Nothing that has happened so far in the offseason screams "mess" to me. In fact, I think it's mostly encouraging! The owners seem to be willing to clean house on and off the field, the majority of our starters will be back, and we've got at least one good signing in our highest positional need (In fact, probably the best offseason signing in the league so far). Dropping Izzy, who many teams would be happy to have, demonstrates we're not desperate, and likely have some A-tier options on the table.
I agree with the more pessimistic among us that it would be *nice* to know who the new GM is. It would be *nice* to hear that Gale is officially out. It would be *nice* to hear training facility news. But remember, they're trying to build a team and run a business, not satisfy 7 anonymous forum posters. There are all sorts of reasons these announcements haven't been made, and it doesn't really worry me until I'm shown a concrete reason to be worried.
Furthermore, the whole Reddit whistleblower scandal that happened toward the end of last season has proven to be mostly untrue: Soph did play Thorns minutes again, Gale was not quietly ghosted (even if he should have been, the rumor was wrong), KK was moved to a more appropriate position, and Linnehan, well, I guess we don't know if she's a locker room distraction, but she scored some good goals and the players looked happy for her.
So yeah, I'm actually feeling pretty good! (Please, universe, don't let this be an invitation to prove me wrong.)
This was always going to be a transition here - first year after Sinclair, new GM. While I wish they already had a GM in place, given that it's now mid-December, I'd rather they make sure not to rush the process and get it right.
Also, last year the players were hugely enthusiastic with the new ownership, then initially with Gale replacing Norris, and yet most of the year they played flat, disorganized soccer. Lots of reasons for that, of course, but it also says to me that this group easily finds itself on an emotional rollercoaster, even when it had several level-headed vets like Sinc, Bruun, and Kling in the locker room.
Personally, I'd like to see a return to brand identity - PORTLAND THORNS FC - and if not exactly more traditional then at least there's no question who you're looking at as soon as you turn on the TV.
I don't mind the idea of having a novel third kit each year -- and with the various shades of roses there are LOTS of ways you can go with that -- but please make the home and away kits more consistent in color scheme and unmistakably PORTLAND THORNS FC.
Give me the COVID era black jerseys in red for the home jerseys. The black and lighter black worked really well and is still my favorite jersey to date
My buddy is a designer for Air Max, and he's optimistic that with the change in leadership at Nike, we'll see some better designs across the board. There are so many amazing things that can be done with the themes of roses, thorns, and reds, blacks and greens. There's no excuse to not have the best kit in the league every single season.
I felt like the color scheme would've been fine for another team, but it really didn't resonate as a Portland shade of red to me, way too neon/pink. But I'm also the complete sicko who loved the beige tattoo design from the year before which I know to be a controversial take, so take that as you will.
I loved the tattoo design, and I have a suspicion that there was a dark version of that kicking around to be launched the following year but some of the noisier fan reaction led them to bin it. (I have no evidence of this other than my own imagination where that idea lived a rich and satisfying life.)
It's time for a RED primary (sorry, whatever the hell salmonid-color Doritos is is only red-adjacent...). I'd love to see the 2015 primary again (this thing - https://i0.wp.com/rivetingpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sinead.jpg?w=576&ssl=1) both because I love everything about it, the screened thorn-rings, the thorn-ring side stripe in white, the full color original badge...it's a terrific jersey, and it'd sell because you can't find it anywhere anymore. And, well, it's RED.
Jerseys with COLLARS? Just no! Collars are for going to restaurants, not for playing a game of footy. THIS is the world's best jersey, for the world's best team:
Oh dear nonono! Collared jerseys are awesome. Most of the retro kits from the 70s/80s/90s were collared! If they ever produced a collared Thorns kit I'd buy it on the spot regardless of what it looked like.
Oh yeah! Coffey with a collar, shirt tucked in, shorts the length you used to see on Soccer Made in Germany, socks pulled up just below the knees? Absolutely. She's OLD SCHOOL!
Points for the Soccer Made in Germany reference-I spent many a Saturday afternoon glued to the set when I was in HS, although I should admit I was less interested in the matches than I was in whatever glorious bits of sarcasm might come from Toby Charles or Alan Fountain, my permanent gold standards for bitingly hilarious football broadcasting.
I can imagine Sam fitting in there too (although I'm sure she'd politely dissent if she felt the guys were being needlessly cruel).
Somebody should have tried harder to get Burgrito's to sponsor them. It's the most disgustingly beautiful/beautifully disgusting fast food I've ever seen.
But first they have to wait for the influencers to decide what the hot colors are going to be this year. (Actually, of course, the influencers decided that in 2021 - it just takes 4 years for them to produce the kits.) My guess is Dusky Rose with Neon Lime accents. Or the other way around.
Here, here! The Swoosh drones need to stick to the colors found in the spectacular original rendering of the team's crest; I agree that anything different (introducing a rosy yellow, for instance) should and must be limited to an alternate 3rd kit.
I remember saying when last year's editions were introduced that they were as curiously off-putting as Phil's ridiculous hairstyles; so, Nike, let's keep it simple and get it right this year. Maybe consult some of the Riveters: heaven knows they've got better taste than whomever they're hiring at the Beaverton campus.
Oh, I suppose I had neglected to consider that dreadful possibility.
Here's my desperate suggestion for a compromise: keep the basic design (if they must) but change all the coloring to those blacks, reds, greens and whites from the original crest (I'll reiterate that MP's all red restyle was and is a dreadfully banal insult to the original).
Or else just eat a great big bowl of Fuck You, Nike.
Asked a Brazilian Thorns fan why she was bad and she said "She's slow and doesn't know how to defend properly", so sounds like we got our Hubly replacement lol
I know the thorns are a mess but did the thorns just forget to announce they signed Bella again? She was out of contract. Also, if the thorns don’t re-sign Becky it’s going to be a failure from this club. Becky is the type of person you want in this club as a player and post playing. Not being able to re-sign her will tell us what a mess the FO truly is. I hope they do the right thing .
I think we are having a tough time adjusting to the new free agent era of the NWSL.
I suspect 'Brunn and Bixby are good prospects for returning. But why should they rush into a new contract here? They're professionals, they SHOULD be looking around for the best offers. Especially Bixby given the logjam at keeper.
So I'm not convinced this is "the Thorns are a mess". Could be, sure. But it could be free agent athletes doing the due diligence they should be doing, looking for offers before rushing back to their present club. Let's see how this plays out, and it might take a bit to play out..!
Bixby must have been signed already and they just forgot to announce it. They have her under contract next year even though her contract definitely ends this season. I guess mess is a bit harsh but they need some better organization in the front office. Clear communication and direction would be nice.
There are other possible explanations besides incompetence; if they expect her to be here next year, it makes sense to include her on the roster even if the contract hasn't actually been signed. We don't need to know (and shouldn't know) every step of negotiations. (Linnehan is also listed, though I haven't seen any signing announcement for her.)
