Tag: Nadia Nadim

Euro Roundup: An Introduction

Posted on by RJ Allen

Hello and welcome to a new weekly segment on Backline Soccer. Most of our coverage focuses on the USWNT and the NWSL, but I’m here to give you an insight into soccer, or football as we call it, in Europe.

What is the Euro Roundup?

It’s a weekly segment that informs you about results and news from around Europe’s leagues. Not only that but there will be results and news from international teams–did you know that World Cup Qualifying is already in full swing on this side of the Atlantic? 

European action

There is no single schedule for European leagues, with some operating on the traditional fall-to-spring schedule, but others mixing it up a bit and running on the calendar year. Those already in action include many of the bit names–including the English WSL (after a schedule reset this year), Frauen Bundesliga, Division 1 and Primera Division. One league that operates on the calendar year is Scotland, who just announced the fixtures for the new season, with matches scheduled to begin next month, and then running all the way up until 28th October.  Glasgow City, who have won 11 league titles in a row, start off the defence of their SWPL1 title against Stirling University FC at home on 11th February. As with many European countries, Scotland has a tiered structure, with leagues running down through SWPL2 to SWFL2. 

All that means there is plenty of ground for this column to cover!

Transfers

The transfer window is currently open in Europe. For those unfamiliar with that system, it means that teams can buy players even when they are contracted to a club. The price is negotiated to buy out the old contract.  For example, Fran Kirby was signed by Chelsea from Reading after the World Cup in 2015. Her fee was a British record £40,000-£60,000 (about $53,000-$82,000). It’s possible that has since been broken (unlike the men’s side, transfer fees in women’s football tend to be kept quiet). When a player is out of contract, they’re effectively a free agent.  Another way of getting a player to the club is a loan. In this case, the player remains owned by the parent club but is lent to another club for half or a full season. Some clubs enter in a clause whereby they can’t play against their parent club. Some clubs that have these loaned players may look to buy them later on.

These transfers are limited to two windows during the season: one over the summer and the other in January. This is the same as on the men’s side of things, although the timing of the windows is a little different. For example, the WSL opened it’s transfer window on the 29th December and it will close on 25th January.

One league that I’ve been keeping an eye on is the WSL. The most recent big news–likely familiar to NWSL fans–was Nadia Nadim’s transfer from Portland Thorns to Manchester City. She’s already made an impact scoring a header in a 5-2 win over Reading.

There’s also a lot of news associated with the league’s transition to a winter season. Because of the switch, many existing contracts didn’t quite line up well with the new season. That’s produced a lot of renewed contracts, with Birmingham renewing the contracts of Marisa Ewers, Andrine Hegerberg and Aoife Mannion and Reading re-signing Molly Bartrip, Grace Moloney and Rachel Rowe.

But there have also been some moves. Birmingham recently lost Bella Linden to Koln in Germany and Chloe Peplow to Brighton. Reading lost Mandy Van Den Berg who was part of the winning Netherlands squad at the Euros. She and the Royals terminated her contract mutually and she has now joined Valencia in Spain.

There’s still a few weeks til the window closes so expect quite a few more signings and renewed contracts to occur.

World Cup Qualifiers

As previously mentioned, World Cup qualifying is already going on in Europe. Teams recently reached the halfpoint point in the process, meaning that we’re getting close to the in/out line for some teams.

You can look forward to a future article in this series that goes into more detail about the UEFA process. For now, here are a few quick highlights:

As hosts France, France will qualify automatically. In order to keep ticking over and stay prepared, they have a schedule heavy with big friendlies in the various venues for the World Cup in 2019 (as well as the now-annual SheBelieves Cup in the States).

All other countries have to go through the rigours of earning their right to play at the World Cup. There are seven groups, with the winners of each automatically going through.If qualifying concluded now, the following would be through: Wales, Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Spain. However, since not all teams have played the same number of matches, there’s some fluidity there.

The past round of qualifying did produce some interesting results with Iceland beating Germany 3-2 in October. This ended Germany’s run of 19 years without losing a World Cup or Euro qualifier. Another interesting result was when the current European champions Netherlands drew 0-0 with the Republic of Ireland. Interestingly, the Republic of Ireland is in the same group as Northern Ireland.

