I'm going to chalk up the metrics to a three game week and game states, especially in the second half, when we had a 2-0 lead with Spirit chasing it and we're running on fumes.
9 point week! That doesn't happen a lot. Can't wait for Saturdays F*ck Seattle!
I am so pleased bc Reign just played about 115 minutes with 10 players, then they have to play KC midweek, then they play us for their third game in a week’s time, and we will have had all week to rest. Not gonna get too comfortable, but I’ll take the uneven luck against Seattle :)
While I'll admit I've always considered the Courage to be our real rival in the league (plus I've had some great convos with Reign supporters), it's still Seattle.* Any opportunity to twist the knife is appreciated! The Reign will be keen to both get their season on track AND to snap our win streak, so this match will not be easy.
* It's interesting how these loyalties/rivalries are still so meaningful even though I live on the other side of a really big ocean with no plans to return. Funny ol' thing, sports...
Yup. I hope we’ll have a ref that’ll start carding them for fouls. 20-ish against SD…I don’t need our players getting injured bc of a tired and wounded Seattle.
Good game! First 35-40 was arguably the best this team's looked in over a year. Hina is remarkable. One of the best individual games I've seen from a midfielder in a long while.
Zooming out, what an offseason! Obaze and Müller are both locked-in starters who look like absolute steals, Fleming is finally looking like Fleming, and Payne will be pushing Reyna for that RB spot if she can put in performances like she did last night. Really good from whoever was responsible.
Müller is a real special player: Super smooth with it, really smart, and a better defender than I thought she'd be early on. She still has a tendency to get caught a little flat-footed when iso-d 1v1 against explosive players like Rodman, but she's not struggling with the physicality at all. And she's just 23! Exactly the type of player the Thorns need to be going after. Obaze too- She has some pace and is good in the air, but her ability to play calm, quick, and receiver-friendly balls into the midfield and FBs is what really differentiates her from Hubly.
Good on Gale- It's his job to make his case to be this year's Tweed, and while I'm definitely not there yet, the difference between how this teams looks now vs. under Norris is frankly pretty absurd. Part of it is undoubtedly just players gelling, but some of the scouting and adjustments we've seen is really good stuff. I mentioned in the game thread that they clearly scouted Washington's propensity --which is clear anytime you watch a Spirit game-- to hunt those out-balls to Rodman and Metayer, and had Payne and Müller right on their backs immediately. If they play like they did last night, they should put about 10 up on that dumpster fire of a Seattle team. Bummed I'll miss being at PP for it.
We're in 4th place now, tied with the Red Stars on points and ahead by 3 on goal difference. Some other teams with fewer games played could mathematically catch or surpass us with those games, but we have a better PPG than all of them so I'm calling our 4th place legit. Quite a turnaround from last place 4 games ago.
Great game and fun to watch. Dare I say the best Thorns soccer we've seen in a long while?
A thought crossed my mind - how much of a run do we go on before Gale is considered a permanent replacement? Or is it even in the realm of possibility? [channeling Mary Katherine Gallagher] My feelings can best be expressed by Kramer from the 1992 Seinfeld episode "The Fix Up":
"Now don't you two see that you're in love with each other? I mean, why can't you face that already? You're running around out there looking for something that's not even there, when everything that you dream of is right here, right here in front of you. Now why can't you admit that?"
Even though things have stabilized under Gale, I really don’t want the Thorns leadership to settle so easily or quickly. I would SOOOOO love to see a tier 1 coach take the Thorns coaching position and see what we can then do!!
I agree, I think, although I was quite impressed by the appearance of a coaching -team- in the postgame presser. Vytas and Lowdon seem very invested. Gale seems completely comfortable collaborating and trusting both the players and staff to play their parts without him hovering. I'm okay with seeing how things develop under Gale -while- the international search proceeds. I don't want to see him just keep the job, but if he competes for it and wins??? Because of his lack of HC experience I'm a little concerned about how he will manage knockout situations and other high tension scenarios.
Should the cycle of his tenure go through the calendar year it extends to the draft and we'll see if he and KK are on the same page, or any page at all. Since MarPar left I get hives at draft time.
Credit where it's due, Linnehan and Wade-Katoa are gems.
Yeah, the Nasello draft has scarred us all deeply. I think the draft is becoming somewhat less important, though, as teenagers and internationals make up a bigger share of NWSL rosters. Development programs are going to be more and more important also. How long before the league adopts a home-grown rule?
