Tag: Meghan Klingenberg

A Conversation with Orlando Pride Coach Tom Sermanni

Posted on by RJ Allen

It’s been a long road for Orlando Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni. The 2016 season of the Nation Women’s Soccer League brought many challenges to Sermanni’s side as they finished ninth in the table for their inaugural campaign. The start of the 2017 looked to bring more of the same for Orlando, but the gaffer was able to ride out only one win in the first seven matches, and eventually guide his team to a playoff spot, a first for an expansion team in the league.

With the regular season coming to a close, and the post season on the horizon, Coach Sermanni was kind enough to speak with me after the home match versus the Portland Thorns. The Pride had just earned its first point ever against Portland, so I took the opportunity to talk football with Coach.

Backline Soccer (BS): So Tom, the season is coming to an end you’re hoping to go into the playoffs, how much time have you spent thinking about the draft and into next year?

Tom Sermanni (TS): Not, honest, not a lot of time on the draft because at this time we only have a third round draft pick, so it really, that’s not…unless we do some trading, and that’s not really a major priority for us. To be honest, but we already for several weeks now started to–

At this point, Coach Sermanni took the time to greet Thorns defender Meghan Klingenberg who was a player for him in his time as manager of the United States women’s national team. He wished her well, and his face reflected his genuine feelings for her. Without missing a beat, Tom picked up where he had left off.

TS: So, it’s about looking at where we need to strengthen the team; we need to work out what we’ve done. What I think we’ve done very successfully is bring in good international players. We need to look at how many international spots we got next year, and where we can strengthen from there. One of the difficulties we’ve had coming in as a new team is to be able to get good quality domestic players, because teams don’t give them up. When you come in as a new team it’s hard to do that, so we’ve had to look at the international market and be creative in other areas. So obviously, the international market is something we need to look at.

BS: Any other options?

TS: The other one is looking at players– U.S. players, who perhaps have gone overseas to play and want to come back to the league. So we kind of cast the net out there. We got some names that we want to talk to, and hopefully chip away and strengthen (the team).   

BS: How did you improve the team between last season to this year?

TS: I think what we’ve done is made significant progress with the strength of the squad this year. Obviously, it was the management that brought Marta, but we brought five other players in here. I think if you include Marta, we brought in six very good players who have contributed, so we got the bases of a very good squad. So it’s now a case of just adding little bits and pieces to the structure that’s in place.

BS: So this season for the league there’s been a bit of turnover for the coaches, what are your thoughts on that. For a coach, most of the time your last day is going to be a bad one.

TS: Yeah. (Tom once again pauses to have a quick exchange post match with players exiting the locker room, then without missing a beat picks right back.) It’s always disappointing when I see a coach lose a job because we’re all out there working hard. At the end of the day in any league, some teams have got to win and some teams have got to lose. It doesn’t mean just because your team is losing that you’re necessarily doing a bad job. You look at particularly the Sky Blue occasion, they were really still right in the frame to make the top four at that stage. I feel for coaches that lost their job during the season, and also in the women’s game there tends to be a little bit more stability, so I’m hoping that the status quo can be maintained a little bit better, and coaches are allowed to have time to build the teams.

BS: Now, do you think you’d want to see more female coaches come into the league or do you think it’s hard to find a quality female coach?

TS: Look, I think that’s a complex question. The simple answer is yeah, we need to see more and more females coming into the profession, and as the game continues to develop professionally then there’s a greater chance of that happening. What you have to do is build over time depth of coaches. When you go to a typical coaches course, there might be 40 guys and there might be two women. Out of the 40 guys, maybe only ten of those guys get jobs, so if you only have two women maybe none of them are getting jobs. So for me, it’s a bigger issue than just saying bringing women professional coaches in, it’s an issue where there needs to be more at the youth level, development level staying in the game, and working their way in the system. I think a lot of time, there’s what I call “talking-ism” which doesn’t do anybody any good, but see we want a woman for this job, so they put a woman in the job whether that’s the right fit for her or the right fit for the team. I’m ranting about this in a long winded way because this is something I do believe in strongly. We need to encourage more and more women to be in the women’s game, but there needs to be more then it goes to the top. Does that make sense?

