Promising, and, yes, where the club needs the most reinforcement. Still…kinda wish this was paired with news that Sauerbrunn signed. This is a good depth/spot starter signing, but we need ‘Brunn plus some prime-career centerback steel.
That’s why I’m not freaking out at the lack of news; that plus the long and storied Peregrine tradition of saying nothing not surgically extracted from their backside.
Still. It’d be good if they could get her and Kuikka back in the fold soon…
Yeah, Provenzano is training with Reyes and Weaver in full Thorns gear in the Prov Park gym/training room and her status was ??? (out of contract) last we heard. So they're definitely just sitting on news...
I know I keep banging this drum but...they ALWAYS do this. I don’t think they even see it as sitting on anything. It just doesn’t seem to occur to the supposed PR people that feeding the fanbase w news is good PR for the club. Trying to get them to see that would be like teaching particle physics to a housecat.
Yeah, I actually feel the most calm about Becky and Kling. A quick google will tell you her house in Portland isn't for sale, and her longtime partner has a career at Adidas (also her sponsor.) She also has a better shot at making her last Olympics roster by staying put and playing with players she's used to playing with. Any move would be risky. I also just don't think she'd leave.
Kling just posted an ad a few days ago for the neck device she wears and she used a Thorns picture, and I think it was someone in the Facebook group say they ran into her a few days ago and she didn't sound like she was going anywhere....take that as you will. Of course these are just small things, but Kling has a connection to the community outside of sport, and I think she considers Portland her home.
Lol awe no way! But it's an easy way to check if someone's whole family is leaving the city lol. :) Otherwise I follow all the players on instagram, and you just learn about them over the years...folks on the FB Riveting page know the player's much more personally than I do! I think the closest I've gotten to a player ever was when I had PT at Prov Park at the same time as Becky over the summer lol.
Wha??! Like you know of more new player signings??
Man I've had covid since before New Years lol so I haven't been able to keep up on the messageboard and read all the things. Feeling better now, but the brain fog is real!
Obviously I'd love to see us land Moeka Minami! But I think it might take more dosh than were willing or able to spend to lure her away from Roma. They're 8 points clear at the top of the table and pretty obviously headed to the Champions League again next go 'round. And while even "not what it once was" Portland is still a wonderful city, we're talkin' _Rome_.
SofaScore rates Minami just *slightly* better than Kelli Hubbly (36/44/49/65/37 vs 34/42/44/64/35), so I don't really know what to make of their ratings.
Me, neither, only to suspect that they’re within shouting distance in terms of general performance. That’s what struck me; Obaze is young, but looks pretty forward for her age if observers look at her and see someone who looks relatively within parameters of veteran pros.
Mind you…so are Foord and AMC and they didn’t prosper here. A LOT depends on coaching, and I’m still not sold on Norris. We’ll just have to wait and see how the squad shapes in March…
Excellent! Much as I have no love for the Fishing Wenches I loved that dark queen badge. As much as Aulas' financebro greed pissed me off the replacement of Grimhilde with fucking Simba eating his potato chip was the real slap in the face.
Fox to Arsenal official- Absolutely brutal for the Courage to lose her for free after trading two of their best players for her, though obviously NCC wouldn’t have known this would happen.
In other news, Gautrat leaves KC for Orlando in addition to 50k for an international roster spot. Wonder if the Current have someone lined up already.
(GW also hired by SKC, bizarrely. Seems such an easy thing NOT to do!)
Wait so wasn't Gautraut a FA when she moved from Chicago to KC? How is she being traded for assets? How is she being traded at all as a FA? Do players only receive free agency once every 5 years but can be traded in the interim? Totally not what I thought free agency was lol...
Yep, once you sign a contract, you are an asset that can be traded. You are only a free agent for duration of time you are no longer under contract, but there's no limit to how often you can become a free agent so long as you have the requisite 5 years of service. Theoretically, a player could sign one year deals and become a FA every season.
The NBA has rules regarding how long you have to wait until you can trade a newly signed FA, but it's never more than 6 months or so. I'm not aware that the NWSL has a rule like that.
I'd give D'Aquila a C- at this point, Provenzano a D+, and Betfort a B- (big improvement this past year, better days ahead). Otherwise, I'm good with your grades.
