OT: The Nadeshiko just dropped their roster for an upcoming (4/6) friendly v Colombia, and Hina's back in the side! Not sure what this means for her availability for the matches bookending that friendly (we'd be dire without her...), but I'm really glad to see her getting called up again. The Nadeshiko pool is DEEP, so even a player as brilliant as our Hina isn't a lock (as we have seen).
I hope she has a better outing this time than she had in the last WC. It doesn't seem like she was put in the best position with her national team? Apparently the competition for spots is more intense though. Maybe she was just off her game? Any thoughts from someone who knows more than nothing about the J league and national team?
Under Ikeda, she was getting played as a wingback, so no, not really a natural position for her. I'm curious to see where Neilsen plays her! The thing is, the midfield in general is REALLY deep for the Nadeshiko...probably the heaviest competition on the team (and that's saying a lot).
For this friendly, there are a couple injuries that might make it more likely that Hina plays in the central midfield (Yui Hasegawa played in City's second leg loss to Chelsea in the CL, but was clearly nursing a knock, and 19 year old Bayern starlet Momoko Tanikawa just injured her ankle and is expected to be out for a month or so). Unless they replace the latter with future superstar 18 year old Miharu Shinjo (who just scored the game winner for Beleza today), it's pretty open in the central midfield.
The Thorns have games on 3/29 against NC and 4/11 at Utah. I suspect that Hina's presence won't be affected by the call-up for the first of those, but that she'll sit out part or all of the second. Or not - there may be enough time between the Nadeshiko's 4/6 game and our 4/11 one for her to recover from travel and jet lag.
This team will really miss her. But I am super happy for her. Do you think she may add a bit of bite to the Nadashiko? That seems to be something she has added to her game.
Distinct possibility, although some of the current regular domestic call-ups are pretty spicy players. The WE League is surprisingly physical. The Japanese skill-heavy, tiki-taka playstyle doesn't really encourage rougher play, but the officiating is pretty permissive about contact.
Apologize for the delay. Moving house all weekend. Good to be in a home instead of an apartment, but not so good as time-suck (and my back is KILLING me...)
Ya done good, Chief. And it looks like, on the whole, we had decent to good to great individual performances on Friday, but started very slowly and had some really dreadful soccer in there, coming away with only 1 point. Ah, KenBall. We've Been Robbed.
Edit: I understand the argument. I can accept that AI has a relatively large energy footprint. However, because it’s an (understandably) frightening technology, it might be causing people to overstate the problem relative to other consumers of energy. In the hierarchy of worldwide energy usage, it’s likely not even in the top 25.
AI uses*massive* amounts of computing power. It's the main driver behind a proposal in my home county in Virginia that would build 84 data centers on rural land, along with a multi-megawat power plant to supply the electricity and a new natural gas pipeline to supply the power plant. Also major amounts of water for cooling.
I used to freak out about the amount of resources that go into internet porn and cat videos, but AI dwarfs both.
Wellll, we're having our own Rise of the Tech Bros moment. (By law, the California grid is supposed to be carbon-free by 2045.)
"Facebook parent Meta wants to find developers that can provide nuclear reactors to support electricity demand from the tech company’s data centers and artificial intelligence (AI) efforts. The group said the new generation capacity also could support local power grids.
"Meta on Dec. 3 announced a request for proposals (RFP) “to identify nuclear energy developers to help us meet our AI innovation and sustainability objectives—targeting 1 [to] 4 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear generation capacity in the U.S.”
"The company said it wants to have nuclear power available for its use starting in the early 2030s. Meta said, “We are taking an open approach with this RFP so we can partner with others across the industry to bring new nuclear energy to the grid.”
"Several technology companies, including Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, along with Meta are looking at nuclear power and other generation resources to power their energy-intensive data centers and AI initiatives. Entergy, a major southeastern U.S. utility, recently announced plans to build a 1,500-MW natural gas-fired power plant in Louisiana to support a $10 billion Meta data center there.
"Amazon on Dec. 2 published a document listing seven ways the company is looking at nuclear power to support its operations. The company also has published an explainer of its carbon-free energy projects that support its business.
I'll go on record as having no interest in the run-fast-and-break-things dudes building and running fission powerplants.
I'm all ears. Let's start with your elevator pitch, including cost per MW for new plant construction, siting plan, security plan, handling of expended fuel waste.
(I work in water and energy infrastructure FWIW.)
For context as I type, CaISO is reporting 82% of demand (2.4 GW) is supplied by renewables, 4% natural gas, 6% large hydro, 8% nuclear.
