Had to repost on my lunch break cause the blog post didn't upload properly the first time, but here is the second installment of my NWSL preview column:
Great conversation. Am getting renewed excitement about Muller and y'all now have me chuffed for Kafusi coast to coast--who I had to remind myself as to how she's even on the squad. "Thorns Utah contingent" fashioned from thin air, one more and they'll match Penn State. Grown in thin air does count, ask the Coloradans.
I see that Fleming counts as an international, unlike her fellow Canucks. Can she get a green card at some point?
If y'all don't mind, Sammy Mewi and Rog talk NWSL for an hour, here. It's podcast Thursday!
Yeah, and we've rarely used all of them....at least not in recent years. We've had at least two, maybe three in the last few seasons that I'm surprised we didn't trade given we didn't use them in the given season. Puts us as having 3 still available now.
Phuoc, do you have any info if they're still looking at any int'ls for now or in the coming summer transfer window? There was some tie to a Portuguese national team striker a few months back (Ana Dias), and she's left her current club but not announced where she's going yet...but several clubs were given in the article I read.
As of now, we only have the minimum of 22 players rostered (w/ Gabby and Bella not counting this season), so we should have 4 open roster spots if we wanted, I thought?
With Sheva being with the team, 22 is likely not the correct number, but for now we only have 22 rostered.
I love Delanie Sheehan's game. Some smart team should try to snatch her up when she inevitably gets her minutes cut to fit Lavelle and Dunn into the 11.
Lmao looks like some of ACFC’s investors just built up the club for profit and are jumping. If only this could have been predicted! Seems like there's some internal ownership tension about how much money should be spent and where! Too many cooks etc etc!
(Also explains why they haven’t spent shit this offseason)
ACFC investors bailing makes me want to get some popcorn and sit back and watch the flames. Could be a very ugly battle for control. "Schadenfreude" only begins to describe it!
Turns out an A-list celebrity club miiiight not have been a good idea! Look, I hate it for women’s soccer but I do feel some schadenfreude seeing that other clubs are in the drama spotlight for once because it was BRUTAL for years for us. LA will always be fine…
Did you see that SD was sold/being sold also?! Wtf lol
Yeah Burkle's a shady dude so I wouldn't be surprised if there's something weird going on with the Wave sale. He's a billionaire, so he doesn't exactly need the money.
The ACFC thing is hilarious though, I'm just imagining a bunch of celebs arguing over how their investment capital is used.
Idk if there will be a game preview article to comment on, so here we go:
- I have questions regarding the status of the US nats. Coffey has to start and Fleming almost certainly does too, but I would not be shocked if Soph and/or Moultrie/Becky do not. Norris said they didn't train until Thursday.....so they've had one day with the rest of the roster. I'd still lean toward "yes" for all four, but I don't think it's a given. And yes, if one or both of Moultrie or Smith don't start, you bet your ass Sinc will.
- I know we're all going to overreact one way or the other regardless, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is an ugly game on both sides. Neither team --the Thorns to a much worse degree-- have had any consistency in personnel this preseason. Not going to be a lot to take away imo.
- I think there's a decent chance Kling starts over one of Reyes/Müller to start the season.
- I'll be very curious to see how KC lines up. I put this in my KC preview section, but they're missing Glas, Dibernardo, and Scott to start the season and Vlatko said in his Kassouf ESPN interview that 18-year old Claire Hutton is his starting 6. Will Debinha play as an inverted LW? Will Vlatko start both Bia and Chawinga? A lot is up in the air for them.
I’m curious how KC will line up also. Aside from the Brazilians, they’ve had a pretty cohesive and consistent group training together all preseason. Could be a lot messier for us than them…Glas, DiBernardo, Scott, and Weber were all out most of last season too so I don’t think it’ll be really disruptive to their plan.
I swear if they roll out this fresh new season with Sinc I will turn the tv off lol. Sam and Jessie def have to start…we just have no real other options for 6 or 8. Honestly the US Nats we had away didn’t play all that much and only traveled from SD so I don’t know why they wouldn’t be able to start aside from lacking cohesion... Sam is the only one who I could see be given rest, but that’s under different circumstances like having another 6 lol.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Obaze and Hubly started, given they’ve had a much larger chunk of preseason to practice together…although of course Becky and Hubs have played with eachother and it would be weird tossing Obaze out there in this game u less she’s just been killin’ it in preaseason. Still, Becky/Hubly probs.
