The Portland Thorns came back from the international break to play in Providence Park against Houston, and in the end the Dash proved to be a worthy opponent.
Feel really bad for Reyes. I think it was a poor decision by the coach to start her in a tough game with one of the best front lines in the league after seeing like 10 minutes of pro time in a friendly and at the end of a game we're winning two weeks ago. And, being tasked with marking one of the best wingers in the league. Sanchez was constantly open behind Reyes. Kuikka does it as well, but she's much faster than Reyes. Also, I saw a Reyes fan on twitter say that she is a left-footed player and that she should have been playing her position at LB. And I agree. We saw what happens with a very good fullback in Kuikka when she got her sides swapped, and it was terrible. And she's very experienced, very good fullback. I just don't understand why he wouldn't have started Kling at RB (or even Nally, good grief) so Reyes could play where she's comfortable. Make a rookie start her first pro game out of position...pay the price. I did think it was a positive coaching sign though, that he made the switch at half to bring Kuikka in.
I was sitting in the area closest to Reyes and she struggled all night. Bixby and Hubly kept yelling at (or, directing) her because she would be out of position or not watching Sanchez. She looked like she had no idea where she was supposed to be. Crystal also looked like she was having miscommunications with her as well. She looked uncomfortable the whole night, and you could tell she was not comfortable or confident with her right foot. Having Vasconcelos on that side made it even worse. Had she had Weaver on her side, she would've had way more help defensively. Vasconcelos would dribble up the right side a bit, but then run out of ideas and wouldn't know what to do with the ball, so she would turn around and drop it back to Reyes often. Houston was targeting that weak side, and they were rewarded for it. Anyways, it was a pretty rough outing for her and she still looks very much like a rookie....whereas D'Aquila looked pro-ready from the jump. I wish she was on the field with Soph and Weaver (and the rest of the starting team)...but that's another story. Would like to see a more cautious roll-out of Reyes next, and at her actual position. These sorts of roll-outs can really deflate a rookie's confidence, and now he will have that to overcome with her as well.
I thought Sam did decently distributing and being in the right spaces, but she often also just went backwards. Moultrie started well and had some beaaaaautiful passes but she kinda disappeared in the second half when Hina and Rocky came in. It was a good time to pull Crystal though....she did a lot of work and was looking fatigued by then. Rocky....woof. She was a mess and looked tired from the start. Hina barely touched the ball. When D'Aquila came in and Hina went back into midfield, the midfield became non-existent. Everyone missed SO. MANY. SITTERS. We coulda shoulda been up by like 4.
Overall, one of the more nervy unpleasant games I've been to in a while lol.
Reyes is right footed. No problem with her at RB, LB, or Midfield. When I interviewed her, she is comfortable at both fullback spots and midfield.
Having her on Weaver's side would definitely have worked better. If Hina or Leon were available to start, that would of helped the right side too.
Struggled all night? Don't agree with that as she was good the first 20 minutes before Houston scored when I asked Coach Mike during the presser. I had the same assessment.
In regards to Sam, I had her as my POTM. Sprung the attack on a bunch of occasions and was tracking back on defensive to help.
Yeah, the sitters will hurt. This game could of easily been 4-2 or something.
I don't know, I don't really agree. I thought she looked outmatched much of the time she was out there. She was the closest Thorn to me, watching in person, so I was able to see her kinda more clearly than any other players. Her and Michele. Hubly and Bixby were trying to direct her all night. She looked quite uncomfortable, imo. Body language, positioning, and her touches. Which, I don't blame her- that front three is a rough one to be thrown into the fire for. But, it seemed obvious she wasn't ready, and Norris adjusted accordingly. I think a rookie might say "I feel comfortable at all of these places" because they wanna play, but I'd like to see her at the position she played most often, which is LB. Nally would say she feels comfortable at RB, but I wouldn't put her there, it's not her best position. That's not to say Reyna can't become a great player, of course this was her first extended set of minutes as a pro....she has some of the best back line teachers and will no doubt become more confident on the ball. I could tell she has the inclination to get forward, which I like, but she doesn't quite have the speed to get too far up, especially when we have a weaker forward on her side, or the midfield doesn't shift to cover the hole it leaves on defense....but all that stuff will come with time and learning each other's strengths and weaknesses, and adjusting.
Agree with you on Sam, she was just a beast doing what she could in the midfield. She kept popping up everywhere, was pretty good playing out of pressure, and is looking to have much more defensive upside than last season. She's constantly improving, and it's so fun to watch!
Overall, each line needed work. The rookie mistake that cost two points wouldn't have mattered if the forwards put away even one of their many good chances. Still would like to watch again via broadcast because I think you just see things differently than in person, but watching up close her movements and interactions with our defense and midfield, I still think Reyes looked very much like a rookie....which is ok!
I’m glad we all have different views on the game because it’s more fun to interact with everyone that way.
I would of loved her to play on Weaver’s side like you stated or started when Hina or Leon were also at RW. Having two new starters on the right is asking a lot of both.
Sam honestly gets better every time she steps out there. In any other wwc cycle she’d be a roster lock.
Totally agreed, if we finished one more chance it’s a whole different story for sure.
Yeah, every line needs work. That excites me a lot!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, always love reading them!
I'm a (former) winger/striker who sometimes played fullback on the R side when it was a throwaway game, so I admit I'm extra hard/extra analytical on those in those positions. It's also reeeally difficult for anyone to fill Kuikka's shoes. I do love hearing other perspectives, though! It's what makes our commentary here on STP really complete. It's kinda what I look for in my game commentary as well- I don't want a commentating duo to just say "everyone had a great game, trophies for everyone!", I want hard truths and real analysis when it's called for!
I really hope she gets a lot of time during the CC games...yes, that pot of money at the end of the rainbow is pretty nice, but the lower pressure may help build her confidence. She needs reps in her most comfortable position, imo. When she feels more comfortable, like maybe next season, I'd experiment with other positions, if needed. For now though, she's gotta master one thing at a time and the jump from college to pro is huge, so she's got a lot to keep busy with for now. More experienced players should be the ones to shift, if absolutely needed. I am totally fine with running out all of the bench players for the CC games though...at least when we have a game only a few days after (after traveling.) Still really looking forward to more from D'Aquila also. I feel like we've hardly seen her and I also would like to see her for a longer period of time, with forwards/midfielders who can get her on the ball more.
I am excited to see Leon get some time. Do you know what position coach is looking for her to play most? RW? And will her visa clear by Wednesday?
Thanks for all of your time here, as well Phuoc! I love interacting and talking analysis with folks.
Agreed, would like to see more matches in CC. She's got all the talent in the world. It'll take time to gel and mesh with her backline mates. The players do very good film review and study so this will help in development too.
