last weeks ice. You just seemed to be the most honest and genuinely nice person. As a player you are one of the toughest that have played here. Amber Brooks, McCall Zerboni and Horan all come to mind, but with Natu and Rocky, the Thorns had two of the toughest players around. Echo te menos mucho Rocky!
Rocky digs and scraps for the ball and swats away those with the nerve to try and dispossess her. Also a great creator and legit scoring threat. The '22 golazo? Go ahead, you know you want to, I'll wait.
Rocky was one of my favorite Thorns ever, and I'll never forget when she put Jess Fishlock on her ass last year. May she continue to do so at AC as well!
My partner and I voted you our favorite Thorn, then a day later they broke our hearts and traded you. We will miss your brave presence on the field and emotional post game interviews. We hope that your journey to So Cal is a good one. You are the best on field and off.
Rocky is a terrific two-way player, and we're going to really miss her in that. She gave our midfield some bite, winning balls, protecting the back line, and advancing our attack in a lot of different ways. She used her body to keep the ball in a way no other Thorn has, or maybe even anybody in WoSo.
Before and after games she was the naturally cheeriest person on the field, becoming a favorite of probably every other fan around, myself included. She was just terrific to see and hear from.
And I'll never ever forget her golazo in the 2022 semifinal to even the score and ultimately help the team beat their toughest playoff opponent that year. Wonderful!
Her usage was one of the major reasons I had a problem with Norris. Sinclair and Dunn should have never seen the field together. That said, I will always remember the good times and her disposition.
In addition to her stellar performance on the field, Rocky is a wonderful person off the field as well. She was always conscious of being a model for young girls while working to improve their opportunities. Portland will miss her community work as well as her play.
She was also a super important piece in terms of the culture. I do think the turnover made keeping Kling, Sinc, and Becky important as new leaders step up. I think they are there and the young core will step up, but Rocky seemed really well liked for a reason
For whatever reason, we just never seemed to have the right circumstances to let Rocky show why she was the #2 pick in the 2016 Draft (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_NWSL_College_Draft, which includes some other former Thorns) and won the NWSL Rookie of the Year. Likewise, why we traded Midge Purce and a 2021 1st rounder (which wound up being included in the deal that let Washington draft Trinity Rodman) for her, and why Parsons sought her because she was such a load that Amandine Henry -- then arguably the world's best 6 -- struggled to handle her.
Yeah, my wife and I came to the same assessment. She was dominant on Sky Blue and still really good on the Thorns, but just not at that super elite level (often likely due to coaching deficiencies). I noticed this on her Wiki page: "In the 2017 season, Rodríguez scored the fastest goal in NWSL history, netting 24 seconds from kick-off against Portland Thorns FC." haha
But she was a rock, so her name is apropos. Loved how nice and smiling she was all the time but on the pitch was all business, and pretty rough business at that. Love her.
The day they fixed the draft to get big market teams picks up front by penalizing Orlando for lack of controls before the event and the not including the knockout round in the points assessment. Can’t complain, because we don’t get Coffey in round 2 without that decision
Sam is such a damn delight- Incredible perspective on everything. The fact that she speaks so glowingly about the Bhathals makes me feel pretty good about what their intent is and where the club is headed.
(Also, I've said this before....but in the event we do end up losing Soph, having confidence that someone like Sam will be here for the foreseeable future is really reassuring!)
Yeah, I agree to an extent what SactoRick said, "There are no rebuilding years--in it to win it all" with the caveat that you need players like Soph and Sam to build around. Like you say, I'm glad we'll still have Sam should Soph leave. Pretty important position, too.
I was so angry at Norris (the list is LONG!) for how little he used you, Rocky. You deserve SOOOOO much better and I hope you kick some serious ass in your next adventure!! You are so much fun to watch AND a great person as well. ROCK ON!