BS: Yeah, it does.

TS: There’s a lot of players now that have been professional players for several years now for their career, and if they finish, stay in the game at the coaching level. That’s what you want to look at. The other reality is that coaching is a tough job. When I say it’s a tough job, it’s a job that is fickle. There’s no security. You don’t know what going to happen. The hours are unsociable, you’re on the job 24/7 which is still great. It’s just the reality of the job, and often when females leave the game they go on to start another life…for women when their career looks like it’s coming to an end, they often have to think about “Okay, where am I going to go to actually start making a living for all the money I’ve given up being a poorly paid professional.” So there’s a whole range of stuff around getting more women’s coaches. There needs to be a big effort to more so then you get more in NWSL.

BS: If you had to have another assistant or Coach Smith left, what qualifications would a female have to have for you to add her to the staff?

TS: No different to a male. It’d need to be someone that you think has good knowledge of the game. Who is able to relate to the players, is able to work in with the staff, same as it would be for a guy. It’s not different. Hopefully, it could be one of the senior players saying “Look, I’m looking at retiring. I’m interested in coming on in the coaching staff.” I would take them onto our coaching staff in a heartbeat, but you’re still looking at the same thing. You’re still have someone who’s going to be able to do the job or you think has potential to do the job.

BS: There’s been some international teams that have also sacked their managers. I know you’re good where you’re at, but any temptation or a thought of jumping back into the international game?

TS: Going back into the international game? I enjoyed my time in the international game. Apparently, I was 50 to one for the England job, so I need people to put on money, so my odds get a bit more respectable. I would never say no, but obviously…and I don’t know what my future lies here. My contract is up at the end of the season. I enjoy my job, I enjoy the club. We have the basis of a very good team. So if I’m fortunate enough to be here next year, hopefully we can continue to keep growing this team. But I never discount anything, to be honest, I don’t say no I never want to go back to an international job. What I would say, pardon me, if I was going back to an international job it would need to be somewhere where I felt there was a chance to do something as opposed to just a job. So it would need to be a program that you think has potential to grow or you feel that you can take it somewhere.

BS: It’s a real trick because you have several countries that may not support the women’s game or you have New Zealand for example where you don’t have a lot of time together as a squad, and so it becomes an issue.

TS: Yeah, those are hard. Those kind of jobs are probably better for younger coaches coming up through, trying to make their mark on a team. They have the energy, and that kind of stuff. Probably not so much for someone at my stage of my career. So certain jobs that would appeal to me if they came up and if I was without employment, but I’m not out there looking. I enjoyed bits of the international game. You got every program that you think you can take somewhere. When John Herdman went into Canada, it was a real web, but the potential was there. When I went to Australia, there was a potential to move into Asia, so you’re building stuff, so when you got those situations. Then it’s good. Sometimes as a coach, you need to get a job because you haven’t got a job. Sometimes, you’re lucky enough to be in a job where you feel you can make a mark, and take a team somewhere you can build something. Generically, lucky most of the time to have those jobs, and this (Orlando Pride head coach) is another one that’s kinda got those qualities.

BS: You’re a manager that likes to build. You’re done a great job building the Pride, second year contending, the developmental academy, is there anything that you’d like to see in the club structure that you’d like to improve on?

TS: There’s not a lot to be honest. You’re restricted here. You say developmental, and it would be great to have that development phase all the way through, we have the academy, we have the ECNL which is part of it. Unfortunately, the college system comes in the way, and that stops that development. You don’t have control over the destiny of those players both being able to keep them, and at a critical time you don’t have your hands-on development with them because they are at college for four year. It’s difficult to get the development underneath here. Hopefully as this club progresses and it gets bigger, is younger teams getting into the philosophy of how Orlando Pride plays. You want to see that continuity, and maybe at sometime, down the track but I don’t think it’s anytime soon you might end up with a reserve team.   

BS: Changing gears a little bit, in your opinion, why is not a women’s open cup in the United States, and what needs to happen to get that on?