The Lauren DeBeau thing was pretty weird. Kid seemed like she had potential but never even made it out of camp. I wonder if she just got a real world job offer that paid actual money and was like "Soccer was fun but money is better"
I'm of the opinion that there's more luck involved in the draft than pure talent evaluation after the first few rounds. After the first round, it's really just a crapshoot unless your scouts (of which NWSL teams don't really have any) are really, really plugged into the college game. You *can* find good players late in the draft, but much like MLS, really high-level players aren't really available after the first few picks and it's becoming more and more like that as the best players are offered better options than going to college- It's also worth saying that good coaches can make draft picks look good through development, which is why I grade GMs mostly on their first round picks: In our case, that's Reyes, Izzy, and Nasello. One hit, one total whiff, and one tbd.
I'd also bump Reyna up to an A-, but I'm admittedly very high on her.
One thing to consider is the Nasello draft was the worst depth wise in ages because the way they managed Covid. Before you give grades on those two, look at the talent drafted around Provenzano and Beckman. A 3rd rounder in the post COVID let every one in would have been a few agent in most years. There are generally about 5 legit starters in every great draft and maybe 5 probable starters with developmental potential. The rest are toolsy players you hope develop.
I refuse to give Parsons a great grade on Coffey because he utterly butchered the pick before (I don’t care that Ryan was arguably the next best player available). If other GMs aren’t utterly stupid, that Ryan pick would have had to consider Coffey’s presence. She shouldn’t have fallen to 4 much less 11.
The Coffey discussion is certainly an interesting one- On one hand, I agree. They should have just taken her at 7 and didn't because Parsons was a huge fan of Yaz. On the other hand, they *did* pick her, and other teams didn't, which is how a draft works. I remember you were (rightly) super high on her before the draft, but I don't remember there being a collective outrage about her going where she did; more of a "huh, that's weird she didn't go a little earlier." It honestly reminds me of the conversation around Lamar Jackson, who the Ravens picked late in the first round AFTER taking a random tight end before him in the same draft.
Agree re: the Nasello draft. It was bad enough that it was KK's first draft, but it was also shallow talent-wise and a difficult one to scout because of COVID.
I rarely lose my temper. I threw my cell phone into my couch, it bounced into my computer and cracked both screens. Coffey was an undisputed top 5 pick (atleast to me she was) who fell because Louisville wanted the feel good Emina Ekic story.
I remember being on the board and just walking away. My partner yelled at me asking with COVID, how was I overreacting. Atleast both were at the point where they needed to be replaced anyway. I posted after the Coffey pick when it happened on a cracked screen phone
Then watching Chicago, Orlando, and Louisville select for need … and Carolina select a player who looked like they were signing in Europe.
I believe every GM who was selecting between those picks have been fired
IIRC teams were leery of Coffey because of the likelihood that she wouldn't be available for a year. (Which turned out to be the case.) Wasn't that a mitigating factor?
Lots of players stayed out a year. I get her academics were a consideration. If you recall, Ryan stayed a semester and basically joined us when she couldn’t help, That might have been an excuse to fall to 7, but 11 was unconscionable. I couldn’t believe it at the time
The interesting thing was seeing the number of players who were eligible and weren’t drafted like Frankie Tagliaferri.
Not this year. I’ve watched no college soccer this year. That said, Sam Coffey was an obvious top 5 pick for anyone who watched her at BC and Penn State. Wish that was me being better rather than some really stupid decision making
Man, Nasello is living the island life! Played for Tenerife out of the Canary Island and is now playing for Apollon Ladies FC out of Cyprus. Tbh, those would be some fun places to spend your early 20s...
But the last game day roster I can find her on was at the Champions League in October so maybe they cut her. Seems kinda weird to sign a player in June, run her out for all your highest level/CL games and then just cut her in October. I wonder if she got injured or something.
Nassello has talent. She can handle a ball, but was always undersized. She could have developed into a very good starter, but what happened would have an impact on anybody. It does appear like she’s focusing on other aspects of her life. Hopefully, she isn’t as obtuse as she was back then and has grown from it.