Lots of reasons to be angry at Norris starting with the fact that he didn’t give Rocky most of Sinclair’s minutes. She should be playing in the back 15 when players are gassed
Barcelona’s Asisat Oshoala is rumored to be heading to the NWSL for 150K transfer fee…
Is this the first Spirit/Barca connection to drop? Bay FC also has been teasing more “big” transfers and they need a 9. Based on how the coach has said they wanted to play I wouldn’t be surprised to see them target a Barca player who doesn’t get a ton of time…
Btw, I just looked and Oshoala follows KK on Instagram…don’t think a player of her caliber would come here to sit on another bench though.
150K is NOTHING for Oshoala- She's really freakin good. That would be an excellent pickup for the Thorns, though she surely wouldn't come here to sit on the bench. I'd bet either Washington because of the Barca connection, Orlando to replace Bright, Bay FC cause they need a striker, or Chicago because I think they have some big swings coming and they need everything.
With all the news about Ada Hegerberg (Lyon) being linked to Barca, I’m not surprised….but also I can’t help but think Kang is somehow pullin’ some shit to get a new forward in at Lyon to take Ada’s place lol…my guess would be a player who causes headaches for either of her two teams because she seems the type to buy her competition’s players. Hope they keep Horan far away from Sophia’s ear…wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to target Soph if Ada is out…
Horan moving had as much to do with her future husband being in Europe. I love Europe, but if my significant other had a job where they couldn’t do it in Europe … it would likely being a consideration. The Thorns need to make sure they give her every reason to stay
Yeah I remain much more paranoid about Soph leaving and staying in league than going to Europe, partially because of where her BF is and what his career is. If she wants to go to Europe, I'll be bummed but more power to her. If she's in LA, NY Chicago, or DC next year I'll have a straight up meltdown.
Yeah I do think you’re right, but I could see a “right place right time” move to Lyon with a little nudge from Horan to entice her to do it for a year or two…I also don’t trust Kang lol. Chelsea has been loading up with high dollar strikers and they’ll have a club shakeup with a new coach so I don’t see that nearly as much as I did 6 months ago…
With her partner in Az, I don’t think it would be anyplace but SD or LA, or even Bay FC, but I’ve worried about that as well, for sure. Certainly doesn’t help that one of her closest friends on the team just got traded to LA and she’s already posting beautiful beach pictures on Instagram and what not lmao…
In any other pro sports league, a team would get a gauge on whether she had interest in staying or had her foot out the door and trade her midseason instead of losing her for nothing IF she expressed a desire to leave. The Thorns would never do that regardless, but I am worried about this dragging into free agency....and nothing good will happen once we get there. Restricted free agency is theoretically an advantage, but I really don't think they'd use that mechanism to keep her. It's just not the direction the NWSL is going, for better and worse.
My initial concern with the Bhathals (based on absolutely nothing) was that they maybe didn't care quite as much about the ~winning~ side of things....or at least weren't going to have the necessary competitiveness to keep up with Kang, or understand the immediate importance of keeping an asset like Smith. Between the Fleming deal, some of Lisa's comments, and Sam's recent comments, that's becoming much less of a concern for me.
So...I'm pretty much 50-50 stay/leave right now. As a fan, I just don't want to play against her, root against her, or see other NWSL fans get to root for her. I'm absolutely that petty. If she has to go to Europe, so be it.
Yeah seems like some movement and injuries for big names in the 9 position in Europe. They really gotta throw everything at her to stay beyond this year.
I respect Horan and even her opinion, but she left Europe (PSG) for the NWSL before going back
I get the rationalization they use about the glorified practices they call 90% of their games, but if her future husband is employed in the US … do you think she stays in Europe?
Please don’t make me buy a crappy design. I used to buy multiple jerseys a year, but stopped because the jersey designs were bad and I didn’t want to support Paulson.
IMO, nothing still holds a candle to our COVID year blacks. A green and red variation of that jersey would have been better. The plaid warmup jerseys are also great
Yikes... If that's actually the second jersey, I don't think they are going to be selling a lot of them. There's not even really room for loving or hating them or even having a debate. They are a plain jersey with zero character. I don't even think it would appeal to the crowd that thinks jerseys should be "clean."