I was hoping Izzy would of been the 9 after Sophia subbed off, so now hoping it'll happen Wednesday. When she gets chances, she will almost always find a goal.
As of now he has said winger, I will try to see if RW is the preferred spot. Visa processes is a bit interesting, it's either super fast or slow. I am hoping we are as Michele Vasconcelos status looks like will be day to day.
She doesn't look right footed to me. Every time she got the ball on that side she seemed quite unconvincing. Left footed she was fine, and she kept on working the ball to get on her left.
Yeah, it caught me off guard when she told me during the interview. She's very comfortable on both, but I think her playing LB so often has her with that mindset to take it with her left.
Not able to watch, so no insight here beyond the observation most rookies are unprepared for the speed of the game at the pro level. Maybe if they had played U21 Nats and such, but most drafted players have not.
It was instructive when during her first full interview Hina responded to "What has been your biggest surprise with the NWSL?" it was not physicality (as I'd expected) but the speed. Speed kills.
For the last few seasons Dash have been a tough nut for PTFC. We attended the October '21 match where Dash jumped on the lethargic Thorns 0-2 in the first half. Portland clawed back--Sinc and Soph goals, both on Horan assists--but couldn't even maintain the draw, giving up a second Daly goal, late. Boy I miss her, just not playing her.
So I hope they came into last night's match knowing the level of the opponent was an order of magnitude higher than the first two. It was an oddball starting XI to be sure.
Looking at the replay on Peterson’s disallowed goal, I think the Dash would be justified thinking they should have come away with 3 points. Heck, Maybe it would even have been worth dropping one more point in the standings if losing made PTFC work that much harder on their finishing this week in practice.
Yeah this team plays very good anytime after not getting a win the previous game. They were very disappointed at the presser and going to make sure things get cleaned up too. The game vs San Diego Wednesday will be a difficult one as will Racing Louisville. However, playing at home next weekend will be a huge boost. Hoping players have a chance to rotate, rest, and recover.
I dunno what prompted it, but it was great to see Bixby suddenly become unglued from her line , starting at about the 40 minute mark. There were definitely a few less shots coming off of Ordóñez’ dangerous head the rest of the way as a result.
I think Beck&Bauer said this, but Bixby absolutely did not have possession on the 80th minute drop and the Peterson goal should have stood…so given that the Thorns couldn’t finish they were crazy lucky to escape with the point.
That said, having rewatched this thing…
1) Phuoc is right and the Thorns really were much the better side (except between 20 and 26’ when they got their goal, 54-63’ when Bixby had to stone Ordonez, and a couple minutes leading up to the Bixby fumble).
2) However that didn’t extend to the midfield, where everything went wide to Vasconcelos (who as Thornando points out, had nothing) or Weaver, who had some good attacks but was also her “blast away” shooting self. Laity set up his troops to deny Smith thru the middle and that largely worked.
3) The passing and movement really needs work. Too slow, too predictable, too many people not moving to space. Houston’s press wasn’t as tight as I’d thought seeing it live, but Portland’s movement was even less effective than I’d thought initially.
Thank you, Seattle, for beating SDW to keep us top. But we’re going to need to learn from this one before we meet either of them!
Agree with you that Bixby didn't have possession on that 80th-minute event, but I think the ref called it as a foul on Peterson for crashing into Bixby and making her drop the ball.
This might fall under the unwritten but very real "extra protection for goalkeepers" part of refereeing.
On point 3: speed in general looked to be a problem, I thought (although so far I haven't rewatched). The starting back line stood out the most in terms of pace deficit. Obviously Kling and 'Brunn are going to struggle for pace vs genuinely quick attackers, for all that both offset some of that with positioning and a veteran's anticipation of how play will unfold. Reyes isn't slow, but she isn't fast, either. Hubly has good top speed, but her first few steps are slowish...and her speed of reaction and (sometimes) her positioning are not great. Really miss Menges, even the less-pacey late-career version. That said, it took a howler of a rookie mistake for the back line to concede.
Even our optimal starting midfield isn't fast (Dunn excepted), but should be able to be counted on for much better understanding, passing, etc., than that rotated version. I'd still prefer to see Hina as a 10, but after watching Vasconcelos pretty closely, I'm content with Sugita remaining the first choice RW. Vasconcelos wasn't awful, but "not awful" isn't really what we're looking for, is it?
Still, the team dropped points Friday night largely because the attackers didn't finish some very good chances. Sometimes that happens to the better team on the night (see: this year's She Believes Cup...).
Yeah, Rapinoe becoming healthy again will be a problem for other teams. And she's gonna wanna be playing a lot more leading into the WC. She's slower, but she's a lot smarter. You can tell what the plan is when she come in....Fishlock, Barnes, Huerta...they were all just serving her the ball so she could serve it back in or take a shot. Reign defense was pretty solid and they looked pretty good last night. Or maybe it was just that Wave looked pretty bad? A bit of both. I'm not sure I've seen Wave play so poorly, though. They just looked a mess from the start. Missing EVE seems to be a problem for them. Only player that looked good was Sheridan.
I'm really curious what comes from the CC game on Wed. I'm hoping we can fully rotate and give folks rest. We don't have enough healthy defenders, though, to not have some of our starters back there...especially if Menges is still out. When was the last time she played consistently? It feels like it's been years...
Puget Sound WoSo Team are for real. They're loaded, they have an identity, they can throw a lot of different things at you, and they love their coach (and vice versa).
Sauerbrunn and Nally were consoling Reyes as they came out of the halftime break. Mistakes happen, I definitely think she has some rookie jitters, but that will pass and she’s gonna be great!
She works too hard not to continue to improve. Excited to see her progression. Has a midfield mindset and great ball control as a fullback. That's special and insanely hard to teach.
Even on that goal, she made the right read, the instincts were there all half.
First start against Houston's Frontline of Diana, Maria, and Ebony is a tough ask too. Lots of good reps in that match.
Becky is the best leader anyone can ask for. Every single time I bring her up with anyone from the team, especially the backline, it's amazing to hear.
I like most of what I saw from her. Obviously that mistake cost a goal, and that will weigh on her...and she's not super-pacey. But all-in-all I thought she was good and is someone who needs to get minutes when we can.
I agree. I thought she had some decent moments. I agree with ABell that she would have benefited from playing on Weaver’s side. Seemed like she was getting caught way up high on the pitch. Now, that may have been something the Thorn’s thought they saw and were trying to overload that side rather than Reyes’ mistake. The mistake on the goal was brutal, but that happens. Kelli covered for her and actually played pretty good D, Sanchez made a better shot
I think she has good tools, it’s gonna depend on her ability to learn from games like last night. Some players seem to struggle with that; Po and Sonnett come to mind, decent overall but still prone to a brainfart once a game or so. So we’ll see.