After additional contemplation during my daily Thorns meditation, I think there is more to the Lowdon hire than meets the eye. She definitely seems ready to be a head coach, whereas Norris, well, fell flat. You'd think Lowdon could AC pretty much anywhere, so why here? I don't have any specific theories, but I am definitely making the monocle emoji face.
Looks like no for Rocky, arriving at UF after she graduated, likely yes w/ Sam during Sarah's brief stint at Penn May-Dec '21. Penn lists her as "volunteer assistant coach" so hard to guess her actual role.
There's a worthy update to Boz's classic, recorded by Incognito and featuring Italian soul/r&b crooner Mario Biondi and Queen of Funk Chaka Khan. It's fun!
Takarada and Momiki from Linköping to Leicester City?
Well, given that it was a chance to play with Momiki and, as she says, ‘I’ve always wanted to play in England," I guess no one could Takarada leaving Linköping.
Giraldez to Washington official. I imagine this will be a bit of restructuring year for them as well. Their current roster ain't capable of playing Barca-style soccer and he's not even showing up until June.
I bet their roster looks much different this time next year. I'd bet he's gonna be a real draw for a number of players- Huge get. Of the current squad, Sanchez should benefit tremendously.
not sure why you think not capable. these are highly skilled players, comes down to have a centralized conception around structure and touch choices. Many euro players come here to play in college. Somehow thye move over the Atlantic and they get super powers. Skillets are pretty similar in leagues biggest difference is in decisions in how to use touches which is relatively easy to train.
I could be wrong! I just don’t see it. It’s really, really hard to get players who haven’t ever played that style of soccer to instantly transition. Giraldez’ Barcelona team was/is made up of the literal best players in the world, most of whom grew up playing that very specific system in an environment that emphasizes a very specific skillset. Their midfield three just won a World Cup. So no, the Spirit absolutely do not have players --and most crucially, midfielders-- of equal skill to those Barcelona teams. I’m not even saying they have to be of equal ability, but they do have to be able to make the decisions and have the technical quality that the Giraldez system will demand. And beyond Sanchez and Rodman, I’m not sure they have it on the roster. Could he coax an approximation out of them? Probably!
More importantly, coaches like this always want their own players, and I’d bet Kang is going to let Giraldez pick those he wants to keep and those he wants to let go. We saw it with Amoros with Gotham- He brought in Maitane and Esther midseason, both of whom are much more comfortable on the ball, and Gotham instantly looked more cohesive.
We’ll see! If he can get this Spirit roster to play the way I know he wants them to, I’ll be very impressed.
I figure this is an opportunity to learn alongside one of the greats, and that we're definitely in the youth movement phase. Excited that the signing is now final.
Now you don't have to try to ignore my pervasive questions anymore lol!
(But do you know if there are any more signings coming?) :)
With Reyna, Isabella, Sam, Liv, Hina, Morgan, and Soph we've got quite a young group that's likely to get a lot of minutes next season. Should be lively, if anything!
Also also, this brings our Isabella quotient up (to 3, now!)
It'll make it easier to cheer-- you can just yell "Go Isabella!" and cover three players at once. Also it reminds me of when the USWNT deployed three Alexandras - Ali Krieger, Allie Long, and Alex Morgan.
When you asked if I was excited, I really couldn't say. More like: It's promising. Seems like a player with big upside and the club moving toward the future.
I have other tales, but those will probably stay with me for a while. =)
She was one of the players I wanted the Thorns to go after as a depth piece, but I imagine we'll learn where she's going soon given the ACFC announcement.
She was a FA, so seems she's leaving there without announcing where she's headed yet. I'd guess BFC (or maybe San Diego purely because she fits the demographic lol- blond girl quotient is high.) Maybe Reign would take her back. She's a fine bench/spot sub for midfield imo but not a starter. I think she's mostly an 8. We could do with another since Rocky is kinda the only one we have but I wouldn't pay her much.
Lol LAFC is the men's team! But I get your point lol, it is enjoyable. I only think the ones that don't have soccer IQ are sad. The smart ones realize it means AC now HAVE to sign some midfielders who'll likely be better than Weatherholt. They have to replace McCaskill also. They don't have midfielders so I expect some big names to drop soon. AC would be one of the top draws for int'l players, like it or not, so I don't doubt they have options. I saw Marta Cox linked with the NWSL...wouldn't be surprised if they're connected. Surprised Deyna Castellanos wasn't headed there instead of BFC.