I do think it’s possible Kling starts, and I’m not sure I like it but it’s so hard for me to say, because I don’t know Müller really at all. I know she’s good going forward, but how will her defensive chops stack up against this league? Certainly anyone is faster than Kling and a Becky/Kling left pairing is ripe for exploiting…Vlatko knows the US players well also. Maybe Kling would do well with a half or 60, but she becomes a detriment after that. Still kinda lean Kling, but wouldn’t be surprised with Müller on the L, with Reyes shifted to the R. Either that or Kling/Reyes.
Unless I'm misremembering, I'm pretty sure I saw a KC reporter say they were anticipating having Glas, Scott, and DiBernardo available to start the season. Pretty sure all three (including DiBernardo who apparently is going to be available Saturday if they can finish the paperwork) have been training for at least a month, so *I* was certainly expecting them to be ready to go. I assume Del Fava probably starts at RB, and Weaver has absolutely torched her in the past, so that's good news for the Thorns.
But yeah, you're right that they've had generally fewer absences. I think I'm most interested to see how they handle the Bia-Chawinga dynamic because if Bia starts behind Chawinga, you'd think that forces Debinha out wide. I'd guess Cooper starts out right since Prince probably isn't good to go?
From a Thorns perspective, I'll be most irritated if Müller doesn't start. She's an experienced pro and has been here all offseason. I don't know if she'll adapt right away, but it's not like she's a BAD defender, she's just also a talented attacker. I hope Soph and Moultrie both start, but if they don't........(Sinc will). The most interesting switch-up Norris could pull on me is if Obaze starts. THAT would be cool and vaguely scary lol.
This is just about the ideal lineup from my perspective. I wouldn't mind seeing Obaze in there, but it will all depend on how she adjusts to the speed and physicality of the NWSL. There are a bunch of questions with the depth of the team, but the top 14 players are right up there with any team in the league. Lets hope that Fleming settles in quickly, because that is the one player who really hasn't played with any of the other players.
So long as this group really mingles and gels. Though I don't think this will happen, there is potential for a lot of smaller groups within the larger group.
Hmmm, I just know that she's on the Irish Women's team but I admit I don't know much about her. Was she born in the states? I didn't actually think to look....just was my knee-jerk thought. I think you might be right though, that she doesn't now that I think of it. Regardless, I think she's a good value add for depth in midfield, and probably on the wing as well if needed.
Norris is just an astronomically bad talker lmao, it gets me every time. KK having to cut in to clarify his answers multiple times killed me. I don't really know how to read her multiple sarcastic "oh Soph is in a contract year, thanks for telling me!" answers tho lol
Norris: "We have to feed the hungry lion, feed the Soph" hahahahahahhahahaha wtf
They are both so awkward, but in different ways lol.
KK's like the drunk aunt who you aren't sure might say something weird and/or inappropriate, and Mike is like the quiet awkward younger brother of the drunk aunt who gets picked on by her.
I get defensive vibes from KK about the Soph question honestly....doesn't make me feel reassured. Which is fine, I agree Soph would be best served waiting until FA to see what it's like, but her multiple comments regarding Soph were kinda weird imo.
You're not wrong! We all knew Horan wasn't coming back, but last year at this time KK was very guarded in how she spoke about it when she had to speak.
It's a very different situation though: We all --including KK-- knew Horan wasn't coming back, they just couldn't officially say anything about it until the sale was finalized...i.e, there was no reason for KK to say "we all want Lindsey to stay and hope she does" because she already knew Horan wasn't coming back.
Soph's future is still totally up in the air, as far as we know......and she still plays for the team.
Yeah, I think the way she answered the question was a tad abrasive, but that's just her personality, for better or worse- I don't think it made me feel more or less confident cause I don't Soph even knows exactly what she wants to do quite yet. She's also in a hard spot because she knows people are constantly asking for detailed updates that she realistically can't give (seriously, there's like 10 people under every Thorns tweet and instagram post saying "cool story, why haven't you signed Soph yet?")
Overall, the delivery was certainly strange, but everything she said was true: Everyone wants Soph back, but she has the option of free agency and that makes it tough. If I was to have a real takeaway, it would be that we shouldn't expect a deal announced any time particularly soon.
