Time for my weekly dose of vaguely frustrated enthusiasm:
No matter how poor the Thorns look, the Reign, Spirit, Wave, and the rest of the league show an equal level of seemingly disqualifying issues on a weekly basis. I promise. I’ve watched a TON of non-thorns NWSL this year; much more than in years past. Every team has flaws that we would look at as season-enders if we were all fans of that team. Just this week alone, the Spirit should have lost to the Current at home and avoided it by the skin of their teeth. The Wave lost to ACFC at home. The Reign had a woman advantage for 50 minutes in Houston and couldn’t get three points. I PROMISE that there is not one other NWSL team that has consistently looked better than Portland.
The main issue with this team is that they SHOULD be better. That’s what’s frustrating. They should be 5-10 points clear, and they’re not. They’re not because of the ownership situation. They’re not because of subpar coaching. They’re not because their talent isn’t playing to the potential.
And yet, it’s still a very fun team to watch:
- Morgan Weaver has been outstanding. Like, shockingly good. She’s expanded her skillset in ways that I really didn’t expect after watching her for three years.
- Sam Coffey is an absolute joy of both soccer player and human. Rapidly becoming one of my favorite Thorns of all time.
- Sophia Smith is freakin awesome. Pro athletes of her caliber RARELY come through Portland, and we shouldn’t take it for granted
Bring on the Spirit Friday, and let’s hope we see a repeat of last year (minus the last game shield collapse)!
Watching Weaver this year has been an absolute joy. She used to put her head down and run straight at goal. Not now; now she's looking, looking, looking for the perfect setup pass, while still taking the occasional shot to keep her defenders honest. Such a huge step up for her. She still has the physical gifts but now she's getting soccer smarts too.
This has been a wonderful year for the league in terms of depth and competitiveness. In terms of quality of football? Er...not so much.
For the first time, I find myself disinclined to argue with Eurosnobs when they claim the quality of play in their unbalanced, one- or two-team* leagues is superior to the NWSL. Right now, that's simply true, at least about the FAWSL, Primera División de la Liga, and Division 1 Féminine (and probably the WE League).
Ironically, in terms of individual player quality, the US can hold its own with anyone (which wasn't always the case: initially, we won World Cups more on the basis of depth and superior athleticism/conditioning). But right now, the quality of team play is really inconsistent.
I would say that the top 3-4 in the WSL are better than their NWSL equivalents. The midtable teams? It's a toss-up. The bottom 3-4 in the NWSL are definitely better than the bottom 3-4 in the WSL.
I concur. The NWSL is still the deepest league in first-division WoSo. But in most past seasons, I'd have gladly matched the league's best sides against any in the world and be confident of a close match. That's just not the case right now. I wouldn't like any NWSL side's chances against Barca, OL, Chelsea, Urawa, etc.
Or perhaps it's more accurate to say I wouldn't want to bet money on those chances. If playing well, a top NWSL side would be fully competitive against anyone out there. It's just that this year we can't count on any of the teams playing anywhere near their potential in a given match.
I’m kind of where Aiden is; the overall quality difference is pulled up by the bottom dwellers here. I don’t think we have any equivalent of the Readings or Issy or St. Etienne.
Frankly it seems peculiar that form isn’t holding for the top of the NWSL table this season. It’s not like there’s too few players; every season a bunch of the top 100 NCAA players go undrafted. Add in overseas signings…it seems very odd that the level of play has nosedived suddenly after a very small expansion last year. Hmmm…
Agreed...thus my initial mention of depth and competitiveness. I also don't have a solid take on why the level of (team) play seems to have fallen off sharply this season. Even the leading teams at mid-season have that preseason inconsistency in their play.
Sounds like Arin Wright is going to be OK. Red Stars released a statement that the initial tests were negative. Best possible outcome after such a scary collision.
They also put a boot on Wright's knee as there legs slammed together. Poor Bella she was distraught, so Arin must have been in some serious pain. I am so glad that Arin is OK because she is one of my favorite non-Thorn fullbacks. Now St Georges that is another case not a favorite in fact even though I am not a psychologist I think that woman needs some anger management treatment. Woof!
I hope Bella is okay as well. You could see she was struggling, and it can be hard to get your head back in the game after something like that. To be honest I think she needs a bit of a break anyways, and this might be the right time for it. Thinking about it, she probably should have been give one of the past two games off. With Washington coming up, Norris can't take her off the field unless she asks for it.
Glad to hear that about Wright, that's good news. I've been wondering if Bixby will get suspended by the DisCo for that play. It was clearly not the least bit intentional, but you just can't be clocking someone in the head that hard, intentionally or not.
We won, so there's that. But wow. We used to talk about the Thorns playing down to bad teams, but this didn't seem like that at all. The last four matches, including the win in Seattle, have "featured" an incredible number of truly terrible passes by the Thorns. Every single player from Bixby to Smith is passing directly to the opponent, even when only five yards away, and when under no pressure. I have never seen a Thorns team with such awful passing. And now we match that up to three games in a row leaving people unmarked on set pieces and not just occasionally, and -- not as often as we deserve -- paying the price.
