Jeff Agoos has been announced as new president of soccer operations and general manager of the Portland Thorns. STF shares their thoughts on Agoos, the coaching situation, roster priorities, and more.
Quite a few of our players (weaver, Hina, Bixby, McKenzie, Moultrie, Fleming, Reyes off the top of my head) have started pre-pre-season with MK.Elite in Beaverton.
Hmm. Never heard of her. Looks like she’s a midfielder? So maybe we’re building some depth with another young college player? She’s v small/petite. Smaller than Hina. Topdrawer ranks her at #46 in their college player rankings for 2024. Looks like she’s been part of the Colombian youth teams, and has just started getting time with the senior team….went to/played in the Olympics. We do need midfield depth, but honestly hope we don’t spend an int’l slot on more depth (esp in midfield)…at least that’s my initial feelings. It’s nice she has int’l pedigree, but again she’s young. Would be nice to use those slots to upgrade our starting XI, which still has not improved this off-season. Finding another CB and RW would be best uses of those so we aren’t restricted to using only the domestic market.
Regardless, not sure how I’d feel yet. Seems like a good depth piece to raise our floor, but we really need more than that. Still trying to be patient for some signings that will actually raise our ceiling. I beg that they’ll sign some players with actual pro experience and not just a bunch of kids. Would be nice if she had a green card from playing in college but I’m unsure how that works. It’s hard to make any judgements because I’ve never seen her play, and I haven’t looked up any stats. Curious what type of midfielder she is…I’m guessing more of a box-to-box bc it's the depth spot in mf that needs filling.
Assuming this is true and Theo is just giving away unannounced transfer info on Twitter lol, she's a bit more than an another Tordin-esque college kid- She's 22 and started 2/4 matches as an 8 for Colombia's senior team at the Olympics. Just anecdotal so take it for what you will, but I have a Colombian friend who played for their youth teams when she was younger and apparently Izquierdo's been a real fast riser and bit of a late bloomer both through the Colombia youth ranks and in college. She was VERY good for MSU this season the 3-4 times I watched them. Also was arguably Colombia's best player in the Gold Cup against the U.S if you remember that game. Crazyyy work rate.
Definitely agree that using an international spot on what would presumably be a backup 8 would dampen my enthusiasm, so I do hope she has a green card. If she does it's pretty much the ideal high upside depth add imo.
Haha yeah I was standing in my freezing garage waiting for a load of laundry to finish, and thought, “Hey I wonder if that one dude has any Thorns rumors. I guess I’ll just ask him”
I thought that very funny also...but I guess sometimes you gotta just ask? Lol.
Anyways, that's cool you're familiar and have some insight into the Colombian youth teams. I also just read something that mentioned how she grew up playing only futsal and she didn't learn how to play the 11v11 game until she was like 18. And she's only 22! So, it would be interesting to see how she grows. It looks like she's also played a bit in the USL-W league with Asheville. I'd love to go back and watch a Colombia game from the Olympics if I find some time. Also this Gold Cup game you mention...I don't remember! Didn't think we could get a player smaller than Hina, but that's fun lol. She's basically my size.
Anyways, this is the exact kind of depth I've been wanting to see us bring in (high-upside youth), but yes, hope it's not at the expense of an int'l slot. Raising the floor is great (and was needed), but they've yet to raise the ceiling at all this offseason.
If she can't do better than an NRI deal (I would be very surprised if that's what it is), she should fire her agent into the sun. Kid started games in central midfield for a Olympic quarterfinalist at 21 and was a consensus top 50 prospect.
My assumption is only a handful of players that would have been top 2 round picks will get more than an NRI. Free agency has allowed you to pick proven players at the minimum salary.
I saw highlights of a Columbia versus Paraguay game. She scored the first goal on a header on a cross from the right winger. She is a quick little player.
I remember being worried about Hina’s size. That seems ages ago. Hina is so stealthy but surprisingly tough.
Good link. I think this matches the eye test from later in the season:
But the year took a toll, and Smith says that prioritizing rest has been essential to preparing herself for everything 2025 has to offer.
