1) This squad, with this coach, is - at best - mid-table dross unless there's some MAJOR changes in tactics, organization, discipline, and some individual players' form.
2) That's unlikely to change before the end of the season; the owners aren't going to fire the GM or the newly-anointed HC before then. Aiden is right - the past two matches SHOULD cost people their jobs! But to do that would be to admit that their running of the club to date has been seriously substandard and I'm seriously skeptical that the Bhathals will do that.
3) That's...pretty grim for many of those of us here. The casual fans will still come and enjoy a sunny evening. But the hardcores? Ugh. It's gonna be ugly.
4) So the REAL questions are going to come in the offseason. If there's no shakeup in the C-suites and in the technical box?
5) Then it begins to look really grim.
So. We're gonna ride this turkey to the (at best!) early playoff exit.
Here's a scary thought: the regular season proceeds just as we suspect it will ("mid-table dross," in your apt phrase). They crawl into a weak playoff spot and then...
They go nuts in the playoffs. Why? Because they've still got #9, surrounded by no small amount of talent.
And then somewhere in the depths of PP, it is decided that everything is just swell, and there's no reason for FO and coaching changes, at least until things are even worse a year from now, w/ Soph's future here on the line.
See: “Timbers 2015”, so that’s not impossible (except that this club has not done well in knockouts since 2022…)
But that could happen! And if so? That could paper over those issues - Parsons 2017 star helped enable the owner overlook some troubling things (mostly that Parsons was being increasingly owned by several other organizations) - and that would be a problem.
It will test the owners’ knowledge and dedication to seeing the bigger picture. Can and will they? We won’t know until the season plays out.
Game was terrible, fire everyone, etc. But the worst part is coming off of 3 weeks watching Alyssa Naeher to watching the Thorns' utter lack of quality GK.
Not to stan for Arnold, but…she was pretty badly exposed by her defenders. I’d ding her for;
1) poor positioning on Dahlkemper’s goal - she was slow and hesitant to track the cross. The actual header was probably unsaveable, tho.
2) another slow, soft move on the third; her dive was late and weak.
That said, she made a huge save in the second half going full stretch to palm away a gorgeous top/far-corner golazo. She’s good with the ball at her feet..
Is she “Sheridan in her prime”? No. She seems very like the squad as a whole; kind of average.
Watching the highlights/replay, what's worse is that on the first goal she noticeably slowed down and gave up on the cross when she saw Dahlkemper steaming in- looked like she wanted to avoid contact more than she wanted to get in front of the ball. Even if Dahlkemper had missed the header, the cross might have kissed the post and into the goal with Arnold just watching from a safe distance.
Am in the UK on vacation so couldn’t attend or watch the game, but the comments here all sound depressingly familiar to those for too many other games this year. Glad I missed this one.
You know it’s really bad when I’m daydreaming about Parsons or Stoney taking over…
Fully feel like either would have been a better choice, if we weren’t gonna shoot for something higher…Parsons could have at least assisted with player acquisition because he knows young talent well.
I have literally no f clue what kind of plan Gale is trying for. It’s just really really incoherent. I know our roster needs a good deal of work but holy shit Moultrie on the wing? Just like unforced bad decisions…is there an NWSL coach out there that hasn’t made Rob look like a chump yet? Didn’t think it was possible to regress further under Gale but literally none of the lines look like a pro team.
Yeah, I mean like I said...it's a shallow suggestion/half solution and doesn't really warrant much more thought than that. I don't think he's the saviour. But if they wanted an out from KK/Gale immediately and needed an interim? Sure, he's an easy fall-back guy that would probably be there for it. I know, I know...that's ALL we've had was interims, but I'd like a new GM to be conducting the HC search...
Honestly I'd much rather they hire Parsons as GM. He definitely has an eye for talent, in a way that KK lacks. I don't know if he'd take a GM job, but it would definitely help the team.
Oh yeah, I mean I agree 100%. I would actually welcome a Parsons GM hiring, and I think it would be smart for the club. I don't think he is interested in not coaching, though. At least, from what I remember hearing on some recent-ish podcast (last 6 months or so) was that he was still looking or coaching work. Maybe that would change? I dunno....he's pretty young.
I just think he would be valuable in any form, at this point, as he is like the only link to when this club was successful (at least on-field.) He was also in the room at the Spirit to hear Kang's plans and ambitions, and could maybe offer good insight from a club who has actually walked the walk.
He's recently talked about how it was all him to bring in Kerolin here...it just didn't work out because of her doping ban and then him leaving during covid. I imagine it was a combo of both him and GW...but he came from Chelsea's Academy, and he surely knows young talent much better than Gale (or probably KK as well.) He also talked about being interested in bringing in Sarr to the Thorns prior...and now she's really thriving at the Spirit after he brought her in. I'm not saying it was ALL Parsons, but according to him, some of the really good players in this league were noticed by him years ago...
Again, as I've said....I'm not looking for a him as a saviour coach. It's just an easy out if they wanna rip off the bandaid and get rid of Gale and KK soon. I'm absolutely not hyping him as some brilliant coach...on the contrary. But better than what we have? For now, if it means we can get rid of KK and Gale? Yes.
Lol yeah I don’t even mean long term…just to like, stop the bleeding. I don’t think he’s a great coach but I think he’d put together a more coherent XI with a better gameplan to get us through the year.
His recent stint w Washington makes me less confident of that…but agree that the run of form since his move up suggests that Ken is even less capable than Parsons even in emergency mode.
And when passer and receiver were on the same page, the passes were often so heavy they'd have rolled into the MAC if the stands hadn't been in the way.
Should fire both immediately and bring in Parsons to coach in the interim. He’s just loafin’ around unemployed and has been in and out of Portland the last 6 months…maybe the Riveters will let him crash on a couch in the Axe and Rose for a few months lol.
Or, fire KK now and do that search while the rest of the season plays out and then fire Gale as soon as that’s been hired for. How would the Bhathals even manage hiring for both, though? They have 0 knowledge of the sport. They counted on KK for the HC search obv.
The Bhathals do not care about the Thorns. They also don't care about the WNBA team that they are gonna get. They care about the Rose Quarter redevelopment deal. The Thorns are a toy that's kinda fun and brings in money but it's not something they actually care about.
While I can certainly sympathize w/ your bitterly earned cynicism, at least in principal, the Thorns also represent a 63 million dollar investment, which is no small thing, even to the stinking rich. If the Bhathals give the impression that they are indifferent to the fate of that investment, I suspect that would not play well with those who might decide whether or not to do business with them in the future, and particularly as things go around here, specifically in the vicinity of Drexler Drive and Winning Way.
People that are doing business with the Bhathals don't care if the Thorns win hardware. They care that they have boxes where they can wine and dine politicians so they can get preferential treatment. As long as the team doesn't *completely* implode (we know you can run an NWSL team with like 5,000 fans, so less than that), it will still print money and won't be looked at as a failed investment.
1. sports have proven you don't have to be great for your investment to grow. 2. Owning two sports teams and the desire to develop a large area with several facilities and associated commercial properties will give them extra leverage. 3. 65 million is chump change to a group with billions. worst case scenario it's a great tax writeoff for them. The game is heavily rigged in favor of the wealthy, can't use everyday economics with billionaires.