Much will depend on whether Soph believes she can get to being the USWNT's starting 9 by 2027. Alex Morgan will age out, so that helps, but Soph is going to have to stay healthy and get better than she has looked with the Nats in 2024.
Also, if she stays with her beau, given how short an NFL career is, she *could* look to go to a city where he can play -- currently, that's Seattle, SF, LA, KC, Louisville (sorta), Chicago, NY, Washington, and Houston. SD, Orlando, Louisville, and North Carolina all have NFL teams closer than Portland does.
Abrasive is a good descriptor...She should be prepared to answer these questions as a GM though, and not in an unprofessional or abrasive way (to the media who we're desperately trying to hold onto here in Portland lol.)
It really struck me as her processing her nervous energy more than being rude to the reporters lol, but she's def not as media polished as some GMs that's for sure.
Did you watch the video to see how he said it? The creepiest non-creepy sentence I've ever heard lmao. He totally got confused with comparing her to a hungry lion and trying to use the phrase "feed the beast" and came out with FEED THE SOPH
(if someone makes that into a t-shirt I'll buy one)
Yeah I wouldn't call her rude necessarily...but a bit abrasive and unpolished, as you said, was more what I felt. They both could benefit from some media training lol.
Yeah, looks like she’s not even with the team. Kind of a bummer to miss the first game/roadtrip of the season in your rookie year…at least she’s getting some rare March sun.
Girma, Shaw, Dahlkemper, Purce, Davidson playing; Morgan, Dunn, Nighwonger, Williams available off the bench. Lavelle and Williams are injured and out.
Ok, who's picking Gotham to run the table this year? Challenge "Cup", NWSL Shield, NWSL Cup? It's likely they'll randomly stumble somewhere, but I could see them doing it.
So, for sure Kaufusi didn’t make the roster. She posted something on her IG about wanting to set up soccer trainings for kids in Utah for personal training sessions in March. On her new trainer page she mentions not playing soccer anymore…
Still curious about McKenzie and Duong…they were both seen in recent training pictures (from Monday), but still remain unrostered.
She was quite poor in the UP game I went to and didn't look great in the Wave game, but cutting the 25th pick in preseason ain't ideal. I know it's somewhat frequent (I'd be interested to see just *how* frequent), but still not great.
I do wonder if the college draft --particularly the late rounds-- gets less and less used over time like the MLS college draft as the cap goes up and it becomes easier to acquire established talent via FA and the international pool.
If she's heading back to Utah, maybe she can connect with the Royals.
That's a pretty big draft whiff, tho, if the #25 pick didn't make the roster. She had also already played for Minnesota Aurora.
The new USLSL will be helpful to players who want to continue. I'm not sure when their season starts, but I know that Spokane is having tryouts soon and that Spokane is partnered with the USL club in Olympia (which is semi-pro). She could do worse than catching on with Spokane and keeping her boots.
Pretty much any pick after the first round is a crap shoot. I think Portland was hoping that Talia Staude would fall to the pick, but she was selected one pick before them.
I was critical of the Wade Katoa pick, but I think I was wrong after the preseason.
Some fun Thorns previews, both from data perspectives that tend to mirror my own thoughts (there are some disagreements but mostly I agree.) Both are pretty iffy on our D, but bullish from midfield through our forward line:
I haven't had a chance to listen yet, but am excited to do so...just coming here to say that Sarah Lowden posted a picture of the Thorns on a plane (a charter, it looks like? I thought those weren't allowed lol...) en route to KC and Marissa Sheva is def on the plane with the team. So, there DO appear to be players not rostered (yet) that I'm guessing will be announced soon.
Thank you for your endless support, means the world to us!
Excited to have our first Thorns guest on the pod next week :) Sam reveals who it is at the end too.
I don't know if they've updated the rules at this point, but knowing the how much the Bhathals care about the team, this would seem to be a common occurrence this season (if true and allowed). Very cool for the players to focus on footy and be treated like this.
I'm all for it, for sure! Heading halfway across the country is hard enough. It's nice to be able to do it for their opening game as well, seeing as KC has all the advantage with the amount of press and excitement around their new stadium. Was just wondering if a fine was incoming lol....I remember there was an uproar about it last season with KC Current doing it.
Had to repost on my lunch break cause the blog post didn't upload properly the first time, but here is the second installment of my NWSL preview column:
https://www.theeaststandnwsl.com/post/nwsl-season-preview-part-ii-the-middle (Teams 5-9)
https://www.theeaststandnwsl.com/post/nwsl-2024-season-preview-part-i-the-contenders (Teams 1-4)
Really enjoyable. Love it!