"I feel like this offseason was very much needed for me," she says. "While it was a great year, it was a long year — we just gave everything 110%, 24/7, so when we got to the offseason, it kind of just smacked us in the face."
Smith says she's physically bouncing back after a lingering ankle injury limited her playing time in the later half of 2024. "Most offseasons I'll take a few weeks and I'll start training," she says. "This offseason I took a little longer. I knew that in order to start this next year off right, I needed to give my body what it needed while I could."
Even @ 80% health when you represent a third of your team's scoring, they are not going much further. Here's to Soph 2.0.
Yes a rested and recharged Smith; Morgan Weaver and Reilyn Turner with some National Team exposure, reps and confidence boost; that is all promising for 2025. I hope Linnehan and Spaanstra are getting ready because RW help doesn’t seem to coming.
Pietra Tordin will add a jolt to the midfield that is already pretty good.
Call me an optimist, but I am looking for Diaene to surprise us.
We do still have a couple months until the season starts. I think a lot of the int'l signings end up happening late in the offseason due to Euro league transfer windows not opening until around Jan 1st...so I think they'll bring in some more folks. Unless they're still making the same weird FO choices, I don't think they wouldn't have gotten an additional int'l spot in the Hogan trade (we already had 1) if they didn't intend to use them both. Bigger deals tend to take longer as well. Still holding out some hope there. Agoos specifically mentioned getting Sophia some help up there, so I imagine they're trying to do so. Tordin will be a good depth piece, but is very young so I don't think that's what they meant by getting Soph more help. She's likely depth for Moultrie for a while.
With Daiane- hope so! We have many of the best attackers in the world in this league, so when I hear a CB isn't good in the Brazilian league because they are slow and/or a bad defender...well, it gives me pause when they come here. Hiatt and Obaze should be decent enough, but they will have to add at least 1 more CB. Hopefully that will be a solid addition as well, then I'll feel better about our CB group.
Yes and when one says soccer player the position defender doesn’t pop into your head. BUT Roberto Carlos was one of the best FB to ever play the game; he had a canon for a leg. So I will keep on hoping for a great surprise from Daiane.
Well, "not to be seen, not to be heard" is not at all different from the Thorns' organizational philosophy of zero transparency. But, we're used to it by now I suppose.
She could put the biscuit in the basket, though 8 of those were PKs. Scored 21 (3 PKs) in 36 matches with PSG, and 10 (2 PKs) in 25 matches with Loovull despite coming back from TWO ACLs while there.
As I recall (and being too lazy at the moment to just search her seasonal stats), Allie was scoring in bunches particularly during that period when she was trying to catch on w/ the nats.
I'm also delighted to note that Soph and Morgan combined are one goal behind Sinc; delighted because I have a hunch they would both be amused at that.
I want to like him and when I read his answers, I feel better than when I listen to him say the exact same thing. To me, it’s a red flag when someone comes across this practiced and rehearsed. Hope I am wrong. He could just be eloquent, but something seems a tad bit disingenuous. Maybe he reminds me of someone I had a negative experience with and it’s just me
I’m cautiously optimistic and anything is better than KK who was came across poorly
Really? Hmmm. I generally have a pretty good bullshit detector and am usually pretty skeptical until proven otherwise...and I don't really get that with him (yet.) He is polished and says things we want to hear, but I'm inclined to believe he'll try to better this roster until he proves otherwise.
Just out of the gate, though, I can say that even just having someone who can say the right things is refreshing. After years of KK, Norris, and Gale...it's nice to honestly just have someone who sounds like a professional and like they might have a plan. Never felt a whiff of competency any time I listened to any of those 3 speak tbh, and Agoos at least *sounds* competent. He literally just got into the job, though...let's let him cook a bit. It's not his fault the FO/owners hired him as preseason was upon us all...
My real qualm is more with his lack of experience/connections on the women's side. But maybe he watches a ton of women's sports, who knows? Either way, it's why he came with data people.
Feeling the same- the interviewer's last question was the "oh you haven't mentioned Clive Charles yet" prompt. Two interviews so far, and it's like they're aiming for a sweet spot audience of people who are fan enough to care who the GM is, but too casual to care what a GM does.