I thought they were just supposed to list the people under contract. I didn’t know you could list people without one tbh. Like Orlando didn’t list Marta and she’s out of contract but they are negotiating with her. Payton signed a two year contract this year so she still has a contract next season. Not incompetence maybe just unclear communication.
They didn't list Sauerbrunn either, and I hope they're negotiating with her. Anyway, I don't *know* anything, just trying to make sense of the crumbs we get.
The other possibility is that this IS their announcement; the re-signings of Bixby and Linnehan may have been done this week, and rather than do a stand-alone post for them their names are on the contract post list.
FWIW, the Peregrine FO was notoriously bad at getting news, especially signing news, out. It took a loooooong time to set up the separate Thorns website, so it's possible that the PR team is likewise slow in getting up to speed.
I have my own suspicions about RAJ, but this isn't a big red flag for me.
Definitely not a big red flag for me either. Just wish communication was better. I suspect it might be due to lack of staff or something . It’s fixable. Getting a new GM should definitely help organize things more .
No. Per FBRef her technical-keeping metrics are better than Hogan's. Her decision-making, though...let's just say I'm not convinced.
My guess is that she's kind of a mid-level-grade NWSL keeper. We're not talking Haught or Berger here.
If fact I'd call any of the three NWSL-starting-grade. Franch is still there, Lund is still there, so that;s not a super high bar. But GOOD starting grade? Enh...assumes facts not in evidence. I'd like to see much better from any or all of them if the club wants one as next season's keeper...
This season we saw Hogan cross a ball from the side of the box directly to an opposing forward in front of her own goal. Two years ago, Bixby walked into her own net holding the ball.
If Arnold has something WORSE up her sleeve as far as decision-making is concerned? Not gonna lie, that'd be fascinating to see at this point.
Feel bad for D'Aquila. Think more than most she's been a victim of the constant change and quite frankly lack of quality from the technical staff. Playing her wide has been a complete nonsense.
I had real hopes for her; she looked promising in her first preseason here. But with Smith at the top her choices were poor; either very limited minutes as a sub for Smith or develop a winger's skillset under a coaching staff whose "player development" line of credit is...thin to say the least. Kind of a perfect "set up to fail".
I do also....she sure worked hard. But she is very clearly an old-school 9. Putting a rookie 9 constantly on the wing didn't work, just as putting Alex Morgan or Ashley Hatch on the wing doesn't/wouldn't work either. Add in some horrendous coaching, and she was set up to fail.
Poor girl couldn't hit water if she fell out of a boat, though.
There's not much use for an old school 9 around the NWSL, is there? I mean, yeah, Izzy was pressing on each of those sitters that she fluffed, and a good old school 9 pots those. There just aren't may of them anymore. Am I right about that?
She was a walking turnover. Run after run killed by the wrong decision way too many times to count. Part of that is on the coaching staff that tried to make her into something she is not.
Reading some of the replies/reposts to this signing and it doesn't feel great.
Upon translating, it appears folks are saying: she's the "worst Brazilian player ever", our scout sucks, "same as Arnold", and folks who cover her current team and the fans of Flamengo are happy to see her go, "Ty Portland."
Lol, well I'm not excited for possible competition for the worst Brazilian. Just like, who is making these signings to rebuild the defense? Should be a new GM.
I think my issue is less about what people have to say about her and more that:
- She's probably not good enough to replace Becky or Obaze.
- If she's not good enough to start, then they used one of the two remaining international spots on a 27 year old depth piece to fill the Kelli Hubly spot.
Well I don't know anything about her, so Flamengo/Brazilian fans are instructive here. But yes, that's what I just said down below....why use one of the last 2 int'l spots on MORE depth CB's? All we have is depth! This feels like more of the same Karina moves (or our scout sucks.)
Yep, this is my problem too. International slots are a resource! so is the money we used to buy her instead of either a) bringing back Hubly b) signing a free agent - Tatumn Milazzo, Elizabeth Ball are both available for example
The Current just dropped Ballisager also. If we're gonna drop an int'l spot, why not for the one who plays next to Isa Obaze for Denmark? Or yeah, there are a few top CB's out of college. Reale, Gilchrist....
Brazilian twitter is known across woso to be VERY harsh but this also seems like a Dias level signing. Adding depth from the international market because it's easier than signing someone here.
On one hand, I'm glad they're being active, especially defensively. On the other, who the hell is in charge here? Has there has been an unannounced GM hire made and they're working behind the scenes? Or is KK being allowed to spend money, fill international spots, and attempt to fix the defense? OR, is Norris, Gale, and the scouting team working without KK involved at all since she has a new position? Obviously Gale is still coach and will get the pull quote until he isn't, but I'm also not going to act like I'm not a little concerned that the old regime is the one building out our defense, especially since the two CB adds are what I would consider primarily depth signings.
Also, it seems relatively clear that at least one of the three CBs from last year won't be here next year and the FO knows that. Let's hope it's the right one.
these are all questions that should be asked of the team, theoretically at an end of season press conference that they said they would have and then just never...had
BTW, Phuoc and Melina are producing a fair amount of content for the rebooted All for XI. So, we know that they're paying attention to what's going on in the world of WoSo.
The problem being that if a question falls in a forest and is ignored by the club, it can't make a sound. Unless/until one of the journos comes forward with news that they tried and failed to get a response we don't even know that. It's just a black hole at this point...
Which, and no offense meant to our crew here, is exactly what SHOULD be happening. The Thorns were supposed to have an end of year presser and simply never did. A "we tried and failed to get a response" wouldn't give us anything, but it would still be nice to hear.
This is the thing. I accept there are not a lot of rabid local journalists covering the Thorns, but the team currently treats that like a *feature*, not as bug. It's as if they're relieved that there is no scrutiny. If the Bhahals truly want the Thorns to be the best club in the world -- or at least perceived as in that conversation -- then reveling in mute anonymity is a strange way to go about that. Forget from a soccer standpoint... even if they know nothing about what makes a strong team, I would have guessed they had at least some nous about building the brand, building buzz, creating conversation. This silence is all so very very NWSL 1.0
Agreed. I know that there's a big world of WoSo and not much going on here in the Rose City, but all the content they're generating is over on All for XI, which of course is an SB Nation site, and a free site, on which NO ONE COMMENTS. Talk about a tree falling in the forest...
I agree...with the caveat that doing that is kind of hardball; the Bhathals might well treat that journo as an opponent and cut off any hope of access, and "access" has become the Grail of sports journalism.
Plus it'd require someone covering the "Thorns beat" who'd be willing to go out on that limb AND who'd be likely to have the throw-weight to provoke a response. I love our fan-journalists, but I'm not sure if the club doesn't feel like they can ignore the non-dead-tree-legacy media with impunity.
