Sauerbruun wonderful leadership and seems have another year in her legs, and Spaanstra is young, fast and showed real potential at KC (who is loaded with forwards).
I think if Becky wants to play another year they should offer her a contract. She’s our captain and still the steadiest defender. Next year Obaze is the only CB with a contract. Looking at that list there’s not a lot of great CB’s that will be Free agents. I’m not sure what Hubly’s plans are. Kozal has a lot of potential and should be offered another contract. They can loan her out to get valuable experience ( which they should have done a while ago). I don’t really see anyone to add from that list. Obviously Kerolin but no way the courage fumble that
Kerolin was headed to Portland if not for her doping ban that extended into covid times and then MP left so it never got across the line…so the Courage pounced. Still worth a try also…still quite the sell to play next to Sophia Smith and Thorns just have more resources and investment than NC Courage. They should be swinging for all the big hits.
Agree about Becky. Keep her around, if she wants to play still. Her and Kling are valuable veterans still who will be valuable off the bench (tho Broon is still our #1 CB as of now.) Kling is fine for maybe 20 mins if we can solidify other parts of our backline. Sinc will hopefully, finally, retire. Hubly should be kept at a #3/4 CB and it would be nice for Spaanstra to stay. Provenzano should be let go, and maybe loan Kozal? Either that, or let her go depending on their assessment of where she is relative to Bella and Hogan.
Becky has been outstanding and she has a spot as long as she wants one. I’d also be asking what she wants to do post career and let her know that she has a job waiting for her. Period.
Oh 1000%. Her value is immense on and off the field, still, imo. I would be doing everything I could to keep her around now with the team (esp while we're having a CB changing-of-the-guard) and supporting her ambitions for coaching (or whatever she wants honestly) as soon as she retires...and making sure she continues to call Portland home. She owns a house here and her partner has a high-level job at Adidas...I don't think she's going anywhere. I know a GM without experience is something we've been dealing with but I honestly think Becky could lap KK the first year because I would immediately trust her judgement and ability to build connections. And the connections and reputation she already does have is like, top, in the world of woso.
Wow, I didn't know that. So that goes to my post from yesterday about vision and ambition too. That's one of the swings Merritt, Gavin, and Parsons took that didn't work out - Pugh, Diani, and Kerolin.
Yep…I’ve hear Parsons talk about the Kerolin thing on a podcast. The doping thing just dragged and by the time she was finally free, Parsons was gone. Courage pounced. Covid man, such a bummer lol.
And yes, another tip of the hat for him knowing very young talent before they were actually stars.
I’ve heard they were already working on renewing but if it’s not done thorns need to offer her money. Kerolin + Smith+ Weaver would be fun but don’t think it happens. Kozal has upside extend and loan would be ideal. Macca and Bixby will both be 30 next season ( Macca 31) they need to think about the future too and develop the next gks. Kozal is only 24. Hogan 26. They have to be better at developing gks
What I wonder is why the Thorns have so many goalkeepers, when their needs for depth is in midfield and the back line.
Sauerbrunn should get another year, but I don't see any of the current CBs making opposing forwards worried about whether or not they can be shut down.
Yes, but you want to avoid being in the mess that was this season again. Where the most experienced was a handful of challenge cup game and a few regular season games. Developing is the key. Having developmental plans for younger gks. So if an injury or pregnancy happens again the younger gks have experience. Yes, Obaze being injured a lot is also worrying. They sign Becky and get a quality cb ( I like Jade Rose for her experience) it’s looking a lot better.
The last 2 seasons she played were really poor for Bella, I can't imagine she gets to the point where she's fully fit and beating out all of the other keepers. Then again, it seems we have no standout keepers so...
I know fans on here like to shit on KK for only signing Canadians but the only ones she's signed are Beckie (who left before her contract was up), Fleming, and then Leon on loan. Numerous Canadians have made moves while KK has been in charge and she hasn't signed them - Proulx, D'Angelo, Lacasse, Smith, Awujo, St-Georges, Riviere, Carle, Viens, Buchanan, Lawrence, Grosso, Huitema, Deanne Rose, Zadorsky, and Leon have all made moves while KK has been in charge. She's signed 2(3)/18 available Canadians. She didn't take any of the 3+ Canadians in the NWSL drafts either.
Signing 2 (3 with the Leon loan) key Canadian players who have been incredibly important for their national team for years doesn't exactly scream bias.