TS: I think the major reason is first of all, the difficulty that everyone’s had to get a professional league established, and you can go off in a whole range of different ways because then you’re juggling too many balls there. What we got to do is, we have to get this league set up and established. I read an article recently not about expansion, but about getting the standards of the ten teams higher. I’ve talked about that until I’m blue in the face, and I’m 100% in favor of that. So what we need to do with these ten teams, I mean Orlando Pride is up there, Portland is up there,and there a couple of others, and there’s a drop off. We need to get that right. That is priority number one. Get that right, then you can start at looking at other things. You don’t just want to be piecemeal, we’ll have a U.S. Cup and things aren’t all over the place. So for me, get this league right. Get ten teams, get standards we need to set. Conditions for players, training arrangements, standard of grounds, get all that sorted, then start adding to it.

BS: Do you think it’s the responsibility of U.S. Soccer to do that for the league. It’s the federation’s responsibility to have an open cup. Even though the federation supports the league, doesn’t NWSL have to do it.

TS: It’s a balance to that, but ultimately the federation is a major decision-maker. And I think they have said and are trying to do the right things, but again it’s a balancing act. The teams in the league that started this league five years ago when nobody wanted to come near it. Either  individual owners and groups of owners have put their heart and soul and the money in there. Then like anything the league jumps with teams like ours coming into it. There’s an old saying a fleet is as fast as its slowest ship. You then have to start bringing up those teams to a better standard, and that’s part of the federation partly responsible, the league itself is partly responsible, and the owners are partly responsible to say “okay, we’re in this, a new bar has been set, and we need to get to that bar.”

BS: It’s been five years of existence with the league, you’re still talking about stabilizing the league. How many more year are we talking in those terms?

TS: You have to go back historically here. You look at the MLS (Major League Soccer), and I was here in 2001 and MLS was on its knees, and that was at six, seven years in. If it wasn’t for (Philip) Anschutz bankrolling four or five clubs. It was a real (feeling of) which way is this going to go. You can go back ten years, teams are still playing in rubbish fields. It’s only ten years ago. New York City (FC) playing in a postage stamp. It’s a balance of time, patience, vision, organization, and then having the foresight to get things in place. It’s a real balancing act to get it right, and you have to have a little bit of patience, and at the right times you have to get the right decisions to get the league chipping on and improving.

BS: So there’s no set timeline, but in your opinion if you’re going to put a number on it…

TS: A couple of years. I think the idea of MLS team (affiliating with an NWSL team) is a great idea because you already have structure in place, you have finance in place, knowledge in place, facilities, you have the whole thing. So for me, what I believe it’s something the federation is working hard on. I think if I’m an MLS club, I think it’s great to have an Orlando Pride as part of it. I think we add a lot to this club, if it’s done properly, and I think from a financial perspective if you do it right, it’s actually not a financial burden. It’s somewhere where you add value to the club, so I would like to see in the coming years if the smaller owners are struggling to make the investments they’re making then MLS clubs then step in and take over the teams. But and I’m very, very conscious of this, the guys that were in there putting the money in there when nobody else was interested. You need to value what they have done for this league.  

Can The Rose City Blossom Once Again?

Posted on by RJ Allen

The 2017 Portland Thorns will look very similar to last season’s team, and if you’re a Rose City fan, that’s got to be a great feeling. For Portland, three important elements of the NWSL Shield-winning 2016 team are back:  an explosive offense, a core veteran group, and a dominant defense. There’s only really one area of concern–who will stand in goal for the Thorns–but we’ll dive into that below.

The Thorns were lucky this off-season, not having any major holes or weak areas that need addressing, but with a handful of European internationals likely to be called up for the 2017 Euros in July, head coach Mark Parsons had to be strategic in his pick-ups and trades.

Departures:

Michelle Betos (GK) – Left to play professionally in Norway for Valerenga. Being the solid starter for Portland in 2016 and earning NWSL Goalkeeper of the year the season before, Betos will be missed greatly. She was one of the leaders and fan-favorites as well. I’m still not sure how Portland were not able to keep her in a Thorns uniform, she was extremely important to the success this team had. 

McKenzie Berryhill (D) – Selected in the third round of the 2016 draft, Berryhill played in five matches. She was claimed by Orlando City on waivers last August. With such little time on the field, her absence won’t likely make a big impact on the Thorns’ performance this season. 