Great conversation. Am getting renewed excitement about Muller and y'all now have me chuffed for Kafusi coast to coast--who I had to remind myself as to how she's even on the squad. "Thorns Utah contingent" fashioned from thin air, one more and they'll match Penn State. Grown in thin air does count, ask the Coloradans.
I see that Fleming counts as an international, unlike her fellow Canucks. Can she get a green card at some point?
If y'all don't mind, Sammy Mewi and Rog talk NWSL for an hour, here. It's podcast Thursday!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6QKe4As0QYq1EaRq1umod3?si=RNjPvxiUS76qiJSsmRqKew&utm_source=the-womens-game.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=friendlies-with-sam-mewis-megan-rapinoe-is-live&nd=1&dlsi=14d96d2cdb81437c
Melina is one of the best so when she brings up a fun nickname, I will always listen.
Did you catch who the first Thorn will be on the pod?!
Did I hear Morgan Weaver? If so, bring forth our Chaos Muppet!
I do think chaos when I look at Morgan Weaver, but I can’t imagine anyone being happy with a nickname involving the muppets
I sometimes think of a rambunctious Labradoodle when I watch her play.
I definitely heard that Becky Sauerbrunn will win the Golden Boot. Bring it on!
The international slots expanded from 5 to 7 for this year, so it's not as urgent as in previous years.
Yeah, and we've rarely used all of them....at least not in recent years. We've had at least two, maybe three in the last few seasons that I'm surprised we didn't trade given we didn't use them in the given season. Puts us as having 3 still available now.
Phuoc, do you have any info if they're still looking at any int'ls for now or in the coming summer transfer window? There was some tie to a Portuguese national team striker a few months back (Ana Dias), and she's left her current club but not announced where she's going yet...but several clubs were given in the article I read.
I'm curious as well. They left a roster spot open so will see if they have any plans for it now or in the summer window.
As of now, we only have the minimum of 22 players rostered (w/ Gabby and Bella not counting this season), so we should have 4 open roster spots if we wanted, I thought?
With Sheva being with the team, 22 is likely not the correct number, but for now we only have 22 rostered.
I love Delanie Sheehan's game. Some smart team should try to snatch her up when she inevitably gets her minutes cut to fit Lavelle and Dunn into the 11.
Lol yes
https://x.com/novy_williams/status/1768746682630521267?s=20
Lmao looks like some of ACFC’s investors just built up the club for profit and are jumping. If only this could have been predicted! Seems like there's some internal ownership tension about how much money should be spent and where! Too many cooks etc etc!
(Also explains why they haven’t spent shit this offseason)
ACFC investors bailing makes me want to get some popcorn and sit back and watch the flames. Could be a very ugly battle for control. "Schadenfreude" only begins to describe it!
Turns out an A-list celebrity club miiiight not have been a good idea! Look, I hate it for women’s soccer but I do feel some schadenfreude seeing that other clubs are in the drama spotlight for once because it was BRUTAL for years for us. LA will always be fine…
Did you see that SD was sold/being sold also?! Wtf lol
Yeah Burkle's a shady dude so I wouldn't be surprised if there's something weird going on with the Wave sale. He's a billionaire, so he doesn't exactly need the money.
The ACFC thing is hilarious though, I'm just imagining a bunch of celebs arguing over how their investment capital is used.
Idk if there will be a game preview article to comment on, so here we go:
- I have questions regarding the status of the US nats. Coffey has to start and Fleming almost certainly does too, but I would not be shocked if Soph and/or Moultrie/Becky do not. Norris said they didn't train until Thursday.....so they've had one day with the rest of the roster. I'd still lean toward "yes" for all four, but I don't think it's a given. And yes, if one or both of Moultrie or Smith don't start, you bet your ass Sinc will.
- I know we're all going to overreact one way or the other regardless, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is an ugly game on both sides. Neither team --the Thorns to a much worse degree-- have had any consistency in personnel this preseason. Not going to be a lot to take away imo.
- I think there's a decent chance Kling starts over one of Reyes/Müller to start the season.