Not yet....but they did lock down Gorden which was big. And Giselle Thompson was a big get also. They've shed some weight which could be good if they sign two better midfielders. Better than us so far lol. No major acquisitions beyond that, but I'd bet they're coming. Every player wants to play in LA and Angel City has done a wonderful marketing job for the club despite the results on-field.
Lotta house money riding on the Thompsons. Very much in the Show Me cohort, myself.
I do get the hype-marketing aspect WRT fan engagement, but balanced against the big opportunity cost when evaluated for how much roster money is tied up by the path chosen.
I would have agree with you two weeks ago, but with two of their most popular players, McCaskill and Weatherholt, leaving, I wonder if "every player wants to play in LA" is still true. I'll tell you one thing, I would not want to play under Julie Uhrman.
For what it's worth, one of my eyes saw Sauerbrunn and her partner at Adidas last week. No word on the color of her sambas.
What did your other eye see? And your third one? You know, Winky, Blinky, and Soul Stealer... (Disenchantment fans out there?)
Adidas in Niketown? Always a rebel.
Her partner works there, and I'm pretty sure she's sponsored by them! (Can anyone verify?)
She and Sam are Adidas gals yes!
So is Horan, BTW.
Are you starting a rumor?
lol
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/01/09/what-2024-may-hold-for-the-portland-thorns/
Posting this here for the "Think Out Loud" segment.
Promising, and, yes, where the club needs the most reinforcement. Still…kinda wish this was paired with news that Sauerbrunn signed. This is a good depth/spot starter signing, but we need ‘Brunn plus some prime-career centerback steel.
Wonder what Roma would take for Minami..?
I want to hear that Bruun has re-signed too, but at this point I'm wondering where she would go if she didn't stay here.
SD? no.
Gotham? no.
Washington? no.
BFC? no.
Utah? no.
Louisville? no.
Chicago? hell no.
Houston? no, it's hell.
Orlando? no, it's hell's cousin.
KC? possibly, but they already have a lot of defenders.
Reign? possibly but CB is not really a position of need for them.
AC? possibly, but why?
NC? possibly, but why?
So that leaves Portland. Her home, her club, her position, and they need her.
That’s why I’m not freaking out at the lack of news; that plus the long and storied Peregrine tradition of saying nothing not surgically extracted from their backside.
Still. It’d be good if they could get her and Kuikka back in the fold soon…
Yeah, Provenzano is training with Reyes and Weaver in full Thorns gear in the Prov Park gym/training room and her status was ??? (out of contract) last we heard. So they're definitely just sitting on news...
I know I keep banging this drum but...they ALWAYS do this. I don’t think they even see it as sitting on anything. It just doesn’t seem to occur to the supposed PR people that feeding the fanbase w news is good PR for the club. Trying to get them to see that would be like teaching particle physics to a housecat.
Yeah, I actually feel the most calm about Becky and Kling. A quick google will tell you her house in Portland isn't for sale, and her longtime partner has a career at Adidas (also her sponsor.) She also has a better shot at making her last Olympics roster by staying put and playing with players she's used to playing with. Any move would be risky. I also just don't think she'd leave.
Kling just posted an ad a few days ago for the neck device she wears and she used a Thorns picture, and I think it was someone in the Facebook group say they ran into her a few days ago and she didn't sound like she was going anywhere....take that as you will. Of course these are just small things, but Kling has a connection to the community outside of sport, and I think she considers Portland her home.
God, you're a stalker! =)
Lol awe no way! But it's an easy way to check if someone's whole family is leaving the city lol. :) Otherwise I follow all the players on instagram, and you just learn about them over the years...folks on the FB Riveting page know the player's much more personally than I do! I think the closest I've gotten to a player ever was when I had PT at Prov Park at the same time as Becky over the summer lol.
It's incredible I snuck something(s) past you this offseason!
I'll share other stories if/when the time comes. It'll be my wikileaks.
Wha??! Like you know of more new player signings??