Given Phuoc's hint of a GM announcement "soon" I'm hoping there is an unannounced new GM in place already, and that Daiane is part of a plan. But hope is all I've got at this point, and unless she's been injured long term Daiane doesn't look exactly like the starting CB we're all wishing for.
It would certainly be nice to know from a process perspective, but --while I won't pretend to know anything about her-- a 27 year old non-international who wasn't able to hack it at the big clubs doesn't necessarily fill me with a ton of optimism regardless of who is making the signings, especially if she's coming to replace either Becky or Obaze.
So really I should be hoping this is a parting gift from LeBlanc and that the new GM will be better than this signing suggests. I really don't know what to make of this signing. Aside from Hiatt we haven't had any clearly good news for a couple of months, and I'm ready for some.
I think it's a pretty boring signing that people are getting worked up about because we're short on news. Use of the international slot for depth isn't great, but it's not a total disaster either......but this allows us all to express our frustrations with the process.
If I had to guess it'd be that it's some mixture of LeBlanc, Mike Smith, Mike Norris(?), Carlos Martinez-Gloria(?), and/or Liz Lagasse mixed in with the technical staff.
I also agree that the slow GM (and, hopefully, HC) hires are a bit nerve-wracking.
I'm pretty sure KK is still acting GM until the new year. She made a post a day or two ago about "her time as GM winding down in the next few weeks", so my assumption is that she IS still making GM decisions (which is frustrating as hell.)
I guess I'd prefer that to the alternative (an amalgam of the people she's hired), but definitely not ideal. I like the Hiatt move a lot and agree with most of the roster decisions so I can't complain too much, but I don't like the idea that she's the one working with Becky/Hubly/Kling on contracts or deciding to spend international spots on C+ CBs.
It also means that the wording in the press release when she got canned was just straight up misleading at best.
Better than the American calendar system which has you guys in 1952.
Honestly aren’t you sick of making the “ha ha Canada jokes”? Leblanc received the Order of Canada, one of the highest honours a Canadian can get. And instead you are just making jokes about her being knighted/king. Christ man, I get you have some weird hate for Canada and think it’s cool to make jokes but it’s coming across like Trump calling Canada the 51st state.
Nope. I will never tire of a good Canadian joke, and I will never stop joking about Canadian Tire.
I can't tell who you're targeting, because you lumped together a couple of comments here, mine and another one I didn't make, but you seemed to take offense at my joke about Canada's use of the metric system.
As for your assumption that any joke I make is somehow based in Canadian hate, you couldn't possibly be more wrong about me, and you might want to think hard about what you're assuming and why.
I've told the story here on these boards that my working experience in Canada goes back three decades. I have longtime relationships with colleagues and friends in government (including diplomacy), the public sector, and INGOs.
I can't tell you how many of them reached out to me after the election, fully jokingly but also making political comment, offering to support my asylum case. They regularly give me shit about all things American, and it's all in fun. They also like talking to me about what's going on south of the border.
Then again, one thing that I think speaks very highly of Canada and Canadians is the disproportionately high number of outstanding Canadian comedians and comedic actors. Y'all have a strong track record of having a deep appreciation for humor.
I've also spent some of the most important, indeed formative, time of my life north of the border. For me, it's second home. That's all I will say on that.
The only thing that pisses me off about Canada is that the nearest Tim Horton's is several hours away from Portland.
Could’ve been in the works longer, KK doing whatever and the deal was just finalized/confirmed and announced now, but who knows, these days it’s all just reading tea leaves to figure it out
The wording in the release was that she was out at the end of the season and would be transitioning into a new role. So, unless “end of the season” actually means “end of the calendar year,” she shouldn’t have the job anymore.
The opportunity: A talented roster that under-performed over the past two seasons, including one of the best forwards in the game right now. Whoever steps into the GM role has some major decisions to make around the entire defensive unit...Let’s not forget that the Thorns WERE the standard in the league and, largely, globally when they exploded onto the scene in 2013. The right hire can bring back the glory days and leave a legacy.
The challenges: Portland has been in a state of flux in recent years, including an ownership change ahead of the 2024 season. The trend of internal promotions for head coaches in recent years might give pause...What if the best possible hire has radical ideas about how to overhaul the team to sustain winning in the long-term?
Editorial comment by me: Yeah. Like Jeff said. I'm looking for radical overhaul. If any team set the (foolish) standard for internal promotions it's the Thorns.
It depends on how much he's learned from his missteps at Washington and Netherlands. And for GM, what kind of relations he has with counterparts around the league and the world. He's untested as a GM. As a coach, he would be an upgrade over Gale and Norris, but whether he would be enough of an upgrade - I'm a little dubious.
Just to pull one name out of a hat; Ralf Kellerman from Wolfsburg. Success in a free-agent league in Europe, experience competing successfully for players for a top club in a top-tier league.
I wouldn't hate on Parsons. But his successes came 1) in NWSL 1.0, 2) after a monster 2015-16 offseason where he had GW to work with. I'm unconvinced that he's the slam-dunk lots of folks here think, especially after the problems with Washington and the Netherlands.
I'll give him some credit for 2021 too, though he was double-dipping with the Oranje. Thorns were arguably the best club in the world that year and reached mid-September at 12-2-4. But, they started sputtering September and were completely out of gas by season's end. Emotionally drained by the Riley scandal coming to light, without Horan and Dunn by the end, what Bixby was going through, etc. But Parsons and Gavin put that team together, and it was a very good one. Not as much depth of quality, perhaps as the 2016-2018 group, but awfully good. So, let's give him that too.
More or less the same team won the 2022 championship too. Winning playoffs isn't as good an indication of team quality as winning the Shield, as we did in 2021, but it's not nothing.
...centerback Daiane through the 2026 season via transfer from Flamengo for an undisclosed transfer fee, pending the receipt of her P-1 visa, International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and completion of entry physical.”
"Completion of entry physical" doing some heavy lifting here.
Hope more rigorous than "Thorns team physician Dr. Nick declares Daiane to be 'A-okay like you can't even believe, trust me.'"
I hadn't seen the list until I saw the link in the Guardian article. I've been sick for a few days. I've been slowly working my way back into form, first posting about kits, then working up to puns and dad jokes. I'm almost all the way back to bitching about roster construction and the lack of a GM. We thank you for your patience.
FIFPRO World 11 is a player-voted list. A little over half the member organizations are European and the votes are basically a Euro-centric combination of recent(ish) reputation check and popularity contest. Meaningless.
I am sure Becky and Kling will be back, Press isn't even officially back with ACFC and we all know she's not going anywhere. Let's just hope we get a competent GM who will fire Gale and get a coach who knows what they are doing. We need forwards if we want to keep Smith and Coffey around.
And I know this board has a dislike of Canadians but I do think going after Jade Rose could be good move for defense. She's already holding her own for Canada against some top 10 teams.