- I'll be very curious to see how KC lines up. I put this in my KC preview section, but they're missing Glas, Dibernardo, and Scott to start the season and Vlatko said in his Kassouf ESPN interview that 18-year old Claire Hutton is his starting 6. Will Debinha play as an inverted LW? Will Vlatko start both Bia and Chawinga? A lot is up in the air for them.
Lineup:
Weaver-Smith-Hina
Moultrie
Fleming-Coffey
Müller(Kling)-Becky-Hubly-Reyes (Kling)
Hogan
I’m curious how KC will line up also. Aside from the Brazilians, they’ve had a pretty cohesive and consistent group training together all preseason. Could be a lot messier for us than them…Glas, DiBernardo, Scott, and Weber were all out most of last season too so I don’t think it’ll be really disruptive to their plan.
I swear if they roll out this fresh new season with Sinc I will turn the tv off lol. Sam and Jessie def have to start…we just have no real other options for 6 or 8. Honestly the US Nats we had away didn’t play all that much and only traveled from SD so I don’t know why they wouldn’t be able to start aside from lacking cohesion... Sam is the only one who I could see be given rest, but that’s under different circumstances like having another 6 lol.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Obaze and Hubly started, given they’ve had a much larger chunk of preseason to practice together…although of course Becky and Hubs have played with eachother and it would be weird tossing Obaze out there in this game u less she’s just been killin’ it in preaseason. Still, Becky/Hubly probs.
I do think it’s possible Kling starts, and I’m not sure I like it but it’s so hard for me to say, because I don’t know Müller really at all. I know she’s good going forward, but how will her defensive chops stack up against this league? Certainly anyone is faster than Kling and a Becky/Kling left pairing is ripe for exploiting…Vlatko knows the US players well also. Maybe Kling would do well with a half or 60, but she becomes a detriment after that. Still kinda lean Kling, but wouldn’t be surprised with Müller on the L, with Reyes shifted to the R. Either that or Kling/Reyes.
Unless I'm misremembering, I'm pretty sure I saw a KC reporter say they were anticipating having Glas, Scott, and DiBernardo available to start the season. Pretty sure all three (including DiBernardo who apparently is going to be available Saturday if they can finish the paperwork) have been training for at least a month, so *I* was certainly expecting them to be ready to go. I assume Del Fava probably starts at RB, and Weaver has absolutely torched her in the past, so that's good news for the Thorns.
But yeah, you're right that they've had generally fewer absences. I think I'm most interested to see how they handle the Bia-Chawinga dynamic because if Bia starts behind Chawinga, you'd think that forces Debinha out wide. I'd guess Cooper starts out right since Prince probably isn't good to go?
From a Thorns perspective, I'll be most irritated if Müller doesn't start. She's an experienced pro and has been here all offseason. I don't know if she'll adapt right away, but it's not like she's a BAD defender, she's just also a talented attacker. I hope Soph and Moultrie both start, but if they don't........(Sinc will). The most interesting switch-up Norris could pull on me is if Obaze starts. THAT would be cool and vaguely scary lol.
This is just about the ideal lineup from my perspective. I wouldn't mind seeing Obaze in there, but it will all depend on how she adjusts to the speed and physicality of the NWSL. There are a bunch of questions with the depth of the team, but the top 14 players are right up there with any team in the league. Lets hope that Fleming settles in quickly, because that is the one player who really hasn't played with any of the other players.
https://www.instagram.com/thornsfc/
Lol at the Canadian and Euro player groups as they board
So long as this group really mingles and gels. Though I don't think this will happen, there is potential for a lot of smaller groups within the larger group.
I also lol’d at the picture Lowden posted because the Mormon/Olivia contingent was sitting next to one another.
The "oh shit she's on the internet multiple times in Thorns gear" post lol:
https://twitter.com/ThornsFC/status/1768406175840719328
So I'm guessing this means we have 2 int'l slots left now...and a roster total of 23.
Was that Emily Fox in Arsenal training gear in the background?
Lol if I saw Emily Fox in the background with Thorns gear on, yes I would be yelling about it.
Err mah gurrd, it's the Penn State Quadfecta.
Lions-maple leaves rumble in the parking lot.
Seriously, this is going to be a Tag Team Battle Royale for the belt:
The Nittanys vs. The Maple Leafs vs. The Young Internationals vs. MagicJackMormon
Sheva wouldn’t occupy an international spot tho right?