The next round of fixtures starts on 22nd January, with Israel taking on Finland. After that, one interesting set to watch out for is England playing Wales both home and away–with just a point separating them and the Lionesses with a game in hand. You also might want to keep an eye out for the next match between Iceland and Germany, and for the Irish teams playing each other.

That’s a lot to cover, but hopefully this overview whets your appetite for more coverage. You can look out for this segment to go up every Tuesday, bringing you your weekly European fix. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Euro’s Final Set

Posted on by RJ Allen

On Thursday, the 2017 Women’s Euro played their two quarterfinal matches. It was Denmark vs. Austria in the first match and the Netherlands vs. England was the second match. Here is how your Euro’s 2017 Finalists were decided.

Denmark vs. Austria 

As was typical of the 2016 Men’s Euro’s, this match ended in a penalty kicks. Both sides had good opportunities, including a close shot for Austria in the first half that fired just over the goal and a good second half chance for Denmark’s Sanne Troelsgaard. In the end, they would play scoreless through extra time and it would come down to a penalty shootout. Austria claimed victory over Spain in a penalty shootout, but this went disasteriously wrong for them. Denmark advanced to the Euro’s final 3-0 after Austria missed their first three penalty kicks. It will be their first ever Euro’s final appearance, and will feature the only remaining NWSL player in the tournament, Nadia Nadim of the Portland Thorns.

The Netherlands vs. England 

This was a difficult match for both teams going in. England had scored the most goals of any team so far in the tournament, dominating their opponents in the first stages of the competition. But the Netherlands had the advantage of a home crowd behind them. The Netherlands opened scoring in the 22nd minute when Miedema scored off a header, and the halftime score was 1-0. No one had been able to hold England scoreless in this tournament, but the Netherlands tacked on two more goals in the second half to earn a solid 3-0 victory and a ticket to the finals. It will also be their first Euro’s finals appearance. And Europe will have a new champion for the first time in over twenty years.

The Euro’s final will take place on Sunday, August 6th. Kickoff is set for 11:00am ET.

Underdogs Stun In Euro Quarterfinals

Posted on by RJ Allen

It was an exciting weekend in the Netherlands, with all four quarterfinal matches of Euro tournament kicking off over the two days. When the action came to an end on Sunday night, some new names had staked a place in the semifinals, and some of the biggest names in world soccer had seen their tournament brought to an end. Here is a breakdown of all the action from the Women’s Euro Quarterfinals.

Netherlands vs. Sweden

After a strong showing at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sweden was hoping to lock down their status as one of the top teams in Europe. But going through the Netherlands would prove to be a more difficult task than anyone had anticipated. The two teams are relatively close in FIFA Women’s World Rankings—with Sweden at No. 9 just a few spots ahead of the Netherlands in 12th. But in the end, the host nation was too much for the Swedes to handle. The Dutch earned their third clean sheet of the tournament, with goals from Martens and Miedema that sent them on to the next round. With the home crowd urging them on, they’ve looked very tough so far. And things won’t get any easier for their opponents going forward. They have already sold-out their semi-final game and will be ready to take another step closer to taking the trophy on home turf.

Denmark vs. Germany

This should have been the second match on Saturday, but ended up being postponed due to heavy rain in Rotterdam. When the match did kick off the next morning, it didn’t start well for Denmark. Isabel Kerschowski found the first goal of the match in the 3rd minute, a good start for the defending champions looking for their seventh consecutive title. But it all fell apart for Germany in the second half, when Nadia Nadim of the Portland Thorns headed the equalizer in the 49th minute and Theresa Nielsen gave her team the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute. Many in Denmark called the win the biggest in their career. In a tournament with more than a few upsets, this is certainly one of the most exciting results so far.

Austria vs. Spain

Few would have expected this quarterfinal pairing going into the tournament. Austria are debutants in this competition, but after topping their group received a matchup against Spain–who were thoroughly inconsistent in their group matches. The Spanish hadn’t scored since their opening match against Portugal, and that stayed true in this match, where they dominated possession but failed to find the net. Austria’s defense was relentless, and Spain simply couldn’t find a way through. Eventually, it ended in a penalty shootout after neither team scored in 120 minutes. It ended when Sarah Puntigam made her shot. Silvia Meseguer’s miss provided the necessary margin to seal Austria’s ticket to the semi-final. They will go on to face Denmark on Thursday. August 3rd.