I think this board has a lingering reaction to the blatant pro-Canadian bias of 2-3 years ago. Hopefully we'll recover as that era (hopefully) recedes.
I don't think anyone here would complain about bringing *any* good players in....Canadian or not. I think most of the ire has been at the mostly Canadian FO folks, who have been super inept.
In any case, I'd love to take Jade Rose, Olivia Smith, or Alidou!
Buchanan could be a possibility, atm she's out with an ACL but her contract with Chelsea is up soon. Thorns could try to sway her to the NWSL but I am sure it would take a ton of money and a ton of convincing.
Olivia Smith is still a bit too green for my liking, she's not consistent enough for what we need. Give her a few years and she will make a great partner for Sophia Smith.
It would be great to have Olivia Smith and (Sophia) Olivia Smith on our front line. We have Olivia Moultrie and Olivia Wade-Katoa, too, and maybe we should go after Olivia Thomas from UNC.
I think we need to be looking at players to develop - and then actually develop them.
Yeah, that would def be incumbent upon the FO to find a coach known for developing young talent. Can't just get a bunch of youngs and then add a Mike Norris/Rob Gale and expect miracles. In fact, I'd say they've been terrible for the development of young players like Liv and D'Aquila.
Yep def don't disagree. They need to splash for that RW spot. Soph def needs to carry less of the goal-scoring burden. It would also allow her to not be double or triple teamed so likely she'd not be getting fouled as constantly.
I personally think we also need a starting 10 bc I don't think Moutrie is there. That would also help with goal-scoring. We can't have just kids + Soph in every attacking position.
It's time for a Thorns pep talk!
Nothing that has happened so far in the offseason screams "mess" to me. In fact, I think it's mostly encouraging! The owners seem to be willing to clean house on and off the field, the majority of our starters will be back, and we've got at least one good signing in our highest positional need (In fact, probably the best offseason signing in the league so far). Dropping Izzy, who many teams would be happy to have, demonstrates we're not desperate, and likely have some A-tier options on the table.
I agree with the more pessimistic among us that it would be *nice* to know who the new GM is. It would be *nice* to hear that Gale is officially out. It would be *nice* to hear training facility news. But remember, they're trying to build a team and run a business, not satisfy 7 anonymous forum posters. There are all sorts of reasons these announcements haven't been made, and it doesn't really worry me until I'm shown a concrete reason to be worried.
Furthermore, the whole Reddit whistleblower scandal that happened toward the end of last season has proven to be mostly untrue: Soph did play Thorns minutes again, Gale was not quietly ghosted (even if he should have been, the rumor was wrong), KK was moved to a more appropriate position, and Linnehan, well, I guess we don't know if she's a locker room distraction, but she scored some good goals and the players looked happy for her.
So yeah, I'm actually feeling pretty good! (Please, universe, don't let this be an invitation to prove me wrong.)
This was always going to be a transition here - first year after Sinclair, new GM. While I wish they already had a GM in place, given that it's now mid-December, I'd rather they make sure not to rush the process and get it right.
Also, last year the players were hugely enthusiastic with the new ownership, then initially with Gale replacing Norris, and yet most of the year they played flat, disorganized soccer. Lots of reasons for that, of course, but it also says to me that this group easily finds itself on an emotional rollercoaster, even when it had several level-headed vets like Sinc, Bruun, and Kling in the locker room.
It's also worth noting that they've always been clear that KK would be GM until January.
And she'll be GM if they don't sign someone after too..
Umm... "There are dozens of us! Dozens!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKie-vgUGdI
Nothing else to talk about, so let's talk kits!
Personally, I'd like to see a return to brand identity - PORTLAND THORNS FC - and if not exactly more traditional then at least there's no question who you're looking at as soon as you turn on the TV.
I don't mind the idea of having a novel third kit each year -- and with the various shades of roses there are LOTS of ways you can go with that -- but please make the home and away kits more consistent in color scheme and unmistakably PORTLAND THORNS FC.
Give me the COVID era black jerseys in red for the home jerseys. The black and lighter black worked really well and is still my favorite jersey to date
That would be awesome. The "black rose" shirts were possibly my favorite footy kit ever.
And because of the effect of COVID (hello, Fall Series!), we didn't really get the full run of those kits, did we?
I bought one on like Fanatics or something for like $15 earlier this year. They definitely didn't sell out.
My buddy is a designer for Air Max, and he's optimistic that with the change in leadership at Nike, we'll see some better designs across the board. There are so many amazing things that can be done with the themes of roses, thorns, and reds, blacks and greens. There's no excuse to not have the best kit in the league every single season.
Here's an example: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1069728310/skulls-and-roses-button-up-shirt?gpla=1&gao=1&
Here's an idea to scare the shit out of opponents.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1731624487/vintage-style-skulls-and-roses-button-up
It's like Thorns meet Motorhead!
Or the Grateful Dead.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grateful_Dead_(album)
MotorDead!
I'd love to see some team or some player somewhere adopt this as their walkout music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mbvWn1EY6g
Butthead: "Lemmy rules!"
Beavis: "How come Lemmy has those two big Cocoa Puffs stuck to his cheek?"
https://youtu.be/i_LAgtrST0g?t=19
Rest in peace, you king!
https://www.themirror.com/entertainment/rock-legends-ashes-scattered-favorite-829490
Double up or quit, double stake or split...
Last year's home kit was horrible!
Don't like Doritos? I was OK with the color scheme just not the design.
I felt like the color scheme would've been fine for another team, but it really didn't resonate as a Portland shade of red to me, way too neon/pink. But I'm also the complete sicko who loved the beige tattoo design from the year before which I know to be a controversial take, so take that as you will.
I loved the tattoo design, and I have a suspicion that there was a dark version of that kicking around to be launched the following year but some of the noisier fan reaction led them to bin it. (I have no evidence of this other than my own imagination where that idea lived a rich and satisfying life.)
There was a kind of "tl:dr" black version in the merch store. I think it was a t-shirt or a warmup top. Here it is: https://ptfcauthentics.com/cdn/shop/files/www.imagehandler_2b32cb10-19da-4a36-8584-01eb77d6bf09_2048x.webp?v=1689114764
I liked it better than the actual jersey, FWIW...
Warm-up kit...
I would have loved a dark version of that kit, say on Thorns Black. Bring it on!
It's time for a RED primary (sorry, whatever the hell salmonid-color Doritos is is only red-adjacent...). I'd love to see the 2015 primary again (this thing - https://i0.wp.com/rivetingpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sinead.jpg?w=576&ssl=1) both because I love everything about it, the screened thorn-rings, the thorn-ring side stripe in white, the full color original badge...it's a terrific jersey, and it'd sell because you can't find it anywhere anymore. And, well, it's RED.
That was a great jersey... still pissed I didn't buy it.