Quickly researching, data centers use 1-2% of the world's energy, and AI data centers are a small fraction of that. So yes, it's an issue, but singling it out is alarmist and ignoring significantly larger contributors, like transportation and chemical manufacturing.
The current odds of "getting it right"? With a "proudbly incompetent cabinet" (as The New Republic calls them) that doesn't know, or know how, to verify the members of a group chat before discussing classified information?
I don't intend to go on and on about this. Final comments:
AI may not represent a huge percentage of present power use, but it does represent a huge part of *new* power demand. Also probably the fastest growing segment.
AI is certainly coming, and it will benefit us all in many ways, many of them behind the scenes, as in medical note taking and many forms of engineering design. I'm just arguing for using it judiciously, until it designs a feasible fusion power plant.
Well hate to tell you this, but a "simple Google search" is destroying the environment in the exact same way.
You don't have to like AI, but it is here and it is changing everything. And people who don't embrace it are going to be left behind.
And on a further note: I'd bet a large sum of money that if you read this in written form (without the Obama tonality) you wouldn't have known it was written by AI.
I work 12 hours a day. I don't have time to read every article about the new signing. This is a fun way for me to get the news.
Wasn't going to chime in here, but "....and those who don't embrace it are going to be left behind" is an extremely dangerous way to frame any AI discussion given how many absolutely awful effects it's had --and will continue to have-- on not just the climate, but on academics and education, the rise of disinformation, the arts, and employment.
I don't have any major issue with fun little applications like the Obama thing, but ignoring the MANY truly devastating ramifications the rise of generative AI is having on the world is ignorant at best.
(There are also many academic articles on the spiraling environmental effects. Raising those concerns is not at all alarmist)
I understand the concerns. Really, I do. But I am a professional digital artist and have been for 20 years. I am very aware of the potential effects, and how they have affected me and my job. And I stand by my words: If I don't embrace it, I will be left behind.
This week’s “Busy Watching Women’s Soccer” installment talks about when goalies playing out of the back (pet peeve of mine) goes wrong but also highlights Reilyn Turner and Pietra Tordin :
She had a good Champions League for Benfica last year, generally playing on the right of a front 3. Fairly sure she's left footed.
I think this could be a good signing - the Thorns are short of genuine wingers - but a lot depends on how Gale uses the resources at hand. If he continues to play a non winger out wide and this limits minutes for Turner, Linnehan, and Hanks, it'll be annoying, because that's the future.
Can she play an outright wide forward also? My knowledge of her play is limited to the small bits I've seen here and there, but my assumption was she was more of a central player (false 9/10), or an inverted winger sometimes. A left-footed player on the right sounds like she prob inverts moreso...is that the case?
To me, this means they are moving Moultrie back to the midfield and that experiment should be over. Whether Gale sees it that way or not is another story
I didn't find any highlight videos from her season with Benfica last year (only the CL goals), but here's one from the year before when she was at a different team:
Yeah, I thought I saw them line up more in a 4231 also. It would def solve for some of the logjam, and allow for interchangeability with Castellanos, Moultrie, Turner, and Tordin for 3 positions. Guessing LW is Liv's position this season until Deyna rotates out as she did last game.) It sounds like Alidou is prob the likely RW solve, with Linnehan and Spaanstra as depth over there. I could see Deyna rotating out every game so that Liv could be moved central and Hanks can come in on the LW. Tordin comes in for Turner. There's no way all of these players will be sticking around though, if Weaver and Smith are back/healthy in 2026?
But yeah, when Fleming comes back, that all becomes more difficult, because Hina and Coffey are always going to be the starters if we stick with a 4231. It would allow for her to spell either, though, and that would be really nice to give Hina and Sam some 60-75 min games sometimes. I'm not sure how happy Fleming will be to not be starting or playing a ton, though. But, gotta fit the formation to the roster better than we're doing, and then deal with the fallout that might cause later with regard to players maybe on the outside looking in for starting roles. It's a much better solve than the 433, esp with so many attacking players now.
A bunch of hungry attackers looking to prove themselves though? Fun!
I thought that, too, but I kept seeing movement suggestive of his beloved 4-3-3 as well. Not sure where he will go with this, but the 4-2-3-1 seems a better fit for this roster.
You can see it in the pass map where Castellanos is central and higher. Tbh I'm not sure if I could identify many specific patterns unique to a Gale formation, so I can't really speak to that lol
Others have addressed my age concern but it just may be that they can't think of anyone else to score goals. More than that, though, is that she's a club hopper. She's never spent more than two years with a club and it's often only one. Having been a hiring manager for so long this is an enormous red flag to me.
