I'd like to see at least 7 points from these next three road games- All teams the Thorns should beat on paper.
I do think NCC has actually looked pretty good this year so far relative to expectation- Miura has been a nice add, Lussi has been shockingly effective, and Kerolin scares the hell out off me. Play your best team and let's get out of Cary with the W.
I do think (and hope/pray!) we see Hina or Leon on the right and Sinc back in midfield with Soph starting again. No reason to shunt the best striker in the league out wide to replicate the awful Sinc-up-top experiment from last weekend.
7 Points would be great on the road trip! But that is a big ask on the road, so I would think 5 points would be considered a solid trip. Anything less would be disappointing, and means we dropped points in multiple games. I don't see any reason to think the top 11 won't be starting, though it would be nice to see more of Rocky and Moultre.
Thorns are only on a two-game away trip this time…to NC and then straight to HOU. The CHI game after those two is at home on the 21st. Would love a full 6 points but I think those two games will be tougher than they may seem on paper. Norris has got to do something differently with all 3 lines, imo, they are all having problems. That first L is looming if nothing changes…
Ah you’re right- Chicago is at home. I definitely want 7 out of those three games then!
Agreed that these games won’t be as easy as they look on paper....though again, the Thorns really have to be getting close to max points against mediocre teams without a real home field advantage.
I only knew that one specifically because it’s my dad’s bday, and he’s from Chicago so he’s been reminding me about it weekly lol.
Yes, they should! But I think NC is more dangerous than their record suggests, and our record there has been pretty dismal. And the HOU frontline has the potential to be really dangerous. Our backline has really not been inspiring as of late, and having Becky out doesn’t help. Having Sinc and Dunn essentially playing more as two 10s (whether it’s meant to be that way or not), and, who’ve been sloppy as hell also ain’t helping us at all. Add in a kinda useless Hina on the RW, and it all feels a little off.
Watching this 442 diamond makes me wanna at least try it. It’s better defensively and Hina drops into midfield now anyways. Why not just keep her there where she’s more effective? Make Rocky and Dunn the 8’s and Hina the 10. Or swap Dunn and Hina. Weaver and Smith make fine dual F’s. They both float up front anyways. Put Sinc at the 10 if you have to.
4-3-3 vs. the 4-1-2-1-2 diamond is an interesting debate from a "what style of soccer do you enjoy" perspective. Philosophically, I really have never liked a diamond midfield (even before we saw it in Portland) because it naturally narrows the field and puts a ton of creative pressure on the 10, and defensive pressure on two 8s to shuttle up and down the wings. Parsons tried to find that true 10 here and really never did, but Sanchez is the exact archetype for what you want in that role. Sinc is who would get that spot, and she’s not a creator.
I really like the 4-3-3 for the Thorns for a few reasons:
1. It lets Soph play up top and roam, rather than being crowded by a second striker and a 10. I don’t want Weaver and Soph getting jn each other’s way because their strengths are in space. Norris played a diamond in the second half of the ACFC game and Soph had no space and was totally confined to the right side of the field.
2. It gives the team real width instead of compacting the entire attacking 6 (something we *always* bitched about on this board when Parsons played the diamond)
3. Rocky and Hina are both too slow to play the shuttler 8s- Same issue we had with Horan and Rocky the last Parsons season.
I’ve been a broken record on this, but the problem with the 4-3-3 this year isn’t the style, but the personnel. Take either Sinc or Dunn out and play a more traditional 8 and I think some of the midfield stability comes back. It’s not like the opposition xG is high anyways (though it might be when we play the Reign or Spirit), so I really think it’s more of a tweak than a formation change that’s needed.
Highly recommend people watch some Trinity Rodman this year- She’s been flat out awesome in pretty much all facets. Exciting stuff for the Spirit and the Nats
Even with Riley {spit} a distant memory I still consider NCC the league's Dark Side (no Luke, don't do it) and given the club's historical difficulties with the Courage, I would like Thorns to open a can of whoop-ass on them.
Let's call it 1-3 Portland with at least one Soph goal, and a happy red-eye home Saturday night.
And... Morgan pads her stats at the end of regulation, with an empty-calories goal. SD's only two shots of the 2nd half came in the 90th on the same sequence. Woof.
3-1 Spirit. Well done, Washington. You're moving firmly into Tier 1 territory, and San Diego is moving down to Tier 2.
Parsons really has the diamond working well in this match with a very young (and some, inexperienced) group. They are just smothering SD, who haven’t really gotten out of their own half for 25 mins. The passing throughout the midfield from the Spirit- can we have that please?! Cc: Coach Norris…
Really impressive how quickly he’s gotten this team to gel defensively- I thought they’d really struggle, but they’ve been real good even with McKeown at CB.