This is the world's best jersey. Fight me.
https://diaza.com/cdn/shop/files/home-sponser-4_7c65eaa3-bf87-4243-9b1e-1dc4b563188c_900x.png?v=1729155018
Jerseys with COLLARS? Just no! Collars are for going to restaurants, not for playing a game of footy. THIS is the world's best jersey, for the world's best team:
https://stefanssoccer.com/products/nike-portland-thorns-2020-womens-home-jersey
Oh dear nonono! Collared jerseys are awesome. Most of the retro kits from the 70s/80s/90s were collared! If they ever produced a collared Thorns kit I'd buy it on the spot regardless of what it looked like.
(This is still the best Timbers kit ever https://www.footballkitarchive.com/portland-timbers-2015-third-kit/)
> Jerseys with COLLARS? Just no!
Sam Coffey would rock it!
Agreed, the 2020-21 home and away kits where fire!
Oh yeah! Coffey with a collar, shirt tucked in, shorts the length you used to see on Soccer Made in Germany, socks pulled up just below the knees? Absolutely. She's OLD SCHOOL!
Points for the Soccer Made in Germany reference-I spent many a Saturday afternoon glued to the set when I was in HS, although I should admit I was less interested in the matches than I was in whatever glorious bits of sarcasm might come from Toby Charles or Alan Fountain, my permanent gold standards for bitingly hilarious football broadcasting.
I can imagine Sam fitting in there too (although I'm sure she'd politely dissent if she felt the guys were being needlessly cruel).
Not only is USL SL Brooklyn in first place, their jerseys say "Liquid Death"!
Perhaps the most Brooklyn thing possible.
Guessing Jersey Mike's was never a contender as sponsor.
Watched some Mexican soccer league while at lunch today and BIMBO featured prominently. Some things translate better than others.
Only seems fair that if the guys have BIMBO on their kits that the gals should have HIMBO on theirs.
Somebody should have tried harder to get Burgrito's to sponsor them. It's the most disgustingly beautiful/beautifully disgusting fast food I've ever seen.
https://www.facebook.com/burgritos/
https://www.instagram.com/burgritos/?hl=en
Probably my favorite kit EVER. I can't think of anything offhand that I like more.
Sorry, but this is the best kit I've ever seen:
https://www.thekitman.co.uk/special-edition-xolos-2022-23-third-kit/
The presentation box! The carpet pattern from The Shining on the sleeves! The Taco Bell dog (ok, not really) ready to kill someone!
Mexico has had a bunch of epic kits...
'98? Banger!
https://i5.walmartimages.com/seo/Mexico-Retro-1998-Futbol-Jersey-WBC-Mexico-Jersey-Jersey-Mexico-Mexican-Soccer-Playeras-de-la-Selecci-n-Mexicana-1998_c7f73a6a-317b-4e55-8712-fe8b4372a695.d7158a95965bd4a4e94c2c330214f913.jpeg
'22? Banger!
https://store.fifa.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Flegends.broadleafcloud.com%2Fapi%2Fasset%2Fcontent%2FHE8847_2_APPAREL_Photography_Front%2520Center%2520View_white(2).jpg
It'd look okay in red with white pinstripes as a primary. But hard no on the floppy collars. This ain't polo, so no to polo shirts.
I could see us doing something classic like this:
https://store.acmilan.com/en-us/products/acm-125th-authentic-jersey-ls?variant=54854214123893&tw_source=google&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=21154513907&gad_source=1
I loved these when they were released. Contrary to what others seem to like here, I LOVE shirts with collars.
I think we can get you a job at Best Buy!
But first they have to wait for the influencers to decide what the hot colors are going to be this year. (Actually, of course, the influencers decided that in 2021 - it just takes 4 years for them to produce the kits.) My guess is Dusky Rose with Neon Lime accents. Or the other way around.
Here, here! The Swoosh drones need to stick to the colors found in the spectacular original rendering of the team's crest; I agree that anything different (introducing a rosy yellow, for instance) should and must be limited to an alternate 3rd kit.
I remember saying when last year's editions were introduced that they were as curiously off-putting as Phil's ridiculous hairstyles; so, Nike, let's keep it simple and get it right this year. Maybe consult some of the Riveters: heaven knows they've got better taste than whomever they're hiring at the Beaverton campus.
I hate to bring up....but don't we get that terrible kit for another season? Or at least one of them?
I seem to remember that they stagger the new home/away kits so I thought we'd have to keep one for another season. I'd much prefer a new home kit!
Oh, I suppose I had neglected to consider that dreadful possibility.
Here's my desperate suggestion for a compromise: keep the basic design (if they must) but change all the coloring to those blacks, reds, greens and whites from the original crest (I'll reiterate that MP's all red restyle was and is a dreadfully banal insult to the original).
Or else just eat a great big bowl of Fuck You, Nike.
Who knows... This year we got two kits.
Asked a Brazilian Thorns fan why she was bad and she said "She's slow and doesn't know how to defend properly", so sounds like we got our Hubly replacement lol
At least Kelli was available most games. Looked at fbref and Daiane has only played 24 games since 2022.
I know the thorns are a mess but did the thorns just forget to announce they signed Bella again? She was out of contract. Also, if the thorns don’t re-sign Becky it’s going to be a failure from this club. Becky is the type of person you want in this club as a player and post playing. Not being able to re-sign her will tell us what a mess the FO truly is. I hope they do the right thing .
Luckily her partner is here, so she is likely to stay
I think we are having a tough time adjusting to the new free agent era of the NWSL.
I suspect 'Brunn and Bixby are good prospects for returning. But why should they rush into a new contract here? They're professionals, they SHOULD be looking around for the best offers. Especially Bixby given the logjam at keeper.
So I'm not convinced this is "the Thorns are a mess". Could be, sure. But it could be free agent athletes doing the due diligence they should be doing, looking for offers before rushing back to their present club. Let's see how this plays out, and it might take a bit to play out..!
Bixby must have been signed already and they just forgot to announce it. They have her under contract next year even though her contract definitely ends this season. I guess mess is a bit harsh but they need some better organization in the front office. Clear communication and direction would be nice.
There are other possible explanations besides incompetence; if they expect her to be here next year, it makes sense to include her on the roster even if the contract hasn't actually been signed. We don't need to know (and shouldn't know) every step of negotiations. (Linnehan is also listed, though I haven't seen any signing announcement for her.)
I thought they were just supposed to list the people under contract. I didn’t know you could list people without one tbh. Like Orlando didn’t list Marta and she’s out of contract but they are negotiating with her. Payton signed a two year contract this year so she still has a contract next season. Not incompetence maybe just unclear communication.
They didn't list Sauerbrunn either, and I hope they're negotiating with her. Anyway, I don't *know* anything, just trying to make sense of the crumbs we get.
Me too, hoping we get good news soon.
The other possibility is that this IS their announcement; the re-signings of Bixby and Linnehan may have been done this week, and rather than do a stand-alone post for them their names are on the contract post list.