Maureen Fitzgerald (M), Shade Pratt (D), and Samantha Lofton (D) – These three amateur players called in last June to  help fill in during for National team players Meghan Klingenberg, Allie Long, and Emily Sonnett who were away for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The trio are back on the reserve team to start the 2017 season. 

Jennifer Skogerboe (D) – Portland signed her last June as Mark Parsons realized that she was a versatile player, someone who could play full back, center back, attacking midfielder, and even holding midfield if needed. With so many players on NT duty over the season, this kind of versatility was much needed. Skogerboe appeared in three matches and after the Thorns declined her 2017 contract option, she went on to sign with the South Korean club Suwon FMC. 

Kat Williamson (D) – Williamson spent three years in Portland, winning the 2013 Championship with the Thorns as well as helping win the 2016 Shield, and announced her retirement at the end of last season. The 27-year-old was the club’s first-ever draft selection back in 2013 when they took her eighth overall from the University of Florida. She appeared in 47 matches and had become a reliable player. While it is unfortunate she chose to retire, Portland’s defense is very strong. Still, her experience on the field will be missed.  

 

Additions:

Britt Eckerstrom (GK) – This is the most exciting addition the the Thorns for me. The second-year player was acquired from the North Carolina Courage in a trade that sent two fourth-round picks in the 2018 NWSL College Draft to the newest franchise in the league. Eckerstrom is young and appeared once with her draft team (known at the time as the Western New York Flash), but she has the talent and work ethic to make it in the NWSL. Considering the fact that Adrianna Franch’s play can be questionable at times, I would like to see if Eckerstrom has what it takes to earn the starting spot. This position will be a battle all season long. 

Ashleigh Sykes (F) – It was announced at the beginning of March that Portland had signed Australian forward Sykes. She won the Golden Boot for Canberra in the 2016 season, grabbing 12 goals. Sykes has explosive talent and a serious knack for scoring. She will be another weapon for the Parsons arsenal to be used, and is expected to report in June.

Spread Offense?

Let’s begin with the offense.

Portland scored 35 goals in 2016, second only to the Western New York Flash (now North Carolina Courage), who ended up taking home the NWSL Championship trophy in October.  Good news for the reigning NWSL Shield winners–Portland’s leading scorer in the 2016 season, Danish international Nadia Nadim, will be returning to PDX to cause havoc for the opposition once again.  Nadim will be looking to best the personal record she set last season, netting nine goals in 21 games.

But Nadim certainly wasn’t the only one who found success on Portland’s score sheet last year. Canada’s pioneer Christine Sinclair contributed seven while the Iceland international and NWSL newcomer Dagný Brynjarsdóttir found the back of the net five times. Two Americans rounded out the high scorers, with newcomer Lindsey Horan and longtime Thorn Allie Long each adding six to the Thorn’s total goals.

The most important piece of the offense, though, is midfielder Tobin Heath. Considered a mastermind of tricky foot skills (especially her nutmeg and snake skills), and one of the most intense players on the pitch (although she makes everything look relaxed and effortless), Heath is always up for some one-on-one action. She only managed one goal last season but she was the league leader in assists with 10. What makes it even more impressive is that Heath did that in just 14 games.

Still, in addition to Heath, French star Amandine Henry must also be mentioned here. Henry played just nine games in 2016 for Portland after being acquired from Olympique Lyonnais in March. Hopefully Henry can get healthy and have more of an impact this season, especially now that she’s had successful groin surgery this past November to repair some nagging damage. 

It’s not too outlandish to say that if Henry has a more productive season (and all the other pieces fall into place) Portland could find themselves in the title game. Henry was on the FIFA shortlist for best Women’s Player of the Year in 2016. She has the ability to turn the game around with just one pass, one goal, or one world class play. While Portland have many of the necessary elements to get them to the post-season again this year, Henry was brought to the Rose City for a reason–to win Championships. They were so close last season, they could find themselves in the title game if the French star plays her part. 

 

Plenty of Experience

Every successful team needs a group of veteran players to help guide the mission and vision of the squad, and to share their knowledge and experiences. The core group that has been in Portland since day one consists of Heath, Sinclair, and Long. With a combined 189 appearances for Portland, they have more than committed to this team. Each player comes back every year with one goal in mind-winning the NWSL Championship.