She's been at many clubs because she's been fighting her ass off (probably for pennies!) for opportunities to make it at a high level and finally broke through at Benfica. Which, frankly, is the same --very sound-- reason why many people switch jobs frequently. I certainly wouldn't want to work for someone who was biased against folks who wanted to find the best position for themselves.
Also makes it really exciting when you have a player with that hunger and drive come into your team. Not that I'd want a player to have to go through adversity to become the best they can, but a player with a chip on their shoulder or a point to prove are often v v fun.
Yes, and the only necessary answer should be "I've been looking for a job that values me and I feel like I can grow in, and I hope I can find it here."
(sorry, I get very grumpy about this particular topic)
And there's nothing at all wrong with what Crystal Dunn did unless she tied her own employment to her husband's! More people should prioritize their own well-being over that of their employer.
I think you'd be hard pressed to find women's soccer players in their late 20s that haven't been at that *top* elite level who haven't done this. Hell, Lucy Bronze hasn't spent longer than 3 years at a club.
Mimi Alidou and Olivia Smith have been two Canadians that I've had my eye on for the past year or so, just because they both have been incredibly fun to watch. So, def excited to see what she can do here!
That said....I remain confused about our plan here. I have a lot of questions. We have SO MANY central attacking players now. Is this kind of a trial year for all of the F's where we're throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks? Alidou, Moultrie, Castellanos, Tordin, Turner, Wilson. For 1 spot? 2 spots maybe if you go for the Rob Gale special and stick one on the wing? Or 3 since Jessie is out (but really none of those are 8s.) I am kinda sad that this means less minutes for Hanks/Tordin/Turner/Linnehan but having that depth is good and those players would be depth on better teams. I don't understand getting Alidou after getting Castellanos either...they seem to have a lot of overlap? Maybe someone who knows her play better can explain lol. I would rather Alidou than Castellanos, though. I do wonder if all of these central attacker signings indicate we may be thinking Soph doesn't re-sign...
Alidou is turning 30 in a few weeks. I don't know enough about her play to know how much she depends on speed (or if she's started slowing down yet) but it seems this move is more of a "results now" one rather than a plan for the future (a la Hanks/Tordin.) Alidou seems like our best bet for goals now, so that's fun. I hope she's already around for this weekend!
Alidou's been an inverted wide player or wide forward in 3-backs primarily for Benfica, so I would be shocked if she didn't play there for Portland too. Entirely different player from Castellanos- She's quick, good 1v1, has some straight line speed, and is always moving. I'm also not too concerned about her age --mostly because she doesn't have a lot of miles on her because of the late bloomer thing-- but also because 30 ain't really all that old lol.
That said, I share all your other questions. Like I said below, I would feel much more comfortable evaluating eight different attackers if I trusted the guy in charge to both develop and make the right choices.
Ohhh, good to know. How's her passing ability? I am more so familiar with her receiving and scoring abilities, but I'm curious about her passing vision/execution.
Yeah, 30 isn't old for sure, just sometimes wide forwards who really rely on speed can start to slow down into the 30s so it was worth asking. From what I've seen, it's not a worry, I just didn't know enough to know what her fitness level is like.
Agoos did say in the presser that making the playoffs is the goal this season (which is still a lofty goal), so Gale does have the expectation to produce. And with a huge group of talented (albeit young) forwards, I'm guessing Agoos won't be super patient if he's stacking up L's in the spring. I do hope they aren't caught flat-footed if that starts happening...
She's a pretty good creator, but goalscoring is definitely her main thing- I'm no expert on her though, just going off the 5 or so Benfica Champions League games I watched last year. I think the full games are all on YouTube.
It's a (mostly) new FO so who knows exactly what their team building strategy is, but this doesn't really pass the smell test to me as a standalone move. Alidou is a creative, herky-jerky, play-under-the-striker, inside forward type who's played pretty exclusively across the front line for Benfica. I actually like her a LOT as a player in a vacuum: she's scored boatloads of goals since she joined Benfica (including against both Lyon and Barcelona), she's two-footed, and she has a really cool late-bloomer Cloe Lacasse-esque story.....but she plays exactly where we have the MOST options.
Assuming they're bringing her in to start --which I imagine is the case-- Linnehan's minutes are probably gone, Spaanstra's almost certainly are, Tordin's probably are too, and it lessens the chances of Hanks getting big time anytime soon. I don't totally get it unless Fleming is on the way out or something like that.
I agree, but they now have six players (Alidou, Linnehan, Spaanstra, Turner, Tordin, Hanks) who have to play in the front line, and two more (Castellanos and Moultrie) who will play there unless Fleming is unavailable. So, even if you leave out the kids, one of Fleming, Moultrie, or Castellanos probably ain't starting. Which, fine, but someone's gonna be left out.