Looked like Morgan was on crutches and had a hefty knee brace on. Couldn’t see it clearly but looked like it wasn’t a usual full sleeve/hinge one that I usually see with an ACL tear. (Also I’d imagine she’d have had surgery already if it were an ACL tear?)
IIRC from my own sordid injury history, if it's just an ACL, then yes. If other ligaments and/or other injuries/trauma is involved, then they like to wait for some of the swelling to go down before surgery, usually about a week if memory serves. I didn't see the brace, but the thickness could be related to some sort of ice/cooling system, which is important for acute injuries initially to reduce swelling (then not as you want blood flow for healing).
I'm sure it doesn't apply here, but when I did mine 30ish years ago (ACL + LCL + meniscus combo platter), I think we were also waiting on a cadaver ligament (that never ended up materializing so they used my hamstring).
If it’s just an MCL, time is also a potential here. We should wait and see. Lots of potential things it could be. We won’t know until we hear from people that know
I could only watch the second half, so there wasn't a lot of exciting soccer to see. Heart-stopping, yes, but not exciting. We *were* doing a pretty good job of shutting them down; you could see the frustration from Rodman's and Bethune's faces and body language. Hogan had to make that one big save, but that was it up until their goal. Then it was back to shutting them down again, and if anything, we got better at it when stoppage time arrived.
Then it was all just fine when the final whistle went.
I was initially quite worried about Payne being tasked with Rodman (rude to give to her- has barely played many pro minutes and had a ROUGH go against KC, then crickets since), but I have to commend her for doing a fantastic job and frustrating the hell outta her! So much so that she switched to the middle, and then to the other side of the field lol. And they started only going down the other side for the most part. Her speed, agility, and quick feet shut her down completely and she was MAD lol. I sit closest to them (the RB/LW) in the first half and it was fun to watch.
And Marie, she had a solid game! I think she was culpable on the goal, but she’ll learn…solid otherwise, though.
Payne ended up being a good matchup against Rodman, and I think her speed really helped out there. I worry about her being on the field because I remember her being out of position a lot in the early games. I suspect Gale asked her to mark Rodman/whomever was on that side of the field closely and not do too much. It was encouraging progress from her, but I'm not ready to start her on a regular basis.
I think Payne got off easy in the first half. The Spirit were trying to play down the left and then do a big cross to leave Rodman one on one with Payne in space but our defense made it could never get it together enough to make that cross and Rodman ended up out there on an island. That being said, the few times she got the ball, Payne handled it really well, especially given their size differential.
Totally agree on the overall defensive effort. For most of the game it was hard for Washington to complete three passes without the Thorns taking the ball away or disrupting play by kicking it out of play.
Muller did have a very good night although it was her error that allowed Rodman free with plenty of space and time to send in a very good ball that led to Washington’d goal. She’ll learn from that mistake, I’m sure.
The total team defense was SO much more all-on-one-page that at any previous point in this season, and it was even more so in the first half. Fatigue took its toll as the match wore on, but the team fought through it. I really like this starting back line, particularly with a Coffey/Sugita double pivot in front of it.
While it wasn't a perfect game, this was a really good win for the Thorns. Washington is a good team with good talent, and the Thorns simply beat them. Gale did a nice job with rotations this week, and utilizing Payne's speed against Rodman was a great idea. The one negative from the passing charts was seeing players in the same area, but hopefully this was a one off. Something to watch in future games.
We have a couple more winnable games coming up before we face off against Orlando who is playing well. Lets hope the team remains focused!
IIUC the positions shown in the passing networks are averages, so it doesn't necessarily mean players were in the same area at the same time. To my eye, their spacing was generally pretty good.
You are right on that. There are times the clumping in the passing charts makes sense as players are shifting positions throughout the game. It was really noticible under Norris, and in the NCC game there were times players actually ran into each other in the second half. To me it tells me that multiple players are going to the same area to try an move the ball forward. But yes, the spacing remained fine against Washington.
Yes, the spacing was terrible in the early games. I think the players were trying to be where they were told to be , but that kind of zone coverage was never going to work, especially when it conflicted with their own sense.
Here's to the Gale Force Wins behind our Thorns' backs these past four matches. Coffey named it in her post-match interview -- he's relational and he's a motivator. But... no one should be fooling themselves as to whether to take off the interim tag. Eventually those kinds of coaches also run their course.