Since winning the NWSL championship back in 2013, these veterans have each been vital to the Thorns becoming one of the most respected teams in the world. They each bring something different to the pitch–Heath distributes the ball very well, while Long and Sinclair have been two of the best finishers since the league began in 2013. 

In what could be considered down years in 2014 and 2015, Portland finished third and sixth respectively. They had players like Alex Morgan and Rachel Van Hollebecke on the roster then, but during that time National Team players were frequently gone for World Cup Qualifying events and eventually the World Cup in 2015. When that happens it is extremely difficult to sustain any kind of the chemistry needed to be successful. 

In 2016 they reached the semifinal game but lost to Western New York in a wild seven-goal overtime thriller at their home pitch, Portland’s Providence Park. Like many fans, I expected them to win and be in the title game, but it wasn’t to be. Heath and Long played a solid game, Sinclair got on the score sheet. But none of that was quite enough. WNYF youth combined with pressure on the Thorns midfield eventually wore down Portland’s attempts moving forward. The Flash offense wouldn’t stop, they kept finding cracks in the Thorns defense and eventually the effort paid off for them. 

So to say that this season those veterans are returning and will be hungry to accomplish even more would be an understatement. That loss in front of 20,086 Rose City faithful surely left a bitter taste in their mouths.

But their veteran depth doesn’t stop with that core. This season Meghan Klingenberg and Nadia Nadim will be returning to play in Portland again. These two players were key in the Thorn’s drive towards the 2016 playoffs. Nadim took fourth in the league in scoring, while Klingenberg helped to anchor the best defense in the league’s historic fourth season. The fact that both will be proudly wearing Thorn colors again this season is welcome news for the fans.

 

A Steady Defense

The 2017 Thorns will be able to boast the return of their strong defensive line, a backline that allowed in just 19 goals in 21 games. Klingenberg, Emily Menges, Emily Sonnett, and Katherine Reynolds led the league in goals against last year, with Chicago and KC close behind with only 20 each.  But the Thorns aren’t just concerned about this year–they’re interested in building for the future, which is why it’s important to note that Sonnett and Menges are just 23 and 24 years, balancing the more veteran players with them on the line (Reynolds and Klingenberg are 29 and 28, respectively) and certainly benefiting from both the experience and the guidance.

Last season was the first these four played together and it was uncertain how (or if) they would pan out. Menges joined the team as the 25th pick at the 2014 draft, and has already become an extremely reliable defender, appearing 59 times, while Sonnett was drafted first overall in the 2016 NWSL College Draft and has a reputation for being very organized on the line. Both work well in tight spaces, using their quickness to get out of trouble. 

Kling and Reynolds have been around a bit longer. Klingenberg, drafted by Houston in the 2014 Expansion Draft, was part of a three-way trade that sent Alex Morgan to Orlando in late 2015, and briefly landed her in Seattle for about a week before being sent to Rose City. Reynolds has been shopped around a little more, playing for WNYF in 2013-2014 before being traded to the Washington Spirit in 2015. But she seems to have found a home in Portland. Kling brings the energy all game and she likes to get involved in the offense as well. Reynolds also is known for getting into the attack, not afraid to take that chance to create a scoring opportunity. Now that this group of players have a year under the belt as a defense, I expect more of the same from these two in 2017

With these four returning to the Thorns backline, I see no reason why they can’t once again be dominating and unforgiving to opposing offenses.

 

Dilemma between the posts?

With the departure of starting goalkeeper Michelle Betos, the Portland Thorns now have to figure out who they can rely on to keep their Goals Against stats low. Adrianna Franch has been with the Thorns just one season after playing for WNYF in 2013 and in Norway for Avaldsnes in 2015. And in this past off-season, Portland landed Britt Eckerstrom from WNYF in exchange for two fourth-round draft picks in the 2018 College Draft.

Franch will have the slight upper hand having played in the league already and with 28 appearances to her name. But 26-year-old has yet to prove she can again be a starting keeper for a whole season, something she hasn’t done since 2013.  In the six games she started for Portland last season Franch earned three shutouts while making 19 saves. How well she performs in pre-season will decide who is the clear front-runner. Even with this small sample size, could Franch live up to her full potential and be the starting keeper for the Thorns? My answer is no. I believe Franch would be better utilized as the back-up. She has not played admirably or consistently since 2013, and I just don’t have that kind of faith in her anymore. 