There was also three straight Canadian (or Canada-centric) coaches. All three have not worked out for one reason or another. We also basically swapped Ryan for Beckie (didn't work out) and Rocky for Fleming (so far hasn't worked out). The deals for the players were records at the time, so there is the sense that not only is KK myopic, but also that she overvalues Canadians to the detriment of other opportunities (which other teams are gladly taking).
IMO Gale is the only true failure of a coach, and I’m not sure how he got the permanent job. Norris was most likely simply a place holder during the sale and was let go once that was finalized.
Fleming is a national team captain with over 100 caps, has participated in 3 Olympics and 3 World Cups by the age of 26, an Olympic gold medalist, and a ballon d'or nominee. If she was any other nationality we wouldn’t be having this conversation. IIRC this board wasn’t a fan of Ryan during her time here either, but I guess the grass is always greener.
Well, we would be having this conversation simply because the move made was not based on need and it hasn't improved us. Our midfield isn't clicking. But, yes, I agree with you that we should leave the Canadian part aside.
As far as I'm concerned, I would be having this conversation if she was a different nationality. She is a small finesse player who lacks defense and ball-winning capabilities on a team with a bunch of those in the midfield already. We now have exactly one Coffey type midfielder. Going from a Rocky type to a Fleming type was a huge mistake, IMO.
For the record, I wanted to see what Ryan developed into as she was showing signs. We already knew what Beckie was. I think you could make the same criticism of KK about the grass always being greener, except with her, her biases seem to have an undue influence on her decision-making.
And Beckie is American, lol. It’s not like she counted as an international slot. Wasn’t she like third highest scorer of 2024 for us before she left? Bizarre to me. I don’t count her as Canadian and she wasn’t terrible, either.
Well, basically no one besides Soph scores for us which is the problem. Beckie had 3 goals (two of which came in the same game, IIRC, so only 1 goal across all other games) which is tied with Moultrie and one better than Sinc, Linnehan, D'Aquila and Coffey. She had 2 assists which is the same number that Obaze has in half the minutes. Newly-acquired Reilyn Turner is now our second leading scorer with 4 goals and 2 assists despite only starting 7 out of 17 games. So, good job, KK?
No, Beckie wasn't terrible, but she was also not a prolific scorer when we signed her and she played about as expected, as in, didn't score much. There is a lot to like about her, but she just wasn't what this team needed. I can say the same about Fleming.
With the draft going away, I'm curious if we're eyeing Jade Rose to sign out of college (a 21 yo senior CB out of Harvard, and often a starter for the Canadian NT already)...
Aside from Heather Gilchrist (FSU/youth NT), who it does appear we're following...another CB someone mentioned recently was Lilly Reale (UCLA/youth NT) who would be a good prospect as well. She follows the league and several teams (ACFC, Reign, KC, and Racing)...but not Thorns. But, she has a lot of friends on the team. I hope they're establishing contact with all of the high ceiling CB's out there (another reason why keeping Becky around would be really nice...)
I'll go ahead and admit it, I will cry about it if it happens.
I don't follow the CWNT that closely, but from the examples that I can think of having seen watching the Thorns, players who have the seemingly impressive "Canadian WNT starter" (especially after the previous Olympics) tag don't end up being as impressive in NWSL club play.
Yeah, I mean there's no surprise there. Europe has been taking a lot of the top prospects for years. But, I think the connections here, the closeness to home, as well as the likelihood she'd play a lot of minutes immediately is worth something. I think with the new CBA, the pendulum may start to swing back towards players wanting to play in the US...esp if she'll potentially get paid better. The league is quite different than it was even 2 years ago...
Rose has just spent the last four years in the States so I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to live in Europe for a bit now too. If you're going to be away from home to play pro you might as well explore the world.
I mean if it were me and I was 21, I’d definitely look to play abroad! As a 21 yr old, I was also uniquely intrigued with the world beyond the US and traveling, but I know few youths who are as reckless as I was as a kid. :)
Of course, she’s pretty well traveled for her age already, but who knows! The UK does seem to like its Canadian defenders, but maybe she’ll see the value of playing in this league because that new CBA will make it exponentially more valuable to int’l players now and I imagine we continue to see more and more come to the US into the future…
Can someone confirm what happened with Beckie? Was she actually surprised to go? I’d heard rumours she wanted out for eons, but her Louisville interview made it seem like it was a bit of a shock. I think she was a bit of a double edged sword, so if she was keen to go I’m glad we got someone for her, but…I do feel bad if she truly had no idea, especially given the Olympics Canada had.