England vs. France

On Sunday night, England did the impossible. For the first time in 43 years, the Lionesses defeated France, riding a narrow 1-0 margin into the semifinals. Les Bleues hadn’t had the best tournament, but it still wasn’t an easy task for England. The game was defensive, with the lone goal coming from none other than Jodie Taylor. It was her fifth goal of the tournament, putting her in good position to win the Golden Boot, and maybe even to break the scoring record for the tournament. After beating France, and thanks to Germany’s exit earlier that day, England are now the highest ranked team remaining in the tournament. That makes them the closest thing there is to a favorite, but this hasn’t been a good tournament for the traditional favorites, and England certainly won’t be sanguine about their difficult semi-finals match against the host nation in front of a sold-out crowd.

The semi-final matches will take place on Thursday, August 3rd. Denmark vs. Austria will kickoff at 12:00 EDT, while the Netherlands vs. England will kickoff at 2:45.

6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 10

Posted on by RJ Allen

This week in the NWSL, we saw two teams start to pull away at the top, and a shakeup at the bottom of the table. There were comebacks, a rare straight red card, and a few (maybe unexpected) shutouts. With four midweek games to look forward to this week, here are our takeaways from Week Ten

Nadia Nadim Meets with TAPS Family after Washington vs. Portland – Jordan Small

After Saturday night’s loss to the Washington Spirit, Portland Thorns forward Nadia Nadim walked over to the side of the field to meet with a group of fans that had been escorted down onto the field. The group was from an organization called TAPS. The Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors, or TAPS for short, is a program that offers resources and services to those who have lost a loved one while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

A young lady who lost her father in Afghanistan presented Nadim with a bracelet following the match. Nadim, whose father was also killed in Afghanistan, took the time to talk with the family and take a few pictures. This was just another reminder that life is so much bigger than sport and that win or lose, a simple gesture such as a bracelet or a small conversation can have a greater impact on someone’s life.

Does Portland Have Too Much Star Power? – Jordan Small

Looking at the Portland Thorns roster, it is incredible to see the amount of talent that they have. As a team, they have combined for over 625 caps for six different national teams. Against the Washington Spirit, they had 62.7 percent of possession. What do they have to show for all of that? Getting shutout on the road for their second straight loss. Against a team that’s only just barely broken away from the bottom of the table over the past few weeks.

In 10 games this season, the Thorns have scored 12 goals while only giving up nine. Not bad all things considering. But when you look at the goals, three have come via the penalty spot and two were own goals. Sure they are scoring, but they aren’t creating many opportunities for themselves. Against Washington, Lindsey Horan, Allie Long, and Christine Sinclair were nonexistent on the field. Amandine Henry was subbed out at the half and won’t be around for much longer because of the upcoming EUROs. Is Tobin Heath coming back from injury the answer to this struggling Portland attack? I’m not so sure. But I do know that they are going to have to figure some things out if they want to be in the hunt for a playoff spot come September.

Dash Put it Together (at Least for One Week) – Luis Hernandez

As unlikely as it seemed, the Houston Dash bounced back from the four-goal drubbing at home to enact payback against the Orlando Pride this weekend, taking home three points on the road for their effort.  Head Coach Omar Morales made several key adjustments while taking advantage of the lackluster performance from Orlando. Perhaps the post-match comments from Carli Lloyd last week also lit something under her teammates as she took the field in just her second game back from the UK.

The Dash rolled out a new combination on the backline, the sixth different version of the season, to clamp down on the Orlando attack. Limiting the Pride to three shots on goal allowed Jane Campbell to bounce back for her second start of the season, a much better showing from the rookie even with the few shaky moments she had in the beginning of the match. As the Lifetime game of the week, Houston proved to the national audience which team wanted to win more. The result moves the Dash out of last place on the table and puts them in ninth, sitting just above the Boston Breakers, who they’ll host in their midweek game on Wednesday. Houston is positioned to give themselves some separation from the Boston while gaining confidence for the weekend showdown at FC Kansas City.