I still strongly suspect the City and Jody Allen would be very wary of doing business with the Bhathals if they are perceived to be indifferent to the state of the franchise. Ms. Allen is said to have rejected an offer from Phil Knight for the Blazers, so I suspect she likes to keep her options open, and that her rolodex is likely filled with moneyed interests who'd be happy to refurbish those properties, and she'd have a good deal of influence on the city's decision-making. Also, I doubt the league and their fellow NWSL owners would be at all happy with the terrible PR that would result from letting an club essential to the growth of club-level woso fall to pieces, since such a scenario would likely prove irresistible NWSL-in-trouble media fodder (it would be much easier to get away w/ that in Seattle or Boston, where attendance has traditionally been underwhelming).
do you think ms. allen cares much about the state of the blazers and how they finish? they are exactly what the thorns are right now mid table borderline playoff team. do you think she would judge the bhaatals harshly for a middling team. They live real estate. My guess is as long as they are good neighbors make pretty properties that increase the value of their investment she is good.
very much doubt the bhataals have any interest in the moda center. They would be most interested in the rest of the rosw quater owned by the city. If Bhaataals committed to making key improvements to the quater and build new facilities for wnba and thorns and commercial properties that will diversify the areas draw opposed to just the blazers being sole attraction the bhaatals win. dint think Vulcan has much to offer in this case.
Phil Knight is an eccentric weirdo, though... The Bhathals just have to keep a mid table team that makes money, be pleasant enough, and get a billion dollars for the Rose Quarter deal and ol' Jody will be more than willing to deal.
Good thing we play….Washington Spirit next weekend! Ooof. Best we can hope for is for Herschfelt and Rodman to get a yellow when they play this weekend so they miss the Thorns match.
Could be a real nasty one honestly. Betting on 3 L’s to start the second half of the season.
And honestly, at this point I feel like we need to crap the bed to get rid of both Gale and KK….and I really don’t hate that idea at this point. If we get enough points to hit playoffs and go out in the first round of the playoffs…they prob both stick around. I’m ready to say goodbye asap before things get worse and worse…curious what that will take. I’d rather just crash out at this point if it means we get rid of them both…the season is already lost.
Posted on this thread half an hour before kickoff: "OTOH hope this backline is more coordinated and onpoint than last week. BFC can’t defend a lick, but their attack could be trouble."
I looked at that backline and my first thought was "who's calling the shots back there? The brand-new-to-the-side 'keeper? The limited minutes newcomer? Or the veteran with the slow (and dubiously-accurate) speed-of-thought?"
And of course, my instinctive answer turned out to be correct: no one. No one was calling the shots, at least not until 'Brunn was subbed in, and it was too late by then.
Same! How do they not understand switching up your general (as in, benching her) will have major implications, especially when it's the new GK's first game! We've done this before, coach, c'mon!
But they only gave up 3 this time! That's a sign of improvement, is it not?! Some people see that glass as half full, and who cares if the glass contains a mixture of grain alcohol and horrendously potent hallucinogens?!
This made me think of a funny story, so here's a slight digression which I'll eventually tie back into our footy drama.
About 40 years ago, a Berkeley radio station held a contest where listeners submitted their ideas of what one might be served at Elvis Presley's breakfast table. The early entries hewed fairly close to his actual late-in-life diet: several boxes of instant potatoes and fifty fudgesicles. But the overall winner was something like pig's feet deep fried in gasoline and topped w/ sugar cubes, Dilaudid, and liquid paper.
Anyway, to veer back to our grim topic, I'd eat that if it helped me forget that match and much of this season, on and off the pitch.
Yeah man...y'all know I like to be generally patient and tilt optimistic, but that simply wasn't an acceptable performance. Looked a hell of a lot like the old Norris "send a bank of four up top, sit Sam and Jessie in the middle, and hope we get lucky over the top." A lot of individual mistakes characteristic of a team that doesn't quite know where they're supposed to go with the ball or what their patterns are supposed to look like. This weird insistence on not playing two wingers. Moultrie's --frankly quite disturbing-- laziness. Not playing your two best defenders for no reason.
So.....yeah, I'm still gonna keep a modicum of patience here because I do generally really like the moves this summer personnel-wise and a rebuilds are rarely easy, but this would be a lot easier to stomach if it was a "wait it out and hire a new coach at the end of the season" type deal. But it's not. What happens if they lose 75% of their remaining games? Is Gale's job in jeopardy? I honestly don't know! I hope for all of our sakes Gale shows something the rest of the season, because it's gonna be hard to make an argument for him if he doesn't.....and KK has put herself isn the place of having to deal with the repercussions of hiring him midseason if things get even uglier.
I have been a KK defender for the last little but, but it is getting harder and harder to defend her professional decisions. We had the opportunity to sign some strong players this window and didn't. We needed a player capable of keeping up with Smith and yet we played Moultrie for 90 minutes when it was obvious at 30 minutes she wasn't up for the task. Gale's job should 100% be in jeopardy.
I am still waiting for something that makes all of this make sense. This team is not clicking and half the time it's like the players don't see each other or trust each other.
Question: What would it look like, in terms of starting XI, matchday 18, and principles. for Gale to show he's not treating Wednesday's match against CA as meaningless?
I think they probs rotate regardless because it's a midweek game, but other than starting Soph, I don't really know what a good indicator would be- There hasn't been enough consistency (both forced and unforced) to know what his preferred 11 is.
Naw... Garbage tournament full of garbage teams. At least that thing where Chelsea and Lyon came had talent. Watching Jessie Fleming and Reyna Reyes play some team from Panama? Might as well go to see some pickup ball at Delta Park.
If we want to attract top talent to this league, this tournament is one way we can do that. Players choose Europe for the chance to play in the UWCL and this is our answer to that. Yeah at the moment it will be the NWSL teams dominating the games but you can't grow the sport unless you have these types of tournaments. You will see complete blowouts in the UWCL too but that doesn't mean it's a garbage tournament with garbage teams.
You do you, but I think that's a pretty shitty way to view a tournament that allows teams from smaller leagues the opportunity to compete with the big ones while simultaneously giving the best teams the chance to win silverware.
It's still the woso version of CCL, which matters and should be taken seriously as a continental tournament, especially since you qualify by performing well domestically. Liga MX dominated CCL for most of its existence, NWSL will probably do the same for the first few years of WCCL.
I left after the third goal. This team was absolutely not ready to play. The midfield is a bloody mess, no passes strung together. Hina does the work of three players but is that really what she should be doing, saving all the other;'s lousy passes. And the back line, everytime Bay got in the box they looked likely to score. Gale is nowhere up to the job. There is talent on this team, aside from Soph, but they're not playing like it. Very discouraging.
What the hell does "she's obviously just returned into market and got some lower body stuff that needs to be taken care of and monitored at the moment" mean, Ken???
I'm not familiar with "returned into market." Is it anything like "off to market"?
I’m glad someone else said it. KK and Gale out ASAP. In the new free agency era, you have to quickly try to correct clear problems or the downward inertia will keep gaining momentum.
The bottom line is the head coach had a 6 game hot xG run and got the job on that basis. But as far as I can tell they've gone backwards. There’s no patterns of play. I’m not sure what the organization is off the ball but this is a team that is so structurally deficient that Sam Coffey kept hitting passes out of play.
Kinda. She was a restricted free agent who wanted to stay in Portland longterm with her partner (who is from here.) KK was vacationing in the Bahamas the week that the RFA deadline hit…that deadline being that a bonafide offer had to be made to Natu/submitted to the league and then we would’ve been able to keep her. Easy peasy, right?
KK kept offering her these non-offers as a way of trying to play with her leverage to get Natu to sign as low of an offer as possible. None were actually submitted to the league by that deadline like they needed to be (bc they were bullshit non-offers.) By then, Natu (and her agent) were pissed bc of KK’s posturing and lowball non-serious offers (also Natu didn’t even want that much bc she wanted to stay already!)
So, KK didn’t know the rules, and was on vacation(!), and that deadline lapsed while she was literally in the Bahamas, which made Natu a full free agent able to negotiate with other clubs. KK was officially out of the picture and had no bargaining power at all. At that point, Natu and her agent said “no thanks” when KK came back to approach her. She didn’t know she had missed a deadline and that Natu was a FA already. Natu was flown to multiple cities and shown around and ultimately chose Chicago, for multiple reasons.