I kinda get the nostalgia for the "team culture" of the Parsons period. But Parsons chose to take the Netherlands gig, and I don't see how that culture could have remained unchanged in place without him.
Had Wilkinson and Norris not augered in over successive seasons one or the other might have created their own...but no. The turnover made continuity almost impossible, so I think the idea that the club actively trashed Parsons' legacy (which is how it came across) is a trifle harsh.
Other than that...yeah, CB, RW/FW...definitely needs.
Okay, all of us stans are jonesing for Thorns news, but there are plenty of reasons why we might not have heard anything yet.
1. As kielbj pointed out, the transfer window in Europe is open until the end of the month.
2. That might not even matter much, since players can transfer OUT of teams anytime; it's only incoming player registrations that are subject to a league's window. IIRC the NWSL window extends beyond the start of the season.
3. If we sign a Europe-based player who wants to keep playing there until, say, a month before our season, it WOULDN'T be announced, to avoid spoiling her relations with her current team.
4. The Thorns might well want to wait until just before the season to announce major signings, as a means of drumming up interest at a time when it matters to casual fans who might then decide to buy tickets. For all we know, the Thorns have acquired Girma, Banda, and Bonmatí, and just haven't said so.
5. Agoos is new so it's expected that he'll take some time to spin up. Fingers crossed that he's good at his GMing; we don't have any evidence one way or the other yet.
6. There are still plenty of free agents and foreign players, some quite good, who we can potentially sign.
7. Although it's unsettling to see other teams stocking up while the Thorns are mostly silent, we do have two international slots and should have a decent amount of cap space to spend. I can wait to see what Agoos will do with those.
[...ok no we haven't signed any of Girma, Banda, or Bonmatí....]
It's not just that the Euro window is still open until the end of the month, it's that the *NWSL* transfer window doesn't actually even OPEN until January 28th. In other words, the ITC for any players transferred into the league cannot be finalized until then. That's why I pointed out that there have been very few actual announced transfers from Euro teams (Dufour, Kennedy, Koyama, and MacIver). So, it makes sense that deals that are in progress will not be announced until the ITC can actually be finalized and the player can join their team.
But yeah, the biggest thing is that Agoos and Co have only been on the job for two weeks. Transfers take time. I would bet there will be adds before the season (and he's said as much both times we've heard him speak), but they might very well come later than impatient fans want.
Didn't realize Kennedy is a journeywoman. She's been with 10 different clubs, or 13 if you count her 4 stints at Sydney FC separately.
I suspect this happens a lot for top-level Aussies, since they come up through Aussie clubs and then move back and forth between Europe, North America, and Australia. Raso, as another example, has been with 9 (or 11) clubs.
Gentle reminder that all "MIA" means in this case is that you and I, random fans on the internet, aren't privy to Thorns scouting and transfer info under a barely two week old regime.
It would be nice to see some activity. They need a forward, centerback, and goalie. Do I believe they won’t fill it? Not at all. I believe they will. Sounds a lot like last year with FB when we took care of things really late.
The actual transfer window for players coming into the NWSL doesn't even technically open until the 28th of January, so that is another pretty good explanation for why most teams have been relatively quiet.
Last season the Thorns opened camp a month before the first preseason game in Coachella. This season that match is 2/16/25, so...this week? I wouldn't be shocked.
Sounds like Girma doesn’t want out so much as she wants to go TO, Europe generally and the WSL specifically. I hope we at least bid…but the Magic 8-Ball says “reply hazy”…
Nicole Barnhart retired after this past season and now joins the Spirit technical staff as an assistant GK coach. Pretty cool. Would be awesome if we could give that assistant coach position that we have available to Becky! If she wanted it, of course. Just think she'd be an amazing add for any team because of the culture she would create.
Always hard to know how good a coach a good player will be. Barnie was a solid keeper. As a coach? Could be peaches…
Same with Sauerbrunn. Fine player, and I think we’d be nuts not to offer her a job…but where? I’d suggest she starts at the Academy. From there, if she does well, then to an AC gig w the senior team. Who knows…maybe she’s the gaffer here five years from now.