Both problems, and they are massive "we're not gonna win the league" problems. seem to be matters of individual focus and team tactics, not lack of talent. Fixable things but you can't cure a disease that you can't or won't diagnose. Combine with the bizarre "you were great, so now you sit" starting elevens and it hurts the eyes. It's hard to feel good about barely outrunning a wounded turtle, and now the cheetahs are coming.
The World Cup may come to our rescue. The team's depth is a big deal - we should be markedly stronger than the other top six teams. I'll be worried more about Houston or Louisville during the Cup than Washington or Seattle. But first we've got to get through these next two games hopefully still holding a playoff spot. You won't see me placing any bets.
Yeah, to me the real weird thing is watching this squad repeatedly make Soccer 101 mistakes. Dropped marks, technical goalkeeping errors, awful passes, failure to move to space...and that's beyond the pure "WTF do you think is gonna happen with two AMs and both FBs pushed up when you turn the ball over..?" tactical tire fire.
I think we'll hold onto a playoff spot, but perhaps only because there are 2 truly dreadful teams at the bottom of the table, which means that we're fighting 9 other teams for 1 of 6 spots. We have a 5 point lead on #7, a 7 point lead on #8, a 9 point lead on #9, and a 10 point lead on #10. It would take some real doing to fall to #7. Not impossible, mind, but difficult.
This seems a little harsh. We're in second place, one point off the top. Yes we're not playing as well as we could be, but it's not like we're clinging by our fingernails to the last playoff spot. It looks more likely to me that we'll finish in the top three or so, hopefully top two so we get to rest up before our first playoff game.
Thorns are 2nd, 1 point off top as you say, but also 2 points off #3-#5.
It's a brutal year for everyone. Take a look at what is happening league-wide right now.
Thorns are 3-1-1 in past 5 matches, which is tied with NC for best run of form over that stretch. Next best are Washington, Louisville, Houston, and SD at 2-2-1.
Only four sides -- Washington (1), Portland (2), Louisville (3), and Houston (3) -- have 3 or fewer losses after 12 matches. Four sides already have 6 or more losses, and another four sides sit on 4 losses.
Also, how the hell does Bianca St. Georges not get a red card for her frustrated swipe at Menges just after halftime? She was nowhere near the ball and just kicked out in anger. The exact same thing happened in the US-Mexico men's game on Thursday and the ref, with zero hesitation, issued a straight red. How can you not call that a red card?!
I can't believe she didn't get the yellow for that foul on Weaver. I remember the double bird episode and I'm not willing to players a pass when they continue to act like petulant children. I wish there was a way to get the refs to call games tighter, because players will continue to push the envelope of fair play if you let them. In my opinion, soccer is a technical sport and is enjoyable when the players are able to simply play. Allowing the cheap fouls to go make it a worse product.
BTW - I just saw the highlights again and she did get the yellow after the Weaver foul. It did take Kling threatening to kill her to get a reaction but the ref pulled the yellow late on that foul. My point stands about the physicality the refs allow. I suspect that the powers that be want the game to be more physical, so there isn't much that can be done about it.
Hopefully Kling wasn't actually going to punch her, but I think I would have flinched too. St. Georges has always played on the edge of control emotionally, and she has always gotten away with far too much. I guess that makes her emotion a feature, not a bug.
I said it in the game thread and you’re absolutely right: it’s an absolute stonewall, clear as day, textbook red. Nothing but utter incompetence from the ref and VAR.
Is it league-reviewable? I can recall a couple sanctions after-the-fact, including the trixie who mugged Weaver out of bounds, when they both received yellows. Hers was later upgraded to red and she had to sit out a match.
That was Kristen Edmonds, and IIRC they both got reds, but Weaver's was rescinded by the Disciplinary Committee. So that's not an exact parallel, but I feel sure there has been at least one instance of the DisCo awarding a red after reviewing the game tape.
Tyler Lussi hair pulling incident got her 3 game suspension post game review panel. That incident was completely missed by the ref at the time. A yellow into a red is not something I am aware has happened in any league at any level.
You're right, no retroactive red cards (that I'm aware of). I think I was thinking (not clearly) of the multiple times the DisCo has issued suspensions after the fact; Lussi, as you mentioned, St. Georges for the double bird, Mathias for pulling Sonnett's ponytail, Klingenberg for kicking Allie Long.
Thinking about it, a red card involves making the offender's team play short-handed for the rest of the game - there's obviously no way to do that retroactively, so suspension is the closest equivalent available.
Because 1) it was not a big move, and 2) Voigt had swallowed her whistle. I honestly didn't see anything live, and I had to run and re-run the tape before I could see it. It's not Nigel de Jong - the AR was right there and his flag stayed down. So how can it not be red? Easy - it was a pretty crafty foul; not a roundhouse cut, but a quick shiv.
Now Milazzo two minutes later? THAT was a clear straight red to me. Steams in from behind, not even pretending to go for the ball, cleans Morgan right out.
Not even a yellow. That's how you don't get red on St. Georges; if the Milazzo foul isn't even a yellow there's no way Voigt gives St. Georges a red for a much craftier and more subtle kick.
