Portland Thorns in Paris | 2024 Olympics
Every single Portland Thorn saw the pitch for their respective countries at the Paris Olympic Games.
The Portland Thorns are in Paris for the Olympic Games and they have all made appearances for their countries. Soph Smith, Sam Coffey, and Nicole Payne all made their first ever appearances at the Olympics while Jessie Fleming, Janine Beckie, and Mackenzie Arnold are playing in their third editions.
Soph Smith
What else can you say about her? She has now scored at a World Cup and an Olympics — and she’s 23 years old! Soph Smith is still ascending and it’ll be downright scary when we look back at her career dominance one day. For those in the Rose City, enjoy these moments because one day she’ll have her own statue and name in the Ring of Honor (next to Christine Sinclair) outside of Providence Park.
Under Emma Hayes, the USWNT are getting better and better. They have consecutive three goal wins over Zambia and Germany. This team is impressive! Soph already has three goal contributions, but has been a key ingredient for almost every single goal.
Sam Coffey
The most important player on the pitch for the USWNT would most likely be Sam Coffey. Her work in attack and defense is vital to their success. She does all of the hard work necessary to shield the backline and ignite the attack. After inexplicably being left off the 2023 World Cup roster, she has been one of Emma Hayes’ most reliable players.
In the first two matches, she has played the maximum 90 minutes in both.
What a difference new leadership makes for a player of her caliber.
Our own Alex Barnes said it best in a post on Twitter/X: “Look at that, a manager who knows Sam Coffey and Sophia Smith are two of the best players on the roster!”
Nicole Payne
She made her Super Falcons Olympics debut with Nigeria against Brazil as a second half substitute and has appeared in both of Nigeria’s matches. Nicole Payne has totaled 35 minutes and looks to be a big part of their future.
The Super Falcons have dropped both matches 0-1 to Brazil & 0-1 to Spain. They are a team with tons of potential and is definitely one to look out for in future tournaments.
Mackenzie Arnold
Macca has played the maximum amount of minutes for the Matildas through two matches. Australia has surrendered eight goals in two matches (second worse in the tournament). Their backline has struggled mightily, especially their center backs in containing elite attackers such as Barbra Banda, Racheal Kundananji, Giulia Gwinn, Jule Brand, & Lea Schüller.
Arnold has done everything she can to keep her team in games, but this Matildas team is not good enough in defense.
Next up? The USWNT. Can the backline provide her any support whatsoever? Unfortunately, It’s not looking likely.
Janine Beckie
What the Canadian players are going through in the wake of the drone spying scandal is heavy and has already impacted this Olympic games. The loss of their head coach and a points deduction is a brutal blow, and makes it hard for the Canadians to advance to defend their gold medal.
But you wouldn’t know it from the results.
As one of the leaders for Canada, Beckie has been one of the key voices in getting the team to put find a way out of the devastating predicament the coaches and staff left them in.
Beckie has seen 58 minutes in two appearances. When she is on the pitch, Canada has a +2 goal differential. This could result in even more playing time.
Jessie Fleming
The captain has been outstanding as the leader. In both games, Canada has found a way to come back from behind to win both by a score of 2-1. If they can make it out of the group stage and medal in this Olympics, it would be one of the most incredible stories.
Fleming said it best after their latest win: “Insurmountable isn’t a fair word if you’ve watched this team in the past. We have all the belief in ourselves and that’s all that matters to us. I feel we are so focused on what we can control — whatever happens, happens, but I’m just so proud of this group.”
Jessie “Jeffrey” Fleming has two goal contributions (one goal & one assist) in their first two matches.
Can Canada get a win against Colombia to advance to the knockout stage?
Are they a team of destiny?
THE GOAT WEIGHS IN
Can Canada make it out of the group stage? Are the USWNT the gold medal favorites? Let us know in the comments!
It's been fun watching Soph come (even more) into her own, together with Mal and Trin (clearly I'm on nickname basis with all three). At times lost in the whole "is Alex still good enough?" debate was the opportunity cost of not getting these three young women as much time together as possible. As long as Morgan was in front of them they would always be somewhat at odds, fighting not to be the odd woman out. But now, it's hard not to imagine these three running rampant for the next ten years, only getting better and more comfortable playing as a unit (still 23, 26, and 22!).
[note to Emma Hayes: When Cat (age 24) gets back, please don't bump Soph; just play her at the 10 in place of Rose. KTHXBYE]
Not only are a lot of current Thorns playing in the Olympics, there are loads of former Thorns too. Just in the USA-Australia game today:
Sophia Smith
Sam Coffey
Crystal Dunn
Lindsey Horan
Emily Sonnett
Mackenzie Arnold
Steph Catley
Ellie Carpenter
Caitlin Foord
Hayley Raso
Clare Polkinghorne (bench)
That's 11 players, enough to field a team. In fact, if Crystal Dunn plays midfield (totally plausible), it works out to be a 4-3-3 - including a goalie!