Ran across this B-roll video compilation of the '22 finals. Fun alternative look at the match. Doesn't adequately show Sophia sending Elizabeth Ball to defender hall of shame but lots of fun tidbits.
In this league, for sure. Parsons said it right -- it's an NWSL thing and an American soccer thing. You have to approach all of it as winnable and up-for-grabs, step by step by step.
The semi-final one is even better if you haven't seen it yet.
And yes, I mostly agree about the rebuilding thing. Teams should always be trying to win, especially in the NWSL where pretty much anyone can win the title year to year. Having said that, it's also important to distinguish between "rebuilding" (which the Thorns are not) and "transitioning" (which they very much are, both from a roster and management perspective). Understanding that a changing roster and changing management can have a major impact on-field helps establish relative expectations, at least for me.
Great person, great player, great Thorn. Probably doesn't get enough credit for her technical ability in small spaces because of how strong she was physically, but she'd have stretches where she'd absolutely take over games in the midfield. The Reign game near the end of last season stands out in particular, especially for the ass-kicking she gave Fishlock including the below-mentioned shoulder check.
(Also worth mentioning that though Dunn's game-winner against SD (deservedly) gets all the headlines, Rocky's was both a better goal and came at a really important part of the game where the Thorns were struggling after Kornieck's opener)
Rocky, well first your the smile, it could melt last weeks ice. You just seemed to be the most honest and genuinely nice person. As a player you are one of the toughest that have played here. Amber Brooks, McCall Zerboni and Horan all come to mind, but with Natu and Rocky, the Thorns had two of the toughest players around. Echo te menos mucho Rocky!
Agree with all the above.
Rocky digs and scraps for the ball and swats away those with the nerve to try and dispossess her. Also a great creator and legit scoring threat. The '22 golazo? Go ahead, you know you want to, I'll wait.
https://youtu.be/1WI4Dggk5EQ?feature=shared
Doesn't get better than that, but just one of many great memories.
Vaya con Dios Rocky and best of luck to you, except...you know.
Goose bumps every time! And that control by Hina is other-worldly.
Yeah every time I watch that goal I think about how it wouldn't have been possible without Sugita's magic touch and then cross.
That one was special!
Rocky was one of my favorite Thorns ever, and I'll never forget when she put Jess Fishlock on her ass last year. May she continue to do so at AC as well!
My partner and I voted you our favorite Thorn, then a day later they broke our hearts and traded you. We will miss your brave presence on the field and emotional post game interviews. We hope that your journey to So Cal is a good one. You are the best on field and off.
Rocky is a terrific two-way player, and we're going to really miss her in that. She gave our midfield some bite, winning balls, protecting the back line, and advancing our attack in a lot of different ways. She used her body to keep the ball in a way no other Thorn has, or maybe even anybody in WoSo.
Before and after games she was the naturally cheeriest person on the field, becoming a favorite of probably every other fan around, myself included. She was just terrific to see and hear from.
And I'll never ever forget her golazo in the 2022 semifinal to even the score and ultimately help the team beat their toughest playoff opponent that year. Wonderful!
Her usage was one of the major reasons I had a problem with Norris. Sinclair and Dunn should have never seen the field together. That said, I will always remember the good times and her disposition.
In addition to her stellar performance on the field, Rocky is a wonderful person off the field as well. She was always conscious of being a model for young girls while working to improve their opportunities. Portland will miss her community work as well as her play.
She was also a super important piece in terms of the culture. I do think the turnover made keeping Kling, Sinc, and Becky important as new leaders step up. I think they are there and the young core will step up, but Rocky seemed really well liked for a reason
For whatever reason, we just never seemed to have the right circumstances to let Rocky show why she was the #2 pick in the 2016 Draft (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_NWSL_College_Draft, which includes some other former Thorns) and won the NWSL Rookie of the Year. Likewise, why we traded Midge Purce and a 2021 1st rounder (which wound up being included in the deal that let Washington draft Trinity Rodman) for her, and why Parsons sought her because she was such a load that Amandine Henry -- then arguably the world's best 6 -- struggled to handle her.