But yes, this is mostly a "I don't trust Gale to either choose the right option or use them correctly" comment. If it was a good coach, then yeah! Throw eight attackers into a competition for three spots and see who comes out on top!
(And, we're still starting Kaitlyn Torpey at RB and are one Reyna Reyes injury away from total catastrophe)
if that's the plan, it was a pretty short audition period for those youngsters!
That's also a lot of investment/attention to the forwards lineup for 2026 and beyond- if the team already knew Wilson wasn't coming back, this is what that planning would look like, no?
I can see them trying Linnehan at FB. How does her profile differ from Sofia Huerta? She’s not as good a passer, but I think you could do some creative concepts with overlapping runs.
From my perspective, it’s worth a shot because the position is weak and she might be attached to the bench.
I'd say they have very different profiles. The whole appeal of shifting Huerta to FB was because she was an elite crosser, good wing defender, and good technically without being all that fast. Linnehan has been pretty much a pure speedster and goal scorer. I guess you could stick her at wing back and just tell her to run up and down and work hard, but she'd have a rough time as a pure FB imo.
Never viewed Huerta as a plus defender as a forward . She did have a good work rate, but her crosses are just another level.
It’s probably a bad idea. If there was a trade there, it might be interesting. Which teams have depth at FB and would be interested in a forward or money?
Meh. Better than Bos Nation, but if that's not an impressive bar to clear, especially because what legacy? That of the Breakers? Of America in general? Or just because they like the word Legacy and think it sounds cool? I'm of the mind that we don't need the silly names, just call it Boston FC or something, but would also go ballistic if Portland tried dropping the Thorns from their name, hypocrisy thy name is Rad Nauseum
I would have liked something more directly honoring the deep history of women's leadership in Boston. I guess "Boston Legacy FC" sorta does that, but even "Boston Heritage FC" might have been better.
Makes sense, and I should also acknowledge I’ve only passed through Boston once about 20 years ago and know nothing of it’s history of women’s leadership, so there may be more to it than I’m giving them credit
Are we paying a tariff on Alidou?
OT: The Nadeshiko just dropped their roster for an upcoming (4/6) friendly v Colombia, and Hina's back in the side! Not sure what this means for her availability for the matches bookending that friendly (we'd be dire without her...), but I'm really glad to see her getting called up again. The Nadeshiko pool is DEEP, so even a player as brilliant as our Hina isn't a lock (as we have seen).
I hope she has a better outing this time than she had in the last WC. It doesn't seem like she was put in the best position with her national team? Apparently the competition for spots is more intense though. Maybe she was just off her game? Any thoughts from someone who knows more than nothing about the J league and national team?
Under Ikeda, she was getting played as a wingback, so no, not really a natural position for her. I'm curious to see where Neilsen plays her! The thing is, the midfield in general is REALLY deep for the Nadeshiko...probably the heaviest competition on the team (and that's saying a lot).
For this friendly, there are a couple injuries that might make it more likely that Hina plays in the central midfield (Yui Hasegawa played in City's second leg loss to Chelsea in the CL, but was clearly nursing a knock, and 19 year old Bayern starlet Momoko Tanikawa just injured her ankle and is expected to be out for a month or so). Unless they replace the latter with future superstar 18 year old Miharu Shinjo (who just scored the game winner for Beleza today), it's pretty open in the central midfield.
The Thorns have games on 3/29 against NC and 4/11 at Utah. I suspect that Hina's presence won't be affected by the call-up for the first of those, but that she'll sit out part or all of the second. Or not - there may be enough time between the Nadeshiko's 4/6 game and our 4/11 one for her to recover from travel and jet lag.
This team will really miss her. But I am super happy for her. Do you think she may add a bit of bite to the Nadashiko? That seems to be something she has added to her game.
Distinct possibility, although some of the current regular domestic call-ups are pretty spicy players. The WE League is surprisingly physical. The Japanese skill-heavy, tiki-taka playstyle doesn't really encourage rougher play, but the officiating is pretty permissive about contact.
Match report from Friday: https://rivetingpdx.com/2025/03/26/thorns-fc-point-counterpoint/
Apologize for the delay. Moving house all weekend. Good to be in a home instead of an apartment, but not so good as time-suck (and my back is KILLING me...)
Ya done good, Chief. And it looks like, on the whole, we had decent to good to great individual performances on Friday, but started very slowly and had some really dreadful soccer in there, coming away with only 1 point. Ah, KenBall. We've Been Robbed.