Man I've had covid since before New Years lol so I haven't been able to keep up on the messageboard and read all the things. Feeling better now, but the brain fog is real!
Obviously I'd love to see us land Moeka Minami! But I think it might take more dosh than were willing or able to spend to lure her away from Roma. They're 8 points clear at the top of the table and pretty obviously headed to the Champions League again next go 'round. And while even "not what it once was" Portland is still a wonderful city, we're talkin' _Rome_.
Gosh Minami would be a dream. When is her contract up? We should have the money to throw at her. I can wait a season or two!
So after I said that I went to SofaScore and compared the two players; https://www.sofascore.com/player/isabella-obaze/1138575
They're practically twins.
Attacking rating: Minami 36, Obaze 36
Technical skills: Minami 44, Obaze 47
Tactical skills: Minami 49, Obaze 41
Defensive rating: Minami 65, Obaze 55
Creativity: Minami 37, Obaze 39
So the veteran has more tactical nous and is more solid defensively, but otherwise almost a wash.
Compare Obaze to, say, Mapi Leon and you can see the Spanish player is ahead on nearly all the metrics. But not punishingly so.
I think this looks like a very good young player.
SofaScore rates Minami just *slightly* better than Kelli Hubbly (36/44/49/65/37 vs 34/42/44/64/35), so I don't really know what to make of their ratings.
Me, neither, only to suspect that they’re within shouting distance in terms of general performance. That’s what struck me; Obaze is young, but looks pretty forward for her age if observers look at her and see someone who looks relatively within parameters of veteran pros.
Mind you…so are Foord and AMC and they didn’t prosper here. A LOT depends on coaching, and I’m still not sold on Norris. We’ll just have to wait and see how the squad shapes in March…
The beloved Reign have re-re-branded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4BTJ1tkZZQ
Now, about that roster.
Excellent! Much as I have no love for the Fishing Wenches I loved that dark queen badge. As much as Aulas' financebro greed pissed me off the replacement of Grimhilde with fucking Simba eating his potato chip was the real slap in the face.
I was hoping they'd go back to Reign FC. Thank god!
Also good. No longer OL Juniors.
The Fox is out of the Box. That's kinda like "the cat is out of the bag."
Emily officially leaves NC for Arsenal.
Boy, now that trade REALLY looks good for Louisville.
Fox to Arsenal official- Absolutely brutal for the Courage to lose her for free after trading two of their best players for her, though obviously NCC wouldn’t have known this would happen.
In other news, Gautrat leaves KC for Orlando in addition to 50k for an international roster spot. Wonder if the Current have someone lined up already.
(GW also hired by SKC, bizarrely. Seems such an easy thing NOT to do!)
Wait so wasn't Gautraut a FA when she moved from Chicago to KC? How is she being traded for assets? How is she being traded at all as a FA? Do players only receive free agency once every 5 years but can be traded in the interim? Totally not what I thought free agency was lol...
Yep, once you sign a contract, you are an asset that can be traded. You are only a free agent for duration of time you are no longer under contract, but there's no limit to how often you can become a free agent so long as you have the requisite 5 years of service. Theoretically, a player could sign one year deals and become a FA every season.
The NBA has rules regarding how long you have to wait until you can trade a newly signed FA, but it's never more than 6 months or so. I'm not aware that the NWSL has a rule like that.
Hmmm. Five years is all that's required? That means Olivia Moultrie could become a free agent in June 2026... before she turns 21....
Pretty sure Moultrie is a restricted free agent next season.
I wonder if the Current just needed the roster spot for what they already have. If I counted correctly, they have 7 internationals.
I wonder what Golub's up to these days. Last I saw, he was the President of the Slamball league in Henderson, NV. AKA: Sports Purgatory.
Wonder if Mike misread the ad: "Hey, these folks just started a slimeball league, and they need someone to lead it!"