Yeah someone who comments here sometimes mentioned within the last month or two that she was most likely expecting to leave bc of the distance issue with her partner, as well as being closer to some tv deal she has in Canada…and that it was all love for the club when she leaves. They did say it wasn’t 100% certain yet, but still mentioned Louisville, I think Orlando, and even Tottenham as potential options. So, it’s pretty surprising to hear that she was “surprised” given the person said all of that here…even naming Louisville specifically (and also, KK is a friend of hers and fellow countrywoman.) I think they may have implied it was happening in the coming off-season, though…so maybe it’s the timing that threw her off? Like she wasn’t expecting to leave mid season? Or the exact location? I assume if she gave an indication that she was likely leaving, KK would’ve wanted to get something for her before she left for free. Also, she immediately signed a 2 yr deal with Louisville, which (seemingly?) indicates she was happy to be there?
Thanks for the info. I’d definitely be curious to know more—my info was that she liked Portland but was looking to be closer to her partner if she wasn’t consistently starting here. In my head, I thought that meant she’d known moving was a possibility, but maybe she didn’t expect it right after the Olympics.
Not sure if you saw the news report about the kids camp, but Weaver is so much fun. She accused one of her teammates of cheating during a competition and then commented about Hogan getting table-topped by a kid haha.
Seems a little high to me, but I dunno what they bought her for...then again, prices these days are already going up up up so maybe that's change these days...
They may have re-signed her but not announced it yet, or the team may have an option, which they would have until the end of the month to exercise. Otherwise she should be a free agent after this season.
It seems the only thing that matters is the end of the current contract. Assuming Bella wants to continue her career (which I don't doubt), she'd already be on the list if her contract will expire this year.
Abby Dahlkemper traded to BayFC. Where is the Thorns' management!?!?!
Oh, Abby requested the trade and she a native to the Bay Area.
Now I have to ask a question I've been sitting on after an entire weekend of news about the new CBA. What happens if a player doesn't like the place where she's being traded to? She say, "no." Then what? Bench her. Put her on what the Brits call "gardening leave?" What if one of the two says 'yes,' and the other says 'no.' What if they both say 'no.'
I wondered the same thing. It’s like if two people are dating, and one says they want to break up and the other says they don’t. It’s still going downhill.
It’s probably time for Becky, Christine, and Meghan to retire. We need someone better to start than Hubly. I’m not attached to Kozal or Provenzano and have no opinion on Spaanstra yet. If they can get more playing time and/or money elsewhere I can’t see paying or playing any of them more to keep them.
I’d go with Sauerbrunn first. Is there a vacancy, role to be filled, or coach who obviously needs the be replaced? We don’t just invent coaching jobs I hope?
I've been fond of Kling for a very long time. This season, no longer a starter, I thought she would retire at the end of this season -- joining Ally Krieger and Kelly O'Hara as members of the greatest USWNT back line of all time. Or perhaps she's holding out to retire with Sauerbrunn.
Sauerbruun wonderful leadership and seems have another year in her legs, and Spaanstra is young, fast and showed real potential at KC (who is loaded with forwards).
Yes and yes to both.
I'd bring Becky and Spaanstra back, and let all the others explore free agency or mosey off into the sunset.
I think if Becky wants to play another year they should offer her a contract. She’s our captain and still the steadiest defender. Next year Obaze is the only CB with a contract. Looking at that list there’s not a lot of great CB’s that will be Free agents. I’m not sure what Hubly’s plans are. Kozal has a lot of potential and should be offered another contract. They can loan her out to get valuable experience ( which they should have done a while ago). I don’t really see anyone to add from that list. Obviously Kerolin but no way the courage fumble that
Kerolin was headed to Portland if not for her doping ban that extended into covid times and then MP left so it never got across the line…so the Courage pounced. Still worth a try also…still quite the sell to play next to Sophia Smith and Thorns just have more resources and investment than NC Courage. They should be swinging for all the big hits.
Agree about Becky. Keep her around, if she wants to play still. Her and Kling are valuable veterans still who will be valuable off the bench (tho Broon is still our #1 CB as of now.) Kling is fine for maybe 20 mins if we can solidify other parts of our backline. Sinc will hopefully, finally, retire. Hubly should be kept at a #3/4 CB and it would be nice for Spaanstra to stay. Provenzano should be let go, and maybe loan Kozal? Either that, or let her go depending on their assessment of where she is relative to Bella and Hogan.