Obama summarizes news and analysis of the Mimi Alidou signing:
https://youtu.be/Nuyf7DVnrgE
Make it stop.
The only thing we can do is accept the results and move forward.
Can she score goals? Yes She Can!
Can you use ObamaVoiceTM to replace Liane Sanderson?
Oh man, don’t get me started. (But yes)
Would you feel any better if it were MarkCarneyAI?
Haha destroying the environment?
Edit: I understand the argument. I can accept that AI has a relatively large energy footprint. However, because it’s an (understandably) frightening technology, it might be causing people to overstate the problem relative to other consumers of energy. In the hierarchy of worldwide energy usage, it’s likely not even in the top 25.
AI uses*massive* amounts of computing power. It's the main driver behind a proposal in my home county in Virginia that would build 84 data centers on rural land, along with a multi-megawat power plant to supply the electricity and a new natural gas pipeline to supply the power plant. Also major amounts of water for cooling.
I used to freak out about the amount of resources that go into internet porn and cat videos, but AI dwarfs both.
Wellll, we're having our own Rise of the Tech Bros moment. (By law, the California grid is supposed to be carbon-free by 2045.)
"Facebook parent Meta wants to find developers that can provide nuclear reactors to support electricity demand from the tech company’s data centers and artificial intelligence (AI) efforts. The group said the new generation capacity also could support local power grids.
"Meta on Dec. 3 announced a request for proposals (RFP) “to identify nuclear energy developers to help us meet our AI innovation and sustainability objectives—targeting 1 [to] 4 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear generation capacity in the U.S.”
"The company said it wants to have nuclear power available for its use starting in the early 2030s. Meta said, “We are taking an open approach with this RFP so we can partner with others across the industry to bring new nuclear energy to the grid.”
"Several technology companies, including Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, along with Meta are looking at nuclear power and other generation resources to power their energy-intensive data centers and AI initiatives. Entergy, a major southeastern U.S. utility, recently announced plans to build a 1,500-MW natural gas-fired power plant in Louisiana to support a $10 billion Meta data center there.
"Amazon on Dec. 2 published a document listing seven ways the company is looking at nuclear power to support its operations. The company also has published an explainer of its carbon-free energy projects that support its business.
I'll go on record as having no interest in the run-fast-and-break-things dudes building and running fission powerplants.
Nukes for Crypto and AI, eh? Good to know where our priorities are.
Don't suppose there's any chance that the the natural gas-fired power plant in Louisiana is in Cancer Alley, is there?
Uh oh, what would you think of me if I told you I’m pro nuclear energy?! We just gotta do it right!
I'm all ears. Let's start with your elevator pitch, including cost per MW for new plant construction, siting plan, security plan, handling of expended fuel waste.
(I work in water and energy infrastructure FWIW.)
For context as I type, CaISO is reporting 82% of demand (2.4 GW) is supplied by renewables, 4% natural gas, 6% large hydro, 8% nuclear.
of course we HAD a nuclear power plant here and shut it down after just 16 years of haphazard operation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_Nuclear_Power_Plant
(ur right on this one)
Quickly researching, data centers use 1-2% of the world's energy, and AI data centers are a small fraction of that. So yes, it's an issue, but singling it out is alarmist and ignoring significantly larger contributors, like transportation and chemical manufacturing.
(And crypto!)
Well, we need to figure that out, I can agree. But we will.
The current odds of "getting it right"? With a "proudbly incompetent cabinet" (as The New Republic calls them) that doesn't know, or know how, to verify the members of a group chat before discussing classified information?
Yeah I’d say the USA needs to wait about 4 years
I don't intend to go on and on about this. Final comments:
AI may not represent a huge percentage of present power use, but it does represent a huge part of *new* power demand. Also probably the fastest growing segment.
AI is certainly coming, and it will benefit us all in many ways, many of them behind the scenes, as in medical note taking and many forms of engineering design. I'm just arguing for using it judiciously, until it designs a feasible fusion power plant.
I am 100% on board with all that.
No worries man, I'll plant a tree for every article.
Haha I just read an environmentalist’s article that was anti-tree planting!!
Well hate to tell you this, but a "simple Google search" is destroying the environment in the exact same way.
You don't have to like AI, but it is here and it is changing everything. And people who don't embrace it are going to be left behind.
And on a further note: I'd bet a large sum of money that if you read this in written form (without the Obama tonality) you wouldn't have known it was written by AI.
I work 12 hours a day. I don't have time to read every article about the new signing. This is a fun way for me to get the news.