Missed Opportunity for FC Kansas City on the Road – Luis Hernandez

If you had told Vlatko Andonovski on Friday that his team was going to leave Seattle with a point on the road, he would have been happy. A point would have been a great result in the first of two road games for the Blues after already drawing against the Reign the week before. However, Seattle were left with just ten players on the field after Lauren Barnes was issued a straight red card in the 4’ for an armbar of striker Shea Groom. Kansas City took advantage of the imbalance early on, making Seattle pay in the sixteenth minute with a goal from Brittany Ratcliffe. However, FCKC couldn’t hold on to the lead, and the Blues leave the Emerald City dropping two points.

The draw keeps Kansas City one point behind Seattle, and barely keeps Orlando at bay. As FCKC go into the midweek match at Portland, they will have a challenge getting a result at Providence Park. If FCKC fail to make the playoffs, will they look back at this game as one of the reasons they miss the postseason, dropping two points when they had the clear advantage from almost the very start.

Sportsmanship – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

Living just over an hour outside of Chicago has its benefits, and one of those is the ability to schedule a trip down to Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL, to catch matchups between the Chicago Red Stars (my “geographical” faves) and Sky Blue FC (my “absolute” faves). Last year’s trip down was actually my first live, in-person, soccer game ever, and it was an event to remember (and one that ended with a selfie with one of the greatest players of the game, Christie Pearce). This year I was looking forward to another good matchup, and the chance to see Kelley O’Hara play with her club team. She’d been on NT duty in 2016, and though I’d seen her play with them in Chicago and again in Minnesota late last year, club play is different, and brings out different sides of a player’s game.

Unfortunately, O’Hara didn’t play on Sunday, either suffering from a slight injury or being rested in anticipation of a midweek match-up against the Orlando Pride. But them’s the breaks and with any luck, I’ll get to see her play with Sky Blue at Toyota Park next summer.

The thing I noticed, though, that I want to call attention to, is just how much of a leader O’Hara is on and off the field. Sitting on the bench in trainers, she was coaching and offering tips to the younger members of the backline who were out there on the field. Before the game, during the slight break when Chicago’s GK Alyssa Naeher was down on the field and the Sky Blue players came to the sideline for some water, at the half, and so on, O’Hara was demonstrating how to defend against Chicago’s attack, reassuring her teammates, helping them out.

With the news that this year is almost certainly Christie Pearce’s final season with Sky Blue FC, it’s good to see that the backline and the team will have someone as focused on teaching and leading as playing. And most of all, for all the little girls and boys in the stands, for all the grown-ups in the stands, it’s an important and visual reminder that an athlete’s work doesn’t begin and end on the field, and isn’t simply the accumulation of their physical talents. How a player performs on the bench is maybe just as important as how they perform on the field.

And I just felt like this is a good moment to acknowledge that.

Tears and Tears – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

We need to talk about ACL tears.

Obviously, we’re all tearing up about Kealia Ohai’s unfortunate injury over the weekend, or the fear that we’ll hear the same news from Danny Colaprico after she went down in Sunday’s game against Sky Blue FC. ACL tears are tearing up the league this season, and we need to talk about why that is.

Here’s the thing about this kind of injury.  It’s three times (3x) more likely to happen to a female soccer player than a male one. And this year, it’s taken down a number of players in our league (or former NWSL players), starting with Amy Rodriguez and Joanna Lohman over opening weekend, Kim Little over in the UK, and Yuri Kawamura. (Did I forget anyone?) And Diana Matheson, Cali Farquharson, and Kelsey Wys are all still in recovery for injuries suffered late last season or during off-season play.

It’s no secret that the focus in sports kinesiology and physical therapy is imbalanced, that most teaching, studies, and practical therapies and preventative techniques are based on the male body and the way the male body reacts to usage and stress of joints, ligaments, etc. But the male body is not the universal norm, and there needs to be more attention given to the physiological differences of female bodies to male ones, differences that don’t make women weaker or inferior, but ones that requires us to pivot differently, shift our weight differently, run differently, than our male counterparts.

And women’s teams (and leagues like the NWSL) need to make it a priority to find and work with trainers and therapists who understand the different needs and abilities of female athletes.

Who understand the science of playing like a girl.

Well, that’s what we took away from Week Ten as we head to a slew of Wednesday matches. Give us your biggest takeaway in the comments or let us know where you disagree with us. Until next time, fair readers.