Becky has been outstanding and she has a spot as long as she wants one. I’d also be asking what she wants to do post career and let her know that she has a job waiting for her. Period.
Oh 1000%. Her value is immense on and off the field, still, imo. I would be doing everything I could to keep her around now with the team (esp while we're having a CB changing-of-the-guard) and supporting her ambitions for coaching (or whatever she wants honestly) as soon as she retires...and making sure she continues to call Portland home. She owns a house here and her partner has a high-level job at Adidas...I don't think she's going anywhere. I know a GM without experience is something we've been dealing with but I honestly think Becky could lap KK the first year because I would immediately trust her judgement and ability to build connections. And the connections and reputation she already does have is like, top, in the world of woso.
I AGREED! She would be a wonderful GM for the Thorns!
She'd be a great GM!
Wow, I didn't know that. So that goes to my post from yesterday about vision and ambition too. That's one of the swings Merritt, Gavin, and Parsons took that didn't work out - Pugh, Diani, and Kerolin.
Yep…I’ve hear Parsons talk about the Kerolin thing on a podcast. The doping thing just dragged and by the time she was finally free, Parsons was gone. Courage pounced. Covid man, such a bummer lol.
And yes, another tip of the hat for him knowing very young talent before they were actually stars.
It's almost like he would be a good GM or Technical Director.
I’ve heard they were already working on renewing but if it’s not done thorns need to offer her money. Kerolin + Smith+ Weaver would be fun but don’t think it happens. Kozal has upside extend and loan would be ideal. Macca and Bixby will both be 30 next season ( Macca 31) they need to think about the future too and develop the next gks. Kozal is only 24. Hogan 26. They have to be better at developing gks
Goalkeepers are at their peak in their 30's.
What I wonder is why the Thorns have so many goalkeepers, when their needs for depth is in midfield and the back line.
Sauerbrunn should get another year, but I don't see any of the current CBs making opposing forwards worried about whether or not they can be shut down.
Bella may not return after giving birth, and Kozal is a free agent and might be gone. Then the Thorns are at 3 goal keepers.
Yes, but you want to avoid being in the mess that was this season again. Where the most experienced was a handful of challenge cup game and a few regular season games. Developing is the key. Having developmental plans for younger gks. So if an injury or pregnancy happens again the younger gks have experience. Yes, Obaze being injured a lot is also worrying. They sign Becky and get a quality cb ( I like Jade Rose for her experience) it’s looking a lot better.
> Let her go depending on their assessment of where she is relative to Bella and Hogan.
Man, I really hope Bella decides that she likes being a mom and decides to retire. I don't know that I survive another season of the Bella Bixby show.
The last 2 seasons she played were really poor for Bella, I can't imagine she gets to the point where she's fully fit and beating out all of the other keepers. Then again, it seems we have no standout keepers so...
I know fans on here like to shit on KK for only signing Canadians but the only ones she's signed are Beckie (who left before her contract was up), Fleming, and then Leon on loan. Numerous Canadians have made moves while KK has been in charge and she hasn't signed them - Proulx, D'Angelo, Lacasse, Smith, Awujo, St-Georges, Riviere, Carle, Viens, Buchanan, Lawrence, Grosso, Huitema, Deanne Rose, Zadorsky, and Leon have all made moves while KK has been in charge. She's signed 2(3)/18 available Canadians. She didn't take any of the 3+ Canadians in the NWSL drafts either.
Signing 2 (3 with the Leon loan) key Canadian players who have been incredibly important for their national team for years doesn't exactly scream bias.
There was also three straight Canadian (or Canada-centric) coaches. All three have not worked out for one reason or another. We also basically swapped Ryan for Beckie (didn't work out) and Rocky for Fleming (so far hasn't worked out). The deals for the players were records at the time, so there is the sense that not only is KK myopic, but also that she overvalues Canadians to the detriment of other opportunities (which other teams are gladly taking).
IMO Gale is the only true failure of a coach, and I’m not sure how he got the permanent job. Norris was most likely simply a place holder during the sale and was let go once that was finalized.
Fleming is a national team captain with over 100 caps, has participated in 3 Olympics and 3 World Cups by the age of 26, an Olympic gold medalist, and a ballon d'or nominee. If she was any other nationality we wouldn’t be having this conversation. IIRC this board wasn’t a fan of Ryan during her time here either, but I guess the grass is always greener.