As the draft is only a couple days away, lets grade results from the FO’s last three drafts:
2023
Reyna Reyes – Solid back up so far. Maybe starter in 2024? B+
Izzy D’Aquilla – Looked promising early 2023, maybe can turn into a solid bench player? C+
Lauren DeBeau - Not in league (wtf?) F
Lauren Kozal – The jury is out. Incomplete
2022
Sydny Nasello – Never singed. Not in league (oops) F
Gabby Provenzano - 3rd string, maybe? C-
Natalei Beckman – Spot minutes. Couldn’t get minutes. No longer on team. D-
Mark’s last draft: 2021
Yazmeen Ryan – Started for Bat women in 23. A-/B+
Sam Coffey – Team Captain A+
Amirah Ali – Bench for SD, maybe a starter on weaker teams. B-
Hannah Bretfort – Bench player C
What are you grades for these players? How worried are you about Friday's draft given past results?
I'd give D'Aquila a C- at this point, Provenzano a D+, and Betfort a B- (big improvement this past year, better days ahead). Otherwise, I'm good with your grades.
The Lauren DeBeau thing was pretty weird. Kid seemed like she had potential but never even made it out of camp. I wonder if she just got a real world job offer that paid actual money and was like "Soccer was fun but money is better"
I'm of the opinion that there's more luck involved in the draft than pure talent evaluation after the first few rounds. After the first round, it's really just a crapshoot unless your scouts (of which NWSL teams don't really have any) are really, really plugged into the college game. You *can* find good players late in the draft, but much like MLS, really high-level players aren't really available after the first few picks and it's becoming more and more like that as the best players are offered better options than going to college- It's also worth saying that good coaches can make draft picks look good through development, which is why I grade GMs mostly on their first round picks: In our case, that's Reyes, Izzy, and Nasello. One hit, one total whiff, and one tbd.
I'd also bump Reyna up to an A-, but I'm admittedly very high on her.
One thing to consider is the Nasello draft was the worst depth wise in ages because the way they managed Covid. Before you give grades on those two, look at the talent drafted around Provenzano and Beckman. A 3rd rounder in the post COVID let every one in would have been a few agent in most years. There are generally about 5 legit starters in every great draft and maybe 5 probable starters with developmental potential. The rest are toolsy players you hope develop.
I refuse to give Parsons a great grade on Coffey because he utterly butchered the pick before (I don’t care that Ryan was arguably the next best player available). If other GMs aren’t utterly stupid, that Ryan pick would have had to consider Coffey’s presence. She shouldn’t have fallen to 4 much less 11.
The Coffey discussion is certainly an interesting one- On one hand, I agree. They should have just taken her at 7 and didn't because Parsons was a huge fan of Yaz. On the other hand, they *did* pick her, and other teams didn't, which is how a draft works. I remember you were (rightly) super high on her before the draft, but I don't remember there being a collective outrage about her going where she did; more of a "huh, that's weird she didn't go a little earlier." It honestly reminds me of the conversation around Lamar Jackson, who the Ravens picked late in the first round AFTER taking a random tight end before him in the same draft.
Agree re: the Nasello draft. It was bad enough that it was KK's first draft, but it was also shallow talent-wise and a difficult one to scout because of COVID.
I rarely lose my temper. I threw my cell phone into my couch, it bounced into my computer and cracked both screens. Coffey was an undisputed top 5 pick (atleast to me she was) who fell because Louisville wanted the feel good Emina Ekic story.
I remember being on the board and just walking away. My partner yelled at me asking with COVID, how was I overreacting. Atleast both were at the point where they needed to be replaced anyway. I posted after the Coffey pick when it happened on a cracked screen phone
Then watching Chicago, Orlando, and Louisville select for need … and Carolina select a player who looked like they were signing in Europe.
I believe every GM who was selecting between those picks have been fired
IIRC teams were leery of Coffey because of the likelihood that she wouldn't be available for a year. (Which turned out to be the case.) Wasn't that a mitigating factor?
Lots of players stayed out a year. I get her academics were a consideration. If you recall, Ryan stayed a semester and basically joined us when she couldn’t help, That might have been an excuse to fall to 7, but 11 was unconscionable. I couldn’t believe it at the time
The interesting thing was seeing the number of players who were eligible and weren’t drafted like Frankie Tagliaferri.
Well, take solace in the fact that you were a better scout than most NWSL GMs lol
Not this year. I’ve watched no college soccer this year. That said, Sam Coffey was an obvious top 5 pick for anyone who watched her at BC and Penn State. Wish that was me being better rather than some really stupid decision making
Man, Nasello is living the island life! Played for Tenerife out of the Canary Island and is now playing for Apollon Ladies FC out of Cyprus. Tbh, those would be some fun places to spend your early 20s...