KK totally blew it. And there’s other stuff too, with other players, but it’s not my place to mention that stuff. She’s exceedingly bad at her job, and her hubris has stung her multiple times…
She was a restricted free agent which means Portland could have matched but didn’t. So she left for nothing in return. No attempt to trade her prior to it getting to that stage. I’m guessing KK thought Reyes was her in-house replacement.
Ooof... Imagine rating Reyes as a Kuikka replacement. Utter madness... Reyes is barely pro level and has zero upside. KK is so fucking terrible at her job.
Kinda. She was a restricted free agent who wanted to stay in Portland longterm with her partner (who is from here.) KK was vacationing in the Bahamas the week that the RFA deadline hit…that deadline being that a bonafide offer had to be made to Natu/submitted to the league and then we would’ve been able to keep her. Easy peasy, right?
KK kept offering her these non-offers as a way of trying to play with her leverage to get Natu to sign as low of an offer as possible. None were actually submitted to the league by that deadline like they needed to be (bc they were bullshit non-offers.) By then, Natu (and her agent) were pissed bc of KK’s posturing and lowball non-serious offers (also Natu didn’t even want that much bc she wanted to stay already!)
So, KK didn’t know the rules, and was on vacation(!), and that deadline lapsed while she was literally in the Bahamas, which made Natu a full free agent able to negotiate with other clubs. KK was officially out of the picture and had no bargaining power at all. At that point, Natu and her agent said “no thanks” when KK came back to approach her. She didn’t know she had missed a deadline and that Natu was a FA already. Natu was flown to multiple cities and shown around and ultimately chose Chicago, for multiple reasons.
KK totally blew it. And there’s other stuff too, with other players, but it’s not my place to mention that stuff. She’s exceedingly bad at her job, and her hubris has stung her multiple times…
I swear that every idea for growth is about disposable income, including building multiple competing performing arts centers and concert halls despite having the Memorial Coliseum sitting nearly vacant almost all year long. It's still a fun place to see a live show, and lots of history to the building. But it remains ignored while people focus on their plans for building shiny new facilities we don't need and that will also compete with each other.
There's so much out-of-town development greed settling in on Portland, bringing us things that we don't need or that will be in direct competition with each other or that is really about pulling money out of the area. And the timing is terrible because several major public-sector and private-sector employers are making major cuts.
Our Hillsborough, Gresham and Beaverton are called Roseville, Elk Grove and Folsom, and their growth in part requires parasitism upon existing amenities and services, the majority of which is drained from the largest city, Sac.
Growth seems less like growth as much as shuffling the deck in a zero sum card game. Caught in between is the black hole represented by unincorporated county regions.
ETA Oakland and East Bay must be chuffed/miffed/mystified over the A's plan to summer here the next few years while building the most improbable of ballparks in Vegas. I mean, WTAF?
Even better, if that's the right word, they're sharing it with the AAA River Cats, meaning they're hot-bunking a small park during the minor league season.
I hope the lawn can handle it.
Fun fact, the ballpark sits on an expandable plot with room to grow into an MLB park should Vegas not pan out.
Over two decades ago, I was a big fan of the ABL's Portland Power and the WNBA's Portland Fire (and I've got my Power hat and Jackie Stiles jersey to prove it).
If they let the Thorns wither in the face of their hoops ambitions, it will cost that prospective franchise dearly. I suspect there would be no small amount of crossover fan interest, and if they give the impression of indifference re: the Thorns' future (which boils down primarily to alienating Soph to the point where she leaves), I would bet there's going to be a lot of empty seats at Moda (or, heaven forbid, the MC).
I've come to the conclusion that Soph is the most accomplished pro athlete to ever play in this state (Walton had his brief stint at the top in between chronic injuries, Clyde and especially Dame lacked key team depth, Valeri, Chara, Horan and Sinc were terrific team players, but not game-changers to the degree Soph is). It's highly doubtful they could find her equivalent in the WNBA (Sabrina Ionescu might fit the bill given her local history, and there's no way in hell the Liberty would let her walk), and thus it is absolutely paramount that the Thorns ownership take immediate corrective action to try and ensure Soph doesn't leave.
I wouldn't expect they let the Thorns wither, just noting that the ambition the Bathals have been touting might not be 100% focused on the Thorns and that making that deal likely takes away focus, at least in the near term.
Especially considering the several years’ worth of repair that needed to happen off the field, and as a result, on the field as well, when they bought the team. It was damaged assets. This team has been in limbo for years and it is SO NAIVE to think no work had to be put in to keep them at the top of the table. Also shows they got no outside input if they thought giving the keys to KK while they involve themselves with 15 other major things was gonna keep the stars comin’…
Yep. Paul Allen felt overextended at the time-paying the NBA luxury tax when he was wildly throwing money at the Blazers during the early "Jail Blazers" years (it was the nearest I've ever seen a team owner run his franchise like he was in a fantasy league) while Rose Quarter payments were becoming an increasing concern to him. So he abruptly decided to bail and there wasn't an acceptable offer for the Fire. I thought the whole thing was rash, especially in light of the Thorns' attendance barely a decade later.
To a large degree, sure. But I would expect a new, ambitious ownership group to be involved in selling the club as a destination, especially after the crap the last few years of MP's charge. Can't just put up a "Under New Ownership" sign and expect them to come running.
True. It's not like she signed here as a free agent. She came here on a transfer. I assume Portland was acceptable to her, but she was not wanted at Chelsea and was perhaps urged to come here by a coach whose name rhymes with "Deaf Policeman" and "Blev Pweestman."
Well not exactly.. But from what I have heard she wasn't given the option of exploring new clubs/offers after Chelsea. She was to come to the Thorns and that was it.
if so then why the f would we pay a ridiculous fee for a player our of favor. Chelsea is a competitive club wouldnt let a player who can compete leave suggesting couldnt compete. Feel like watching a Sunday morning leaguer at ti.es.
I mean, didn't Bay literally have a game midweek that was a heartbreaking blowout? We should be running circles around them. This feels all sorts of bad.
We rotated/experimented against a bad team...and got smacked for it. Terrible lineup decision, despite the busy upcoming schedule...at least if we care about the playoffs.
At least it's been a rainy Saturday here in Sapporo...I don't have to regret sacrificing the dead middle of the day to this. Been kind half watching, half practicing guitar.
I'm sad to watch it the first time. I missed the last game and was mostly okay with it given Coffey and Smith weren't playing. But I had much higher hopes for tonight. Bay has been struggling all season and we're spoon feeding them.
I never thought Gale was the answer and this game only confirms that. He’s just not up for this gig. Giving him the permanent job was a Gob-level mistake.
I'm normally for allowing coaches to take over and make things theirs and not grabbing my pitchfork right away, but the last few games really had me wondering what's going on here.
Sure, but is this what they are trying to do? Are they just really unaware? Do they think our roster has the right balance and we're putting players in positions to get he best results? They keep trying things that obviously are not working.
And, as I keep repeating; goalkeeper distribution is a nearly negligible factor in match play. It LOOKS bad. But it’s very unlikely to impact the game either for good or ill
I did a huge study on this back in 2018 or so. The biggest single factor is midfield play. A keeper’s distribution results in a good attacking opportunity or a dangerous turnover something like less than 2-3% of the times she plays out. It’s just not statistically significant. As you say, when it DOES happen it looks bad! But it doesn’t actually happen enough to make a consistent impact on the run of play.
If your study was of the NWSL then you are behind modern football. Distributing keepers and especially sweeper/keepers are all that's in demand throughout Europe. The ability to start plays without just turning the ball over is very valuable. There haven't been many of those kinds of keepers in the NWSL.
I still don’t see how these things are mutually exclusive though. Midfield play seems obvious, especially watching Thorns and Timbers, but if goalkeeper distribution gives 2-3% of an advantage that’s not nothing.
Oh, not saying that a club should deliberately avoid a keeper who’s good with her feet.
