Thorns Preseason Takeaways
Takeaways from The Thorns final preseason match
The Thorns played their final preseason match ahead of the NWSL season on Friday, March 7th at Providence Park against the Utah Royals.
Portland lost 0-1 after Ally Sentnor netted the lone goal of the evening.
My big takeaways from the evening:
1. Dynamic Duos
Sam Hiatt and Isa Obaze:
A new defensive line is always a hard adjustment, but these two already show potential in their teamwork and prowess in the back line.
Kaitlyn Torpey and Reyna Reyes:
These two have all the makings of star LB/RB players. Reyna is one of the most solid players on the pitch — she is able to win physical challenges and her passing abilities are lovely. Torpey brings immense speed to whichever side she is playing on. I’m excited to see more of her work with The Thorns.
2. Star Players
Deyna Castellanos
There was a lot of talk when Portland signed her about where she would play and whether or not she would live up to her potential. I think she is making a promising start thus far. She was the biggest playmaker on the offensive side but she also put in the work defensively, even demonstrating a lovely slide tackle in the Portland box.
3. The Stats
Comfort w/ possession:
Portland dominated the game, even though the score didn’t reflect that. It was reassuring to see Portland looking comfortable holding onto the ball.
So many offensive opportunities:
While none of their shots went in, tons of moments showed potential. There were a few zingers off the crossbar, a few moments where someone should have taken a shot instead of passing, or where someone should have passed instead of dribbling. But it showed that there are players on the Thorns who can score goals.
4. Outside of the game
Captaincy:
Sam Coffey and Mackenzie Arnold were named captains for the 2025 season. In the post-game presser, Rob Gale made sure to note that the players chose their captains for this year. It’s great to see that the player’s voices are being valued. Coffey is so deserving of this honor, she has great leadership skills both on and off the pitch. Arnold is a newer Thorn but brings extensive experience on both the club and international levels, so she’ll be a great co-captain with Sam.
What were your thoughts of the Thorns final preseason tune-up? Let us know in the comments!
Here are my hot takes, in response to both Wilder's thoughts, and the recent mini-flurry of Thorns doom and gloom media coverage:
1. I'd bet the Thorns make the playoffs this year. I say we'd beat the Utah team we saw Friday two times out of three. The owners and GM aren't dumb, nor are they without means. They will make the changes necessary to make it happen.
2. I think it's premature for anyone to think they know the GM's spending strategy or timeline. The SEI's are barely a week old, and who knows how long he's known definitively about Soph. These things take time.
3. Soph won't be herself until the World Cup, at least. We should let her go and use the resources and energy building a new team with new (star) players.
4. I think we could see Weaver back late this season. She was dancing up a storm with Daiane on the sidelines before the game against Utah. Obviously that doesn't mean her knee is totally okay, but she sure was moving and grooving.
5. The biggest question is Gale. Watching him from my new seat right behind where he stands, I can tell that the players love him. He and Coffey seem to have real rapport. But he still has to win games.
I understand the overall pessimism, and the East Coast media loves to dump on the Thorns. But I think we bottomed out at a time when we can still recover, have a decent (but not title winning) season, and be pretty strong next year.
Another “positive” I’d add is that Coffey and Sugita did their usual good work in midfield and showed some nice understanding w Castellanos.
But…
The finishing was appalling. Moultrie, Fleming, Turner, Linnehan all missed sitters or shanked badly. “Players…who can score goals”? Last Friday wasn’t really a good advertisement for that…
Ken’s bizarre fixation with the 4-3-3 doesn’t help. He has a roster that is full of CFs and #10s but has no RW…and his insistence on using Moultrie or Turner there is a misuse of their skills and a team problem.
This was much better than Indio. Good enough? We might find out this coming Saturday…