I don't think she's playing organized football right now
Is she playing disorganized football? Because I've seen a lot of that from Chicago this past season. Might be a good landing spot for her.
According to the UEFA site she played in 4 out of 4 matches of last year's Champion's league. https://www.uefa.com/womenschampionsleague/clubs/2600669--apollon/squad/
But the last game day roster I can find her on was at the Champions League in October so maybe they cut her. Seems kinda weird to sign a player in June, run her out for all your highest level/CL games and then just cut her in October. I wonder if she got injured or something.
Nassello has talent. She can handle a ball, but was always undersized. She could have developed into a very good starter, but what happened would have an impact on anybody. It does appear like she’s focusing on other aspects of her life. Hopefully, she isn’t as obtuse as she was back then and has grown from it.
There will be an opportunity to return stateside and play close to home in the USLSL.
If Voldemort (the original or the sequel) is elected, she probably gets an opportunity in her home state to be a backup on the NWSL.
If that is actually pulled off.
After additional contemplation during my daily Thorns meditation, I think there is more to the Lowdon hire than meets the eye. She definitely seems ready to be a head coach, whereas Norris, well, fell flat. You'd think Lowdon could AC pretty much anywhere, so why here? I don't have any specific theories, but I am definitely making the monocle emoji face.
It sounds like you're giving us the Lowdon lowdown.
You are on FIRE lately!
I'm here all week folks. Don't forget to tip your server!
Any truth to the rumor that Sarah Lowdon's nickname is "The Dirty"?
Said I wonder, wonder, wonder, I wonder who
That dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty lowdown
Where is Boz Scaggs when you need him to land a pun?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C6Azq3ecrA
"...enjoyed stops at Penn State, Sam Houston State, the University of Florida, Wayland Baptist University and McNeese State University."
All this, and Houston too. Portland needs to put on its A-game to top that string of pearls.
Did she ever coach Rocky or Coffey?
Looks like no for Rocky, arriving at UF after she graduated, likely yes w/ Sam during Sarah's brief stint at Penn May-Dec '21. Penn lists her as "volunteer assistant coach" so hard to guess her actual role.
Sarah's work history? Or Boz on tour?
Gigs is same word, but totally different meaning.
The Dirty Lowdon Tour 2024!
What a great, iconic song. Thanks for posting. My mom was into him when I was a young lad in the 70s.
There's a worthy update to Boz's classic, recorded by Incognito and featuring Italian soul/r&b crooner Mario Biondi and Queen of Funk Chaka Khan. It's fun!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q09gKzfrSr8
Takarada and Momiki from Linköping to Leicester City?
Well, given that it was a chance to play with Momiki and, as she says, ‘I’ve always wanted to play in England," I guess no one could Takarada leaving Linköping.
(showing self out now)
ba dum tsh
Jonatan Giráldez Costas, eh?
See, Kang's not so rich. She couldn't afford a guy who knows how to spell "Jonathan"!
(showing self out now)
Giraldez to Washington official. I imagine this will be a bit of restructuring year for them as well. Their current roster ain't capable of playing Barca-style soccer and he's not even showing up until June.
I bet their roster looks much different this time next year. I'd bet he's gonna be a real draw for a number of players- Huge get. Of the current squad, Sanchez should benefit tremendously.
not sure why you think not capable. these are highly skilled players, comes down to have a centralized conception around structure and touch choices. Many euro players come here to play in college. Somehow thye move over the Atlantic and they get super powers. Skillets are pretty similar in leagues biggest difference is in decisions in how to use touches which is relatively easy to train.
I could be wrong! I just don’t see it. It’s really, really hard to get players who haven’t ever played that style of soccer to instantly transition. Giraldez’ Barcelona team was/is made up of the literal best players in the world, most of whom grew up playing that very specific system in an environment that emphasizes a very specific skillset. Their midfield three just won a World Cup. So no, the Spirit absolutely do not have players --and most crucially, midfielders-- of equal skill to those Barcelona teams. I’m not even saying they have to be of equal ability, but they do have to be able to make the decisions and have the technical quality that the Giraldez system will demand. And beyond Sanchez and Rodman, I’m not sure they have it on the roster. Could he coax an approximation out of them? Probably!