But being strong off her line, or in the air, or shot-stopping? That’s the money. If she’s good there I’d be willing to overlook a stray punt or three.
Yeah. Hogan has improved a ton since the start of the season. Credit to her. But the fact that she still just can’t really use her feet at all really does put a ceiling on her.
Yeah, Moultrie did that 2-3 times in this game - expected a run and passed for it, only to have it not materialize. You expect misses like that early in the season, but by now they're from either poor communication (someone missed someone else's signal) or poor coaching.
Lol, there's zero chance Smith plays here next year. Last week, she could've but chose not to. Today, after 3 weeks rest, she came off in a must win game. She's done with KK's BS.
It’s def both. Bad roster put together by a terrible GM and even worse decisions by the GM, like hiring the interim for the interim after a worldwide search.
Paulson didn’t spend money when he knew the team was for sale. Hard for interim coaches to bring in players too. And we leaned on older players who should have retired already to smooth the transition. And KK prioritized Canada.
Taking off Smith removed any chance we had at scoring and getting a point or three. Not that Smith would necessarily score, but that her gravity opens up space for other players. I get that it might have been necessary to yank her, but it ended the game for us.
I don't think they have the kind of beat writer that would ask that. When was the last time you saw an honest article about this team. Part of the problem.
I think Moultrie is a classic example of a kid that matured early. Can we actually say she's better today than she was a couple of years ago. She has talent but she's outgrown any speed she had which wasn't really breathtaking in the first place.
Yeah I’ve been saying for a while that she shouldn’t be starting bc she’s still too inconsistent, and they really need a good 10 (or if Fleming can figure out how to work next to Sam as well as Hina does, then Hina!)
So many positions where we can (and need to) level up still.
Man it was close enough that I understand why they didn’t VAR the offside call but that’s pure guesswork by the AR. If she leaves her flag down I don’t think they reverse the goal. Slim margins, could easily be level.
She does what I did at 11 as a winger…just doesn’t pick up her head to connect or even *try* to connect a pass. Blind kicks. Then again, no one is making any runs into the box to even try to receive or get a deflection.
New piece will be out later this week... It's been long overdue.
Couple of thoughts:
1) This squad, with this coach, is - at best - mid-table dross unless there's some MAJOR changes in tactics, organization, discipline, and some individual players' form.
2) That's unlikely to change before the end of the season; the owners aren't going to fire the GM or the newly-anointed HC before then. Aiden is right - the past two matches SHOULD cost people their jobs! But to do that would be to admit that their running of the club to date has been seriously substandard and I'm seriously skeptical that the Bhathals will do that.
3) That's...pretty grim for many of those of us here. The casual fans will still come and enjoy a sunny evening. But the hardcores? Ugh. It's gonna be ugly.
4) So the REAL questions are going to come in the offseason. If there's no shakeup in the C-suites and in the technical box?
5) Then it begins to look really grim.
So. We're gonna ride this turkey to the (at best!) early playoff exit.
Then we'll see...
Here's a scary thought: the regular season proceeds just as we suspect it will ("mid-table dross," in your apt phrase). They crawl into a weak playoff spot and then...
They go nuts in the playoffs. Why? Because they've still got #9, surrounded by no small amount of talent.
And then somewhere in the depths of PP, it is decided that everything is just swell, and there's no reason for FO and coaching changes, at least until things are even worse a year from now, w/ Soph's future here on the line.
See: “Timbers 2015”, so that’s not impossible (except that this club has not done well in knockouts since 2022…)
But that could happen! And if so? That could paper over those issues - Parsons 2017 star helped enable the owner overlook some troubling things (mostly that Parsons was being increasingly owned by several other organizations) - and that would be a problem.
It will test the owners’ knowledge and dedication to seeing the bigger picture. Can and will they? We won’t know until the season plays out.
Game was terrible, fire everyone, etc. But the worst part is coming off of 3 weeks watching Alyssa Naeher to watching the Thorns' utter lack of quality GK.
And then I think of ManCity in the FAWSL, and their manager's GK dilemma: Khiara Keating or Ayaka Yamashita.
*sigh*
Not to stan for Arnold, but…she was pretty badly exposed by her defenders. I’d ding her for;
1) poor positioning on Dahlkemper’s goal - she was slow and hesitant to track the cross. The actual header was probably unsaveable, tho.
2) another slow, soft move on the third; her dive was late and weak.
That said, she made a huge save in the second half going full stretch to palm away a gorgeous top/far-corner golazo. She’s good with the ball at her feet..
Is she “Sheridan in her prime”? No. She seems very like the squad as a whole; kind of average.
Watching the highlights/replay, what's worse is that on the first goal she noticeably slowed down and gave up on the cross when she saw Dahlkemper steaming in- looked like she wanted to avoid contact more than she wanted to get in front of the ball. Even if Dahlkemper had missed the header, the cross might have kissed the post and into the goal with Arnold just watching from a safe distance.
Yeah this is all true. Still like some kind of awful GK hangover though.
Am in the UK on vacation so couldn’t attend or watch the game, but the comments here all sound depressingly familiar to those for too many other games this year. Glad I missed this one.
You know it’s really bad when I’m daydreaming about Parsons or Stoney taking over…
Fully feel like either would have been a better choice, if we weren’t gonna shoot for something higher…Parsons could have at least assisted with player acquisition because he knows young talent well.
I have literally no f clue what kind of plan Gale is trying for. It’s just really really incoherent. I know our roster needs a good deal of work but holy shit Moultrie on the wing? Just like unforced bad decisions…is there an NWSL coach out there that hasn’t made Rob look like a chump yet? Didn’t think it was possible to regress further under Gale but literally none of the lines look like a pro team.
The things that makes this hard to suss out are:
1) hard to tell how much of the roster building of the Parsons Era was Parsons and how much was GW, and
2) we have no data on how good Parsons would be in NWSL 2.5 (the free agent era).
I’m not going to rep for either KK or Norris or Gale; just that I think we know less about Parsons than we think we do.
Yeah, I mean like I said...it's a shallow suggestion/half solution and doesn't really warrant much more thought than that. I don't think he's the saviour. But if they wanted an out from KK/Gale immediately and needed an interim? Sure, he's an easy fall-back guy that would probably be there for it. I know, I know...that's ALL we've had was interims, but I'd like a new GM to be conducting the HC search...
Honestly I'd much rather they hire Parsons as GM. He definitely has an eye for talent, in a way that KK lacks. I don't know if he'd take a GM job, but it would definitely help the team.
Oh yeah, I mean I agree 100%. I would actually welcome a Parsons GM hiring, and I think it would be smart for the club. I don't think he is interested in not coaching, though. At least, from what I remember hearing on some recent-ish podcast (last 6 months or so) was that he was still looking or coaching work. Maybe that would change? I dunno....he's pretty young.
I just think he would be valuable in any form, at this point, as he is like the only link to when this club was successful (at least on-field.) He was also in the room at the Spirit to hear Kang's plans and ambitions, and could maybe offer good insight from a club who has actually walked the walk.
See my reply above re: how much we can rely on Parsons’ pre-2022 form. I think we don’t know as much as we think we do.
He's recently talked about how it was all him to bring in Kerolin here...it just didn't work out because of her doping ban and then him leaving during covid. I imagine it was a combo of both him and GW...but he came from Chelsea's Academy, and he surely knows young talent much better than Gale (or probably KK as well.) He also talked about being interested in bringing in Sarr to the Thorns prior...and now she's really thriving at the Spirit after he brought her in. I'm not saying it was ALL Parsons, but according to him, some of the really good players in this league were noticed by him years ago...
Again, as I've said....I'm not looking for a him as a saviour coach. It's just an easy out if they wanna rip off the bandaid and get rid of Gale and KK soon. I'm absolutely not hyping him as some brilliant coach...on the contrary. But better than what we have? For now, if it means we can get rid of KK and Gale? Yes.