FWIW, the Peregrine FO was notoriously bad at getting news, especially signing news, out. It took a loooooong time to set up the separate Thorns website, so it's possible that the PR team is likewise slow in getting up to speed.
I have my own suspicions about RAJ, but this isn't a big red flag for me.
I was just under the assumption that a pregnancy year ends up being a one year extension.
Linnehan didn't need to be re-signed, she was already under contract for next year. It does sound like Bixby got an unannounced extensio, however.
Definitely not a big red flag for me either. Just wish communication was better. I suspect it might be due to lack of staff or something . It’s fixable. Getting a new GM should definitely help organize things more .
Kat Asman immediately signed by Orlando Pride.
When good teams who have a good process sign the players you discarded...
And... we still have three keepers who have been conditioned to expect to start though none of them are necessarily starting quality!
Is Macca worse for the thorns than she is for AUS? I haven’t watched them other against USWNT.
No. Per FBRef her technical-keeping metrics are better than Hogan's. Her decision-making, though...let's just say I'm not convinced.
My guess is that she's kind of a mid-level-grade NWSL keeper. We're not talking Haught or Berger here.
If fact I'd call any of the three NWSL-starting-grade. Franch is still there, Lund is still there, so that;s not a super high bar. But GOOD starting grade? Enh...assumes facts not in evidence. I'd like to see much better from any or all of them if the club wants one as next season's keeper...
This season we saw Hogan cross a ball from the side of the box directly to an opposing forward in front of her own goal. Two years ago, Bixby walked into her own net holding the ball.
If Arnold has something WORSE up her sleeve as far as decision-making is concerned? Not gonna lie, that'd be fascinating to see at this point.
The only thing we've yet to see is one of our keepers spin on her left heel and kick the ball straight into our netting.
Macca, you're up!
"Hold my beer, mate!"
Sadly she already has:
1) in her first start against BayFC she made a weirdly poor choice not to challenge for a cross that helped give Dahlkemper a free headed goal.
2) Came off her line clumsily and collided with Hubly to help Chicago ship the matchwinner,
3) Chose to try and catch Spencer’s hard cross instead of boxing away or turning over and failed, setting up the equalizer for ACFC.
I think her technical skills are okay, but I suspect her tactical judgment. Not worse than Hogan perhaps, but surely little if any better…
She got a clean sheet against Chinese Taipei! 6-0!
I've had TWO clean sheets against Chinese Taipei.
Kind of a bummer for Kozal. Tampa's close enough to Orlando for the Pride to get a good look at her and they... passed.
Feel bad for D'Aquila. Think more than most she's been a victim of the constant change and quite frankly lack of quality from the technical staff. Playing her wide has been a complete nonsense.
I had real hopes for her; she looked promising in her first preseason here. But with Smith at the top her choices were poor; either very limited minutes as a sub for Smith or develop a winger's skillset under a coaching staff whose "player development" line of credit is...thin to say the least. Kind of a perfect "set up to fail".
I do also....she sure worked hard. But she is very clearly an old-school 9. Putting a rookie 9 constantly on the wing didn't work, just as putting Alex Morgan or Ashley Hatch on the wing doesn't/wouldn't work either. Add in some horrendous coaching, and she was set up to fail.
Poor girl couldn't hit water if she fell out of a boat, though.
Yeah, the misuse of her at winger is on the technical staff, but her first touch and conversion rate are kinda on her. Just bad situation all around…
There's not much use for an old school 9 around the NWSL, is there? I mean, yeah, Izzy was pressing on each of those sitters that she fluffed, and a good old school 9 pots those. There just aren't may of them anymore. Am I right about that?
She was a walking turnover. Run after run killed by the wrong decision way too many times to count. Part of that is on the coaching staff that tried to make her into something she is not.
I have had great liking for Izzy. I will miss her.
I do look at players as players, and as people.
writing was on the wall when the Thorns got Turner.
Reading some of the replies/reposts to this signing and it doesn't feel great.
Upon translating, it appears folks are saying: she's the "worst Brazilian player ever", our scout sucks, "same as Arnold", and folks who cover her current team and the fans of Flamengo are happy to see her go, "Ty Portland."
Not exactly promising...
I don't know, man. We had Andressinha here...
Then again "Worst Brazilian ever" means different things to different people.
"'Worst Brazilian ever' means different things to different people."
>whistles innocently
Rash comment.
or so i'm told
Lol, well I'm not excited for possible competition for the worst Brazilian. Just like, who is making these signings to rebuild the defense? Should be a new GM.
We have 1 int'l spot left.
I think my issue is less about what people have to say about her and more that:
- She's probably not good enough to replace Becky or Obaze.
- If she's not good enough to start, then they used one of the two remaining international spots on a 27 year old depth piece to fill the Kelli Hubly spot.
Well I don't know anything about her, so Flamengo/Brazilian fans are instructive here. But yes, that's what I just said down below....why use one of the last 2 int'l spots on MORE depth CB's? All we have is depth! This feels like more of the same Karina moves (or our scout sucks.)
Yep, this is my problem too. International slots are a resource! so is the money we used to buy her instead of either a) bringing back Hubly b) signing a free agent - Tatumn Milazzo, Elizabeth Ball are both available for example
Or a relatively well-thought of college CB like the kid the Wave just added.
The Current just dropped Ballisager also. If we're gonna drop an int'l spot, why not for the one who plays next to Isa Obaze for Denmark? Or yeah, there are a few top CB's out of college. Reale, Gilchrist....
Shit they added McMahon? Damn! Also another really good add. Man we need a proper GM ugh
we're gonna do so badly with college signings this winter lol
Someone here also said 3 knee surgeries in 2021
The Ghost of Karina Past?
I assume Daiane is depth, and if nothing else she's taller and more athletic than, say, Provenzano.
Why tf we using one of our last int'l spots on more depth? All we have is depth! Lol this club man....
Most of the international spots are defenders. I had hoped they would sign a quality forward that’s a proven goalscorer but I don’t know if they will.
They really gotta splash on that RW spot. We need at least 1 more elite player on this team. They can't just keep signing depth.
Brazilian twitter is known across woso to be VERY harsh but this also seems like a Dias level signing. Adding depth from the international market because it's easier than signing someone here.
Yeah, I don't know much about Brazilian twitter, but there are Brazilian Thorns fans that aren't happy about the signing.
Just not sure how this helps us any...bring in Milazzo or sign a promising CB out of college. They don't have to waste an in't spot....
Also the caps - only 15 in six years, none since 2021. Clearly not considered good enough to defend for "you score five we'll score six" Brazil..?
Yeah apparently 3 knee surgeries in 2021? Read this thread from a Brazilian lady who covers Brazilian football. Doesn't have a ton of good to say imo:
https://x.com/amandavsilva/status/1867671074579919197
Some of the Brazilians comments definitely have me worried. Especially if they aren’t signing Becky back.