If they beat Seattle it will be the first time in club history that they have one five in a row.
I was impressed with Payne too. We knew she was fast but she has other skills too.
There are a lot if fast players in the league this season but Rodman is the whole package fast, strong, clever on the ball, relentless, ruthless and a 90 + minute engine. Her Dad might not have had a big role in life, but she inherited characteristics that made him great.
In first half Nicole had her so frustrated she moved to center and left for more joy and Müller made her work too! But that goal! I didn’t see it so much as a Thorns defense breakdown but as a homage to Trinity’s greatness. Silano just stood in front of the goal and Rodman banked it off her head into the goal.
I thought the defense played great and Sauerbrunn was so damn good.
I didn't place much blame on Hina or Becky (and none on Shelby) for that goal, either. Even against good defense, a player with Rodman's combination of skills and athleticism is going to be able to create space for herself at times. When she did, her ball in to Silano was inch-perfect. Sometimes you just have to tip your hat to outstanding play.
Trinity is an amazing player. If she ever learns how to score goals, she will be in her own universe. Love the way Nicole battled her--very impressive!
Well, anyone who folllows/scouts/cares about the Thorns pretty much knows Weaver's not playing this weekend. The question, really, is just: is this a 4-6 week injury or a 9-12 month injury? I think it'd be really weird if Weaver and her doctors hadn't determined that by now, wouldn't it?
Timbers and Thorns said (down below) "If other ligaments and/or other injuries/trauma is involved, then they [doctors] like to wait for some of the swelling to go down before surgery, usually about a week if memory serves." It's possible that's what's happening, and we'll know the full story once surgery happens. Or, you know, they just forgot to tell us.
It'd be nice to have any sort of news about this, even news that said, "We'll have more news in a week."
Yeah, tbh, someone with Harvey's experience and acumen probably only needed to watch video of Weaver going down to have a pretty good idea that she's out for a long time. But I still see why teams play these things close to the vest much of the time, on general principle.
I've been happy for AD Franch for how well her team is doing, but she had a howler today that cost KC two points. I mean it's good that SOMEONE is taking points off KC, I just don't want it to be because of Franch.
Oh, AD. She and Tobin, being two of my fave Thorns, are the two most painful lost Thorns from the expansion draft (or its impending implications). Her save v. Seattle in the 2018 semis is among my favorite highlight reel moments in Thorns history-it's just astonishing. She saves it w/ her thigh, moving down the line like a Foosball goalie, as Pinoe is bearing down on goal and Megan looks stunned that the save
was actually made. When all is said and done, what I cherish about fandom is that one gets to appreciate these players as people, above and beyond their athletic exploits, and AD strikes me as such a good-hearted and thoughtful woman. I always say the only thing that bums me out about two of our three stars is that they came w/ her in the opposite goal (and the third, w/ us, is due in no small part to her command of the area).
While I can understand that, I do think it balanced out because she made an incredible save on a 1 on 1. KC is really lucky to not have lost that game.
I'm going to chalk up the metrics to a three game week and game states, especially in the second half, when we had a 2-0 lead with Spirit chasing it and we're running on fumes.
9 point week! That doesn't happen a lot. Can't wait for Saturdays F*ck Seattle!
Not only a 9-point week, but a 9-point week including two away games. That's pretty special.
Last time Portland trailed was April 13.
This deep insight brought to you by coffee. Try some.
That deep strike last night, brought to you by Coffey. Have a match!
And that result brought to you, in part, by Coffey.
Next weekend, let's obliterate Harvey's cooler chair.
I am so pleased bc Reign just played about 115 minutes with 10 players, then they have to play KC midweek, then they play us for their third game in a week’s time, and we will have had all week to rest. Not gonna get too comfortable, but I’ll take the uneven luck against Seattle :)
While I'll admit I've always considered the Courage to be our real rival in the league (plus I've had some great convos with Reign supporters), it's still Seattle.* Any opportunity to twist the knife is appreciated! The Reign will be keen to both get their season on track AND to snap our win streak, so this match will not be easy.
* It's interesting how these loyalties/rivalries are still so meaningful even though I live on the other side of a really big ocean with no plans to return. Funny ol' thing, sports...
And they're likely to be pissed off after losing to KC (bold prediction).
I'm prepared to see Fishlock and Harvey use every trick of gamesmanship to win this one. I hope the Thorns are too.