I don’t see Parsons as a long-term solution but at this point? Screw long term. When your house is on fire it’s not time to worry about the plumbing.
Lol yeah I don’t even mean long term…just to like, stop the bleeding. I don’t think he’s a great coach but I think he’d put together a more coherent XI with a better gameplan to get us through the year.
His recent stint w Washington makes me less confident of that…but agree that the run of form since his move up suggests that Ken is even less capable than Parsons even in emergency mode.
I agree it's not a *good* plan, just a desperate one lol. Mostly will just be happy for both Gale and KK (and hopefully Norris honestly) to go.
"Parsons could have at least assisted with player acquisition because he knows young talent well."
Parsons' dirt handshake brings all the girls to the yard...
How many times did someone play a thru ball and nobody ran on it? Honestly at least 10 times.
And when passer and receiver were on the same page, the passes were often so heavy they'd have rolled into the MAC if the stands hadn't been in the way.
I've got it!
Let's outsource the HC and GM jobs to a Generative AI tool!
How much worse could it go?
Can Siri coach Alexa? We took two smartphones and put it to the test. Results, after these messages.
Should fire both immediately and bring in Parsons to coach in the interim. He’s just loafin’ around unemployed and has been in and out of Portland the last 6 months…maybe the Riveters will let him crash on a couch in the Axe and Rose for a few months lol.
Or, fire KK now and do that search while the rest of the season plays out and then fire Gale as soon as that’s been hired for. How would the Bhathals even manage hiring for both, though? They have 0 knowledge of the sport. They counted on KK for the HC search obv.
The Bhathals do not care about the Thorns. They also don't care about the WNBA team that they are gonna get. They care about the Rose Quarter redevelopment deal. The Thorns are a toy that's kinda fun and brings in money but it's not something they actually care about.
While I can certainly sympathize w/ your bitterly earned cynicism, at least in principal, the Thorns also represent a 63 million dollar investment, which is no small thing, even to the stinking rich. If the Bhathals give the impression that they are indifferent to the fate of that investment, I suspect that would not play well with those who might decide whether or not to do business with them in the future, and particularly as things go around here, specifically in the vicinity of Drexler Drive and Winning Way.
People that are doing business with the Bhathals don't care if the Thorns win hardware. They care that they have boxes where they can wine and dine politicians so they can get preferential treatment. As long as the team doesn't *completely* implode (we know you can run an NWSL team with like 5,000 fans, so less than that), it will still print money and won't be looked at as a failed investment.
1. sports have proven you don't have to be great for your investment to grow. 2. Owning two sports teams and the desire to develop a large area with several facilities and associated commercial properties will give them extra leverage. 3. 65 million is chump change to a group with billions. worst case scenario it's a great tax writeoff for them. The game is heavily rigged in favor of the wealthy, can't use everyday economics with billionaires.
I still strongly suspect the City and Jody Allen would be very wary of doing business with the Bhathals if they are perceived to be indifferent to the state of the franchise. Ms. Allen is said to have rejected an offer from Phil Knight for the Blazers, so I suspect she likes to keep her options open, and that her rolodex is likely filled with moneyed interests who'd be happy to refurbish those properties, and she'd have a good deal of influence on the city's decision-making. Also, I doubt the league and their fellow NWSL owners would be at all happy with the terrible PR that would result from letting an club essential to the growth of club-level woso fall to pieces, since such a scenario would likely prove irresistible NWSL-in-trouble media fodder (it would be much easier to get away w/ that in Seattle or Boston, where attendance has traditionally been underwhelming).
do you think ms. allen cares much about the state of the blazers and how they finish? they are exactly what the thorns are right now mid table borderline playoff team. do you think she would judge the bhaatals harshly for a middling team. They live real estate. My guess is as long as they are good neighbors make pretty properties that increase the value of their investment she is good.
very much doubt the bhataals have any interest in the moda center. They would be most interested in the rest of the rosw quater owned by the city. If Bhaataals committed to making key improvements to the quater and build new facilities for wnba and thorns and commercial properties that will diversify the areas draw opposed to just the blazers being sole attraction the bhaatals win. dint think Vulcan has much to offer in this case.
Phil Knight is an eccentric weirdo, though... The Bhathals just have to keep a mid table team that makes money, be pleasant enough, and get a billion dollars for the Rose Quarter deal and ol' Jody will be more than willing to deal.
Good thing we play….Washington Spirit next weekend! Ooof. Best we can hope for is for Herschfelt and Rodman to get a yellow when they play this weekend so they miss the Thorns match.
Could be a real nasty one honestly. Betting on 3 L’s to start the second half of the season.
And honestly, at this point I feel like we need to crap the bed to get rid of both Gale and KK….and I really don’t hate that idea at this point. If we get enough points to hit playoffs and go out in the first round of the playoffs…they prob both stick around. I’m ready to say goodbye asap before things get worse and worse…curious what that will take. I’d rather just crash out at this point if it means we get rid of them both…the season is already lost.
A little story:
Wife: see, Kelly is good!
Wife:see Kelly is great! I told you!
Me: she is good 90 percent of the time, she just always has at least one deep in her that leads to a goal.
Wife: oh, yeah, I see.
She's Emily Sonnett without the USWNT-level upside.
Hubly? Oh man... Ooof... I mean, it'll suck for everyone for a while but it's probably better to pull off the bandaid and ask for a divorce...
Derp
Deep Derp.
Posted on this thread half an hour before kickoff: "OTOH hope this backline is more coordinated and onpoint than last week. BFC can’t defend a lick, but their attack could be trouble."
Because no, they weren't and yes, it was...
Same backline he put out against KC at the beginning of the year that gave up 5, no? So why not!
Maybe he is trying to get fired lol…
I looked at that backline and my first thought was "who's calling the shots back there? The brand-new-to-the-side 'keeper? The limited minutes newcomer? Or the veteran with the slow (and dubiously-accurate) speed-of-thought?"
And of course, my instinctive answer turned out to be correct: no one. No one was calling the shots, at least not until 'Brunn was subbed in, and it was too late by then.
Same! How do they not understand switching up your general (as in, benching her) will have major implications, especially when it's the new GK's first game! We've done this before, coach, c'mon!
But they only gave up 3 this time! That's a sign of improvement, is it not?! Some people see that glass as half full, and who cares if the glass contains a mixture of grain alcohol and horrendously potent hallucinogens?!
“I picked the wrong time to stop snorting coke”
> who cares if the glass contains a mixture of grain alcohol and horrendously potent hallucinogens?!
I mean, that sounds pretty dope compared to having to watch the Thorns.
Glass is fully full, of bleach and my own tears lol
Mixing up a whiskey nyquil next…
This made me think of a funny story, so here's a slight digression which I'll eventually tie back into our footy drama.
About 40 years ago, a Berkeley radio station held a contest where listeners submitted their ideas of what one might be served at Elvis Presley's breakfast table. The early entries hewed fairly close to his actual late-in-life diet: several boxes of instant potatoes and fifty fudgesicles. But the overall winner was something like pig's feet deep fried in gasoline and topped w/ sugar cubes, Dilaudid, and liquid paper.
Anyway, to veer back to our grim topic, I'd eat that if it helped me forget that match and much of this season, on and off the pitch.
Yeah man...y'all know I like to be generally patient and tilt optimistic, but that simply wasn't an acceptable performance. Looked a hell of a lot like the old Norris "send a bank of four up top, sit Sam and Jessie in the middle, and hope we get lucky over the top." A lot of individual mistakes characteristic of a team that doesn't quite know where they're supposed to go with the ball or what their patterns are supposed to look like. This weird insistence on not playing two wingers. Moultrie's --frankly quite disturbing-- laziness. Not playing your two best defenders for no reason.