Yeah, McKeown has been solid and it’s weird lol. Metayer also! Where the hell did she come from…another undrafted Mark Parsons story. Having that extra player in midfield really helps them with cohesion. It makes it all the more frustrating when we have the roster we have and it’s still a little off. We should be able to run circles around most teams!
Spirit go top of the table now. We can return to the top with a win or draw (ahead on GD.)
I was amused when MarPar had McKeown play back there after [checks notes] zero prior experience, especially since she was a gifted attacker at USC with a perfectly balanced game (33 goals, 28 assists).
Sounds like it's working out, so good for them both.
Granted I haven’t seen Balcer play a ton this season but I think Weaver is pretty tough not to put on this list. I’d be ok if she was on the next 11 I guess
They're a tempting comparison--the Venn diagram shows a lot of overlap. 1:1 I'll give an edge to Balcer for her greater experience and her better header and aerial skills.
NB No, I would not swap for her. Morgan Weaver has honed her considerable skills in tune with the Thorns needs. She's also a joyous warrior who loves and is beloved by her teammates.
Partly it’s gotta be the hazard of playing alongside Sophia, she’s who’ll draw all the attention from the media; even when Weaver played pretty lights out against Angel City AND Sophia was largely on the bench I think only local fans really took note, the whole broadcast the commentator was asking “when’s Smith coming in?” Which, fair, but still!
He did call her one of the best wings in the league though. I thought they did a pretty good job of talking her up. But yeah. It’s tough when you play alongside one of the best players in the world
I'd like to see at least 7 points from these next three road games- All teams the Thorns should beat on paper.
I do think NCC has actually looked pretty good this year so far relative to expectation- Miura has been a nice add, Lussi has been shockingly effective, and Kerolin scares the hell out off me. Play your best team and let's get out of Cary with the W.
I do think (and hope/pray!) we see Hina or Leon on the right and Sinc back in midfield with Soph starting again. No reason to shunt the best striker in the league out wide to replicate the awful Sinc-up-top experiment from last weekend.
7 Points would be great on the road trip! But that is a big ask on the road, so I would think 5 points would be considered a solid trip. Anything less would be disappointing, and means we dropped points in multiple games. I don't see any reason to think the top 11 won't be starting, though it would be nice to see more of Rocky and Moultre.
I’d agree if they were going to Seattle and SD, but NCC and Chicago are just...not very good. A team with shield winning aspirations should beat both.
If they get 5 and are still undefeated in three weeks I’ll take it, but I’ll be mildly disappointed.
Thorns are only on a two-game away trip this time…to NC and then straight to HOU. The CHI game after those two is at home on the 21st. Would love a full 6 points but I think those two games will be tougher than they may seem on paper. Norris has got to do something differently with all 3 lines, imo, they are all having problems. That first L is looming if nothing changes…
Ah you’re right- Chicago is at home. I definitely want 7 out of those three games then!
Agreed that these games won’t be as easy as they look on paper....though again, the Thorns really have to be getting close to max points against mediocre teams without a real home field advantage.
I only knew that one specifically because it’s my dad’s bday, and he’s from Chicago so he’s been reminding me about it weekly lol.
Yes, they should! But I think NC is more dangerous than their record suggests, and our record there has been pretty dismal. And the HOU frontline has the potential to be really dangerous. Our backline has really not been inspiring as of late, and having Becky out doesn’t help. Having Sinc and Dunn essentially playing more as two 10s (whether it’s meant to be that way or not), and, who’ve been sloppy as hell also ain’t helping us at all. Add in a kinda useless Hina on the RW, and it all feels a little off.
Watching this 442 diamond makes me wanna at least try it. It’s better defensively and Hina drops into midfield now anyways. Why not just keep her there where she’s more effective? Make Rocky and Dunn the 8’s and Hina the 10. Or swap Dunn and Hina. Weaver and Smith make fine dual F’s. They both float up front anyways. Put Sinc at the 10 if you have to.
4-3-3 vs. the 4-1-2-1-2 diamond is an interesting debate from a "what style of soccer do you enjoy" perspective. Philosophically, I really have never liked a diamond midfield (even before we saw it in Portland) because it naturally narrows the field and puts a ton of creative pressure on the 10, and defensive pressure on two 8s to shuttle up and down the wings. Parsons tried to find that true 10 here and really never did, but Sanchez is the exact archetype for what you want in that role. Sinc is who would get that spot, and she’s not a creator.
I really like the 4-3-3 for the Thorns for a few reasons:
1. It lets Soph play up top and roam, rather than being crowded by a second striker and a 10. I don’t want Weaver and Soph getting jn each other’s way because their strengths are in space. Norris played a diamond in the second half of the ACFC game and Soph had no space and was totally confined to the right side of the field.
2. It gives the team real width instead of compacting the entire attacking 6 (something we *always* bitched about on this board when Parsons played the diamond)
3. Rocky and Hina are both too slow to play the shuttler 8s- Same issue we had with Horan and Rocky the last Parsons season.