Some Lindsey Horan news from Meg Linnehan. It’s a little unclear, but I think this means she’s not coming back at all if they’re discussing a transfer fee, yes? We kinda already knew she was staying past her loan, but I am eager to know more details. If it’s a full transfer, good on KK to sell high. Extending her loan is pointless.
It’s a short article, here’s the text:
“Lindsey Horan is staying in France with Lyon, sources briefed on her new agreement but not authorized to speak about it before the official announcement told The Athletic.
The paperwork is complete with an official announcement expected soon.
The move is not an unexpected one, as Lyon head coach Sonia Bompastor had previously said she would remain with the team after the conclusion of her loan in June.
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Horan signed a contract extension with Portland through the 2025 NWSL season at the time of her original loan, but the sources did not disclose the transfer fee involved for Lyon to keep Horan in France — though presumably the team could spend some of that money to help shore up their midfield depth with her exit from the team.
A spokesperson for the Thorns could not be reached for comment.
Portland had already adapted around Horan’s absence following the loan in January 2022. The most direct move they made immediately following that announcement was signing Japanese international Hina Sugita, who can swing between the midfield and the forward line on the right side, but the team has also relied on Crystal Dunn and Christine Sinclair for their attacking playmaking.
Horan’s playing time and goalscoring increased for Lyon during the 2022-2023 season, in which they won their league title as well as the Coupe de France over PSG, though exited their Champions League campaign far earlier than expected in the quarterfinals to Chelsea. Across all competitions this past season, Horan scored six goals and added three assists.
Ahead of that quarterfinal match-up against Chelsea, Horan said of her time in France, “There are few American players playing abroad. For most it’s a big cultural shock when they arrive, for me too at PSG it was quite unique. I wanted to take up a challenge. OL are among the best clubs, this club has helped me grow. I am very grateful to the club for giving me this opportunity.”
Congrats to the Great Horan. Loved watching you play and train here, Enjoyed any opportunity I ever had to chat with you. Wish you all the best in life. Now, go win Gold for the US!
Lol, right! Get that bag KK, and then sit on it until after the expansion draft. Really hope Michele Kang has no decision-making capabilities here, it would benefit her and the Spirit for the Thorns to get as little as possible out of this, and she should not be allowed to be anywhere near this deal...
Then bring us a shiny new CB for next season, pretty please!
Not shocked. Big $$$, plus IIRC she has a s/o who works in Monaco(?) - EU based, anyway, and she doesn’t have too many personal friends on the current squad, so there’s no ties there, either.
So yeah; job now is to screw as big a payday out of OL as possible…
I recall us all predicting this exact outcome in 2021. I am neither surprised nor disappointed. She's happy, us fans moved on a while ago, our FO fluffed up the player budget. Win, win, win.
That's the standout area of need, isn't it? I don't expect Becky back next season, and I want someone capable of fighting Hubly and Menges for a place in the 11.
Hey, FO: take a look at Rion Ishikawa (Urawa Red Diamonds). Only 19, but a starter for the current WE League champions, big enough (5'8") for the NWSL, and more importantly someone we might actually be able to grab (as opposed to, say, Moeka Minami, who made the Serie A best 11 and for whom AS Roma would probably want a fortune...although Lindsey Horan transfer fee money might be plenty).
Besides, that would remove Ishikawa-san from a team my beloved Verdy Beleza has to fight in the We League! ;P
Yeah, I think Menges is a depth CB at this rate. Hubly sure ain't helping her case this season, either. Could really use a starting quality line-leading general type CB who'll be around for a good long while!
I'm not super familiar with WE league just because I only have so much time for football lol, but I have heard Minami's name here and there. I think with the Horan money, we should spend to get a decent CB. Although, there's always a drawback to taking an int'l player because they'll leave often enough for int'l windows. Then your depth CB's need to not be the Nally's of the soccer world...too large of a drop off. Are there any CB's in this league you'd take?
Yeah, what is done with this money will be KK's first big decision regarding recruiting a player/roster building from start to finish. That is....if she's still here 6 months from now during the offseason, and beyond....
Yeah, he used to work for US soccer but now works for a club in Monaco. Totally fine with it....get that big $$$, we need to secure the players we have and/or acquire some new defensive players (namely, a starting CB.)
Sounds like Sauerbrunn will be out for a while, and I don't know if our defense is going to be any good in the meantime. I don't see that Becky does THAT much out there to make such a difference, but the results say otherwise: without her we're giving up 3 goals to Orlando, giving up 2 to Chicago, pretty much not doing well on defense in any game, and generally looking like headless chickens running around on defense. Thank God for Sam Coffey because without her I don't know how much worse it would be.
On the bright side, our attack continues to be the best in the league, both by the eye test and by the goals-scored tally (we've scored 29, the next best is Reign with 19). So there's that.
How will we fare against Washington's three-headed attack monster? I don't think we can win 5-4 because Parsons's teams are usually solid on defense.
I don't know enough about the game to know the strengths and weeknesses of man-marking vs zone-marking for corners and crosses into the box. I only know that the Thorns use zone-marking, so therefore man-marking must be the much better approach.
A St.Georges blast that nearly sawed off the post was the was the only reason we didn’t take just one point off two bottom of the table squads. Does not portend well for the future.