So I guess I'm a little confused:
On one hand, I'm glad they're being active, especially defensively. On the other, who the hell is in charge here? Has there has been an unannounced GM hire made and they're working behind the scenes? Or is KK being allowed to spend money, fill international spots, and attempt to fix the defense? OR, is Norris, Gale, and the scouting team working without KK involved at all since she has a new position? Obviously Gale is still coach and will get the pull quote until he isn't, but I'm also not going to act like I'm not a little concerned that the old regime is the one building out our defense, especially since the two CB adds are what I would consider primarily depth signings.
Also, it seems relatively clear that at least one of the three CBs from last year won't be here next year and the FO knows that. Let's hope it's the right one.
"On the other, who the hell is in charge here?"
https://youtu.be/Ko97BKLjpdo?t=33
Captain Willard: "Who's the commanding officer here?"
Army Private: "Ain't you?"
Evergreen content, my friend, the end.
these are all questions that should be asked of the team, theoretically at an end of season press conference that they said they would have and then just never...had
Do we have reporters who can submit questions?
BTW, Phuoc and Melina are producing a fair amount of content for the rebooted All for XI. So, we know that they're paying attention to what's going on in the world of WoSo.
The problem being that if a question falls in a forest and is ignored by the club, it can't make a sound. Unless/until one of the journos comes forward with news that they tried and failed to get a response we don't even know that. It's just a black hole at this point...
Which, and no offense meant to our crew here, is exactly what SHOULD be happening. The Thorns were supposed to have an end of year presser and simply never did. A "we tried and failed to get a response" wouldn't give us anything, but it would still be nice to hear.
This is the thing. I accept there are not a lot of rabid local journalists covering the Thorns, but the team currently treats that like a *feature*, not as bug. It's as if they're relieved that there is no scrutiny. If the Bhahals truly want the Thorns to be the best club in the world -- or at least perceived as in that conversation -- then reveling in mute anonymity is a strange way to go about that. Forget from a soccer standpoint... even if they know nothing about what makes a strong team, I would have guessed they had at least some nous about building the brand, building buzz, creating conversation. This silence is all so very very NWSL 1.0
Agreed. I know that there's a big world of WoSo and not much going on here in the Rose City, but all the content they're generating is over on All for XI, which of course is an SB Nation site, and a free site, on which NO ONE COMMENTS. Talk about a tree falling in the forest...
I agree...with the caveat that doing that is kind of hardball; the Bhathals might well treat that journo as an opponent and cut off any hope of access, and "access" has become the Grail of sports journalism.
Plus it'd require someone covering the "Thorns beat" who'd be willing to go out on that limb AND who'd be likely to have the throw-weight to provoke a response. I love our fan-journalists, but I'm not sure if the club doesn't feel like they can ignore the non-dead-tree-legacy media with impunity.
Given Phuoc's hint of a GM announcement "soon" I'm hoping there is an unannounced new GM in place already, and that Daiane is part of a plan. But hope is all I've got at this point, and unless she's been injured long term Daiane doesn't look exactly like the starting CB we're all wishing for.
It would certainly be nice to know from a process perspective, but --while I won't pretend to know anything about her-- a 27 year old non-international who wasn't able to hack it at the big clubs doesn't necessarily fill me with a ton of optimism regardless of who is making the signings, especially if she's coming to replace either Becky or Obaze.
So really I should be hoping this is a parting gift from LeBlanc and that the new GM will be better than this signing suggests. I really don't know what to make of this signing. Aside from Hiatt we haven't had any clearly good news for a couple of months, and I'm ready for some.
I think it's a pretty boring signing that people are getting worked up about because we're short on news. Use of the international slot for depth isn't great, but it's not a total disaster either......but this allows us all to express our frustrations with the process.
If I had to guess it'd be that it's some mixture of LeBlanc, Mike Smith, Mike Norris(?), Carlos Martinez-Gloria(?), and/or Liz Lagasse mixed in with the technical staff.
I also agree that the slow GM (and, hopefully, HC) hires are a bit nerve-wracking.
I'm pretty sure KK is still acting GM until the new year. She made a post a day or two ago about "her time as GM winding down in the next few weeks", so my assumption is that she IS still making GM decisions (which is frustrating as hell.)
I guess I'd prefer that to the alternative (an amalgam of the people she's hired), but definitely not ideal. I like the Hiatt move a lot and agree with most of the roster decisions so I can't complain too much, but I don't like the idea that she's the one working with Becky/Hubly/Kling on contracts or deciding to spend international spots on C+ CBs.
It also means that the wording in the press release when she got canned was just straight up misleading at best.
meet your new gm Nike Morris
If I recall, KK is technically GM until Jan 1.
However, since she was in Canada getting knighted or whatever yesterday, my guess is that she's minimally involved with this?
Yes, but that's on Canada's metric system calendar. Which means she'll be GM here until... February 2027.
Better than the American calendar system which has you guys in 1952.
Honestly aren’t you sick of making the “ha ha Canada jokes”? Leblanc received the Order of Canada, one of the highest honours a Canadian can get. And instead you are just making jokes about her being knighted/king. Christ man, I get you have some weird hate for Canada and think it’s cool to make jokes but it’s coming across like Trump calling Canada the 51st state.
On one hand: Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, on the other hand: Rush and Nickelback. You expect us to not be conflicted?
Nope. I will never tire of a good Canadian joke, and I will never stop joking about Canadian Tire.
I can't tell who you're targeting, because you lumped together a couple of comments here, mine and another one I didn't make, but you seemed to take offense at my joke about Canada's use of the metric system.
As for your assumption that any joke I make is somehow based in Canadian hate, you couldn't possibly be more wrong about me, and you might want to think hard about what you're assuming and why.
I've told the story here on these boards that my working experience in Canada goes back three decades. I have longtime relationships with colleagues and friends in government (including diplomacy), the public sector, and INGOs.
I can't tell you how many of them reached out to me after the election, fully jokingly but also making political comment, offering to support my asylum case. They regularly give me shit about all things American, and it's all in fun. They also like talking to me about what's going on south of the border.
Then again, one thing that I think speaks very highly of Canada and Canadians is the disproportionately high number of outstanding Canadian comedians and comedic actors. Y'all have a strong track record of having a deep appreciation for humor.
I've also spent some of the most important, indeed formative, time of my life north of the border. For me, it's second home. That's all I will say on that.
The only thing that pisses me off about Canada is that the nearest Tim Horton's is several hours away from Portland.
So, maybe think again, eh?
Could’ve been in the works longer, KK doing whatever and the deal was just finalized/confirmed and announced now, but who knows, these days it’s all just reading tea leaves to figure it out
The wording in the release was that she was out at the end of the season and would be transitioning into a new role. So, unless “end of the season” actually means “end of the calendar year,” she shouldn’t have the job anymore.
But we don’t know.