Yeah, my wife and I came to the same assessment. She was dominant on Sky Blue and still really good on the Thorns, but just not at that super elite level (often likely due to coaching deficiencies). I noticed this on her Wiki page: "In the 2017 season, Rodríguez scored the fastest goal in NWSL history, netting 24 seconds from kick-off against Portland Thorns FC." haha
But she was a rock, so her name is apropos. Loved how nice and smiling she was all the time but on the pitch was all business, and pretty rough business at that. Love her.
The day they fixed the draft to get big market teams picks up front by penalizing Orlando for lack of controls before the event and the not including the knockout round in the points assessment. Can’t complain, because we don’t get Coffey in round 2 without that decision
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d11n45Tgb2o
Sam is such a damn delight- Incredible perspective on everything. The fact that she speaks so glowingly about the Bhathals makes me feel pretty good about what their intent is and where the club is headed.
(Also, I've said this before....but in the event we do end up losing Soph, having confidence that someone like Sam will be here for the foreseeable future is really reassuring!)
Yeah, I agree to an extent what SactoRick said, "There are no rebuilding years--in it to win it all" with the caveat that you need players like Soph and Sam to build around. Like you say, I'm glad we'll still have Sam should Soph leave. Pretty important position, too.
I prefer to think about how nice it will be to have both when the ownership group convinced Sophia to stay home
Agree - just mentally preparing myself.
I was so angry at Norris (the list is LONG!) for how little he used you, Rocky. You deserve SOOOOO much better and I hope you kick some serious ass in your next adventure!! You are so much fun to watch AND a great person as well. ROCK ON!
You will be missed, Rocky! I love watching you play, especially the way you handle the ball. Your heart and enthusiasm are infectious. Best of luck!
Lots of reasons to be angry at Norris starting with the fact that he didn’t give Rocky most of Sinclair’s minutes. She should be playing in the back 15 when players are gassed
Barcelona’s Asisat Oshoala is rumored to be heading to the NWSL for 150K transfer fee…
Is this the first Spirit/Barca connection to drop? Bay FC also has been teasing more “big” transfers and they need a 9. Based on how the coach has said they wanted to play I wouldn’t be surprised to see them target a Barca player who doesn’t get a ton of time…
Btw, I just looked and Oshoala follows KK on Instagram…don’t think a player of her caliber would come here to sit on another bench though.
Not for a $150K transfer fee.
150K is NOTHING for Oshoala- She's really freakin good. That would be an excellent pickup for the Thorns, though she surely wouldn't come here to sit on the bench. I'd bet either Washington because of the Barca connection, Orlando to replace Bright, Bay FC cause they need a striker, or Chicago because I think they have some big swings coming and they need everything.
I'm just shocked she can be had for only $150K.
Yeah I think her contract is expiring after this season, so that reduces the price. She also hasn't been getting much time, so she probably asked out.
With all the news about Ada Hegerberg (Lyon) being linked to Barca, I’m not surprised….but also I can’t help but think Kang is somehow pullin’ some shit to get a new forward in at Lyon to take Ada’s place lol…my guess would be a player who causes headaches for either of her two teams because she seems the type to buy her competition’s players. Hope they keep Horan far away from Sophia’s ear…wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to target Soph if Ada is out…
Horan moving had as much to do with her future husband being in Europe. I love Europe, but if my significant other had a job where they couldn’t do it in Europe … it would likely being a consideration. The Thorns need to make sure they give her every reason to stay
Thank god NFL Europe is dead.
Yeah I remain much more paranoid about Soph leaving and staying in league than going to Europe, partially because of where her BF is and what his career is. If she wants to go to Europe, I'll be bummed but more power to her. If she's in LA, NY Chicago, or DC next year I'll have a straight up meltdown.