Yup. I hope we’ll have a ref that’ll start carding them for fouls. 20-ish against SD…I don’t need our players getting injured bc of a tired and wounded Seattle.
Good game! First 35-40 was arguably the best this team's looked in over a year. Hina is remarkable. One of the best individual games I've seen from a midfielder in a long while.
Zooming out, what an offseason! Obaze and Müller are both locked-in starters who look like absolute steals, Fleming is finally looking like Fleming, and Payne will be pushing Reyna for that RB spot if she can put in performances like she did last night. Really good from whoever was responsible.
Müller is a real special player: Super smooth with it, really smart, and a better defender than I thought she'd be early on. She still has a tendency to get caught a little flat-footed when iso-d 1v1 against explosive players like Rodman, but she's not struggling with the physicality at all. And she's just 23! Exactly the type of player the Thorns need to be going after. Obaze too- She has some pace and is good in the air, but her ability to play calm, quick, and receiver-friendly balls into the midfield and FBs is what really differentiates her from Hubly.
Good on Gale- It's his job to make his case to be this year's Tweed, and while I'm definitely not there yet, the difference between how this teams looks now vs. under Norris is frankly pretty absurd. Part of it is undoubtedly just players gelling, but some of the scouting and adjustments we've seen is really good stuff. I mentioned in the game thread that they clearly scouted Washington's propensity --which is clear anytime you watch a Spirit game-- to hunt those out-balls to Rodman and Metayer, and had Payne and Müller right on their backs immediately. If they play like they did last night, they should put about 10 up on that dumpster fire of a Seattle team. Bummed I'll miss being at PP for it.
I think we have found our backline--Payne was excellent!
Think they chose Payne to match up with Rodman because of her speed. The two fullbacks we used are the two quickest we have
Agreed. And that's terrific thinking on the staff's part-better to have Trinity making trouble under pressure than to give her free reign.
Now, the question is... what to do with Reyes? Does she gradually convert to CB to replace Sauerbruun when it's time?
We're in 4th place now, tied with the Red Stars on points and ahead by 3 on goal difference. Some other teams with fewer games played could mathematically catch or surpass us with those games, but we have a better PPG than all of them so I'm calling our 4th place legit. Quite a turnaround from last place 4 games ago.
Great game and fun to watch. Dare I say the best Thorns soccer we've seen in a long while?
A thought crossed my mind - how much of a run do we go on before Gale is considered a permanent replacement? Or is it even in the realm of possibility? [channeling Mary Katherine Gallagher] My feelings can best be expressed by Kramer from the 1992 Seinfeld episode "The Fix Up":
"Now don't you two see that you're in love with each other? I mean, why can't you face that already? You're running around out there looking for something that's not even there, when everything that you dream of is right here, right here in front of you. Now why can't you admit that?"
Even though things have stabilized under Gale, I really don’t want the Thorns leadership to settle so easily or quickly. I would SOOOOO love to see a tier 1 coach take the Thorns coaching position and see what we can then do!!
I agree, I think, although I was quite impressed by the appearance of a coaching -team- in the postgame presser. Vytas and Lowdon seem very invested. Gale seems completely comfortable collaborating and trusting both the players and staff to play their parts without him hovering. I'm okay with seeing how things develop under Gale -while- the international search proceeds. I don't want to see him just keep the job, but if he competes for it and wins??? Because of his lack of HC experience I'm a little concerned about how he will manage knockout situations and other high tension scenarios.
Should the cycle of his tenure go through the calendar year it extends to the draft and we'll see if he and KK are on the same page, or any page at all. Since MarPar left I get hives at draft time.
Credit where it's due, Linnehan and Wade-Katoa are gems.
Yeah, the Nasello draft has scarred us all deeply. I think the draft is becoming somewhat less important, though, as teenagers and internationals make up a bigger share of NWSL rosters. Development programs are going to be more and more important also. How long before the league adopts a home-grown rule?
The irony is the Nasello draft was straight garbage in terms of depth. It was a PR hit, but most of the second half of the draft ended up disastrous.
Their first pick has been solid between Reyes and Linnehan.
Looked like Morgan was on crutches and had a hefty knee brace on. Couldn’t see it clearly but looked like it wasn’t a usual full sleeve/hinge one that I usually see with an ACL tear. (Also I’d imagine she’d have had surgery already if it were an ACL tear?)