I’ll second David here. The match was fast, but “electrifying”? Too many ugly mishit passes and turnovers for my taste (from both sides; neither squad completed over 75% and Houston was something like 66%…}. Defenses missing marks and looking disorganized.
I’m going to chalk this one up to rotation and lack of training. But it’s a warning shot; we’re gonna see a lot more pressing because this worked so well. If the squad can’t respond better than they did last night it’s gonna be a looooong season.
(I still think Reyes was a good choice. From my seat I can watch her very closely and she's nervous. I think there's a lot of parental pressure. Remember that preseason game where she took like 5 minutes to complete a throw-in? That's overthinking if I've ever seen it. But all that will pass as she settles in.)
Ha!! I remember that and thinking “what in the hell is taking so long?!” Then again, a lot of times Thorns players don’t make much effort to get open for their teammates and it’s always made me crazy.
Her mom's Twitter is 100% about Reyna's soccer playing. I don't follow her and she doesn't follow me, but anything I post anything even remotely Reyna-related, her mom finds it.
Not that there's anything wrong with that, but having grown up in a stereotypical Asian "tiger mom" family, I am really sensitive to signs of pressure coming from helicopter parents.
Oh yeah! I've gotten random likes from her anytime I've commented something about Reyna lol. She must have a "Reyna Reyes" search saved on her twitter.
I totally get it...it was that for me as a child/teen with my mom, but with academics. Perfectionism can be good, but also create a whole lot of undue anxiety.
That can be annoying as hell. Mom hasn't rented an apartment in PDX has she? Or worse, is her roommate?
Did just last weekend learn her full name is Reyna Rene Reyes Stubblefield. Must be hell signing a loan contract.
The elite distance runner on my kid's team is 1. going to school in her hometown 2. trained from her youth by mom and 3. lives at home. My bleacher distance opinion is that worked fine to get her to the present level but is preventing her from becoming NCAA royalty, because she needs advanced coaching for that next level.
Although even *I* could pick up a brace against KC's backline, that was a gorgeous shot... both times Hocking beat Franch with it.
I don't know where Franch is in the whole USWNT mix -- I think Murphy is Naeher's backup -- but this whole KC Shitshow thing isn't doing anything to help her.
Franch is facing a ton of open shots and saving almost none of them.
The more the ball goes in the back of the net, and the more you're playing from a couple of goals down, the more it gets in your head even on saveable shots (e.g., that one from Smith that Franch misplayed). Three matches in, and she hasn't looked sharp in one of them.
What's especially dangerous for Franch, though, is this: (1) Hocking beat her twice on the exact same shot placed to the exact same spot and (2) Franch arguably missed on the other two concessions -- getting down too late on Stevens's opener and not controlling the ball on Matthews's shot that Franch pushed to the post.
True story: I tried to get Timbers tickets when the family was going to be in PDX and when it turned out they were not in town when we were, saw that a team called the Thorns were in town so we saw them instead. What you said about the atmosphere is exactly our experience (were seated on the north end, far enough from the drums so my kid didn't freak out).
Still haven't made it to an MLS match, and not for lack of trying. USL is filling in for both leagues ATM.
Rusty Nails, the inspiration for Krusty the Clown; there's also a real-life Rusty Nails who is a filmmaker and actor
And...
Rusty Kuntz, the great 1B coach but lousy player... he of career .236/.328/.322 with 5 HR and 38 RBI in 277 major league games, whose singular MLB highlight is this:
"In the fifth and deciding game of the 1984 World Series against the San Diego Padres, Kuntz pinch-hit for designated hitter Johnny Grubb with the bases loaded and the score tied at three. Kuntz hit a pop-up to short right field that Tony Gwynn was unable to see. Second baseman Alan Wiggins made the catch, but was unable to prevent Kirk Gibson from racing home from third with the go-ahead run. The Tigers maintained their lead after that, giving Kuntz an unlikely game-winning RBI."
R side was nerfed because Vasconcelos would dribble a bit but not have the individual skill to do much more or connect to other forwards/midfielders, and would just stop, turn, and drop it back to Reyes, who was pretty shaky on the ball (as seen by the blue color.) We definitely need better options at RW, if we don't have a strong threat there, it really means we have only one attacking threat through Weaver/Smith...which teams will learn quickly and extinguish. Midfield still needs to do a MUCH better job of connecting to the F line, because...there were no connected passes from any of them! Really, there was not a lot of passing going on through the middle with our centerbacks either. Disconnection is the word of the day!
Ha! I mean, Hina too! Happy Hina got rest, but I think Vasconcelos should only really be getting sub minutes to close out games. Not saying she's a giant liability or anything, but it makes things way harder for Weaver and Soph, and the team in general, when we have a player there who can't do much more than pass back to the fullback. Leon seems like she'll be a good mid-level player who can still keep the attack up after the starters come off. Leon and Kuikka will be fun to watch together though....talk about putting some muscle on our R side.
Vasconcelos is my Everett replacement--should be used in the same fashion, perhaps with an "in case of emergency, break glass" label. Maybe unfair but each has/had an obvious ceiling as compared to say, Westphal, who just needed a career reboot in a healthy environment to unveil her skillset.
Yes, exactly. Maybe good for a few goals against easier teams, but not quite at the level needed to be starting against better teams. Great to put in when we've got a lead to give other players a rest. We need a player who can at least create/connect forward on their own to take pressure off our other forwards, and I think Leon will fit that well if Hina/Weaver needs a rest.
Moultrie looked good out there-and wierdly reminded me of Sinclair- not very fast, but some excellent passes and smart decisions distributing the ball- also just like Sinclair, at this point she’s still too slow to get a shot off around the box without it being blocked
I thought that some of the first times we ever saw her get minutes, and even more so now. It's no wonder she cites one of her favorite players as Kevin DeBruyne...someone with some of the best vision and distribution playing right now. And she's 17! Would love to see her work on quickening her trigger, though!
"BREAKING NEWS🚨 Sources confirm to The Equalizer's
@JeffKassouf that #USWNT midfielder Julie Ertz has signed with Angel City FC. Ertz could debut in Sunday's match against in-state rival San Diego Wave."
I can't imagine LA isn't past their salary cap at this point. Either the league will let it slide for their LA golden child, or ACFC will have to give someone (like Mandy?) up.
Well, there was that whole "barring unforeseen circumstance" thing attached to the Mandy story, but I assume that was a "foreseen circumstance."