Wasn't going to chime in here, but "....and those who don't embrace it are going to be left behind" is an extremely dangerous way to frame any AI discussion given how many absolutely awful effects it's had --and will continue to have-- on not just the climate, but on academics and education, the rise of disinformation, the arts, and employment.
I don't have any major issue with fun little applications like the Obama thing, but ignoring the MANY truly devastating ramifications the rise of generative AI is having on the world is ignorant at best.
(There are also many academic articles on the spiraling environmental effects. Raising those concerns is not at all alarmist)
Is Generative AI >, <, or = Jennerative AI?
(I know; which Jenner we talkin' bout?)
I understand the concerns. Really, I do. But I am a professional digital artist and have been for 20 years. I am very aware of the potential effects, and how they have affected me and my job. And I stand by my words: If I don't embrace it, I will be left behind.
This week’s “Busy Watching Women’s Soccer” installment talks about when goalies playing out of the back (pet peeve of mine) goes wrong but also highlights Reilyn Turner and Pietra Tordin :
https://youtu.be/IobVE35AmJs?si=_9mMUVbMboyJgi3u
So, were ya’ll hoping for Obama to preview the NCC match this weekend? 😅
Hope!
Alidou highlight video from 2023-24;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhMimrVA-gU&t=215s
She had a good Champions League for Benfica last year, generally playing on the right of a front 3. Fairly sure she's left footed.
I think this could be a good signing - the Thorns are short of genuine wingers - but a lot depends on how Gale uses the resources at hand. If he continues to play a non winger out wide and this limits minutes for Turner, Linnehan, and Hanks, it'll be annoying, because that's the future.
Hanks, Turner Mimi front 3 with Denya at the 10. I'm all in. Linnehan off the bench.
Can she play an outright wide forward also? My knowledge of her play is limited to the small bits I've seen here and there, but my assumption was she was more of a central player (false 9/10), or an inverted winger sometimes. A left-footed player on the right sounds like she prob inverts moreso...is that the case?
To me, this means they are moving Moultrie back to the midfield and that experiment should be over. Whether Gale sees it that way or not is another story
I didn't find any highlight videos from her season with Benfica last year (only the CL goals), but here's one from the year before when she was at a different team:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv_lrEs2gmg
Gale actually switched to a 4-2-3-1 last week to keep Deyna high, so assuming that sticks, I'd bet we mostly see this:
Arnold, Reyes-Obaze-Hiatt-Torpey, Coffey-Hina-Deyna, Moultrie-Turner-Alidou
When Fleming returns, it gets more complicated. I imagine Deyna replaces Turner up top and Fleming goes back into her spot, but I really don't know.
Yeah, I thought I saw them line up more in a 4231 also. It would def solve for some of the logjam, and allow for interchangeability with Castellanos, Moultrie, Turner, and Tordin for 3 positions. Guessing LW is Liv's position this season until Deyna rotates out as she did last game.) It sounds like Alidou is prob the likely RW solve, with Linnehan and Spaanstra as depth over there. I could see Deyna rotating out every game so that Liv could be moved central and Hanks can come in on the LW. Tordin comes in for Turner. There's no way all of these players will be sticking around though, if Weaver and Smith are back/healthy in 2026?
But yeah, when Fleming comes back, that all becomes more difficult, because Hina and Coffey are always going to be the starters if we stick with a 4231. It would allow for her to spell either, though, and that would be really nice to give Hina and Sam some 60-75 min games sometimes. I'm not sure how happy Fleming will be to not be starting or playing a ton, though. But, gotta fit the formation to the roster better than we're doing, and then deal with the fallout that might cause later with regard to players maybe on the outside looking in for starting roles. It's a much better solve than the 433, esp with so many attacking players now.
A bunch of hungry attackers looking to prove themselves though? Fun!
I thought that, too, but I kept seeing movement suggestive of his beloved 4-3-3 as well. Not sure where he will go with this, but the 4-2-3-1 seems a better fit for this roster.
https://btvc.beehiiv.com/p/2025-nwsl-week-2-xg-race-charts-goals-added-pass-networks
You can see it in the pass map where Castellanos is central and higher. Tbh I'm not sure if I could identify many specific patterns unique to a Gale formation, so I can't really speak to that lol
How much better, if at all, does this signing make us?
Should add a little punch up front, probably won't make too much of a difference standings-wise unless Gale is fired.
Probably not as useful as a Muller-quality RB. We've got a lot of lumber in the forwards/AMs pile...
Others have addressed my age concern but it just may be that they can't think of anyone else to score goals. More than that, though, is that she's a club hopper. She's never spent more than two years with a club and it's often only one. Having been a hiring manager for so long this is an enormous red flag to me.