IIRC from my own sordid injury history, if it's just an ACL, then yes. If other ligaments and/or other injuries/trauma is involved, then they like to wait for some of the swelling to go down before surgery, usually about a week if memory serves. I didn't see the brace, but the thickness could be related to some sort of ice/cooling system, which is important for acute injuries initially to reduce swelling (then not as you want blood flow for healing).
I'm sure it doesn't apply here, but when I did mine 30ish years ago (ACL + LCL + meniscus combo platter), I think we were also waiting on a cadaver ligament (that never ended up materializing so they used my hamstring).
If it’s just an MCL, time is also a potential here. We should wait and see. Lots of potential things it could be. We won’t know until we hear from people that know
I could only watch the second half, so there wasn't a lot of exciting soccer to see. Heart-stopping, yes, but not exciting. We *were* doing a pretty good job of shutting them down; you could see the frustration from Rodman's and Bethune's faces and body language. Hogan had to make that one big save, but that was it up until their goal. Then it was back to shutting them down again, and if anything, we got better at it when stoppage time arrived.
Then it was all just fine when the final whistle went.
I was worried about Croix and Trinity over running our right flank but the Thorns did a great job shutting them down.
Marie had another good night on the left side, she's not flashy but her tackles and possession are really nice.
I was initially quite worried about Payne being tasked with Rodman (rude to give to her- has barely played many pro minutes and had a ROUGH go against KC, then crickets since), but I have to commend her for doing a fantastic job and frustrating the hell outta her! So much so that she switched to the middle, and then to the other side of the field lol. And they started only going down the other side for the most part. Her speed, agility, and quick feet shut her down completely and she was MAD lol. I sit closest to them (the RB/LW) in the first half and it was fun to watch.
And Marie, she had a solid game! I think she was culpable on the goal, but she’ll learn…solid otherwise, though.
Payne ended up being a good matchup against Rodman, and I think her speed really helped out there. I worry about her being on the field because I remember her being out of position a lot in the early games. I suspect Gale asked her to mark Rodman/whomever was on that side of the field closely and not do too much. It was encouraging progress from her, but I'm not ready to start her on a regular basis.
I think Payne got off easy in the first half. The Spirit were trying to play down the left and then do a big cross to leave Rodman one on one with Payne in space but our defense made it could never get it together enough to make that cross and Rodman ended up out there on an island. That being said, the few times she got the ball, Payne handled it really well, especially given their size differential.
Totally agree on the overall defensive effort. For most of the game it was hard for Washington to complete three passes without the Thorns taking the ball away or disrupting play by kicking it out of play.
Muller did have a very good night although it was her error that allowed Rodman free with plenty of space and time to send in a very good ball that led to Washington’d goal. She’ll learn from that mistake, I’m sure.
True, though Rodman pulls off that move on a whole lot of defenders, including internationals, that I can forgive Müller more easily.
The total team defense was SO much more all-on-one-page that at any previous point in this season, and it was even more so in the first half. Fatigue took its toll as the match wore on, but the team fought through it. I really like this starting back line, particularly with a Coffey/Sugita double pivot in front of it.
While it wasn't a perfect game, this was a really good win for the Thorns. Washington is a good team with good talent, and the Thorns simply beat them. Gale did a nice job with rotations this week, and utilizing Payne's speed against Rodman was a great idea. The one negative from the passing charts was seeing players in the same area, but hopefully this was a one off. Something to watch in future games.
We have a couple more winnable games coming up before we face off against Orlando who is playing well. Lets hope the team remains focused!
IIUC the positions shown in the passing networks are averages, so it doesn't necessarily mean players were in the same area at the same time. To my eye, their spacing was generally pretty good.
You are right on that. There are times the clumping in the passing charts makes sense as players are shifting positions throughout the game. It was really noticible under Norris, and in the NCC game there were times players actually ran into each other in the second half. To me it tells me that multiple players are going to the same area to try an move the ball forward. But yes, the spacing remained fine against Washington.
Yes, the spacing was terrible in the early games. I think the players were trying to be where they were told to be , but that kind of zone coverage was never going to work, especially when it conflicted with their own sense.
Here's to the Gale Force Wins behind our Thorns' backs these past four matches. Coffey named it in her post-match interview -- he's relational and he's a motivator. But... no one should be fooling themselves as to whether to take off the interim tag. Eventually those kinds of coaches also run their course.