I'm guessing they're going big right up the middle -- Mandy and Ertz as a dual pivot, push McCaskill forward and more centrally into a position where she started her career, with Emslie and Thompson up top and Katie J subbing in.
So, the wildcard here is contract length, both for Ertz and Mandy.
Ertz signed a 1-year deal, which means just through the end of the 2023 season. That's long enough for her to play for USWNT in WWC. Vlatko insisted that she had to be playing club somewhere, as the Equalizer Guys pointed out, LA is closest to Phoenix, and maybe she doesn't return in 2024. Mandy probably doesn't join ACFC until after WWC, and might only overlap with Ertz briefly.
....and THAT is why Rapinoe is on the USWNT even now. That and the leadership. She nearly buried the direct kick, then delivered a quality corner that produced a recycled ball that eventually led to van der Jagt's strike.
I think we just watched 2 of the 4 semifinalists. Great match!
ACFC is going to struggle until they have a midfield comfortable holding, dribbling, and good decision makers. I was shocked they didn't do anything to improve it until the Henry signing.
Orlando's superpower appears to be to making most other teams play down to their level. Gotham/Orlando 0-0 86th minute. Orlando's Keeper-of-the-Week, however, has made a couple of nifty one-handed parries of very dangerous balls. Also, I'm not convinced Gotham is any good yet, despite all the off-season additions. Nice to see Sinead out there, tho.
KC Masterpiece is a run-of-the-mill BBQ sauce. KC Shitshow is what this team will be until they get healthy in the midfield and along the backline. Down 1-0 nearing halftime to a similarly depleted Chicago side.
Parsons has the Spirit heading toward 7 after 3, just like our Thorns, after facing Seattle WoSo Club (because, really, what the hell else do we call them now?), Racing, and NC. That's not bad.
Laity watched the hell out of the second half in KC, because he sent his troops out to press hell out of Portland and it worked like a mechanical ass-kicker.
Norris mentioned in the post-preseason meeting that he saw issues with the squad building up too slowly and predictably and allowing their opponents to cut off passes and close down players and we saw this all over last night. The best chances came off individual brilliance from Smith or Weaver; when the team tried to build up Houston’s press would close it down. Why we seem to have trouble one-touch passing and moving quickly to space I don’t know, but it hurt last night.
And let’s not EVEN go into the whole “22 shots…5 on goal” issue. Smith, Dunn, Weaver, and Moultrie all missed sitters, or got woodwork. As Schonz used to say, ya gotta hit your free throws. Waste chances and drop points.
Frankly I think we were lucky to escape with a point; it looked to me like Bixby didn’t have that ball in her grasp and their second goal would have stood if the CR had gone to VAR.
Oh, well. Is what it is and now we have to rotate for this damn midweek Cup tie. Ugh.
Disagree, Portland was the better side and deserved 3 points. Unfortunately, that's not how soccer works. You have to finish your chances when you get them.
5 on goal is definitely an issue, but from their work over the past year till now, they've shown ability to bounce back and score.
We should be able to play out of the high press, our midfielders all are comfortable on ball. Sadly, hasn't been smooth.
With the congested schedule, would like them to play mostly a second squad against SDW. Not enough time to recover for RL next weekend.
As far as “better side”? That and twelve bucks’ll get you a Widmer at the Double Post. This is one of those “you’re as good as your scoreline says you are” things; you waste 15 of 20 shots? Doesn’t matter how many “chances” you created. You finished one, so you “deserved” the point you got.
And I’d be more complacent if Norris hadn’t pointed out the very same problem after Seattle did the same thing in preseason. Fool me twice? Shame on me.
To say that Reyes couldn’t stop Sanchez is too generous. I get that she’s a rookie, but call a spade a spade. The goal was the second CONSECUTIVE Houston possession where she aggressively played the ball and not the other player, letting the Houston player make a clean run down the channel.
She whiffed on both-- one poorly timed (ball was past her before she arrived to cut it off) and the second well timed but she let the ball go right through her to Sanchez.
After the first biff, she should have played it more conservatively on the 2nd.
It wasn't. Vasconcelos wasn't terrible up there (not Hina-tier, obviously, but Hina needed the rotation after her call-up), but she knows how to use her pace and she made the effort on defense. We seemed to be running at least 2/3 of the attacks up the left side to Weaver anyway (I'd have to look at an actual heat map to make sure, but that's how it seemed from my seat).
Feel really bad for Reyes. I think it was a poor decision by the coach to start her in a tough game with one of the best front lines in the league after seeing like 10 minutes of pro time in a friendly and at the end of a game we're winning two weeks ago. And, being tasked with marking one of the best wingers in the league. Sanchez was constantly open behind Reyes. Kuikka does it as well, but she's much faster than Reyes. Also, I saw a Reyes fan on twitter say that she is a left-footed player and that she should have been playing her position at LB. And I agree. We saw what happens with a very good fullback in Kuikka when she got her sides swapped, and it was terrible. And she's very experienced, very good fullback. I just don't understand why he wouldn't have started Kling at RB (or even Nally, good grief) so Reyes could play where she's comfortable. Make a rookie start her first pro game out of position...pay the price. I did think it was a positive coaching sign though, that he made the switch at half to bring Kuikka in.
I was sitting in the area closest to Reyes and she struggled all night. Bixby and Hubly kept yelling at (or, directing) her because she would be out of position or not watching Sanchez. She looked like she had no idea where she was supposed to be. Crystal also looked like she was having miscommunications with her as well. She looked uncomfortable the whole night, and you could tell she was not comfortable or confident with her right foot. Having Vasconcelos on that side made it even worse. Had she had Weaver on her side, she would've had way more help defensively. Vasconcelos would dribble up the right side a bit, but then run out of ideas and wouldn't know what to do with the ball, so she would turn around and drop it back to Reyes often. Houston was targeting that weak side, and they were rewarded for it. Anyways, it was a pretty rough outing for her and she still looks very much like a rookie....whereas D'Aquila looked pro-ready from the jump. I wish she was on the field with Soph and Weaver (and the rest of the starting team)...but that's another story. Would like to see a more cautious roll-out of Reyes next, and at her actual position. These sorts of roll-outs can really deflate a rookie's confidence, and now he will have that to overcome with her as well.
I thought Sam did decently distributing and being in the right spaces, but she often also just went backwards. Moultrie started well and had some beaaaaautiful passes but she kinda disappeared in the second half when Hina and Rocky came in. It was a good time to pull Crystal though....she did a lot of work and was looking fatigued by then. Rocky....woof. She was a mess and looked tired from the start. Hina barely touched the ball. When D'Aquila came in and Hina went back into midfield, the midfield became non-existent. Everyone missed SO. MANY. SITTERS. We coulda shoulda been up by like 4.