Yeah I do think you’re right, but I could see a “right place right time” move to Lyon with a little nudge from Horan to entice her to do it for a year or two…I also don’t trust Kang lol. Chelsea has been loading up with high dollar strikers and they’ll have a club shakeup with a new coach so I don’t see that nearly as much as I did 6 months ago…
With her partner in Az, I don’t think it would be anyplace but SD or LA, or even Bay FC, but I’ve worried about that as well, for sure. Certainly doesn’t help that one of her closest friends on the team just got traded to LA and she’s already posting beautiful beach pictures on Instagram and what not lmao…
In any other pro sports league, a team would get a gauge on whether she had interest in staying or had her foot out the door and trade her midseason instead of losing her for nothing IF she expressed a desire to leave. The Thorns would never do that regardless, but I am worried about this dragging into free agency....and nothing good will happen once we get there. Restricted free agency is theoretically an advantage, but I really don't think they'd use that mechanism to keep her. It's just not the direction the NWSL is going, for better and worse.
My initial concern with the Bhathals (based on absolutely nothing) was that they maybe didn't care quite as much about the ~winning~ side of things....or at least weren't going to have the necessary competitiveness to keep up with Kang, or understand the immediate importance of keeping an asset like Smith. Between the Fleming deal, some of Lisa's comments, and Sam's recent comments, that's becoming much less of a concern for me.
So...I'm pretty much 50-50 stay/leave right now. As a fan, I just don't want to play against her, root against her, or see other NWSL fans get to root for her. I'm absolutely that petty. If she has to go to Europe, so be it.
Yeah seems like some movement and injuries for big names in the 9 position in Europe. They really gotta throw everything at her to stay beyond this year.
I respect Horan and even her opinion, but she left Europe (PSG) for the NWSL before going back
I get the rationalization they use about the glorified practices they call 90% of their games, but if her future husband is employed in the US … do you think she stays in Europe?
Reddit has some EA FC 2024 jersey updates
https://www.reddit.com/r/NWSL/s/aKaGZv9I1q
Portland given a boring basic black away jersey, no home leak.
Washington Spirit airlines yellow
Orlando went orange and blue.
Angel City: Old kit looked like a smoggy sunset. New kit looks like wildfire blocking out smog.
Thorns: Super plain, and have incorporated gold for the lettering.
Orlando: Looks like a rash or dairy mold.
Gotham: Away kit boring, but home kit is NICE. Glad to see they ditched the tire tracks.
Spirit: Who shot Tweety Bird?
Spirit away color looks like an old man's 20YO white Hanes tee. #NotAGoodLook
#PitStains
Ooh, early choice for a Pittsburgh expansion squad name.
Kling obvious owner-coach.
I prefer FC Yinzers, but to each their own.
Please don’t make me buy a crappy design. I used to buy multiple jerseys a year, but stopped because the jersey designs were bad and I didn’t want to support Paulson.
IMO, nothing still holds a candle to our COVID year blacks. A green and red variation of that jersey would have been better. The plaid warmup jerseys are also great
Spirit's is godawful. Kang's weird fixation on making yellow the new Spirit color makes no sense to me
Yikes... If that's actually the second jersey, I don't think they are going to be selling a lot of them. There's not even really room for loving or hating them or even having a debate. They are a plain jersey with zero character. I don't even think it would appeal to the crowd that thinks jerseys should be "clean."
Ran across this B-roll video compilation of the '22 finals. Fun alternative look at the match. Doesn't adequately show Sophia sending Elizabeth Ball to defender hall of shame but lots of fun tidbits.
https://youtu.be/gGhKsvc5XAc?feature=shared
There are no rebuilding years--in it to win it all, rinse-and-repeat.
In this league, for sure. Parsons said it right -- it's an NWSL thing and an American soccer thing. You have to approach all of it as winnable and up-for-grabs, step by step by step.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCMwcnPDSjc&t=57s
The semi-final one is even better if you haven't seen it yet.
And yes, I mostly agree about the rebuilding thing. Teams should always be trying to win, especially in the NWSL where pretty much anyone can win the title year to year. Having said that, it's also important to distinguish between "rebuilding" (which the Thorns are not) and "transitioning" (which they very much are, both from a roster and management perspective). Understanding that a changing roster and changing management can have a major impact on-field helps establish relative expectations, at least for me.