I’ve been a broken record on this, but the problem with the 4-3-3 this year isn’t the style, but the personnel. Take either Sinc or Dunn out and play a more traditional 8 and I think some of the midfield stability comes back. It’s not like the opposition xG is high anyways (though it might be when we play the Reign or Spirit), so I really think it’s more of a tweak than a formation change that’s needed.
Circle June 23 on your calendars.... Spirit visit Portland, Parsons's return.
Yeah that game is gonna be a bloodbath.
And don't forget to mark Smarch next year -- that's March/April in NWSL Speak.
Highly recommend people watch some Trinity Rodman this year- She’s been flat out awesome in pretty much all facets. Exciting stuff for the Spirit and the Nats
Even with Riley {spit} a distant memory I still consider NCC the league's Dark Side (no Luke, don't do it) and given the club's historical difficulties with the Courage, I would like Thorns to open a can of whoop-ass on them.
Let's call it 1-3 Portland with at least one Soph goal, and a happy red-eye home Saturday night.
Enemy of My Enemy Match #1: WAS v SD. 27th minute, scoreless, SD doesn't have a single shot. Wow.
58th minute, 1-0 Washington. Still 2 shots from Wave. Doesn't look like they're gonna show up today. Shhhhh... nobody wake them!
72nd minute, 2-0, still 2 shots from the vaunted Wave offense. Ouch.
What time is it? 3 PAST SHERIDAN!
80th minute, still 2 shots from the Wave.... none in the 2nd half.
Would love to be a fly on the wall for Stoney's "remarks" to the squad after this mess!
Norrissey: study the film of this one and do the same damn thing!
And... Morgan pads her stats at the end of regulation, with an empty-calories goal. SD's only two shots of the 2nd half came in the 90th on the same sequence. Woof.
3-1 Spirit. Well done, Washington. You're moving firmly into Tier 1 territory, and San Diego is moving down to Tier 2.
Oooh! 2 shots at halftime, 1 on goal, 1 blocked.
Hell, Parsons hasn't even had to turn Brooksie loose on Morgan.
NWSL Best XI for Smarch (aka March/April)
Goalkeeper: Phallon Tullis-Joyce (RGN)
Defense: Naomi Girma (SD), Emily Fox (NC), Becky Sauerbrunn (POR), Sam Staab (WAS)
Midfield: Debinha (KC), Crystal Dunn (POR), Jess Fishlock (RGN)
Forward: Bethany Balcer (RGN), Sophia Smith (POR), Lynn Williams (NJNY)
Parsons really has the diamond working well in this match with a very young (and some, inexperienced) group. They are just smothering SD, who haven’t really gotten out of their own half for 25 mins. The passing throughout the midfield from the Spirit- can we have that please?! Cc: Coach Norris…
Already multiple yellows cards though, whew.
Really impressive how quickly he’s gotten this team to gel defensively- I thought they’d really struggle, but they’ve been real good even with McKeown at CB.
Yeah, McKeown has been solid and it’s weird lol. Metayer also! Where the hell did she come from…another undrafted Mark Parsons story. Having that extra player in midfield really helps them with cohesion. It makes it all the more frustrating when we have the roster we have and it’s still a little off. We should be able to run circles around most teams!
Spirit go top of the table now. We can return to the top with a win or draw (ahead on GD.)
I was amused when MarPar had McKeown play back there after [checks notes] zero prior experience, especially since she was a gifted attacker at USC with a perfectly balanced game (33 goals, 28 assists).
Sounds like it's working out, so good for them both.
Granted I haven’t seen Balcer play a ton this season but I think Weaver is pretty tough not to put on this list. I’d be ok if she was on the next 11 I guess
They're a tempting comparison--the Venn diagram shows a lot of overlap. 1:1 I'll give an edge to Balcer for her greater experience and her better header and aerial skills.
NB No, I would not swap for her. Morgan Weaver has honed her considerable skills in tune with the Thorns needs. She's also a joyous warrior who loves and is beloved by her teammates.
Partly it’s gotta be the hazard of playing alongside Sophia, she’s who’ll draw all the attention from the media; even when Weaver played pretty lights out against Angel City AND Sophia was largely on the bench I think only local fans really took note, the whole broadcast the commentator was asking “when’s Smith coming in?” Which, fair, but still!
He did call her one of the best wings in the league though. I thought they did a pretty good job of talking her up. But yeah. It’s tough when you play alongside one of the best players in the world
This was meant as I reply to Thornando FC’s Best 11 post...my bad
Soph has been named NWSL PoM for March/April.
Didn't realize there was a month of "March/April." My calendar lists "March" and "April."
I believe Homer has a calendar that lists "Smarch." Wonder who will win NWSL PoM for Smarch?