Overall, one of the more nervy unpleasant games I've been to in a while lol.
Reyes is right footed. No problem with her at RB, LB, or Midfield. When I interviewed her, she is comfortable at both fullback spots and midfield.
Having her on Weaver's side would definitely have worked better. If Hina or Leon were available to start, that would of helped the right side too.
Struggled all night? Don't agree with that as she was good the first 20 minutes before Houston scored when I asked Coach Mike during the presser. I had the same assessment.
In regards to Sam, I had her as my POTM. Sprung the attack on a bunch of occasions and was tracking back on defensive to help.
Yeah, the sitters will hurt. This game could of easily been 4-2 or something.
I don't know, I don't really agree. I thought she looked outmatched much of the time she was out there. She was the closest Thorn to me, watching in person, so I was able to see her kinda more clearly than any other players. Her and Michele. Hubly and Bixby were trying to direct her all night. She looked quite uncomfortable, imo. Body language, positioning, and her touches. Which, I don't blame her- that front three is a rough one to be thrown into the fire for. But, it seemed obvious she wasn't ready, and Norris adjusted accordingly. I think a rookie might say "I feel comfortable at all of these places" because they wanna play, but I'd like to see her at the position she played most often, which is LB. Nally would say she feels comfortable at RB, but I wouldn't put her there, it's not her best position. That's not to say Reyna can't become a great player, of course this was her first extended set of minutes as a pro....she has some of the best back line teachers and will no doubt become more confident on the ball. I could tell she has the inclination to get forward, which I like, but she doesn't quite have the speed to get too far up, especially when we have a weaker forward on her side, or the midfield doesn't shift to cover the hole it leaves on defense....but all that stuff will come with time and learning each other's strengths and weaknesses, and adjusting.
Agree with you on Sam, she was just a beast doing what she could in the midfield. She kept popping up everywhere, was pretty good playing out of pressure, and is looking to have much more defensive upside than last season. She's constantly improving, and it's so fun to watch!
Overall, each line needed work. The rookie mistake that cost two points wouldn't have mattered if the forwards put away even one of their many good chances. Still would like to watch again via broadcast because I think you just see things differently than in person, but watching up close her movements and interactions with our defense and midfield, I still think Reyes looked very much like a rookie....which is ok!
Yeah that’s fair!
I’m glad we all have different views on the game because it’s more fun to interact with everyone that way.
I would of loved her to play on Weaver’s side like you stated or started when Hina or Leon were also at RW. Having two new starters on the right is asking a lot of both.
Sam honestly gets better every time she steps out there. In any other wwc cycle she’d be a roster lock.
Totally agreed, if we finished one more chance it’s a whole different story for sure.
Yeah, every line needs work. That excites me a lot!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, always love reading them!
I'm a (former) winger/striker who sometimes played fullback on the R side when it was a throwaway game, so I admit I'm extra hard/extra analytical on those in those positions. It's also reeeally difficult for anyone to fill Kuikka's shoes. I do love hearing other perspectives, though! It's what makes our commentary here on STP really complete. It's kinda what I look for in my game commentary as well- I don't want a commentating duo to just say "everyone had a great game, trophies for everyone!", I want hard truths and real analysis when it's called for!
I really hope she gets a lot of time during the CC games...yes, that pot of money at the end of the rainbow is pretty nice, but the lower pressure may help build her confidence. She needs reps in her most comfortable position, imo. When she feels more comfortable, like maybe next season, I'd experiment with other positions, if needed. For now though, she's gotta master one thing at a time and the jump from college to pro is huge, so she's got a lot to keep busy with for now. More experienced players should be the ones to shift, if absolutely needed. I am totally fine with running out all of the bench players for the CC games though...at least when we have a game only a few days after (after traveling.) Still really looking forward to more from D'Aquila also. I feel like we've hardly seen her and I also would like to see her for a longer period of time, with forwards/midfielders who can get her on the ball more.
I am excited to see Leon get some time. Do you know what position coach is looking for her to play most? RW? And will her visa clear by Wednesday?
Thanks for all of your time here, as well Phuoc! I love interacting and talking analysis with folks.
For sure, the analysis is the best part!
Agreed, would like to see more matches in CC. She's got all the talent in the world. It'll take time to gel and mesh with her backline mates. The players do very good film review and study so this will help in development too.
I was hoping Izzy would of been the 9 after Sophia subbed off, so now hoping it'll happen Wednesday. When she gets chances, she will almost always find a goal.
As of now he has said winger, I will try to see if RW is the preferred spot. Visa processes is a bit interesting, it's either super fast or slow. I am hoping we are as Michele Vasconcelos status looks like will be day to day.
Of course, I appreciate you all very much!
Michele went off looking like she had a bit of a knock as well, hoping her (and Weaver too!) are injury-free for the upcoming games!
She doesn't look right footed to me. Every time she got the ball on that side she seemed quite unconvincing. Left footed she was fine, and she kept on working the ball to get on her left.
Yeah, it caught me off guard when she told me during the interview. She's very comfortable on both, but I think her playing LB so often has her with that mindset to take it with her left.
Not able to watch, so no insight here beyond the observation most rookies are unprepared for the speed of the game at the pro level. Maybe if they had played U21 Nats and such, but most drafted players have not.
It was instructive when during her first full interview Hina responded to "What has been your biggest surprise with the NWSL?" it was not physicality (as I'd expected) but the speed. Speed kills.
For the last few seasons Dash have been a tough nut for PTFC. We attended the October '21 match where Dash jumped on the lethargic Thorns 0-2 in the first half. Portland clawed back--Sinc and Soph goals, both on Horan assists--but couldn't even maintain the draw, giving up a second Daly goal, late. Boy I miss her, just not playing her.
So I hope they came into last night's match knowing the level of the opponent was an order of magnitude higher than the first two. It was an oddball starting XI to be sure.
Houston Dash are a lot better side this year too. I'm not sold on their backline quite yet, but they rolled out a different set-up yesterday too.
They'll be even better if/when they get Prince back.
That is facts!
Looking at the replay on Peterson’s disallowed goal, I think the Dash would be justified thinking they should have come away with 3 points. Heck, Maybe it would even have been worth dropping one more point in the standings if losing made PTFC work that much harder on their finishing this week in practice.
Yeah this team plays very good anytime after not getting a win the previous game. They were very disappointed at the presser and going to make sure things get cleaned up too. The game vs San Diego Wednesday will be a difficult one as will Racing Louisville. However, playing at home next weekend will be a huge boost. Hoping players have a chance to rotate, rest, and recover.