So.....yeah, I'm still gonna keep a modicum of patience here because I do generally really like the moves this summer personnel-wise and a rebuilds are rarely easy, but this would be a lot easier to stomach if it was a "wait it out and hire a new coach at the end of the season" type deal. But it's not. What happens if they lose 75% of their remaining games? Is Gale's job in jeopardy? I honestly don't know! I hope for all of our sakes Gale shows something the rest of the season, because it's gonna be hard to make an argument for him if he doesn't.....and KK has put herself isn the place of having to deal with the repercussions of hiring him midseason if things get even uglier.
At least Spaanstra looked good!
I have been a KK defender for the last little but, but it is getting harder and harder to defend her professional decisions. We had the opportunity to sign some strong players this window and didn't. We needed a player capable of keeping up with Smith and yet we played Moultrie for 90 minutes when it was obvious at 30 minutes she wasn't up for the task. Gale's job should 100% be in jeopardy.
I am still waiting for something that makes all of this make sense. This team is not clicking and half the time it's like the players don't see each other or trust each other.
Hiring Gale midseason until a highly experienced and accomplished head coach was found remains utterly baffling.
Good News! Thorns have a meaningless match against Club America Wednesday night!
Karina best not walk her kiddo around the pitch before the match. Not unless she wants her kiddo to see Mom greeted with boo-birds.
Tbf it's very much not meaningless (and I hope they don't treat it as such) if they want any chance at challenging for a trophy.
Question: What would it look like, in terms of starting XI, matchday 18, and principles. for Gale to show he's not treating Wednesday's match against CA as meaningless?
I think they probs rotate regardless because it's a midweek game, but other than starting Soph, I don't really know what a good indicator would be- There hasn't been enough consistency (both forced and unforced) to know what his preferred 11 is.
Correction: It's a meaningless match for a team that is rudderless.
Challenge Cup 2: Electric Boogaloo!
Teenage Mutant Summer Cup II: The Secret of the Ooze
I challenge your challenge cup!
The WCCL is a real tournament! And honestly, it's a very cool one!
(and one that they probably won't get to be in again because they ain't winning anything in the near future)
Naw... Garbage tournament full of garbage teams. At least that thing where Chelsea and Lyon came had talent. Watching Jessie Fleming and Reyna Reyes play some team from Panama? Might as well go to see some pickup ball at Delta Park.
If we want to attract top talent to this league, this tournament is one way we can do that. Players choose Europe for the chance to play in the UWCL and this is our answer to that. Yeah at the moment it will be the NWSL teams dominating the games but you can't grow the sport unless you have these types of tournaments. You will see complete blowouts in the UWCL too but that doesn't mean it's a garbage tournament with garbage teams.
Playing Honduran giants FC Montagua is going to help us attract the best talent? I don't see it.
You do you, but I think that's a pretty shitty way to view a tournament that allows teams from smaller leagues the opportunity to compete with the big ones while simultaneously giving the best teams the chance to win silverware.
It’s also the only way for our region to qualify for the eventual Club World Cup…which is cool as hell!!
The Summer Cup is not this new WCCL…
Had the LigaMX Feminil clubs looked better in the Summer Cup thing? I'd tend to take it more seriously. As it is..?
So far almost all the results have been one-sided routs. Dunno what that means other than "some of the leagues are sad, sad acts..."
It's still the woso version of CCL, which matters and should be taken seriously as a continental tournament, especially since you qualify by performing well domestically. Liga MX dominated CCL for most of its existence, NWSL will probably do the same for the first few years of WCCL.
Agreed. I just can't imagine Lyon or Chelsea turning up to UWCL with a roster and run of form like Thorns are coming into WCCL.
I left after the third goal. This team was absolutely not ready to play. The midfield is a bloody mess, no passes strung together. Hina does the work of three players but is that really what she should be doing, saving all the other;'s lousy passes. And the back line, everytime Bay got in the box they looked likely to score. Gale is nowhere up to the job. There is talent on this team, aside from Soph, but they're not playing like it. Very discouraging.
Well this explains the Sophia sub: https://x.com/tayvincent6/status/1829740429744751038
I guess.
What the hell does "she's obviously just returned into market and got some lower body stuff that needs to be taken care of and monitored at the moment" mean, Ken???
I'm not familiar with "returned into market." Is it anything like "off to market"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrUTur1tyGY
"Two peoples separated by a common language."
The heck, Ken?
Lower body stuff. Can you please be more general?
I would swear that I've heard those exact phrases from one of the cattle ranchers I knew growing up.
Sounds like a good night not to have gone to the Park OR to have watched it on Prime.
No matter how you slice it, this team is going the wrong direction fast.
Gale has to go.
Karina has to go.
Swear there's talent aplenty for a competitive team and so what the heck are we seeing at gametime?
Bay OTOH really enjoyed that flight home. Hope they left a tip in the dressing room.
I watered the garden at halftime and…just…kept…watering.
This is the first time I left a match before it was over.
Garbage from this FO and coaching staff…
This performance should cost multiple people their jobs but also there needs to actually be external questions asked of the organization.
I’m glad someone else said it. KK and Gale out ASAP. In the new free agency era, you have to quickly try to correct clear problems or the downward inertia will keep gaining momentum.
The bottom line is the head coach had a 6 game hot xG run and got the job on that basis. But as far as I can tell they've gone backwards. There’s no patterns of play. I’m not sure what the organization is off the ball but this is a team that is so structurally deficient that Sam Coffey kept hitting passes out of play.
Remember when Thorns would bounce back from bad performances?
I also remember when they were one of the best defensive teams in all of WoSo.
I miss those times.
I mean, Menges and Kuikka are still kicking ass. What did we get for them?
It might be my memory but didn't Kuikka leave as a free agent?
Posted this below also, but:
Kinda. She was a restricted free agent who wanted to stay in Portland longterm with her partner (who is from here.) KK was vacationing in the Bahamas the week that the RFA deadline hit…that deadline being that a bonafide offer had to be made to Natu/submitted to the league and then we would’ve been able to keep her. Easy peasy, right?
KK kept offering her these non-offers as a way of trying to play with her leverage to get Natu to sign as low of an offer as possible. None were actually submitted to the league by that deadline like they needed to be (bc they were bullshit non-offers.) By then, Natu (and her agent) were pissed bc of KK’s posturing and lowball non-serious offers (also Natu didn’t even want that much bc she wanted to stay already!)
So, KK didn’t know the rules, and was on vacation(!), and that deadline lapsed while she was literally in the Bahamas, which made Natu a full free agent able to negotiate with other clubs. KK was officially out of the picture and had no bargaining power at all. At that point, Natu and her agent said “no thanks” when KK came back to approach her. She didn’t know she had missed a deadline and that Natu was a FA already. Natu was flown to multiple cities and shown around and ultimately chose Chicago, for multiple reasons.
KK totally blew it. And there’s other stuff too, with other players, but it’s not my place to mention that stuff. She’s exceedingly bad at her job, and her hubris has stung her multiple times…
(Plz don’t put this on Reddit)
She was a restricted free agent which means Portland could have matched but didn’t. So she left for nothing in return. No attempt to trade her prior to it getting to that stage. I’m guessing KK thought Reyes was her in-house replacement.
Ooof... Imagine rating Reyes as a Kuikka replacement. Utter madness... Reyes is barely pro level and has zero upside. KK is so fucking terrible at her job.
Kinda. She was a restricted free agent who wanted to stay in Portland longterm with her partner (who is from here.) KK was vacationing in the Bahamas the week that the RFA deadline hit…that deadline being that a bonafide offer had to be made to Natu/submitted to the league and then we would’ve been able to keep her. Easy peasy, right?
KK kept offering her these non-offers as a way of trying to play with her leverage to get Natu to sign as low of an offer as possible. None were actually submitted to the league by that deadline like they needed to be (bc they were bullshit non-offers.) By then, Natu (and her agent) were pissed bc of KK’s posturing and lowball non-serious offers (also Natu didn’t even want that much bc she wanted to stay already!)