Well, we would be having this conversation simply because the move made was not based on need and it hasn't improved us. Our midfield isn't clicking. But, yes, I agree with you that we should leave the Canadian part aside.
From the whispers I have heard, coming here wasn't exactly Fleming's *choice* but was most likely done at the request of another coach of hers.
I am guessing that coach is no longer one of her coaches, yes?
Technically for the next year or so they’re not going to be anyone’s coach.
As far as I'm concerned, I would be having this conversation if she was a different nationality. She is a small finesse player who lacks defense and ball-winning capabilities on a team with a bunch of those in the midfield already. We now have exactly one Coffey type midfielder. Going from a Rocky type to a Fleming type was a huge mistake, IMO.
For the record, I wanted to see what Ryan developed into as she was showing signs. We already knew what Beckie was. I think you could make the same criticism of KK about the grass always being greener, except with her, her biases seem to have an undue influence on her decision-making.
And Beckie is American, lol. It’s not like she counted as an international slot. Wasn’t she like third highest scorer of 2024 for us before she left? Bizarre to me. I don’t count her as Canadian and she wasn’t terrible, either.
Well, basically no one besides Soph scores for us which is the problem. Beckie had 3 goals (two of which came in the same game, IIRC, so only 1 goal across all other games) which is tied with Moultrie and one better than Sinc, Linnehan, D'Aquila and Coffey. She had 2 assists which is the same number that Obaze has in half the minutes. Newly-acquired Reilyn Turner is now our second leading scorer with 4 goals and 2 assists despite only starting 7 out of 17 games. So, good job, KK?
No, Beckie wasn't terrible, but she was also not a prolific scorer when we signed her and she played about as expected, as in, didn't score much. There is a lot to like about her, but she just wasn't what this team needed. I can say the same about Fleming.
With the draft going away, I'm curious if we're eyeing Jade Rose to sign out of college (a 21 yo senior CB out of Harvard, and often a starter for the Canadian NT already)...
Aside from Heather Gilchrist (FSU/youth NT), who it does appear we're following...another CB someone mentioned recently was Lilly Reale (UCLA/youth NT) who would be a good prospect as well. She follows the league and several teams (ACFC, Reign, KC, and Racing)...but not Thorns. But, she has a lot of friends on the team. I hope they're establishing contact with all of the high ceiling CB's out there (another reason why keeping Becky around would be really nice...)
Jade Rose would be a great signing. Make it happen, Karina!
But if we get her, isn’t everyone going to cry about the “Canadian” issue?
I'll go ahead and admit it, I will cry about it if it happens.
I don't follow the CWNT that closely, but from the examples that I can think of having seen watching the Thorns, players who have the seemingly impressive "Canadian WNT starter" (especially after the previous Olympics) tag don't end up being as impressive in NWSL club play.
Make it Sinclair's job to convince Rose to sign with the Thorns as soon as possible. Jade can always continue her Harvard education in the off-season.
Now that would be Sinclair adding value.
From what I've heard, Rose has had offers from numerous European teams for a few years now so I am expecting her play overseas.
Yeah, I mean there's no surprise there. Europe has been taking a lot of the top prospects for years. But, I think the connections here, the closeness to home, as well as the likelihood she'd play a lot of minutes immediately is worth something. I think with the new CBA, the pendulum may start to swing back towards players wanting to play in the US...esp if she'll potentially get paid better. The league is quite different than it was even 2 years ago...
Rose has just spent the last four years in the States so I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to live in Europe for a bit now too. If you're going to be away from home to play pro you might as well explore the world.
Nothing like young wanderlust
I mean if it were me and I was 21, I’d definitely look to play abroad! As a 21 yr old, I was also uniquely intrigued with the world beyond the US and traveling, but I know few youths who are as reckless as I was as a kid. :)
Of course, she’s pretty well traveled for her age already, but who knows! The UK does seem to like its Canadian defenders, but maybe she’ll see the value of playing in this league because that new CBA will make it exponentially more valuable to int’l players now and I imagine we continue to see more and more come to the US into the future…
Can someone confirm what happened with Beckie? Was she actually surprised to go? I’d heard rumours she wanted out for eons, but her Louisville interview made it seem like it was a bit of a shock. I think she was a bit of a double edged sword, so if she was keen to go I’m glad we got someone for her, but…I do feel bad if she truly had no idea, especially given the Olympics Canada had.