The coaching staff have made a couple of adjustments, in fairness. The question is what they do if they fall behind or something isn't working.
If they beat Seattle it will be the first time in club history that they have one five in a row.
I was impressed with Payne too. We knew she was fast but she has other skills too.
There are a lot if fast players in the league this season but Rodman is the whole package fast, strong, clever on the ball, relentless, ruthless and a 90 + minute engine. Her Dad might not have had a big role in life, but she inherited characteristics that made him great.
In first half Nicole had her so frustrated she moved to center and left for more joy and Müller made her work too! But that goal! I didn’t see it so much as a Thorns defense breakdown but as a homage to Trinity’s greatness. Silano just stood in front of the goal and Rodman banked it off her head into the goal.
I thought the defense played great and Sauerbrunn was so damn good.
I didn't place much blame on Hina or Becky (and none on Shelby) for that goal, either. Even against good defense, a player with Rodman's combination of skills and athleticism is going to be able to create space for herself at times. When she did, her ball in to Silano was inch-perfect. Sometimes you just have to tip your hat to outstanding play.
Trinity is an amazing player. If she ever learns how to score goals, she will be in her own universe. Love the way Nicole battled her--very impressive!
In the presser coach was all "Seattle doesn't need any more motivation" when the five-in-a-row thing was brought up.
Match report: https://rivetingpdx.com/2024/05/09/thorns-fc-good/
https://twitter.com/ThornsFC/status/1788678174169354709
45 day injured list. Hmmm.
Timeline sounds like an MCL? Never like it when athletes choose the shorter timeline for an MCL.
45 days? That's not a full tear. Partial? Or a meniscus? But not a full MCL/ACL/LCL tear if her DL schedule is six weeks...
That's about as long as Smith was out last year.
Is it kind of odd there has been no official word on the severity of Weaver’s injury?
True. But if we don't know, neither does Laura Harvey. So I guess I'm okay with it.
Well, anyone who folllows/scouts/cares about the Thorns pretty much knows Weaver's not playing this weekend. The question, really, is just: is this a 4-6 week injury or a 9-12 month injury? I think it'd be really weird if Weaver and her doctors hadn't determined that by now, wouldn't it?
Lack of a surgery suggests this might be shorter, but I don’t know if timeliness is a Thorns news skill set
Timbers and Thorns said (down below) "If other ligaments and/or other injuries/trauma is involved, then they [doctors] like to wait for some of the swelling to go down before surgery, usually about a week if memory serves." It's possible that's what's happening, and we'll know the full story once surgery happens. Or, you know, they just forgot to tell us.
It'd be nice to have any sort of news about this, even news that said, "We'll have more news in a week."
Yeah, tbh, someone with Harvey's experience and acumen probably only needed to watch video of Weaver going down to have a pretty good idea that she's out for a long time. But I still see why teams play these things close to the vest much of the time, on general principle.
We kinda slow-walked it on Smith's injury last year too, didn't we?
I seem to recall that, but I tried to block that out of my mind
I've been happy for AD Franch for how well her team is doing, but she had a howler today that cost KC two points. I mean it's good that SOMEONE is taking points off KC, I just don't want it to be because of Franch.
Oh, AD. She and Tobin, being two of my fave Thorns, are the two most painful lost Thorns from the expansion draft (or its impending implications). Her save v. Seattle in the 2018 semis is among my favorite highlight reel moments in Thorns history-it's just astonishing. She saves it w/ her thigh, moving down the line like a Foosball goalie, as Pinoe is bearing down on goal and Megan looks stunned that the save
was actually made. When all is said and done, what I cherish about fandom is that one gets to appreciate these players as people, above and beyond their athletic exploits, and AD strikes me as such a good-hearted and thoughtful woman. I always say the only thing that bums me out about two of our three stars is that they came w/ her in the opposite goal (and the third, w/ us, is due in no small part to her command of the area).
While I can understand that, I do think it balanced out because she made an incredible save on a 1 on 1. KC is really lucky to not have lost that game.
Who is KC going to lose to first? Probably not the Reign, their next opponent, but who?
Ditto for Orlando - who will beat them? By the eye test Orlando seems likelier to keep the streak going longest.
Hands of those who have "1st place Orlando Pride" on your 2024 bingo card?
I know kielbj’s been touting them since preseason and, well, here we are!