So, KK didn’t know the rules, and was on vacation(!), and that deadline lapsed while she was literally in the Bahamas, which made Natu a full free agent able to negotiate with other clubs. KK was officially out of the picture and had no bargaining power at all. At that point, Natu and her agent said “no thanks” when KK came back to approach her. She didn’t know she had missed a deadline and that Natu was a FA already. Natu was flown to multiple cities and shown around and ultimately chose Chicago, for multiple reasons.
KK totally blew it. And there’s other stuff too, with other players, but it’s not my place to mention that stuff. She’s exceedingly bad at her job, and her hubris has stung her multiple times…
(Plz don’t put this on Reddit)
This might explain the lack of apparent ambition from ownership recently: https://x.com/highkin/status/1829727604951412780
Nice way to compete against yourself. WNBA season: May-September.
There's a weird thing happening in Portland.
I swear that every idea for growth is about disposable income, including building multiple competing performing arts centers and concert halls despite having the Memorial Coliseum sitting nearly vacant almost all year long. It's still a fun place to see a live show, and lots of history to the building. But it remains ignored while people focus on their plans for building shiny new facilities we don't need and that will also compete with each other.
There's so much out-of-town development greed settling in on Portland, bringing us things that we don't need or that will be in direct competition with each other or that is really about pulling money out of the area. And the timing is terrible because several major public-sector and private-sector employers are making major cuts.
Relatable.
Our Hillsborough, Gresham and Beaverton are called Roseville, Elk Grove and Folsom, and their growth in part requires parasitism upon existing amenities and services, the majority of which is drained from the largest city, Sac.
Growth seems less like growth as much as shuffling the deck in a zero sum card game. Caught in between is the black hole represented by unincorporated county regions.
ETA Oakland and East Bay must be chuffed/miffed/mystified over the A's plan to summer here the next few years while building the most improbable of ballparks in Vegas. I mean, WTAF?
Summering in a minor-league park, right?
Can confirm. Although the fan experience is arguably nicer than the Oakland Coliseum.
http://westsacliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/rivercats-stadium.jpg
Even better, if that's the right word, they're sharing it with the AAA River Cats, meaning they're hot-bunking a small park during the minor league season.
I hope the lawn can handle it.
Fun fact, the ballpark sits on an expandable plot with room to grow into an MLB park should Vegas not pan out.
Over two decades ago, I was a big fan of the ABL's Portland Power and the WNBA's Portland Fire (and I've got my Power hat and Jackie Stiles jersey to prove it).
If they let the Thorns wither in the face of their hoops ambitions, it will cost that prospective franchise dearly. I suspect there would be no small amount of crossover fan interest, and if they give the impression of indifference re: the Thorns' future (which boils down primarily to alienating Soph to the point where she leaves), I would bet there's going to be a lot of empty seats at Moda (or, heaven forbid, the MC).
I've come to the conclusion that Soph is the most accomplished pro athlete to ever play in this state (Walton had his brief stint at the top in between chronic injuries, Clyde and especially Dame lacked key team depth, Valeri, Chara, Horan and Sinc were terrific team players, but not game-changers to the degree Soph is). It's highly doubtful they could find her equivalent in the WNBA (Sabrina Ionescu might fit the bill given her local history, and there's no way in hell the Liberty would let her walk), and thus it is absolutely paramount that the Thorns ownership take immediate corrective action to try and ensure Soph doesn't leave.
I wouldn't expect they let the Thorns wither, just noting that the ambition the Bathals have been touting might not be 100% focused on the Thorns and that making that deal likely takes away focus, at least in the near term.
My conclusion is that anything less than total focus on this team's painfully obvious dysfunction is to let them wither indeed.
Especially considering the several years’ worth of repair that needed to happen off the field, and as a result, on the field as well, when they bought the team. It was damaged assets. This team has been in limbo for years and it is SO NAIVE to think no work had to be put in to keep them at the top of the table. Also shows they got no outside input if they thought giving the keys to KK while they involve themselves with 15 other major things was gonna keep the stars comin’…
Maybe it's my lack of imagination, but it might be a little much to take on a world wide coaching search while working through a WNBA deal.
Of course, we HAD a WNBA team from 2000-2002. Our WNBA team FOLDED, fercrissakes!
Yep. Paul Allen felt overextended at the time-paying the NBA luxury tax when he was wildly throwing money at the Blazers during the early "Jail Blazers" years (it was the nearest I've ever seen a team owner run his franchise like he was in a fantasy league) while Rose Quarter payments were becoming an increasing concern to him. So he abruptly decided to bail and there wasn't an acceptable offer for the Fire. I thought the whole thing was rash, especially in light of the Thorns' attendance barely a decade later.
Seems like it was a KK task and yet another complete failure.
To a large degree, sure. But I would expect a new, ambitious ownership group to be involved in selling the club as a destination, especially after the crap the last few years of MP's charge. Can't just put up a "Under New Ownership" sign and expect them to come running.
Yeah def more work needed to be done to repair lots of damage over the last several years.
Welp. This team is poorly led, poorly trained, with tactics nobody understands including the players with a coach from Mars.
That Turner for Smith move sure has worked out hasn't it.
Gale got the permanent position, then got like 3 weeks of training time with the team … and these last two games have been genuinely awful.
Fleming with a who gives a fuck yellow.
She's been like Kelli Hubly levels of awful... I have no idea why we signed her. She brings absolutely nothing to this team.
kind of sums up her season
Considering it wasn't exactly her choice to be here, I don't blame her.
True. It's not like she signed here as a free agent. She came here on a transfer. I assume Portland was acceptable to her, but she was not wanted at Chelsea and was perhaps urged to come here by a coach whose name rhymes with "Deaf Policeman" and "Blev Pweestman."
And also, probably could’ve gone to plenty of other clubs. She wasn’t drugged and thrown on a boat to end up in Portland against her will.
Well not exactly.. But from what I have heard she wasn't given the option of exploring new clubs/offers after Chelsea. She was to come to the Thorns and that was it.
Yikes.
if so then why the f would we pay a ridiculous fee for a player our of favor. Chelsea is a competitive club wouldnt let a player who can compete leave suggesting couldnt compete. Feel like watching a Sunday morning leaguer at ti.es.
I mean, didn't Bay literally have a game midweek that was a heartbreaking blowout? We should be running circles around them. This feels all sorts of bad.
We rotated/experimented against a bad team...and got smacked for it. Terrible lineup decision, despite the busy upcoming schedule...at least if we care about the playoffs.
I had hopes. But the “tactics” are still rubbish and the lack of urgency and organization is painful. This is not a well-coached team.
Good thing the coach just started a three-year contract!
I hate that I will have to watch this crap again.
Accepting donations to a liquor fund? Lol
You can always hate-watch it, you know.
At least it's been a rainy Saturday here in Sapporo...I don't have to regret sacrificing the dead middle of the day to this. Been kind half watching, half practicing guitar.
Clearly, you're not the only one who was doing something halfway during this game.
I'm sad to watch it the first time. I missed the last game and was mostly okay with it given Coffey and Smith weren't playing. But I had much higher hopes for tonight. Bay has been struggling all season and we're spoon feeding them.
Nailed it. That was exactly my view coming in to this game. What a letdown.
The crowd here at Providence is apoplectic at these subs. Even the casual fans around are screaming . Not great, Bob!
I never thought Gale was the answer and this game only confirms that. He’s just not up for this gig. Giving him the permanent job was a Gob-level mistake.
I've made a terrible mistake.
after thos sh**show if Karina and gale aren't gone there will be six season ticket openings in tanner next year
They insult us with the idea there was a world wide search and he came out #1.
Yes a "world wide web" search!