If he does that I would be very impressed. I just don’t think he knows the know how about how to go about it. Plus the caps really screw with nwsl teams. The 500k limit basically helps other leagues more than it helps the nwsl
One would think he would be motivated to make a big signing. In truth, I'm betting he was brought in to play "money ball" rather than Pep Ball. Thus the analytics folks. I foresee a bunch of "value" picks are coming our way rather than big names. Less fun for us.
“Analytics = cheap” hasn’t been an accurate way to describe the role data plays in sports since, well, the Billy Beane A’s.
All analytics means is that the club is using data to evaluate players and their fit in the ecosystem. If that data suggests leads that a big money player is the best fit, that’s what it suggests. Just look at the signings Bay made last summer.
I think another aspect of the "Billy Beane's A's" thing is that is that baseball is 1) more "structured" than soccer in terms of play (so the stats are more useful as predictive measures because they reflect individual play better), and 2) has a deep historic well of metric analyses - James/SABR goes back to the Seventies - that can help predict a player's ability to, say, step up from AA or AAA to the Show.
Not perfect, obviously. But I suspect it's a LOT more difficult to, say, look at a youngish centerback playing for a lower division side in Portugal and infer her ability to succeed here or in the FBL, say. The context differences are murder; one of the reasons the big EU clubs try and bring young players in through their academy systems is to give apples-to-apples measures of evaluation.
I'm glad the Thorns finally have some data analysts. But I'm not expecting crazy awesome moneyball signings. I don't think soccer can work that way. But every little edge DOES help...
I've eliminated all my Musk and Zuckerberg apps, so I'm
depending on all of you fine people on here to keep me up-to-date on breaking Thorns news.
Quite a few of our players (weaver, Hina, Bixby, McKenzie, Moultrie, Fleming, Reyes off the top of my head) have started pre-pre-season with MK.Elite in Beaverton.
That’s who they all train with individually every off-season.
Also, that field they’re playing on- pretty sure that’s at Moultrie’s house lol.
Well I hope she gets a tifo every practice!
Do you recognize anyone else “interesting” in the videos?
Nahh…just looks like a buncha folks who usually train with MK.
Kinda funny they’re doing trainings with him still rather than our preseason just…starting lol.
Bluesky ain't a bad option either, fwiw. Most of my NWSL media follows (including Linehan) moved there after the election anyhow.
Hey, I scored us a rumor! Ilana Izquirerdo!(?)
https://x.com/theolloydhughes/status/1881038343548576006?s=46&t=Xqcn-ILJiYl3NWCnoazg7A
Hmm. Never heard of her. Looks like she’s a midfielder? So maybe we’re building some depth with another young college player? She’s v small/petite. Smaller than Hina. Topdrawer ranks her at #46 in their college player rankings for 2024. Looks like she’s been part of the Colombian youth teams, and has just started getting time with the senior team….went to/played in the Olympics. We do need midfield depth, but honestly hope we don’t spend an int’l slot on more depth (esp in midfield)…at least that’s my initial feelings. It’s nice she has int’l pedigree, but again she’s young. Would be nice to use those slots to upgrade our starting XI, which still has not improved this off-season. Finding another CB and RW would be best uses of those so we aren’t restricted to using only the domestic market.
Regardless, not sure how I’d feel yet. Seems like a good depth piece to raise our floor, but we really need more than that. Still trying to be patient for some signings that will actually raise our ceiling. I beg that they’ll sign some players with actual pro experience and not just a bunch of kids. Would be nice if she had a green card from playing in college but I’m unsure how that works. It’s hard to make any judgements because I’ve never seen her play, and I haven’t looked up any stats. Curious what type of midfielder she is…I’m guessing more of a box-to-box bc it's the depth spot in mf that needs filling.
Assuming this is true and Theo is just giving away unannounced transfer info on Twitter lol, she's a bit more than an another Tordin-esque college kid- She's 22 and started 2/4 matches as an 8 for Colombia's senior team at the Olympics. Just anecdotal so take it for what you will, but I have a Colombian friend who played for their youth teams when she was younger and apparently Izquierdo's been a real fast riser and bit of a late bloomer both through the Colombia youth ranks and in college. She was VERY good for MSU this season the 3-4 times I watched them. Also was arguably Colombia's best player in the Gold Cup against the U.S if you remember that game. Crazyyy work rate.