Well, if Coffey's shot off the post much earlier in the match had gone in, it might have been a different result too. But yeah, this Thorns club defends poorly and has lots of problems.
And Smith shanking in the 2nd minute, Sugita not getting the laces through the ball in the 15th, Naeher heroics on Smith in the 36th (after Smith basically arm-wrestles the ball away and shoots...), and a big Weaver miss in the 42nd...so, umm...
Tier 2: NC, Thorns, PSWST, SD (at this point, no team is higher or lower)
Tier 3: Houston, Louisville, Orlando (ditto)
Tier 4: ACFCNFT, KCFUBAR, No Stars (each is crappy in their own way and for different reasons)
And today's hot take...
Time to fire the GM and the HC.
No, I am not talking about Portland. I am talking about KCFUBAR.
After today's loss -- conceding twice after the 81st minute -- they dropped to 3-0-9 on the season and sit 9 points and 11 goals behind 6th place Gotham.
KC would have to leapfrog 6 clubs just to make the playoffs, making up at least 10 points in the standings (or 9 points and 12 goals) over the next 10 matches.
NOT. GONNA. HAPPEN.
Come on, Longs and Mahomses. Fire the GM, fire the HC, and go into that new stadium both healthy and functional. The City of Kansas deserves better than this.
But that's also hardly the problem. Nor is it the problem that she didn't have a whole preseason with the team, nor that she's still missing some good players, nor that she can't yet play her desired formation.
Here is the only fact you really need to know: In this year's regular season, KC have lost to every NWSL club but Orlando and Gotham. THAT is hard to do, and it's a sign that YOUR. TEAM. SUCKS.
Yes, Potter's responsible for the early losses to NC, Portland, and Chicago, but Sjöblom's responsible for the losses to ACFC, SD, Louisville, Houston, Reign, and Washington.
And this BS about Sjöblom not being able to play the formation she wants to play? She's used a 5-3-2, a 4-3-3, a 3-4-3, and a 4-2-3-1... which is the same as Potter did except for the 3-4-3. What is she wanting to play that she can't play?
What hurts me to watch is how this has just wrecked Franch. I was unhappy to see her go, but took some cold comfort in her doing well in KC. Then this season…ugh.
She’s come back before this. But KCC just seems like a damn trainwreck and that’s gotta be grueling…
Yeah, she's not even playing at this point. Given how rarely coaches change starting goalkeepers, it has to pretty rough on her. Please AD, get past the yips.
I'd drag NCC up to 1. Only team with four wins in the last six and they're clubbing teams like baby seals. Portland sneaks out of Bridgeview with a 2-3 squeaker; NCC leaves after a 0-5 drubbing.
re Bixby- really concerned that she may take a step back mentally. She was just starting to break out of her unwillingness to come off her line- then in (almost?) consecutive games, she comes out to the edge of the box against SD's Jakobsen and gives up the late would-be winner, tnen now this crash/penalty against Chicago, and her significant emotional reaction to that collision. She may revert to being too gun-shy to ever control her box the way we would hope.
I think her headspace is pretty wrecked, period. Her body language after the Wright collision was a mess. Her "dive" on the PK was notional. She tried to box away a high cross and failed badly.
I can't see what Angerer sees. But what I do see looks like a keeper who has lost a ton of confidence.
Wouldn’t necessarily call this a turnaround game for Chicago- They still got shredded and were lucky that this game wasn’t more lopsided. If Bixby plays at a level of basic competence it’s a pretty comfortable win, despite how poorly the Thorns played.
Both Chicago teams have been notorious for poor attendance. The "reason" was always that Bridgeview was out in BF Nowhere and was too much of a hassle to get to.
Well, then there's the fact that they've never won any silverware. Their results were better for a few seasons back when Rory Dames was abusing players, but that's nothing to hang your hat on. The people of Chicago deserve better.
Time for my weekly dose of vaguely frustrated enthusiasm:
No matter how poor the Thorns look, the Reign, Spirit, Wave, and the rest of the league show an equal level of seemingly disqualifying issues on a weekly basis. I promise. I’ve watched a TON of non-thorns NWSL this year; much more than in years past. Every team has flaws that we would look at as season-enders if we were all fans of that team. Just this week alone, the Spirit should have lost to the Current at home and avoided it by the skin of their teeth. The Wave lost to ACFC at home. The Reign had a woman advantage for 50 minutes in Houston and couldn’t get three points. I PROMISE that there is not one other NWSL team that has consistently looked better than Portland.
The main issue with this team is that they SHOULD be better. That’s what’s frustrating. They should be 5-10 points clear, and they’re not. They’re not because of the ownership situation. They’re not because of subpar coaching. They’re not because their talent isn’t playing to the potential.
And yet, it’s still a very fun team to watch:
- Morgan Weaver has been outstanding. Like, shockingly good. She’s expanded her skillset in ways that I really didn’t expect after watching her for three years.
- Sam Coffey is an absolute joy of both soccer player and human. Rapidly becoming one of my favorite Thorns of all time.
- Sophia Smith is freakin awesome. Pro athletes of her caliber RARELY come through Portland, and we shouldn’t take it for granted
Bring on the Spirit Friday, and let’s hope we see a repeat of last year (minus the last game shield collapse)!