Unsung Hero of the Week: Reliable Raso in the Rose City

Posted on by RJ Allen

In this weekly series, I will be highlighting a player from the weekend who was their respective team’s unsung hero, win or lose. A player who does the dirty work, does the little but important things in a game and someone who didn’t exactly fill up the stat sheet but found other ways to contribute.

This week I’ve chosen Portland Thorn FC forward Hayley Raso.

The 22-year-old Australian is with her second NWSL club, playing for the Washington Spirit in 2015 and with the Thorns since 2016. Raso has proven to be a dynamic player, one who can be utilized as both forward and midfield for club and country. She has already made 21 appearances for Portland and in each one, she has been a steady and reliable player.

Portland 2-0 Boston

Having just faced off nine days previously (ending in 2-2 draw), these teams were already somewhat familiar with each other. Portland wasted no time in getting on the board and taking control of the game. An unfortunate own goal in the first minute by Boston’s Julie King gave the Thorns the early and unexpected lead.

Raso’s first major contribution came at the five-minute mark; as the Breakers were attempting to gain possession, she intercepted a pass at midfield and it it landed at the feet of Amandine Henry. The French playmaker looked around to pass but inevitably chose to take it herself and 20 yards out ripped a low shot to the right corner. It reminded me of how my old club coach would say “accuracy over power.” Henry did just that and it was somehow only her first goal as a Portland Thorn in 16 games.

The play started with the hustle and individual effort by Raso to win the ball. Portland quickly reaped the benefits of that kind of play, grabbing a two-goal lead at Providence Park. Anyone who knows anything about the NWSL, knows that when Portland get a comfortable lead at home, well, it’s almost impossible to come back and get any points in that kind of atmosphere. Raso and Henry gave the Thorns all they needed for the win on Saturday afternoon.

Throughout the game, I noticed Raso’s ability to win free kicks for her team, the first coming in the 10th minute. Raso dug her heels in to do a bit of defensive work and it paid off. She and Christine Sinclair doubled-teamed a Breaker on the sideline in Portland’s half and Raso came away with the free kick. It looked like a reminder to the opponent that even though Portland was winning, they wanted more and were working hard to show that.

Just one minute later, Raso would be at it again; this time it was just her and King fighting for the ball in Boston’s end. Raso got on the end of a Nadia Nadim ball and she tussled with Boston’s captain for a few seconds before Raso earned yet another free kick for her club, one in a more dangerous spot. While nothing came out of it, once again, Raso showed why she has earned a starting spot for Portland so far this season. Her energy and constant mobility remind me of a certain FCKC forward who is currently out of commission this season (Amy Rodriguez).

Raso could not be contained, this time making her presence known in the 17th minute. The Aussie made an identical run with Sinclair into the box, somehow getting in behind the backline of Boston for an impressive step-by-step play. Sinclair opted to take the shot, which just went wide, but I thought Sinclair should’ve passed to the open Raso. She made a lovely run to make herself available but the pass never came. Nonetheless, Raso had great movement throughout the whole play to present Portland with a serious opportunity.

Continuing her strong first half, Raso finally found some serious real estate in front of her in the 24th minute. Guided by an outlet pass from Portland’s own 18-yard-box thanks to the pinpoint service from Nadim, Raso was off to the races, competing against Boston’s Emilie Haavi for possession. Raso took it wide, took heavy contact from Haavi and I’m sure you guessed it … earned another free kick.

Once again, the Thorns failed to capitalize on it but it’s a perfect example of how Raso does in 1v1 situations and her vision to take it wide knowing she needed to wait a few more seconds for her teammates. Due to the foul, she never got the chance to get service into the box but getting that set piece was just as important.

One last example of how well Raso played this past weekend was in the 75th minute. The Thorns won a ball 20 yards out and two seconds later Raso sent a perfect pass to Lindsey Horan who had snuck inside the box. Horan would’ve had the shot, but Allie Long was making the same run from across the box so they collided and the play went dead.

Raso was making these small but important plays all game for Portland. She was one of the most active players on both sides of the ball. It didn’t have the outcomes they wanted (like goals or assists), but her liveliness and effort didn’t go unnoticed. The more I watch her play, the more I want to see her on the field for Portland when available. She is young and extremely talented and has proven how useful she can be.