Definitely agree that using an international spot on what would presumably be a backup 8 would dampen my enthusiasm, so I do hope she has a green card. If she does it's pretty much the ideal high upside depth add imo.
Haha yeah I was standing in my freezing garage waiting for a load of laundry to finish, and thought, “Hey I wonder if that one dude has any Thorns rumors. I guess I’ll just ask him”
Ask and you shall receive…
I thought that very funny also...but I guess sometimes you gotta just ask? Lol.
Anyways, that's cool you're familiar and have some insight into the Colombian youth teams. I also just read something that mentioned how she grew up playing only futsal and she didn't learn how to play the 11v11 game until she was like 18. And she's only 22! So, it would be interesting to see how she grows. It looks like she's also played a bit in the USL-W league with Asheville. I'd love to go back and watch a Colombia game from the Olympics if I find some time. Also this Gold Cup game you mention...I don't remember! Didn't think we could get a player smaller than Hina, but that's fun lol. She's basically my size.
Anyways, this is the exact kind of depth I've been wanting to see us bring in (high-upside youth), but yes, hope it's not at the expense of an int'l slot. Raising the floor is great (and was needed), but they've yet to raise the ceiling at all this offseason.
My assumption is she’s an NRI.
If she can't do better than an NRI deal (I would be very surprised if that's what it is), she should fire her agent into the sun. Kid started games in central midfield for a Olympic quarterfinalist at 21 and was a consensus top 50 prospect.
My assumption is only a handful of players that would have been top 2 round picks will get more than an NRI. Free agency has allowed you to pick proven players at the minimum salary.
Yeah for a roster still sitting at 21 players that would be strange…
Miharu Shinjo is smaller than Hina. Just pointing that out...
pretty sure she had a banger of a goal against us in gold cup
Naw I went back and watched highlights but there were no Colombia goals.
You are correct of The Wall made a great save but a decent shot on goal. Minute 2:15 in video.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HoMjXIEc5AM
I saw highlights of a Columbia versus Paraguay game. She scored the first goal on a header on a cross from the right winger. She is a quick little player.
I remember being worried about Hina’s size. That seems ages ago. Hina is so stealthy but surprisingly tough.
Hina's superpower is her core strength and flexibility. She can evade or withstand just about anything.
Also why is she in Ft. Lauterdale with the US team? Edit I guess she’s not necessarily with the US team, but it’s an odd coincidence.
https://ibb.co/rxWjRm5
Maybe they're going to photoshop her into this photo with Sam
Looool
Could just be a connection flight from Colombia to Portland...but funny coincidence.
Yo quiero Izquierdo!
I assume she plays on the left?
FARC if I know.
Maybe we should call her Derecho.
IIRC she plays on the right.
Insights from smart people plz :D
She is tiny. Stats seem so-so
Anyone else's Thorns jerseys with the TikTok sleeve logo suddenly stop fitting?
Jersey drawer suddenly very quiet. CBD sleeve told the others to knock it off.
Some nice insights from Soph in the offseason:
https://justwomenssports.com/reads/ea-fc-2025-team-of-the-year-winner-nwsl-uswnt-star-sophia-smith-interview/
Good link. I think this matches the eye test from later in the season:
But the year took a toll, and Smith says that prioritizing rest has been essential to preparing herself for everything 2025 has to offer.
"I feel like this offseason was very much needed for me," she says. "While it was a great year, it was a long year — we just gave everything 110%, 24/7, so when we got to the offseason, it kind of just smacked us in the face."
Smith says she's physically bouncing back after a lingering ankle injury limited her playing time in the later half of 2024. "Most offseasons I'll take a few weeks and I'll start training," she says. "This offseason I took a little longer. I knew that in order to start this next year off right, I needed to give my body what it needed while I could."
Even @ 80% health when you represent a third of your team's scoring, they are not going much further. Here's to Soph 2.0.
Yeah I'm still optimistic they'll get her some decent help on the RW. Also very happy that Weaver has been getting lots of reps in the offseason.