Hmmm, I just know that she's on the Irish Women's team but I admit I don't know much about her. Was she born in the states? I didn't actually think to look....just was my knee-jerk thought. I think you might be right though, that she doesn't now that I think of it. Regardless, I think she's a good value add for depth in midfield, and probably on the wing as well if needed.
Yeah she went to Penn St. (lol) and grew up in PA. I believe she only made the switch to be able to play for Ireland a year or two ago.
Oh of course she did haha. Well good, we can still buy 3 more internationals in the summer lol.
Good listen! I'm glad we have a Thorns podcast with people that cover the team!
Full KK/Norris interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOmcOcAx1-Q
Norris is just an astronomically bad talker lmao, it gets me every time. KK having to cut in to clarify his answers multiple times killed me. I don't really know how to read her multiple sarcastic "oh Soph is in a contract year, thanks for telling me!" answers tho lol
Norris: "We have to feed the hungry lion, feed the Soph" hahahahahahhahahaha wtf
Did you see the ending of presser? I was enjoying the final question so much.
Thanks so much for your support and listening. Excited to have our first Thorn on the pod next week!
"When I get fired some day I'll return to my true passions; groundskeeping and deejaying" is an excellent way to end a presser, I'll give him that!
They are both so awkward, but in different ways lol.
KK's like the drunk aunt who you aren't sure might say something weird and/or inappropriate, and Mike is like the quiet awkward younger brother of the drunk aunt who gets picked on by her.
I get defensive vibes from KK about the Soph question honestly....doesn't make me feel reassured. Which is fine, I agree Soph would be best served waiting until FA to see what it's like, but her multiple comments regarding Soph were kinda weird imo.
You're not wrong! We all knew Horan wasn't coming back, but last year at this time KK was very guarded in how she spoke about it when she had to speak.
It's a very different situation though: We all --including KK-- knew Horan wasn't coming back, they just couldn't officially say anything about it until the sale was finalized...i.e, there was no reason for KK to say "we all want Lindsey to stay and hope she does" because she already knew Horan wasn't coming back.
Soph's future is still totally up in the air, as far as we know......and she still plays for the team.
Yeah, I think the way she answered the question was a tad abrasive, but that's just her personality, for better or worse- I don't think it made me feel more or less confident cause I don't Soph even knows exactly what she wants to do quite yet. She's also in a hard spot because she knows people are constantly asking for detailed updates that she realistically can't give (seriously, there's like 10 people under every Thorns tweet and instagram post saying "cool story, why haven't you signed Soph yet?")
Overall, the delivery was certainly strange, but everything she said was true: Everyone wants Soph back, but she has the option of free agency and that makes it tough. If I was to have a real takeaway, it would be that we shouldn't expect a deal announced any time particularly soon.
Much will depend on whether Soph believes she can get to being the USWNT's starting 9 by 2027. Alex Morgan will age out, so that helps, but Soph is going to have to stay healthy and get better than she has looked with the Nats in 2024.
Also, if she stays with her beau, given how short an NFL career is, she *could* look to go to a city where he can play -- currently, that's Seattle, SF, LA, KC, Louisville (sorta), Chicago, NY, Washington, and Houston. SD, Orlando, Louisville, and North Carolina all have NFL teams closer than Portland does.
Abrasive is a good descriptor...She should be prepared to answer these questions as a GM though, and not in an unprofessional or abrasive way (to the media who we're desperately trying to hold onto here in Portland lol.)
It really struck me as her processing her nervous energy more than being rude to the reporters lol, but she's def not as media polished as some GMs that's for sure.
(Better than Norris tho who's just weird af)
FEED THE SOPH lmao
Did you watch the video to see how he said it? The creepiest non-creepy sentence I've ever heard lmao. He totally got confused with comparing her to a hungry lion and trying to use the phrase "feed the beast" and came out with FEED THE SOPH
(if someone makes that into a t-shirt I'll buy one)
Hey, she's no Cami Ashton!
Yeah I wouldn't call her rude necessarily...but a bit abrasive and unpolished, as you said, was more what I felt. They both could benefit from some media training lol.
Assuming it's a 4-3-3, hoping to see this:
Hogan
Müller Sauerbrunn Hubly Reyes
Coffey Fleming Moultrie (6-8-10)
Weaver Smith Sugita
I'm truly not sure which fullback plays which side though.
https://x.com/tayvincent6/status/1768801590130213006?s=20
We have a Linnehan update! Cooper, Glas, and Scott all out for KC (who dey playing on the wing?) with Dibernardo active.