I dunno what prompted it, but it was great to see Bixby suddenly become unglued from her line , starting at about the 40 minute mark. There were definitely a few less shots coming off of Ordóñez’ dangerous head the rest of the way as a result.
100%
When Bixby is aggressive off her line, I enjoy watching her play like that. She is so good when that's the case!
I think Beck&Bauer said this, but Bixby absolutely did not have possession on the 80th minute drop and the Peterson goal should have stood…so given that the Thorns couldn’t finish they were crazy lucky to escape with the point.
That said, having rewatched this thing…
1) Phuoc is right and the Thorns really were much the better side (except between 20 and 26’ when they got their goal, 54-63’ when Bixby had to stone Ordonez, and a couple minutes leading up to the Bixby fumble).
2) However that didn’t extend to the midfield, where everything went wide to Vasconcelos (who as Thornando points out, had nothing) or Weaver, who had some good attacks but was also her “blast away” shooting self. Laity set up his troops to deny Smith thru the middle and that largely worked.
3) The passing and movement really needs work. Too slow, too predictable, too many people not moving to space. Houston’s press wasn’t as tight as I’d thought seeing it live, but Portland’s movement was even less effective than I’d thought initially.
Thank you, Seattle, for beating SDW to keep us top. But we’re going to need to learn from this one before we meet either of them!
Agree with you that Bixby didn't have possession on that 80th-minute event, but I think the ref called it as a foul on Peterson for crashing into Bixby and making her drop the ball.
This might fall under the unwritten but very real "extra protection for goalkeepers" part of refereeing.
On point 3: speed in general looked to be a problem, I thought (although so far I haven't rewatched). The starting back line stood out the most in terms of pace deficit. Obviously Kling and 'Brunn are going to struggle for pace vs genuinely quick attackers, for all that both offset some of that with positioning and a veteran's anticipation of how play will unfold. Reyes isn't slow, but she isn't fast, either. Hubly has good top speed, but her first few steps are slowish...and her speed of reaction and (sometimes) her positioning are not great. Really miss Menges, even the less-pacey late-career version. That said, it took a howler of a rookie mistake for the back line to concede.
Even our optimal starting midfield isn't fast (Dunn excepted), but should be able to be counted on for much better understanding, passing, etc., than that rotated version. I'd still prefer to see Hina as a 10, but after watching Vasconcelos pretty closely, I'm content with Sugita remaining the first choice RW. Vasconcelos wasn't awful, but "not awful" isn't really what we're looking for, is it?
Still, the team dropped points Friday night largely because the attackers didn't finish some very good chances. Sometimes that happens to the better team on the night (see: this year's She Believes Cup...).
Yeah, Rapinoe becoming healthy again will be a problem for other teams. And she's gonna wanna be playing a lot more leading into the WC. She's slower, but she's a lot smarter. You can tell what the plan is when she come in....Fishlock, Barnes, Huerta...they were all just serving her the ball so she could serve it back in or take a shot. Reign defense was pretty solid and they looked pretty good last night. Or maybe it was just that Wave looked pretty bad? A bit of both. I'm not sure I've seen Wave play so poorly, though. They just looked a mess from the start. Missing EVE seems to be a problem for them. Only player that looked good was Sheridan.
I'm really curious what comes from the CC game on Wed. I'm hoping we can fully rotate and give folks rest. We don't have enough healthy defenders, though, to not have some of our starters back there...especially if Menges is still out. When was the last time she played consistently? It feels like it's been years...
Puget Sound WoSo Team are for real. They're loaded, they have an identity, they can throw a lot of different things at you, and they love their coach (and vice versa).
Sauerbrunn and Nally were consoling Reyes as they came out of the halftime break. Mistakes happen, I definitely think she has some rookie jitters, but that will pass and she’s gonna be great!
She works too hard not to continue to improve. Excited to see her progression. Has a midfield mindset and great ball control as a fullback. That's special and insanely hard to teach.
Even on that goal, she made the right read, the instincts were there all half.
First start against Houston's Frontline of Diana, Maria, and Ebony is a tough ask too. Lots of good reps in that match.
Becky is the best leader anyone can ask for. Every single time I bring her up with anyone from the team, especially the backline, it's amazing to hear.
I like most of what I saw from her. Obviously that mistake cost a goal, and that will weigh on her...and she's not super-pacey. But all-in-all I thought she was good and is someone who needs to get minutes when we can.
Yeah, love the instincts and talent. Would love to see her get more minutes too.
Agree with you there. She’s playing off side and showing some potential. That mistake was pretty bad, but talent is pretty obvious
I agree. I thought she had some decent moments. I agree with ABell that she would have benefited from playing on Weaver’s side. Seemed like she was getting caught way up high on the pitch. Now, that may have been something the Thorn’s thought they saw and were trying to overload that side rather than Reyes’ mistake. The mistake on the goal was brutal, but that happens. Kelli covered for her and actually played pretty good D, Sanchez made a better shot
I think she has good tools, it’s gonna depend on her ability to learn from games like last night. Some players seem to struggle with that; Po and Sonnett come to mind, decent overall but still prone to a brainfart once a game or so. So we’ll see.
Yeah the tools and overall talent is massive. Definitely a tough first matchup, but will grow with more opportunities for sure.
I’ll second David here. The match was fast, but “electrifying”? Too many ugly mishit passes and turnovers for my taste (from both sides; neither squad completed over 75% and Houston was something like 66%…}. Defenses missing marks and looking disorganized.
I’m going to chalk this one up to rotation and lack of training. But it’s a warning shot; we’re gonna see a lot more pressing because this worked so well. If the squad can’t respond better than they did last night it’s gonna be a looooong season.
A reminder/chide re. the player PTFC passed on during the draft.
https://twitter.com/NWSL/status/1647413466607783936?cxt=HHwWgMDQtbn05NwtAAAA
TBF Beckie's knee was intact that day. Still...
Did you have to remind me????
(I still think Reyes was a good choice. From my seat I can watch her very closely and she's nervous. I think there's a lot of parental pressure. Remember that preseason game where she took like 5 minutes to complete a throw-in? That's overthinking if I've ever seen it. But all that will pass as she settles in.)
Ha!! I remember that and thinking “what in the hell is taking so long?!” Then again, a lot of times Thorns players don’t make much effort to get open for their teammates and it’s always made me crazy.
What do you mean by parental pressures?
Her mom's Twitter is 100% about Reyna's soccer playing. I don't follow her and she doesn't follow me, but anything I post anything even remotely Reyna-related, her mom finds it.
https://twitter.com/reyes_carrie
Not that there's anything wrong with that, but having grown up in a stereotypical Asian "tiger mom" family, I am really sensitive to signs of pressure coming from helicopter parents.