"Since I arrived in Portland, every year there's been change. I'm just used to it at this point," she says...
Let's get this gal some stability here though, please!
Yes a rested and recharged Smith; Morgan Weaver and Reilyn Turner with some National Team exposure, reps and confidence boost; that is all promising for 2025. I hope Linnehan and Spaanstra are getting ready because RW help doesn’t seem to coming.
Pietra Tordin will add a jolt to the midfield that is already pretty good.
Call me an optimist, but I am looking for Diaene to surprise us.
We do still have a couple months until the season starts. I think a lot of the int'l signings end up happening late in the offseason due to Euro league transfer windows not opening until around Jan 1st...so I think they'll bring in some more folks. Unless they're still making the same weird FO choices, I don't think they wouldn't have gotten an additional int'l spot in the Hogan trade (we already had 1) if they didn't intend to use them both. Bigger deals tend to take longer as well. Still holding out some hope there. Agoos specifically mentioned getting Sophia some help up there, so I imagine they're trying to do so. Tordin will be a good depth piece, but is very young so I don't think that's what they meant by getting Soph more help. She's likely depth for Moultrie for a while.
With Daiane- hope so! We have many of the best attackers in the world in this league, so when I hear a CB isn't good in the Brazilian league because they are slow and/or a bad defender...well, it gives me pause when they come here. Hiatt and Obaze should be decent enough, but they will have to add at least 1 more CB. Hopefully that will be a solid addition as well, then I'll feel better about our CB group.
Yes and when one says soccer player the position defender doesn’t pop into your head. BUT Roberto Carlos was one of the best FB to ever play the game; he had a canon for a leg. So I will keep on hoping for a great surprise from Daiane.
Thorns just posted this . “ My hope is not to be seen not to be heard and put the best possible team…” That’s different but I like this approach https://x.com/ThornsFC/status/1881830288537657545
Full interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75dHbRwd1UQ
But who's gonna walk Big Karina and L'il Karina around the pitch for the traditional Twirling of the Scarves?
Well, "not to be seen, not to be heard" is not at all different from the Thorns' organizational philosophy of zero transparency. But, we're used to it by now I suppose.
All-Time Leading Thorns Goal Scorers (regular season, playoffs, cups, other):
Christine Sinclair: 75
Sophia Smith: 48
Lindsey Horan: 31
Allie Long: 30
Morgan Weaver: 26
Nadia Nadim: 19
Alex Morgan: 15
Tobin Heath: 15
Wow!! Go on Weaver 👏🏻👏🏻
Weaver could easily wind up in third place this year.
A decent year for Weaver will put her right behind Soph. Go Weave!
Impressed to see Nadia among them. 19 in only 37 appearances.
She could put the biscuit in the basket, though 8 of those were PKs. Scored 21 (3 PKs) in 36 matches with PSG, and 10 (2 PKs) in 25 matches with Loovull despite coming back from TWO ACLs while there.
Weaver has 26 goals all comps, Soph has 48, and Sinc has 75 per fbref
Thanks! Don't trust Wikipedia.
Allie Long has more goals than I would have guessed and Morgan Weaver has fewer. Shows what I know.
Also, I've been wondering for a while if Smith will catch Sinclair, which will depend on how long she plays here. Hopefully that's a long time!
As I recall (and being too lazy at the moment to just search her seasonal stats), Allie was scoring in bunches particularly during that period when she was trying to catch on w/ the nats.
I'm also delighted to note that Soph and Morgan combined are one goal behind Sinc; delighted because I have a hunch they would both be amused at that.
I think she had 10 goals in 2015 and 5 goals in 2016, but don't quote me. JMac had 11 goals here in her single season as a Thorn too.
So Kerolin to City and Chelsea is supposedly targeting Girma.
Crickets here, but hoping for a good signing or two
Here's the full interview/video with Agoos. Says all the things you wanna hear...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75dHbRwd1UQ
I want to like him and when I read his answers, I feel better than when I listen to him say the exact same thing. To me, it’s a red flag when someone comes across this practiced and rehearsed. Hope I am wrong. He could just be eloquent, but something seems a tad bit disingenuous. Maybe he reminds me of someone I had a negative experience with and it’s just me
I’m cautiously optimistic and anything is better than KK who was came across poorly
Really? Hmmm. I generally have a pretty good bullshit detector and am usually pretty skeptical until proven otherwise...and I don't really get that with him (yet.) He is polished and says things we want to hear, but I'm inclined to believe he'll try to better this roster until he proves otherwise.