Yeah, looks like she’s not even with the team. Kind of a bummer to miss the first game/roadtrip of the season in your rookie year…at least she’s getting some rare March sun.
USWNT watch, Gotham-SD edition:
Girma, Shaw, Dahlkemper, Purce, Davidson playing; Morgan, Dunn, Nighwonger, Williams available off the bench. Lavelle and Williams are injured and out.
Is your stream as bad as mine? Just keeps stopping like every few minutes…woof.
It's been fine since the game started, had to back out a few times before then.
Ok, who's picking Gotham to run the table this year? Challenge "Cup", NWSL Shield, NWSL Cup? It's likely they'll randomly stumble somewhere, but I could see them doing it.
Well that's off the table. Still very curious to see if the Catwomen play as well as their roster suggests.
They seem like the most likely team to do it, but there are a number of good teams out there that could challenge them.
So, for sure Kaufusi didn’t make the roster. She posted something on her IG about wanting to set up soccer trainings for kids in Utah for personal training sessions in March. On her new trainer page she mentions not playing soccer anymore…
Still curious about McKenzie and Duong…they were both seen in recent training pictures (from Monday), but still remain unrostered.
She was quite poor in the UP game I went to and didn't look great in the Wave game, but cutting the 25th pick in preseason ain't ideal. I know it's somewhat frequent (I'd be interested to see just *how* frequent), but still not great.
I do wonder if the college draft --particularly the late rounds-- gets less and less used over time like the MLS college draft as the cap goes up and it becomes easier to acquire established talent via FA and the international pool.
Ooof. No Coast to Coast Kaufusi.
If she's heading back to Utah, maybe she can connect with the Royals.
That's a pretty big draft whiff, tho, if the #25 pick didn't make the roster. She had also already played for Minnesota Aurora.
The new USLSL will be helpful to players who want to continue. I'm not sure when their season starts, but I know that Spokane is having tryouts soon and that Spokane is partnered with the USL club in Olympia (which is semi-pro). She could do worse than catching on with Spokane and keeping her boots.
Pretty much any pick after the first round is a crap shoot. I think Portland was hoping that Talia Staude would fall to the pick, but she was selected one pick before them.
I was critical of the Wade Katoa pick, but I think I was wrong after the preseason.
Some fun Thorns previews, both from data perspectives that tend to mirror my own thoughts (there are some disagreements but mostly I agree.) Both are pretty iffy on our D, but bullish from midfield through our forward line:
https://www.americansocceranalysis.com/home/2024/3/14/wirtmftof0wqoao9wlehi2rqciuvlg (article that isn't too long)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6C3Rq0606THSveOjkBBWnS (Expected Own Goals podcast episode)
Alexis Lee, President of Business Operations.
KK is still President of Soccer Operations.
How can you have two Presidents at once?
I mean, not named Biden and Mr "It Was Stolen From Me" Trump.
I haven't had a chance to listen yet, but am excited to do so...just coming here to say that Sarah Lowden posted a picture of the Thorns on a plane (a charter, it looks like? I thought those weren't allowed lol...) en route to KC and Marissa Sheva is def on the plane with the team. So, there DO appear to be players not rostered (yet) that I'm guessing will be announced soon.
Thank you for your endless support, means the world to us!
Excited to have our first Thorns guest on the pod next week :) Sam reveals who it is at the end too.
I don't know if they've updated the rules at this point, but knowing the how much the Bhathals care about the team, this would seem to be a common occurrence this season (if true and allowed). Very cool for the players to focus on footy and be treated like this.
I'm all for it, for sure! Heading halfway across the country is hard enough. It's nice to be able to do it for their opening game as well, seeing as KC has all the advantage with the amount of press and excitement around their new stadium. Was just wondering if a fine was incoming lol....I remember there was an uproar about it last season with KC Current doing it.
Stg, I will pay anyone who can accurately explain the NWSL's arcane set of rules to me like I'm five years old $100.
Uh oh. Rumored to be overheard in route to KC...
"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I'VE HAD IT WITH ALL THESE @$#% THORNS ON THIS @$#% PLANE! EVERYBODY STRAP IN! I'M ABOUT TO OPEN SOME @$#% WINDOWS!"
Also: "Hey, the seatback card says it's a Max."