Short little write-up about the 5 teams looking for a GM:
https://equalizersoccer.com/2024/12/12/five-nwsl-teams-need-general-managers-which-job-is-most-appealing/
Portland Thorns:
The opportunity: A talented roster that under-performed over the past two seasons, including one of the best forwards in the game right now. Whoever steps into the GM role has some major decisions to make around the entire defensive unit...Let’s not forget that the Thorns WERE the standard in the league and, largely, globally when they exploded onto the scene in 2013. The right hire can bring back the glory days and leave a legacy.
The challenges: Portland has been in a state of flux in recent years, including an ownership change ahead of the 2024 season. The trend of internal promotions for head coaches in recent years might give pause...What if the best possible hire has radical ideas about how to overhaul the team to sustain winning in the long-term?
Editorial comment by me: Yeah. Like Jeff said. I'm looking for radical overhaul. If any team set the (foolish) standard for internal promotions it's the Thorns.
Is Parsons, whether as GM or HC, the guy who can bring them back to glory?
It depends on how much he's learned from his missteps at Washington and Netherlands. And for GM, what kind of relations he has with counterparts around the league and the world. He's untested as a GM. As a coach, he would be an upgrade over Gale and Norris, but whether he would be enough of an upgrade - I'm a little dubious.
My question, having no notion whatsoever about the candidate pool, would be, who would be better than Parsons and why?
Just to pull one name out of a hat; Ralf Kellerman from Wolfsburg. Success in a free-agent league in Europe, experience competing successfully for players for a top club in a top-tier league.
I wouldn't hate on Parsons. But his successes came 1) in NWSL 1.0, 2) after a monster 2015-16 offseason where he had GW to work with. I'm unconvinced that he's the slam-dunk lots of folks here think, especially after the problems with Washington and the Netherlands.
I'll give him some credit for 2021 too, though he was double-dipping with the Oranje. Thorns were arguably the best club in the world that year and reached mid-September at 12-2-4. But, they started sputtering September and were completely out of gas by season's end. Emotionally drained by the Riley scandal coming to light, without Horan and Dunn by the end, what Bixby was going through, etc. But Parsons and Gavin put that team together, and it was a very good one. Not as much depth of quality, perhaps as the 2016-2018 group, but awfully good. So, let's give him that too.
More or less the same team won the 2022 championship too. Winning playoffs isn't as good an indication of team quality as winning the Shield, as we did in 2021, but it's not nothing.
...centerback Daiane through the 2026 season via transfer from Flamengo for an undisclosed transfer fee, pending the receipt of her P-1 visa, International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and completion of entry physical.”
"Completion of entry physical" doing some heavy lifting here.
Hope more rigorous than "Thorns team physician Dr. Nick declares Daiane to be 'A-okay like you can't even believe, trust me.'"
Yah like maybe hopefully we've learned something from the Rikke Sevecke incident!
I think that's right.
Pretty clear one of the centre backs - either Becky, Kelli, or Isa - will be leaving.
So long, Becky with the good career. Won't be the same without you.
Also, we are now out of the Becky Beckie Beckman business.
Wonder what this is like?
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/why-arsenal-good-set-pieces-corner-specialists-mikel-arteta/ba6f496b5bc80e943c7baf50
Not only are Arsenal best at set pieces in Premiere League, they're the best in Europe.
Dear Santa: for our list this year, add one dedicated set piece coach.
Wasn't Norris originally hired as a set piece coach?
Yes, and the club hired another assistant this summer who was supposed to have the same remit, plus Vytas.
Dear Santa: please kidnap and bring to us Arsenal's set piece coach.
Holy hell! Macca was one of the finalists for Fifpro Women's World 11?
https://fifpro.org/en/supporting-players/player-influence/world11/who-is-in-the-running-for-the-2024-fifpro-women-s-world-11
Haha yeah, I've been trying to figure out how this list is determined and why. But fear not, we've got a top keeper!
I hadn't seen the list until I saw the link in the Guardian article. I've been sick for a few days. I've been slowly working my way back into form, first posting about kits, then working up to puns and dad jokes. I'm almost all the way back to bitching about roster construction and the lack of a GM. We thank you for your patience.
Glad you're taking the necessary precautions in your RTP. We wouldn't want you to suffer a relapse from prematurely talking about coaches.
Yeah, I worry about strained puns.
FIFPRO World 11 is a player-voted list. A little over half the member organizations are European and the votes are basically a Euro-centric combination of recent(ish) reputation check and popularity contest. Meaningless.
Loooooooooollllll
I am sure Becky and Kling will be back, Press isn't even officially back with ACFC and we all know she's not going anywhere. Let's just hope we get a competent GM who will fire Gale and get a coach who knows what they are doing. We need forwards if we want to keep Smith and Coffey around.
And I know this board has a dislike of Canadians but I do think going after Jade Rose could be good move for defense. She's already holding her own for Canada against some top 10 teams.
I think this board has a lingering reaction to the blatant pro-Canadian bias of 2-3 years ago. Hopefully we'll recover as that era (hopefully) recedes.
I don't think anyone here would complain about bringing *any* good players in....Canadian or not. I think most of the ire has been at the mostly Canadian FO folks, who have been super inept.
In any case, I'd love to take Jade Rose, Olivia Smith, or Alidou!
There are two other Canadians I would love to see play for the Thorns: Buchanan and Giles. Probably never happen.
Buchanan could be a possibility, atm she's out with an ACL but her contract with Chelsea is up soon. Thorns could try to sway her to the NWSL but I am sure it would take a ton of money and a ton of convincing.
Olivia Smith is still a bit too green for my liking, she's not consistent enough for what we need. Give her a few years and she will make a great partner for Sophia Smith.
It's not easy being green.
It would be great to have Olivia Smith and (Sophia) Olivia Smith on our front line. We have Olivia Moultrie and Olivia Wade-Katoa, too, and maybe we should go after Olivia Thomas from UNC.
I think we need to be looking at players to develop - and then actually develop them.
Yeah, that would def be incumbent upon the FO to find a coach known for developing young talent. Can't just get a bunch of youngs and then add a Mike Norris/Rob Gale and expect miracles. In fact, I'd say they've been terrible for the development of young players like Liv and D'Aquila.
Yeah tbh I haven't seen her play enough. Just from the few times I've seen her she looks to have real potential. So, I'll take your word for it!
They'd be silly to not throw a bag at Rose, though, especially given our positional need.
She has a ton of potential but if we want Sophia to stay and want to challenge for trophies, we are going to need someone who is ready now.
Yep def don't disagree. They need to splash for that RW spot. Soph def needs to carry less of the goal-scoring burden. It would also allow her to not be double or triple teamed so likely she'd not be getting fouled as constantly.
I personally think we also need a starting 10 bc I don't think Moutrie is there. That would also help with goal-scoring. We can't have just kids + Soph in every attacking position.
Bella be back😍😍😍😍