Confined to the local area network.
Didn't realize she was searching offline. Had it on Airplane Mode.
And it made the FO look incredibly foolish. To mix metaphors, this was a weak, ineffective bunt when they were promising at least an extra base hit.
I'm normally for allowing coaches to take over and make things theirs and not grabbing my pitchfork right away, but the last few games really had me wondering what's going on here.
I really don't understand what's happening with this team this year.
KK and Gale are what’s happening. It’s been a steady descent.
Sure, but is this what they are trying to do? Are they just really unaware? Do they think our roster has the right balance and we're putting players in positions to get he best results? They keep trying things that obviously are not working.
No, they’re just both really bad at their jobs.
And after a belly flop of these proportions, the honorable thing would be to pen and immediately submit a resignation letter.
Is anyone developing an xG/xGa that accounts for counterproductive and baffling coaching decisions? Asking on behalf of a PNW fan base.
Becky Saurbrunn would not have let that happen.
Okay, I’ve been stumm on Arnold on the first two, but that was pretty crap.
We need two keepers. One to distribute and one to stop shots.
Yeah, I think we’ve seen what we’re gonna get with her: Real good with her feet, ain’t gonna win you many games with the worldie saves.
lets hope Bella comes back full strength
Don’t see the upgrade there…
Bella ain’t the answer I’m afraid
And, as I keep repeating; goalkeeper distribution is a nearly negligible factor in match play. It LOOKS bad. But it’s very unlikely to impact the game either for good or ill
I still think you downplay it. Seen too many keepers turn the ball over immediately and start the other team’s counter for them.
I did a huge study on this back in 2018 or so. The biggest single factor is midfield play. A keeper’s distribution results in a good attacking opportunity or a dangerous turnover something like less than 2-3% of the times she plays out. It’s just not statistically significant. As you say, when it DOES happen it looks bad! But it doesn’t actually happen enough to make a consistent impact on the run of play.
If your study was of the NWSL then you are behind modern football. Distributing keepers and especially sweeper/keepers are all that's in demand throughout Europe. The ability to start plays without just turning the ball over is very valuable. There haven't been many of those kinds of keepers in the NWSL.
Was obv better than Hogan, but I did count several times where she did turnover the ball though where it was sent right back down our throats…
But that’s the point; this IS the NWSL.
I still don’t see how these things are mutually exclusive though. Midfield play seems obvious, especially watching Thorns and Timbers, but if goalkeeper distribution gives 2-3% of an advantage that’s not nothing.
Oh, not saying that a club should deliberately avoid a keeper who’s good with her feet.
But being strong off her line, or in the air, or shot-stopping? That’s the money. If she’s good there I’d be willing to overlook a stray punt or three.
And shot stopping and distribution aren’t mutually exclusive skills.
Yeah...savable goal (despite the NWSL+ play-by-play guy gushing about the shot).
A lot of that's on Hubly's boneheaded outlet, though...
And here I was thinking at the half that if Dahlkemper makes a mess in the back that leads to a goal, Hubly was likely to do the same.
Oh, her defenders shit the bed again! No argument! But Arnold was slow and soft on a very saveable shot.
Kelli, you don’t have that pass in your bag my friend!
That’s that.
Hey team! Let's go ahead and score another couple of goals please? Kthx
That's my fault. I should've been more clear with who I was addressing.
Obaze is really cerebral and Arnold’s distribution is night and day from Hogan. it would be nice if they could play with Becky!
Yeah. Hogan has improved a ton since the start of the season. Credit to her. But the fact that she still just can’t really use her feet at all really does put a ceiling on her.
So Becky and Marie Muller are fit enough to be in the team, but they’re just … not gonna play?
Like, did this dude really just bench the two best players in our back line?
And lo and behold, the defense has been absolute garbage.
#GaleOut
Ayup
I wouldn't be against seeing what Sinc can do, she can't be any worse than what Moultrie has been giving us.
She can do what Moultrie has done even slower. Moultrie shouldn’t be on the wing.
On the other hand, Sinc wouldn’t pass to a ghost.
I missed that play but sometimes creative players pass to where they expect a teammate to be but nobody makes the run.
Yeah, Moultrie did that 2-3 times in this game - expected a run and passed for it, only to have it not materialize. You expect misses like that early in the season, but by now they're from either poor communication (someone missed someone else's signal) or poor coaching.
Lol, there's zero chance Smith plays here next year. Last week, she could've but chose not to. Today, after 3 weeks rest, she came off in a must win game. She's done with KK's BS.
I guarantee you she knew she was coming off.
Gale looked down at his notes which said take Smith out at 60 and did it. Game state? Who needs it.
Credit where due: fabulous save by Arnold.
So I used to think the Thorns had a coaching issue but I'm starting to see it as also talent issue.
It’s def both. Bad roster put together by a terrible GM and even worse decisions by the GM, like hiring the interim for the interim after a worldwide search.
Paulson didn’t spend money when he knew the team was for sale. Hard for interim coaches to bring in players too. And we leaned on older players who should have retired already to smooth the transition. And KK prioritized Canada.
But realistically the young players and the players that we are paying close to world record transfer fees for barely give a shit.
They just aren’t feeling the Kenergy yet
Taking off Smith? Are you out of your mind?
Taking off Smith removed any chance we had at scoring and getting a point or three. Not that Smith would necessarily score, but that her gravity opens up space for other players. I get that it might have been necessary to yank her, but it ended the game for us.
Minutes restriction. Because Olympics I guess.
Then why is Coffey on?
Well, Sam did miss that game with the yellow card suspension.
Ha ha. Good one.
This team looks like they are playing a pickup game.
It's been a problem all season. This team doesn't look like a team but just 11 random strangers who have never played together before.
Credit to Payne tho, she’s done quite well in her 1v1s with Kundananji
Gale: It's all the players fault. Hey, look over there.
Mentality
I BEG that someone asks why Gale refuses to play two true wingers. Would completely change the game.
I don't think they have the kind of beat writer that would ask that. When was the last time you saw an honest article about this team. Part of the problem.
I think Moultrie is a classic example of a kid that matured early. Can we actually say she's better today than she was a couple of years ago. She has talent but she's outgrown any speed she had which wasn't really breathtaking in the first place.
Yeah I’ve been saying for a while that she shouldn’t be starting bc she’s still too inconsistent, and they really need a good 10 (or if Fleming can figure out how to work next to Sam as well as Hina does, then Hina!)
So many positions where we can (and need to) level up still.
Man it was close enough that I understand why they didn’t VAR the offside call but that’s pure guesswork by the AR. If she leaves her flag down I don’t think they reverse the goal. Slim margins, could easily be level.
Isn't every goal VAR'd?
I meant in the sense of asking the ref to have a look- All goals are (in theory) checked.
Just once, I want to see the best 11 this team has on the field at the same damn time lol
Moultrie needs to be yanked
She’s been so bad
She could be yanked but she would also benefit from not having to play out of position. What has Linehan done to Gale I wonder.
Fully agree, but it’s her laziness that’s bothered me most. Leaving Payne on islands while Fleming and Hina run wind sprints to cover for her.
If your a player play
Yeah, let’s see what Turner can do
Or Linnehan, literally anything to give us some width
What on earth was that last "pass".
Hubly did a good
Payne is just so incredibly raw offensively man
She does what I did at 11 as a winger…just doesn’t pick up her head to connect or even *try* to connect a pass. Blind kicks. Then again, no one is making any runs into the box to even try to receive or get a deflection.
I think the theory is to use her pace to allow Moultrie to invert but Payne’s not good enough technically to play as a pseudo winger.
Which is lol because she was a winger first before she was converted! (But also…probably why she was converted!)
She was def used as an outlet A LOT, but she doesn’t know what to do with the ball when she gets it.
I think you can remove the “offensively” and pretty comfortably just leave it at “raw” lol