More importantly, coaches like this always want their own players, and I’d bet Kang is going to let Giraldez pick those he wants to keep and those he wants to let go. We saw it with Amoros with Gotham- He brought in Maitane and Esther midseason, both of whom are much more comfortable on the ball, and Gotham instantly looked more cohesive.
We’ll see! If he can get this Spirit roster to play the way I know he wants them to, I’ll be very impressed.
I’m not sure that Parsons was the problem in Washington. You need connectors
Exactly my point, I don't think a coach can just come in and miraculously make a team play like Barcelona.
I figure this is an opportunity to learn alongside one of the greats, and that we're definitely in the youth movement phase. Excited that the signing is now final.
Now you don't have to try to ignore my pervasive questions anymore lol!
(But do you know if there are any more signings coming?) :)
With Reyna, Isabella, Sam, Liv, Hina, Morgan, and Soph we've got quite a young group that's likely to get a lot of minutes next season. Should be lively, if anything!
Also also, this brings our Isabella quotient up (to 3, now!)
Three Isabellas! That beats out the Great Wall of Emilies. I guess having three makes sense given the name's rise in popularity (https://www.thebump.com/b/isabella-baby-name).
It'll make it easier to cheer-- you can just yell "Go Isabella!" and cover three players at once. Also it reminds me of when the USWNT deployed three Alexandras - Ali Krieger, Allie Long, and Alex Morgan.
That, I do not know.
When you asked if I was excited, I really couldn't say. More like: It's promising. Seems like a player with big upside and the club moving toward the future.
I have other tales, but those will probably stay with me for a while. =)
Izzy, Bella, and Isabella. I like it!
Excellent! Our position of greatest need.
Well... we don't have a right back at all on the roster right, lol...
Progress, at last. Good resume.
Anyone know where Dani Weatherholt is going? Is she actually leaving ACFC? They just posted a "thank you" with literally zero additional explanation.
She was one of the players I wanted the Thorns to go after as a depth piece, but I imagine we'll learn where she's going soon given the ACFC announcement.
She was a FA, so seems she's leaving there without announcing where she's headed yet. I'd guess BFC (or maybe San Diego purely because she fits the demographic lol- blond girl quotient is high.) Maybe Reign would take her back. She's a fine bench/spot sub for midfield imo but not a starter. I think she's mostly an 8. We could do with another since Rocky is kinda the only one we have but I wouldn't pay her much.
Well the LAFC fans on Twitter are throwing a tantrum, which is my 2nd favorite thing next to the Thorns announcing signing.
Lol LAFC is the men's team! But I get your point lol, it is enjoyable. I only think the ones that don't have soccer IQ are sad. The smart ones realize it means AC now HAVE to sign some midfielders who'll likely be better than Weatherholt. They have to replace McCaskill also. They don't have midfielders so I expect some big names to drop soon. AC would be one of the top draws for int'l players, like it or not, so I don't doubt they have options. I saw Marta Cox linked with the NWSL...wouldn't be surprised if they're connected. Surprised Deyna Castellanos wasn't headed there instead of BFC.
Ha, I've been working on a design doc for a men's (ugh) soccer game recently, so ACFC is on the mind.
ACFC isn't having an especially great offseason, are they?
Not yet....but they did lock down Gorden which was big. And Giselle Thompson was a big get also. They've shed some weight which could be good if they sign two better midfielders. Better than us so far lol. No major acquisitions beyond that, but I'd bet they're coming. Every player wants to play in LA and Angel City has done a wonderful marketing job for the club despite the results on-field.
Lotta house money riding on the Thompsons. Very much in the Show Me cohort, myself.
I do get the hype-marketing aspect WRT fan engagement, but balanced against the big opportunity cost when evaluated for how much roster money is tied up by the path chosen.
I would have agree with you two weeks ago, but with two of their most popular players, McCaskill and Weatherholt, leaving, I wonder if "every player wants to play in LA" is still true. I'll tell you one thing, I would not want to play under Julie Uhrman.