Just out of the gate, though, I can say that even just having someone who can say the right things is refreshing. After years of KK, Norris, and Gale...it's nice to honestly just have someone who sounds like a professional and like they might have a plan. Never felt a whiff of competency any time I listened to any of those 3 speak tbh, and Agoos at least *sounds* competent. He literally just got into the job, though...let's let him cook a bit. It's not his fault the FO/owners hired him as preseason was upon us all...
My real qualm is more with his lack of experience/connections on the women's side. But maybe he watches a ton of women's sports, who knows? Either way, it's why he came with data people.
Like I said, it could be me but my BS detector is going of a tad bit.
Being smart and having good communication skills is a difference maker if it is combined with work ethic and empathy.
My feel is they hired him in December and announced him in January.
Feeling the same- the interviewer's last question was the "oh you haven't mentioned Clive Charles yet" prompt. Two interviews so far, and it's like they're aiming for a sweet spot audience of people who are fan enough to care who the GM is, but too casual to care what a GM does.
I kinda get the nostalgia for the "team culture" of the Parsons period. But Parsons chose to take the Netherlands gig, and I don't see how that culture could have remained unchanged in place without him.
Had Wilkinson and Norris not augered in over successive seasons one or the other might have created their own...but no. The turnover made continuity almost impossible, so I think the idea that the club actively trashed Parsons' legacy (which is how it came across) is a trifle harsh.
Other than that...yeah, CB, RW/FW...definitely needs.
Okay, all of us stans are jonesing for Thorns news, but there are plenty of reasons why we might not have heard anything yet.
1. As kielbj pointed out, the transfer window in Europe is open until the end of the month.
2. That might not even matter much, since players can transfer OUT of teams anytime; it's only incoming player registrations that are subject to a league's window. IIRC the NWSL window extends beyond the start of the season.
3. If we sign a Europe-based player who wants to keep playing there until, say, a month before our season, it WOULDN'T be announced, to avoid spoiling her relations with her current team.
4. The Thorns might well want to wait until just before the season to announce major signings, as a means of drumming up interest at a time when it matters to casual fans who might then decide to buy tickets. For all we know, the Thorns have acquired Girma, Banda, and Bonmatí, and just haven't said so.
5. Agoos is new so it's expected that he'll take some time to spin up. Fingers crossed that he's good at his GMing; we don't have any evidence one way or the other yet.
6. There are still plenty of free agents and foreign players, some quite good, who we can potentially sign.
7. Although it's unsettling to see other teams stocking up while the Thorns are mostly silent, we do have two international slots and should have a decent amount of cap space to spend. I can wait to see what Agoos will do with those.
[...ok no we haven't signed any of Girma, Banda, or Bonmatí....]
It's not just that the Euro window is still open until the end of the month, it's that the *NWSL* transfer window doesn't actually even OPEN until January 28th. In other words, the ITC for any players transferred into the league cannot be finalized until then. That's why I pointed out that there have been very few actual announced transfers from Euro teams (Dufour, Kennedy, Koyama, and MacIver). So, it makes sense that deals that are in progress will not be announced until the ITC can actually be finalized and the player can join their team.
But yeah, the biggest thing is that Agoos and Co have only been on the job for two weeks. Transfers take time. I would bet there will be adds before the season (and he's said as much both times we've heard him speak), but they might very well come later than impatient fans want.
From the interview Agoos mentioned that they are in the middle of roster planning. It made me think maybe we don’t get “big moves” maybe until Summer.
Alanna Kennedy to ACFC, for whoever was terrified she’d end up here
I was terrified, if for no other reason than because I can’t tell her apart from Macca
Peak Alanna? Magic 8 Ball says "yes."
https://youtu.be/gAOyJRZbjVw?si=4Xaat8NZIFJN-a8Q
Didn't realize Kennedy is a journeywoman. She's been with 10 different clubs, or 13 if you count her 4 stints at Sydney FC separately.