Oh yeah! I've gotten random likes from her anytime I've commented something about Reyna lol. She must have a "Reyna Reyes" search saved on her twitter.
I totally get it...it was that for me as a child/teen with my mom, but with academics. Perfectionism can be good, but also create a whole lot of undue anxiety.
That can be annoying as hell. Mom hasn't rented an apartment in PDX has she? Or worse, is her roommate?
Did just last weekend learn her full name is Reyna Rene Reyes Stubblefield. Must be hell signing a loan contract.
The elite distance runner on my kid's team is 1. going to school in her hometown 2. trained from her youth by mom and 3. lives at home. My bleacher distance opinion is that worked fine to get her to the present level but is preventing her from becoming NCAA royalty, because she needs advanced coaching for that next level.
She should own it and go "Reyna Rene Reyes" across the shoulders.
Or maybe Triple R? Hey, it worked for Triple A and Triple H!
Or maybe 3R? Hey, it worked for 3M!
I wanna see "Rey Rey" on the back!!
Although even *I* could pick up a brace against KC's backline, that was a gorgeous shot... both times Hocking beat Franch with it.
I don't know where Franch is in the whole USWNT mix -- I think Murphy is Naeher's backup -- but this whole KC Shitshow thing isn't doing anything to help her.
Franch is facing a ton of open shots and saving almost none of them.
The more the ball goes in the back of the net, and the more you're playing from a couple of goals down, the more it gets in your head even on saveable shots (e.g., that one from Smith that Franch misplayed). Three matches in, and she hasn't looked sharp in one of them.
What's especially dangerous for Franch, though, is this: (1) Hocking beat her twice on the exact same shot placed to the exact same spot and (2) Franch arguably missed on the other two concessions -- getting down too late on Stevens's opener and not controlling the ball on Matthews's shot that Franch pushed to the post.
My daughter and I went to our first real Timbers experience last night. Wow! Just wow. What an atmosphere. What a night. What a bike
Hope you all had a wonderful time!
It was electric out there!
That's great, and a W to boot!
True story: I tried to get Timbers tickets when the family was going to be in PDX and when it turned out they were not in town when we were, saw that a team called the Thorns were in town so we saw them instead. What you said about the atmosphere is exactly our experience (were seated on the north end, far enough from the drums so my kid didn't freak out).
Still haven't made it to an MLS match, and not for lack of trying. USL is filling in for both leagues ATM.
Eh, whaddyayou care? You've got the KINGS!!!
Right? Talk about rusty fandom skills--17 years since last time. 147 coach changes to find Adelman's replacement.
To their credit the Republic drew 9k on the same night the Warriors were in town. Walking and chewing sports gum at the same time.
Rusty Fandom? I haven't seen that guy in 17 years!
Other favorite people named Rusty:
Rusty Staub, Le Grand Orange
Rusty Nails, the inspiration for Krusty the Clown; there's also a real-life Rusty Nails who is a filmmaker and actor
And...
Rusty Kuntz, the great 1B coach but lousy player... he of career .236/.328/.322 with 5 HR and 38 RBI in 277 major league games, whose singular MLB highlight is this:
"In the fifth and deciding game of the 1984 World Series against the San Diego Padres, Kuntz pinch-hit for designated hitter Johnny Grubb with the bases loaded and the score tied at three. Kuntz hit a pop-up to short right field that Tony Gwynn was unable to see. Second baseman Alan Wiggins made the catch, but was unable to prevent Kirk Gibson from racing home from third with the go-ahead run. The Tigers maintained their lead after that, giving Kuntz an unlikely game-winning RBI."
This chart fits the eye test...
https://twitter.com/arielle_dror/status/1647350052422307842/photo/1
R side was nerfed because Vasconcelos would dribble a bit but not have the individual skill to do much more or connect to other forwards/midfielders, and would just stop, turn, and drop it back to Reyes, who was pretty shaky on the ball (as seen by the blue color.) We definitely need better options at RW, if we don't have a strong threat there, it really means we have only one attacking threat through Weaver/Smith...which teams will learn quickly and extinguish. Midfield still needs to do a MUCH better job of connecting to the F line, because...there were no connected passes from any of them! Really, there was not a lot of passing going on through the middle with our centerbacks either. Disconnection is the word of the day!
Thank you for sharing this, this is exactly what I saw so it's good to have the map to back it up.
What if there were an international available, who's versed in working that right side?
Or as I read somewhere recently, "Finally, Adriana Leon gets to play for a Canadian pro team."
Suppose the next thing to develop is the Finland-Canada mindmeld. "How many words do you have for snow?"
Ha! I mean, Hina too! Happy Hina got rest, but I think Vasconcelos should only really be getting sub minutes to close out games. Not saying she's a giant liability or anything, but it makes things way harder for Weaver and Soph, and the team in general, when we have a player there who can't do much more than pass back to the fullback. Leon seems like she'll be a good mid-level player who can still keep the attack up after the starters come off. Leon and Kuikka will be fun to watch together though....talk about putting some muscle on our R side.
Vasconcelos is my Everett replacement--should be used in the same fashion, perhaps with an "in case of emergency, break glass" label. Maybe unfair but each has/had an obvious ceiling as compared to say, Westphal, who just needed a career reboot in a healthy environment to unveil her skillset.
Yes, exactly. Maybe good for a few goals against easier teams, but not quite at the level needed to be starting against better teams. Great to put in when we've got a lead to give other players a rest. We need a player who can at least create/connect forward on their own to take pressure off our other forwards, and I think Leon will fit that well if Hina/Weaver needs a rest.
Moultrie looked good out there-and wierdly reminded me of Sinclair- not very fast, but some excellent passes and smart decisions distributing the ball- also just like Sinclair, at this point she’s still too slow to get a shot off around the box without it being blocked
I thought that some of the first times we ever saw her get minutes, and even more so now. It's no wonder she cites one of her favorite players as Kevin DeBruyne...someone with some of the best vision and distribution playing right now. And she's 17! Would love to see her work on quickening her trigger, though!
This makes so much sense, love that!
Yeah, she plays some ridiculously awesome passes each time she's in. Would love to see quicker shots in the box too.
And there it is--ACFC officially sucks N% less.
"BREAKING NEWS🚨 Sources confirm to The Equalizer's
@JeffKassouf that #USWNT midfielder Julie Ertz has signed with Angel City FC. Ertz could debut in Sunday's match against in-state rival San Diego Wave."
https://twitter.com/EqualizerSoccer/status/1647764635146125313?cxt=HHwWgoCw9ZLNhN4tAAAA
I can't imagine LA isn't past their salary cap at this point. Either the league will let it slide for their LA golden child, or ACFC will have to give someone (like Mandy?) up.