Meanwhile Eckerstrom is a fresh talent and eager to make an impact. She led Penn State to a DI Championship in 2015, and ended her college career with a .80 goals against average and had an impressive record of 64-14-3. In her brief time with Western New York she made one appearance for the eventual NWSL Champions while showing a .67 goals against average and looked strong as a rookie under Sabrina D’Angelo. Some could say that going with Eckerstrom would be a risk considering she has minimal professional experience but I actually am hoping she wins the job in preseason. I want to see how well she works with this backline when it matters and if she can help fill some of the void that Betos has left.

Considering all of the above, this is a team that is ready to go on paper. But we all know that’s not what it takes to win championships. With this kind of roster I fully expect the Portland Thorns to make the 2017 playoffs.

2017 Portland Thorns Roster

GOALKEEPERS (2): Britt Eckerstrom, Adrianna Franch

DEFENDERS (5): Kendall Johnson, Meghan Klingenberg (FED-USA), Emily Menges, Katherine Reynolds, Emily Sonnett (FED-USA)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Celeste Boureille, Dagny Brynjarsdottir (INTL-ISL), Amandine Henry (INTL-FRA), Lindsey Horan (FED-USA), Allie Long (FED-USA), Mana Shim, Mallory Weber

FORWARDS (6): Tobin Heath (FED-USA), Meg Morris, Nadia Nadim (INTL-DEN), Hayley Raso (INTL-AUS), Christine Sinclair (FP-CAN), Ashleigh Sykes (INTL-AUS, OOM)

Portland Looks to Win (the Playoffs) Pretty in the Rose City

Posted on by RJ Allen

The 2016 Portland Thorns have been one of the most consistent teams in the NWSL this season. Currently in second place with 38 points, they look to march into the playoffs with the confidence of knowing they have a great chance to make the championship.

Offense:

The Thorns are second in the league in scoring, tallying an impressive 32 goals with eight different players contributing. The top two scorers on the team are Nadia Nadim with nine and Christine Sinclair with six. This high powered offense has been a result of the talent the team has accumulated under first-year coach Mark Parsons. Newcomers who adjusted and found success with Parsons and his system include USWNT members Meghan Klingenberg, Lindsey Horan, and Emily Sonnett; Danish international Nadim, French star Amandine Henry, and Iceland’s young talent Dagny Brynjarsdottir. The biggest star on the team is USWNT veteran Tobin Heath, who has been with the club since the league began in 2013. In just one season together, this team has managed to find a way to become an elite threat and one that could very well win the championship.

Defense:

The defense hasn’t been as consistent in my eyes but it’s gotten the job done. The Thorns have allowed 18 goals against; which is tied with the Washington Spirit for league-best. In goal the Thorns have Michelle Betos and Adrianna Franch, who have both done well when called upon. Both are in the top seven in shutouts; Betos with four while Franch has earned three. The backline of Klingenberg, Sonnett, Emily Menges and Katherine Reynolds is a young but experienced group. Klingenberg and Sonnett started the season off strong but to be honest, I haven’t been impressed with the last handful of games by either. If they can sharpen up in time for the playoffs, I expect them to once again be a strong defense.

Rose City Advantage:

One reason I think this team could go far; they’ve only lost three times in 19 games this season; coming against FCKC, the Houston Dash and most recently, the Seattle Reign, their NWSL rivals. But none of their losses have been to playoff teams. Their record against Washington, the Chicago Red Stars, and WNY Flash this year stands at four wins, two draws. Three of those wins have come at Providence Park, where they’ve outscored the above opponents nine to three. While these may just be numbers to some, they can’t be ignored and certainly Thorns fans have to feel good about them hosting a playoff game given the team’s success there. Another part of the advantage is the atmosphere they provide every game; an average of 16,945 passionate fans showing up to disrupt any challenger.

With two weeks until the playoffs start, we still don’t know who Portland will face, but one thing is for sure–they will be ready.