She's been at many clubs because she's been fighting her ass off (probably for pennies!) for opportunities to make it at a high level and finally broke through at Benfica. Which, frankly, is the same --very sound-- reason why many people switch jobs frequently. I certainly wouldn't want to work for someone who was biased against folks who wanted to find the best position for themselves.
Also makes it really exciting when you have a player with that hunger and drive come into your team. Not that I'd want a player to have to go through adversity to become the best they can, but a player with a chip on their shoulder or a point to prove are often v v fun.
well, to be fair, that historically IS a concern in the hiring world- as the jobseeker, you'd want to have an answer ready for that question...
In the soccer-in-2025 world, though, who knows? (Hopefully, the Goose does...)
Yes, and the only necessary answer should be "I've been looking for a job that values me and I feel like I can grow in, and I hope I can find it here."
(sorry, I get very grumpy about this particular topic)
I was gonna let it go, but then your “answer”
sounded a lot like Crystal Dunn, and I’m no hiring manager, but… hmm :-)
But kielbj, you’re hired for the STF job if I’m doing the hiring
And there's nothing at all wrong with what Crystal Dunn did unless she tied her own employment to her husband's! More people should prioritize their own well-being over that of their employer.
If you don’t produce, your employer will not give a second thought about letting you go. See Izzy D’Aquila and frankly Crystal Dunn
I think you'd be hard pressed to find women's soccer players in their late 20s that haven't been at that *top* elite level who haven't done this. Hell, Lucy Bronze hasn't spent longer than 3 years at a club.
I'm more eight caps? Not exactly a key piece of the Canada Nats squad.
I was curious about all of our F/attacking M players and their contracts, so I went and looked at Spotrac:
Alidou- through 2026 (+1yr club option)
Castellanos- through 2026 (+1yr club option)
Hanks- through 2028
Linnehan- through 2025 (+1 mutual option)
Moultrie- through 2026
Spaanstra- through 2026
Tordin- through 2026 (+1yr player option)
Turner- through 2026
Weaver- through 2028 (!!)
Wilson- through 2025 (+1yr player option)
That's....a lot!
And looking at this, 2025 could be a make or break season for Linnehan and whether she sticks around in 2026.
Fleming also is signed through 2026
True, though I don’t consider her an attacking player or part of this group. She’s more 6/8 DM.
Mimi Alidou and Olivia Smith have been two Canadians that I've had my eye on for the past year or so, just because they both have been incredibly fun to watch. So, def excited to see what she can do here!
That said....I remain confused about our plan here. I have a lot of questions. We have SO MANY central attacking players now. Is this kind of a trial year for all of the F's where we're throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks? Alidou, Moultrie, Castellanos, Tordin, Turner, Wilson. For 1 spot? 2 spots maybe if you go for the Rob Gale special and stick one on the wing? Or 3 since Jessie is out (but really none of those are 8s.) I am kinda sad that this means less minutes for Hanks/Tordin/Turner/Linnehan but having that depth is good and those players would be depth on better teams. I don't understand getting Alidou after getting Castellanos either...they seem to have a lot of overlap? Maybe someone who knows her play better can explain lol. I would rather Alidou than Castellanos, though. I do wonder if all of these central attacker signings indicate we may be thinking Soph doesn't re-sign...
Alidou is turning 30 in a few weeks. I don't know enough about her play to know how much she depends on speed (or if she's started slowing down yet) but it seems this move is more of a "results now" one rather than a plan for the future (a la Hanks/Tordin.) Alidou seems like our best bet for goals now, so that's fun. I hope she's already around for this weekend!
Alidou's been an inverted wide player or wide forward in 3-backs primarily for Benfica, so I would be shocked if she didn't play there for Portland too. Entirely different player from Castellanos- She's quick, good 1v1, has some straight line speed, and is always moving. I'm also not too concerned about her age --mostly because she doesn't have a lot of miles on her because of the late bloomer thing-- but also because 30 ain't really all that old lol.
That said, I share all your other questions. Like I said below, I would feel much more comfortable evaluating eight different attackers if I trusted the guy in charge to both develop and make the right choices.
Ohhh, good to know. How's her passing ability? I am more so familiar with her receiving and scoring abilities, but I'm curious about her passing vision/execution.
Yeah, 30 isn't old for sure, just sometimes wide forwards who really rely on speed can start to slow down into the 30s so it was worth asking. From what I've seen, it's not a worry, I just didn't know enough to know what her fitness level is like.