I suspect this happens a lot for top-level Aussies, since they come up through Aussie clubs and then move back and forth between Europe, North America, and Australia. Raso, as another example, has been with 9 (or 11) clubs.
Look another team making moves while the thorns are MIA. I think the courage had a good offseason considering they lost Kerolin. https://x.com/JeffKassouf/status/1881469977846534599
Gentle reminder that all "MIA" means in this case is that you and I, random fans on the internet, aren't privy to Thorns scouting and transfer info under a barely two week old regime.
It would be nice to see some activity. They need a forward, centerback, and goalie. Do I believe they won’t fill it? Not at all. I believe they will. Sounds a lot like last year with FB when we took care of things really late.
Curious to see what Fleming looks like in year 2.
The actual transfer window for players coming into the NWSL doesn't even technically open until the 28th of January, so that is another pretty good explanation for why most teams have been relatively quiet.
My assumption you will some roster announcements closer to the start of preseason
The courage have spent the money that would have gone to Kerolin wisely
Shaw- 450,000 Shinomi Koyama- 225,000. They are a small market but they are spending to improve their squad
On social media Macca said she’s flying back to Portland on Monday so preseason must start soon.
Last season the Thorns opened camp a month before the first preseason game in Coachella. This season that match is 2/16/25, so...this week? I wouldn't be shocked.
*Yaaawwnnn* did we sign Girma yet?
Sounds like Girma doesn’t want out so much as she wants to go TO, Europe generally and the WSL specifically. I hope we at least bid…but the Magic 8-Ball says “reply hazy”…
I don’t think we get Girma knowing our recruiting lately. Maybe like Alanna Kennedy or someone else. They do have international spots
Nicole Barnhart retired after this past season and now joins the Spirit technical staff as an assistant GK coach. Pretty cool. Would be awesome if we could give that assistant coach position that we have available to Becky! If she wanted it, of course. Just think she'd be an amazing add for any team because of the culture she would create.
https://x.com/WashSpirit/status/1880270901016748313
Always hard to know how good a coach a good player will be. Barnie was a solid keeper. As a coach? Could be peaches…
Same with Sauerbrunn. Fine player, and I think we’d be nuts not to offer her a job…but where? I’d suggest she starts at the Academy. From there, if she does well, then to an AC gig w the senior team. Who knows…maybe she’s the gaffer here five years from now.
And that’s how we sign Girma
Prediction: Agoos is motivated to notch a big early win, and figures out a way to sign Girma. But it will mean making some sacrifices.
If he does that I would be very impressed. I just don’t think he knows the know how about how to go about it. Plus the caps really screw with nwsl teams. The 500k limit basically helps other leagues more than it helps the nwsl
One would think he would be motivated to make a big signing. In truth, I'm betting he was brought in to play "money ball" rather than Pep Ball. Thus the analytics folks. I foresee a bunch of "value" picks are coming our way rather than big names. Less fun for us.
“Analytics = cheap” hasn’t been an accurate way to describe the role data plays in sports since, well, the Billy Beane A’s.
All analytics means is that the club is using data to evaluate players and their fit in the ecosystem. If that data suggests leads that a big money player is the best fit, that’s what it suggests. Just look at the signings Bay made last summer.
I think another aspect of the "Billy Beane's A's" thing is that is that baseball is 1) more "structured" than soccer in terms of play (so the stats are more useful as predictive measures because they reflect individual play better), and 2) has a deep historic well of metric analyses - James/SABR goes back to the Seventies - that can help predict a player's ability to, say, step up from AA or AAA to the Show.
Not perfect, obviously. But I suspect it's a LOT more difficult to, say, look at a youngish centerback playing for a lower division side in Portugal and infer her ability to succeed here or in the FBL, say. The context differences are murder; one of the reasons the big EU clubs try and bring young players in through their academy systems is to give apples-to-apples measures of evaluation.
I'm glad the Thorns finally have some data analysts. But I'm not expecting crazy awesome moneyball signings. I don't think soccer can work that way. But every little edge DOES help...