Weaver has been consistently good. Highest fotmob rating in the match.
https://www.fotmob.com/match/4119444/matchfacts/chicago-red-stars-vs-portland-thorns
Watching Weaver this year has been an absolute joy. She used to put her head down and run straight at goal. Not now; now she's looking, looking, looking for the perfect setup pass, while still taking the occasional shot to keep her defenders honest. Such a huge step up for her. She still has the physical gifts but now she's getting soccer smarts too.
This has been a wonderful year for the league in terms of depth and competitiveness. In terms of quality of football? Er...not so much.
For the first time, I find myself disinclined to argue with Eurosnobs when they claim the quality of play in their unbalanced, one- or two-team* leagues is superior to the NWSL. Right now, that's simply true, at least about the FAWSL, Primera División de la Liga, and Division 1 Féminine (and probably the WE League).
Ironically, in terms of individual player quality, the US can hold its own with anyone (which wasn't always the case: initially, we won World Cups more on the basis of depth and superior athleticism/conditioning). But right now, the quality of team play is really inconsistent.
* Okay, 3 or 4 teams in FAWSL, 3 in WE League.
I would say that the top 3-4 in the WSL are better than their NWSL equivalents. The midtable teams? It's a toss-up. The bottom 3-4 in the NWSL are definitely better than the bottom 3-4 in the WSL.
I concur. The NWSL is still the deepest league in first-division WoSo. But in most past seasons, I'd have gladly matched the league's best sides against any in the world and be confident of a close match. That's just not the case right now. I wouldn't like any NWSL side's chances against Barca, OL, Chelsea, Urawa, etc.
Or perhaps it's more accurate to say I wouldn't want to bet money on those chances. If playing well, a top NWSL side would be fully competitive against anyone out there. It's just that this year we can't count on any of the teams playing anywhere near their potential in a given match.
I’m kind of where Aiden is; the overall quality difference is pulled up by the bottom dwellers here. I don’t think we have any equivalent of the Readings or Issy or St. Etienne.
Frankly it seems peculiar that form isn’t holding for the top of the NWSL table this season. It’s not like there’s too few players; every season a bunch of the top 100 NCAA players go undrafted. Add in overseas signings…it seems very odd that the level of play has nosedived suddenly after a very small expansion last year. Hmmm…
Agreed...thus my initial mention of depth and competitiveness. I also don't have a solid take on why the level of (team) play seems to have fallen off sharply this season. Even the leading teams at mid-season have that preseason inconsistency in their play.
Sounds like Arin Wright is going to be OK. Red Stars released a statement that the initial tests were negative. Best possible outcome after such a scary collision.
That is really good news. That was a tough collision, and the hands to the head could have been really bad. I'm relieved to hear this.
They also put a boot on Wright's knee as there legs slammed together. Poor Bella she was distraught, so Arin must have been in some serious pain. I am so glad that Arin is OK because she is one of my favorite non-Thorn fullbacks. Now St Georges that is another case not a favorite in fact even though I am not a psychologist I think that woman needs some anger management treatment. Woof!
I hope Bella is okay as well. You could see she was struggling, and it can be hard to get your head back in the game after something like that. To be honest I think she needs a bit of a break anyways, and this might be the right time for it. Thinking about it, she probably should have been give one of the past two games off. With Washington coming up, Norris can't take her off the field unless she asks for it.
Glad to hear that about Wright, that's good news. I've been wondering if Bixby will get suspended by the DisCo for that play. It was clearly not the least bit intentional, but you just can't be clocking someone in the head that hard, intentionally or not.
We won, so there's that. But wow. We used to talk about the Thorns playing down to bad teams, but this didn't seem like that at all. The last four matches, including the win in Seattle, have "featured" an incredible number of truly terrible passes by the Thorns. Every single player from Bixby to Smith is passing directly to the opponent, even when only five yards away, and when under no pressure. I have never seen a Thorns team with such awful passing. And now we match that up to three games in a row leaving people unmarked on set pieces and not just occasionally, and -- not as often as we deserve -- paying the price.
Both problems, and they are massive "we're not gonna win the league" problems. seem to be matters of individual focus and team tactics, not lack of talent. Fixable things but you can't cure a disease that you can't or won't diagnose. Combine with the bizarre "you were great, so now you sit" starting elevens and it hurts the eyes. It's hard to feel good about barely outrunning a wounded turtle, and now the cheetahs are coming.
The World Cup may come to our rescue. The team's depth is a big deal - we should be markedly stronger than the other top six teams. I'll be worried more about Houston or Louisville during the Cup than Washington or Seattle. But first we've got to get through these next two games hopefully still holding a playoff spot. You won't see me placing any bets.
Yeah, to me the real weird thing is watching this squad repeatedly make Soccer 101 mistakes. Dropped marks, technical goalkeeping errors, awful passes, failure to move to space...and that's beyond the pure "WTF do you think is gonna happen with two AMs and both FBs pushed up when you turn the ball over..?" tactical tire fire.
I think we'll hold onto a playoff spot, but perhaps only because there are 2 truly dreadful teams at the bottom of the table, which means that we're fighting 9 other teams for 1 of 6 spots. We have a 5 point lead on #7, a 7 point lead on #8, a 9 point lead on #9, and a 10 point lead on #10. It would take some real doing to fall to #7. Not impossible, mind, but difficult.