Off the Bench with Backline Soccer: 2017, Week 1

Posted on by RJ Allen

Welcome to our first installment of “Off the Bench,” the latest Backline Soccer weekly series.

Backline Soccer Recap:

This last week on Backline Soccer, we posted all ten of our 2017 NWSL team previews. If you haven’t yet read them, please visit our site to check them out and let us know what you think!

NWSL Week One Game Recaps:

What a great first weekend back for the NWSL we had! Let’s dive straight into a recap of the five matches we had this past weekend.

 

Game 1: Houston Dash 2 vs Chicago Red Stars 0

Houston Dash record: 1-0-0
Chicago Red Stars record: 0-1-0
Attendance : 4,484

First up, to kick off the 2017 NWSL season, the Houston Dash took on the Chicago Red Stars at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston. Kealia Ohai opened up the scoring giving the 2017 season its first goal in the 15th minute. Alyssa Naeher stuck to her line a little too long and Ohai made her pay. Then, in the 80′ minute, Rachel Daly sent a rocket past Naeher, for goal number two, and was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter for it!

 

Game 2: Portland Thorns 2 vs Orlando Pride 0

Portland Thorns record: 1-0-0
Orlando Pride record: 0-1-0
Attendance : 16,145

The first Lifetime Game of the Week started shortly after the Houston game, with the Portland Thorns taking on the Orlando Pride. It was a pretty even game for most of the match. The 24th minute saw a killer diving header from Ashlyn Harris to keep the Thorns from scoring but an unfortunate handball on Alanna Kennedy in the 32nd minute led to a converted PK by Nadia Nadim. Christine Sinclair netted home the final goal to seal the Thorns’ win in the 67th minute.

 

Game 3: Washington Spirit 0 vs North Carolina Courage 1

Washington Spirit record: 0-1-0
North Carolina Courage record: 1-0-0
Attendance : 2,400

Next up were the Washington Spirit and North Carolina Courage, in their inaugural match. McCall Zerboni scored the game’s lone goal–and the first in NC Courage history–in the 19th minute but it was Spirit goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé who put on a spectacular performance that kept the Courage from scoring any more after that. With one spectacular save after another, Labbé demonstrated to everyone just what an asset she will be for the Spirit this season. Unfortunately for the Spirit, Joanna Lohman went down in the first half with what was confirmed on Monday as a torn ACL in her left knee.

 

Game 4: Seattle Reign 1 vs Sky Blue FC 1

Seattle Reign record: 0-0-1
Sky Blue FC record: 0-0-1
Attendance : 3,521

The final match of the day was between the Seattle Reign and Sky Blue FC, which ended up being the game of PKs. A foul committed by a Sky Blue player saw Megan Rapinoe convert a PK in the 56nd minute. Then in the 62nd minute, a foul by a Reign player saw Sarah Killion bury a PK to level the game. Seattle Reign goalkeeper, Haley Kopmeyer, who had a player of the week worthy game as well on Saturday, almost stopped the PK taken by Killion.

 

Game 5: FC Kansas City 2 v. Boston Breakers 0

FC Kansas City record: 1-0-0
Boston Breakers record: 0-1-0
Attendance : 3,340

The final game of the first weekend back for the NWSL between FC Kansas City and the Boston Breakers saw the return of Amy Rodriguez and Sydney Leroux to the pitch after maternity leave. Leroux kicked off the party early with her first goal in over a year in the 7th minute. Amy Rodriguez decided she wanted to be part of the goal scoring party too and netted herself one in the 48th minute. Then in the 58th minute, we all held our breath as Rodriguez went down with a non-contact injury and was stretchered off shortly after. Official confirmation has not been given but it was reported to be the left leg which was then immobilized with a brace.

The weekend ended with the Dash, Thorns, Courage, and FCKC all taking home 3 points, while Sky Blue and the Reign each left with a point. Held winless and pointless in the first weekend were the Red Stars, Pride, Spirit, and Breakers.

The Scouting Report:

The Scouting Report went live last night with the first official NWSL weekly TSR recap of all NWSL games from the weekend. Make sure to tune in every Monday at 8pm EST to catch our weekly series!

You can find last night’s TSR here:

Come back next week for the next edition of Off the Bench!

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.