Yeah was wondering how (and why) they would get both…
Well, there was that whole "barring unforeseen circumstance" thing attached to the Mandy story, but I assume that was a "foreseen circumstance."
I'm guessing they're going big right up the middle -- Mandy and Ertz as a dual pivot, push McCaskill forward and more centrally into a position where she started her career, with Emslie and Thompson up top and Katie J subbing in.
So, Mandy and Ertz as dual 6s? Where does McCaskill play?
If Mandy and Ertz are the new France/USWNT midfield teammate couple, where do we think this leaves Lindsey?
So, the wildcard here is contract length, both for Ertz and Mandy.
Ertz signed a 1-year deal, which means just through the end of the 2023 season. That's long enough for her to play for USWNT in WWC. Vlatko insisted that she had to be playing club somewhere, as the Equalizer Guys pointed out, LA is closest to Phoenix, and maybe she doesn't return in 2024. Mandy probably doesn't join ACFC until after WWC, and might only overlap with Ertz briefly.
Ertz only signed a 1-year deal. Interesting.
Sheridan is galactic class tonight in Seattle.
Portland haven't played anybody as good as these two, that's for sure.
Phallon's been pretty darn good for Puget Sound WoSo Team too.
Phallon just stonewalled Morgan again. Wow.
....and THAT is why Rapinoe is on the USWNT even now. That and the leadership. She nearly buried the direct kick, then delivered a quality corner that produced a recycled ball that eventually led to van der Jagt's strike.
I think we just watched 2 of the 4 semifinalists. Great match!
Mandy can't arrive in LA soon enough. Louisville are up 2-0 after 32 minutes. Woof.
SD v Puget Sound WoSo Team is entertaining, though. 0-0 in 42nd.
ACFC is going to struggle until they have a midfield comfortable holding, dribbling, and good decision makers. I was shocked they didn't do anything to improve it until the Henry signing.
Not sure if it's just Freeya Coombe's system tho?
Now Henry with 100% more Ertz.
LA come all the way back, late in the match. Louisville should have more than 3 points after 3 matches. That dog won't hunt, monsignor!
Looking to today's matchups...
Orlando's superpower appears to be to making most other teams play down to their level. Gotham/Orlando 0-0 86th minute. Orlando's Keeper-of-the-Week, however, has made a couple of nifty one-handed parries of very dangerous balls. Also, I'm not convinced Gotham is any good yet, despite all the off-season additions. Nice to see Sinead out there, tho.
KC Masterpiece is a run-of-the-mill BBQ sauce. KC Shitshow is what this team will be until they get healthy in the midfield and along the backline. Down 1-0 nearing halftime to a similarly depleted Chicago side.
Parsons has the Spirit heading toward 7 after 3, just like our Thorns, after facing Seattle WoSo Club (because, really, what the hell else do we call them now?), Racing, and NC. That's not bad.
What time is it in Chicago?
Four past Franch! (again)
Ouch.
Laity watched the hell out of the second half in KC, because he sent his troops out to press hell out of Portland and it worked like a mechanical ass-kicker.
Norris mentioned in the post-preseason meeting that he saw issues with the squad building up too slowly and predictably and allowing their opponents to cut off passes and close down players and we saw this all over last night. The best chances came off individual brilliance from Smith or Weaver; when the team tried to build up Houston’s press would close it down. Why we seem to have trouble one-touch passing and moving quickly to space I don’t know, but it hurt last night.
And let’s not EVEN go into the whole “22 shots…5 on goal” issue. Smith, Dunn, Weaver, and Moultrie all missed sitters, or got woodwork. As Schonz used to say, ya gotta hit your free throws. Waste chances and drop points.
Frankly I think we were lucky to escape with a point; it looked to me like Bixby didn’t have that ball in her grasp and their second goal would have stood if the CR had gone to VAR.
Oh, well. Is what it is and now we have to rotate for this damn midweek Cup tie. Ugh.
Disagree, Portland was the better side and deserved 3 points. Unfortunately, that's not how soccer works. You have to finish your chances when you get them.
5 on goal is definitely an issue, but from their work over the past year till now, they've shown ability to bounce back and score.
We should be able to play out of the high press, our midfielders all are comfortable on ball. Sadly, hasn't been smooth.
With the congested schedule, would like them to play mostly a second squad against SDW. Not enough time to recover for RL next weekend.
As far as “better side”? That and twelve bucks’ll get you a Widmer at the Double Post. This is one of those “you’re as good as your scoreline says you are” things; you waste 15 of 20 shots? Doesn’t matter how many “chances” you created. You finished one, so you “deserved” the point you got.
And I’d be more complacent if Norris hadn’t pointed out the very same problem after Seattle did the same thing in preseason. Fool me twice? Shame on me.
That first line made me laugh so hard lol
I love that! Especially with the Timbers vs Sounders game today, needed it.
Thank you for that :)
Totally! Sam Coffey said it in the presser very great too, final quality wasn't there all match.
This team should be able to play out of the high press, they have the personnel to do it. Will keep an eye on that at training next week.
Thanks again for your insights, always one of my favorites to read.
Hope that $12 Widmer went down easier with a big shot of Seattle tears. 4-1? Four? Timbers? Goals? Against Seattle?
Whoodathunkit?
Not sure anyone saw those last 20 minutes coming!
The atmosphere was electric too.
Test
Did you pass?
I'd say he passed better than Orlando have so far.
Wasn't able to submit a full-sentence-length comment from the smartphone app, but was able to submit 'Test'!
Ah, well that's something anyway! I haven't tried this new site on my phone yet.
To say that Reyes couldn’t stop Sanchez is too generous. I get that she’s a rookie, but call a spade a spade. The goal was the second CONSECUTIVE Houston possession where she aggressively played the ball and not the other player, letting the Houston player make a clean run down the channel.
She whiffed on both-- one poorly timed (ball was past her before she arrived to cut it off) and the second well timed but she let the ball go right through her to Sanchez.
After the first biff, she should have played it more conservatively on the 2nd.
Reyes does not have the pace I expected for a FB. Having and Vas. on same side was not a good combo.
It wasn't. Vasconcelos wasn't terrible up there (not Hina-tier, obviously, but Hina needed the rotation after her call-up), but she knows how to use her pace and she made the effort on defense. We seemed to be running at least 2/3 of the attacks up the left side to Weaver anyway (I'd have to look at an actual heat map to make sure, but that's how it seemed from my seat).
I’ll know more after I review tape but that was my impression, too. Vasconcelos had little to do. Didn’t do poorly, just didn’t do much at all.