This seems a little harsh. We're in second place, one point off the top. Yes we're not playing as well as we could be, but it's not like we're clinging by our fingernails to the last playoff spot. It looks more likely to me that we'll finish in the top three or so, hopefully top two so we get to rest up before our first playoff game.
Thorns are 2nd, 1 point off top as you say, but also 2 points off #3-#5.
It's a brutal year for everyone. Take a look at what is happening league-wide right now.
Thorns are 3-1-1 in past 5 matches, which is tied with NC for best run of form over that stretch. Next best are Washington, Louisville, Houston, and SD at 2-2-1.
Only four sides -- Washington (1), Portland (2), Louisville (3), and Houston (3) -- have 3 or fewer losses after 12 matches. Four sides already have 6 or more losses, and another four sides sit on 4 losses.
Also, how the hell does Bianca St. Georges not get a red card for her frustrated swipe at Menges just after halftime? She was nowhere near the ball and just kicked out in anger. The exact same thing happened in the US-Mexico men's game on Thursday and the ref, with zero hesitation, issued a straight red. How can you not call that a red card?!
St Georges seems to have some emotional stuff going on out there, which probably means she's got some emotional stuff going on off the pitch too.
She picked up a red last year here when she let the birds fly behind the refs back.
Yesterday she tripped Weaver and then she flinched like she was going to get hit when Kling came over to give her an earful.
I can't believe she didn't get the yellow for that foul on Weaver. I remember the double bird episode and I'm not willing to players a pass when they continue to act like petulant children. I wish there was a way to get the refs to call games tighter, because players will continue to push the envelope of fair play if you let them. In my opinion, soccer is a technical sport and is enjoyable when the players are able to simply play. Allowing the cheap fouls to go make it a worse product.
BTW - I just saw the highlights again and she did get the yellow after the Weaver foul. It did take Kling threatening to kill her to get a reaction but the ref pulled the yellow late on that foul. My point stands about the physicality the refs allow. I suspect that the powers that be want the game to be more physical, so there isn't much that can be done about it.
Hopefully Kling wasn't actually going to punch her, but I think I would have flinched too. St. Georges has always played on the edge of control emotionally, and she has always gotten away with far too much. I guess that makes her emotion a feature, not a bug.
I said it in the game thread and you’re absolutely right: it’s an absolute stonewall, clear as day, textbook red. Nothing but utter incompetence from the ref and VAR.
Is it league-reviewable? I can recall a couple sanctions after-the-fact, including the trixie who mugged Weaver out of bounds, when they both received yellows. Hers was later upgraded to red and she had to sit out a match.
That was Kristen Edmonds, and IIRC they both got reds, but Weaver's was rescinded by the Disciplinary Committee. So that's not an exact parallel, but I feel sure there has been at least one instance of the DisCo awarding a red after reviewing the game tape.
Tyler Lussi hair pulling incident got her 3 game suspension post game review panel. That incident was completely missed by the ref at the time. A yellow into a red is not something I am aware has happened in any league at any level.
You're right, no retroactive red cards (that I'm aware of). I think I was thinking (not clearly) of the multiple times the DisCo has issued suspensions after the fact; Lussi, as you mentioned, St. Georges for the double bird, Mathias for pulling Sonnett's ponytail, Klingenberg for kicking Allie Long.
Thinking about it, a red card involves making the offender's team play short-handed for the rest of the game - there's obviously no way to do that retroactively, so suspension is the closest equivalent available.
Because 1) it was not a big move, and 2) Voigt had swallowed her whistle. I honestly didn't see anything live, and I had to run and re-run the tape before I could see it. It's not Nigel de Jong - the AR was right there and his flag stayed down. So how can it not be red? Easy - it was a pretty crafty foul; not a roundhouse cut, but a quick shiv.
Now Milazzo two minutes later? THAT was a clear straight red to me. Steams in from behind, not even pretending to go for the ball, cleans Morgan right out.
Not even a yellow. That's how you don't get red on St. Georges; if the Milazzo foul isn't even a yellow there's no way Voigt gives St. Georges a red for a much craftier and more subtle kick.
Bad officiating...but I see how it happens.
Some Lindsey Horan news from Meg Linnehan. It’s a little unclear, but I think this means she’s not coming back at all if they’re discussing a transfer fee, yes? We kinda already knew she was staying past her loan, but I am eager to know more details. If it’s a full transfer, good on KK to sell high. Extending her loan is pointless.
It’s a short article, here’s the text:
“Lindsey Horan is staying in France with Lyon, sources briefed on her new agreement but not authorized to speak about it before the official announcement told The Athletic.
The paperwork is complete with an official announcement expected soon.
The move is not an unexpected one, as Lyon head coach Sonia Bompastor had previously said she would remain with the team after the conclusion of her loan in June.
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Horan signed a contract extension with Portland through the 2025 NWSL season at the time of her original loan, but the sources did not disclose the transfer fee involved for Lyon to keep Horan in France — though presumably the team could spend some of that money to help shore up their midfield depth with her exit from the team.