Yeah someone who comments here sometimes mentioned within the last month or two that she was most likely expecting to leave bc of the distance issue with her partner, as well as being closer to some tv deal she has in Canada…and that it was all love for the club when she leaves. They did say it wasn’t 100% certain yet, but still mentioned Louisville, I think Orlando, and even Tottenham as potential options. So, it’s pretty surprising to hear that she was “surprised” given the person said all of that here…even naming Louisville specifically (and also, KK is a friend of hers and fellow countrywoman.) I think they may have implied it was happening in the coming off-season, though…so maybe it’s the timing that threw her off? Like she wasn’t expecting to leave mid season? Or the exact location? I assume if she gave an indication that she was likely leaving, KK would’ve wanted to get something for her before she left for free. Also, she immediately signed a 2 yr deal with Louisville, which (seemingly?) indicates she was happy to be there?
Yeah…would love to hear some clarity, though!
Thanks for the info. I’d definitely be curious to know more—my info was that she liked Portland but was looking to be closer to her partner if she wasn’t consistently starting here. In my head, I thought that meant she’d known moving was a possibility, but maybe she didn’t expect it right after the Olympics.
Dias is gone via transfer.
https://twitter.com/ThornsFC/status/1828221159554547772
Now that our fill-in chaos muppet forward is gone, I want Weaver back even more.
Not sure if you saw the news report about the kids camp, but Weaver is so much fun. She accused one of her teammates of cheating during a competition and then commented about Hogan getting table-topped by a kid haha.
I just watched the Soccer City Camps IG video. That was fun. Thanks.
Living in the new CBA already? Tells me the player asked to be transferred because she wanted more playing time.
Phuoc said the transfer fee was 100k, which is kinda funny but also, nice!
This just in: we've been informed that's 100,000 pesos.
Reminded of this classic bit from Futurama:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVgrPOmlG00
Funny because it seems high? I thought so too!
Only $5,200?
Seems a little high to me, but I dunno what they bought her for...then again, prices these days are already going up up up so maybe that's change these days...
Wait it wasn’t actually in pesos was it?!
Thorns have just lost their Brazilian translator. <concernedface!>
Had her moments, Dias. I wish her well.
I was curious if FA rights would be impacted by pregnancy in regards to term. I see no other reason for her not to be a free agent
They may have re-signed her but not announced it yet, or the team may have an option, which they would have until the end of the month to exercise. Otherwise she should be a free agent after this season.
It seems the only thing that matters is the end of the current contract. Assuming Bella wants to continue her career (which I don't doubt), she'd already be on the list if her contract will expire this year.
That is 7 Thorns listed as free agents not 6.
Abby Dahlkemper traded to BayFC. Where is the Thorns' management!?!?!
Oh, Abby requested the trade and she a native to the Bay Area.
Now I have to ask a question I've been sitting on after an entire weekend of news about the new CBA. What happens if a player doesn't like the place where she's being traded to? She say, "no." Then what? Bench her. Put her on what the Brits call "gardening leave?" What if one of the two says 'yes,' and the other says 'no.' What if they both say 'no.'
I wondered the same thing. It’s like if two people are dating, and one says they want to break up and the other says they don’t. It’s still going downhill.
This is why I think we will not see player trades again. Too many moving parts. I suspect every deal will be one player, for cash.
Also, Bella was not mentioned as a free agent. So maybe she already extended or has an option?
Bella has a long tough journey to return to NWSL fitness after giving birth. Do we even know if she wants to return?
It’s not easy that’s for sure . Mom’s are rockstars. Seeing that she’s posting her return to play process I would say yes!
FA's I might like to have: Alozie, Hiatt, Naeher, Prince.
It’s probably time for Becky, Christine, and Meghan to retire. We need someone better to start than Hubly. I’m not attached to Kozal or Provenzano and have no opinion on Spaanstra yet. If they can get more playing time and/or money elsewhere I can’t see paying or playing any of them more to keep them.
I'd definitely offer Kling and Sinclair positional coaching roles within the club.
I’d go with Sauerbrunn first. Is there a vacancy, role to be filled, or coach who obviously needs the be replaced? We don’t just invent coaching jobs I hope?
I've been fond of Kling for a very long time. This season, no longer a starter, I thought she would retire at the end of this season -- joining Ally Krieger and Kelly O'Hara as members of the greatest USWNT back line of all time. Or perhaps she's holding out to retire with Sauerbrunn.