Agoos did say in the presser that making the playoffs is the goal this season (which is still a lofty goal), so Gale does have the expectation to produce. And with a huge group of talented (albeit young) forwards, I'm guessing Agoos won't be super patient if he's stacking up L's in the spring. I do hope they aren't caught flat-footed if that starts happening...
She's a pretty good creator, but goalscoring is definitely her main thing- I'm no expert on her though, just going off the 5 or so Benfica Champions League games I watched last year. I think the full games are all on YouTube.
Plan? What is this thing you say, what is it called, "plan"? Never heard of it.
It's a (mostly) new FO so who knows exactly what their team building strategy is, but this doesn't really pass the smell test to me as a standalone move. Alidou is a creative, herky-jerky, play-under-the-striker, inside forward type who's played pretty exclusively across the front line for Benfica. I actually like her a LOT as a player in a vacuum: she's scored boatloads of goals since she joined Benfica (including against both Lyon and Barcelona), she's two-footed, and she has a really cool late-bloomer Cloe Lacasse-esque story.....but she plays exactly where we have the MOST options.
Assuming they're bringing her in to start --which I imagine is the case-- Linnehan's minutes are probably gone, Spaanstra's almost certainly are, Tordin's probably are too, and it lessens the chances of Hanks getting big time anytime soon. I don't totally get it unless Fleming is on the way out or something like that.
i'm not totally upset about Spaanstra's minutes being gone, but the others yes.
I agree, but they now have six players (Alidou, Linnehan, Spaanstra, Turner, Tordin, Hanks) who have to play in the front line, and two more (Castellanos and Moultrie) who will play there unless Fleming is unavailable. So, even if you leave out the kids, one of Fleming, Moultrie, or Castellanos probably ain't starting. Which, fine, but someone's gonna be left out.
But yes, this is mostly a "I don't trust Gale to either choose the right option or use them correctly" comment. If it was a good coach, then yeah! Throw eight attackers into a competition for three spots and see who comes out on top!
(And, we're still starting Kaitlyn Torpey at RB and are one Reyna Reyes injury away from total catastrophe)
I think we are going to run a 4-3-3.
OPTION A
Hanks - Turner - Aidou
Linnehan - Tordin - Spaanstra
OPTION B
Hanks - Castellanos - Aidou
Linnehan - Turner - Tordin
I have a hard time believing Gale will bench Castellanos, Fleming, or Moultrie, but this is the lineup I see it going towards
All gas no brakes! Thats how we play Ken ball! (LOL) Fingers crossed they bring in a FB with that other international spot come summer.
if that's the plan, it was a pretty short audition period for those youngsters!
That's also a lot of investment/attention to the forwards lineup for 2026 and beyond- if the team already knew Wilson wasn't coming back, this is what that planning would look like, no?
I can see them trying Linnehan at FB. How does her profile differ from Sofia Huerta? She’s not as good a passer, but I think you could do some creative concepts with overlapping runs.
From my perspective, it’s worth a shot because the position is weak and she might be attached to the bench.
Never mind, Gale is our coach :)
I'd say they have very different profiles. The whole appeal of shifting Huerta to FB was because she was an elite crosser, good wing defender, and good technically without being all that fast. Linnehan has been pretty much a pure speedster and goal scorer. I guess you could stick her at wing back and just tell her to run up and down and work hard, but she'd have a rough time as a pure FB imo.
Would Linnehan be worse than Torpey?
Never viewed Huerta as a plus defender as a forward . She did have a good work rate, but her crosses are just another level.
It’s probably a bad idea. If there was a trade there, it might be interesting. Which teams have depth at FB and would be interested in a forward or money?
Could Portland sign Jade Rose if she were interested?
We still have an international slot, IIRC.
How do we feel about Boston Legacy FC?
I'd only accept Boston Who's Askin'?
Meh. Better than Bos Nation, but if that's not an impressive bar to clear, especially because what legacy? That of the Breakers? Of America in general? Or just because they like the word Legacy and think it sounds cool? I'm of the mind that we don't need the silly names, just call it Boston FC or something, but would also go ballistic if Portland tried dropping the Thorns from their name, hypocrisy thy name is Rad Nauseum
I would have liked something more directly honoring the deep history of women's leadership in Boston. I guess "Boston Legacy FC" sorta does that, but even "Boston Heritage FC" might have been better.
That, of the Boston Chowdahs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-bbYH_akHg
It's Chowdah! Say it right!
Makes sense, and I should also acknowledge I’ve only passed through Boston once about 20 years ago and know nothing of it’s history of women’s leadership, so there may be more to it than I’m giving them credit
I was expecting them to pick the runner up for the PWHL team, the Boston Wicked. The uniforms could be interesting
There's a LOT: https://www.bwht.org/