A spokesperson for the Thorns could not be reached for comment.
Portland had already adapted around Horan’s absence following the loan in January 2022. The most direct move they made immediately following that announcement was signing Japanese international Hina Sugita, who can swing between the midfield and the forward line on the right side, but the team has also relied on Crystal Dunn and Christine Sinclair for their attacking playmaking.
Horan’s playing time and goalscoring increased for Lyon during the 2022-2023 season, in which they won their league title as well as the Coupe de France over PSG, though exited their Champions League campaign far earlier than expected in the quarterfinals to Chelsea. Across all competitions this past season, Horan scored six goals and added three assists.
Ahead of that quarterfinal match-up against Chelsea, Horan said of her time in France, “There are few American players playing abroad. For most it’s a big cultural shock when they arrive, for me too at PSG it was quite unique. I wanted to take up a challenge. OL are among the best clubs, this club has helped me grow. I am very grateful to the club for giving me this opportunity.”
Good. It's time to move on.
Horan's guy just proposed to her, today apparently. Clearly it's a YES
https://twitter.com/LindseyHoran/status/1671167732191199241?cxt=HHwWkoDQ1deMl7EuAAAA
Congrats to the Great Horan. Loved watching you play and train here, Enjoyed any opportunity I ever had to chat with you. Wish you all the best in life. Now, go win Gold for the US!
And tell your defender friends Portland still is an ok place to play....!
You had me at "discussing a transfer fee"!
Lol, right! Get that bag KK, and then sit on it until after the expansion draft. Really hope Michele Kang has no decision-making capabilities here, it would benefit her and the Spirit for the Thorns to get as little as possible out of this, and she should not be allowed to be anywhere near this deal...
Then bring us a shiny new CB for next season, pretty please!
Not shocked. Big $$$, plus IIRC she has a s/o who works in Monaco(?) - EU based, anyway, and she doesn’t have too many personal friends on the current squad, so there’s no ties there, either.
So yeah; job now is to screw as big a payday out of OL as possible…
I recall us all predicting this exact outcome in 2021. I am neither surprised nor disappointed. She's happy, us fans moved on a while ago, our FO fluffed up the player budget. Win, win, win.
I cautiously agree, provided the FO spends wisely. If it turns out they demand payment in Canadian money I’m gonna go fucking postal.
Now let's just hope the FO uses that money wisely, either to nail down key current players or to address areas of need. Or both.
Center Back. Please let it be at CB.
That's the standout area of need, isn't it? I don't expect Becky back next season, and I want someone capable of fighting Hubly and Menges for a place in the 11.
Hey, FO: take a look at Rion Ishikawa (Urawa Red Diamonds). Only 19, but a starter for the current WE League champions, big enough (5'8") for the NWSL, and more importantly someone we might actually be able to grab (as opposed to, say, Moeka Minami, who made the Serie A best 11 and for whom AS Roma would probably want a fortune...although Lindsey Horan transfer fee money might be plenty).
Besides, that would remove Ishikawa-san from a team my beloved Verdy Beleza has to fight in the We League! ;P
Yeah, I think Menges is a depth CB at this rate. Hubly sure ain't helping her case this season, either. Could really use a starting quality line-leading general type CB who'll be around for a good long while!
I'm not super familiar with WE league just because I only have so much time for football lol, but I have heard Minami's name here and there. I think with the Horan money, we should spend to get a decent CB. Although, there's always a drawback to taking an int'l player because they'll leave often enough for int'l windows. Then your depth CB's need to not be the Nally's of the soccer world...too large of a drop off. Are there any CB's in this league you'd take?
Yeah, what is done with this money will be KK's first big decision regarding recruiting a player/roster building from start to finish. That is....if she's still here 6 months from now during the offseason, and beyond....
Yeah, he used to work for US soccer but now works for a club in Monaco. Totally fine with it....get that big $$$, we need to secure the players we have and/or acquire some new defensive players (namely, a starting CB.)
Sounds like Sauerbrunn will be out for a while, and I don't know if our defense is going to be any good in the meantime. I don't see that Becky does THAT much out there to make such a difference, but the results say otherwise: without her we're giving up 3 goals to Orlando, giving up 2 to Chicago, pretty much not doing well on defense in any game, and generally looking like headless chickens running around on defense. Thank God for Sam Coffey because without her I don't know how much worse it would be.
On the bright side, our attack continues to be the best in the league, both by the eye test and by the goals-scored tally (we've scored 29, the next best is Reign with 19). So there's that.
How will we fare against Washington's three-headed attack monster? I don't think we can win 5-4 because Parsons's teams are usually solid on defense.
The woman announcer in Sunday's concisely game gave away the attack-plan when playing the Thorns:
"Cross into the box, make Bixby work."
the announcer did leave out the other part of the scouting report: always go near-post....
I don't know enough about the game to know the strengths and weeknesses of man-marking vs zone-marking for corners and crosses into the box. I only know that the Thorns use zone-marking, so therefore man-marking must be the much better approach.
A St.Georges blast that nearly sawed off the post was the was the only reason we didn’t take just one point off two bottom of the table squads. Does not portend well for the future.
Well, if Coffey's shot off the post much earlier in the match had gone in, it might have been a different result too. But yeah, this Thorns club defends poorly and has lots of problems.
And Smith shanking in the 2nd minute, Sugita not getting the laces through the ball in the 15th, Naeher heroics on Smith in the 36th (after Smith basically arm-wrestles the ball away and shoots...), and a big Weaver miss in the 42nd...so, umm...
Pungently Putrid Power Rankings
Tier 1: DC Kang (the best of a middling lot)
Tier 2: NC, Thorns, PSWST, SD (at this point, no team is higher or lower)
Tier 3: Houston, Louisville, Orlando (ditto)
Tier 4: ACFCNFT, KCFUBAR, No Stars (each is crappy in their own way and for different reasons)
And today's hot take...
Time to fire the GM and the HC.
No, I am not talking about Portland. I am talking about KCFUBAR.
After today's loss -- conceding twice after the 81st minute -- they dropped to 3-0-9 on the season and sit 9 points and 11 goals behind 6th place Gotham.
KC would have to leapfrog 6 clubs just to make the playoffs, making up at least 10 points in the standings (or 9 points and 12 goals) over the next 10 matches.
NOT. GONNA. HAPPEN.
Come on, Longs and Mahomses. Fire the GM, fire the HC, and go into that new stadium both healthy and functional. The City of Kansas deserves better than this.
UPDATED: The Interim HC STILL can't decide on a backfield formation??? https://www.kansascity.com/sports/soccer/kc-current/article276504636.html.
But that's also hardly the problem. Nor is it the problem that she didn't have a whole preseason with the team, nor that she's still missing some good players, nor that she can't yet play her desired formation.
Here is the only fact you really need to know: In this year's regular season, KC have lost to every NWSL club but Orlando and Gotham. THAT is hard to do, and it's a sign that YOUR. TEAM. SUCKS.
Yes, Potter's responsible for the early losses to NC, Portland, and Chicago, but Sjöblom's responsible for the losses to ACFC, SD, Louisville, Houston, Reign, and Washington.
And this BS about Sjöblom not being able to play the formation she wants to play? She's used a 5-3-2, a 4-3-3, a 3-4-3, and a 4-2-3-1... which is the same as Potter did except for the 3-4-3. What is she wanting to play that she can't play?
What hurts me to watch is how this has just wrecked Franch. I was unhappy to see her go, but took some cold comfort in her doing well in KC. Then this season…ugh.
She’s come back before this. But KCC just seems like a damn trainwreck and that’s gotta be grueling…
Yeah, she's not even playing at this point. Given how rarely coaches change starting goalkeepers, it has to pretty rough on her. Please AD, get past the yips.
KC are winless on the road this year. Good thing they're going to play their next 5 matches on the road.
Looking just at regular season results, they're -5 GD since Sjöblom took over (10 GF, 15 GA).
Last match they started Gautrat, Mace, Kizer, Ball, Del Fava, DiBernardo, Cooper, Robinson, Hamilton, and Debinha.
Still missing Loera, LaBonta, Glas, Scott, Lavogez, and Mewis. Would those players help? Absolutely!
But is that starting XI good enough to win with? You bet.
I wouldn't say, for example, that Portland are more healthy or much deeper than KC right now.
I'd drag NCC up to 1. Only team with four wins in the last six and they're clubbing teams like baby seals. Portland sneaks out of Bridgeview with a 2-3 squeaker; NCC leaves after a 0-5 drubbing.
re Bixby- really concerned that she may take a step back mentally. She was just starting to break out of her unwillingness to come off her line- then in (almost?) consecutive games, she comes out to the edge of the box against SD's Jakobsen and gives up the late would-be winner, tnen now this crash/penalty against Chicago, and her significant emotional reaction to that collision. She may revert to being too gun-shy to ever control her box the way we would hope.
I think her headspace is pretty wrecked, period. Her body language after the Wright collision was a mess. Her "dive" on the PK was notional. She tried to box away a high cross and failed badly.
I can't see what Angerer sees. But what I do see looks like a keeper who has lost a ton of confidence.
Multiple teams having their turnaround games against us is not the rep we want…
“Chicago Red Stars have attempted 15 shots in this game, their highest total in a single match this #NWSL season
Although they didn’t get a point today, it was definitely a step in the right direction and something to build on #ChiStars ”
Wouldn’t necessarily call this a turnaround game for Chicago- They still got shredded and were lucky that this game wasn’t more lopsided. If Bixby plays at a level of basic competence it’s a pretty comfortable win, despite how poorly the Thorns played.
Watching the highlights right now. Sounds like there were maybe 47 fans in attendance today. Maybe.
Both Chicago teams have been notorious for poor attendance. The "reason" was always that Bridgeview was out in BF Nowhere and was too much of a hassle to get to.
Well, then there's the fact that they've never won any silverware. Their results were better for a few seasons back when Rory Dames was abusing players, but that's nothing to hang your hat on. The people of Chicago deserve better.
The didn't even draw when they had Sam Frickin' Kerr. They're the Orlando of Houstons.
Thing is, they made the playoffs every single year! Yes, they always crashed in the semi. But, still…they weren’t Orlando or Boston…