Tag: Portland Thorns FC

Perfect on Paper: 5 Reasons the Portland Thorns Should Be In First Place

Posted on by RJ Allen

The Portland Thorns is a team that has every advantage in the world. Their team makeup reads flawlessly. Their individual player résumés appear as though they were plagiarized, they are so good. And their coaching staff is top notch. To put it simply, the pendulum should always be swinging their way. But somehow they are sitting in third place on the table. It’s not a bad place to be in, but it’s not where they should be. No, they should be in hanging out in first.

Here are the five reasons why.

The United Nations of Teams

Take a look at the allocated players on Portland’s roster. It’s more than any other team in the league – six players in total. And that only takes into account the American and Canadian players. They have another five international players on top of that. Their roster features players from six different countries and a whole lot of talent. They are one of the few teams in the NWSL that really had to evaluate, not just how Women’s Euro would affect them, but also the Tournament of Nations. I, for one, am a huge fan of having such an elite assortment of players on the team. It makes watching the game that much more intriguing and diversifies the skill sets of other players. And these players aren’t just okay foreign players. They are some of the best international players currently in the game. So it should be like watching our own miniature Olympics every time they take the field. Yet they aren’t the best team in the league …

 

Technical Ability

With this international dream team comes immense technical ability. Everyone brings something different to the table, and there aren’t a lot of missing pieces that need to be filled. Looking at the lineup you have Lindsay Horan, who can be lethal on a set play; Amandine Henry who can break down a transition in the midfield like it’s child’s play; and Haley Raso, who finds a way to slip into open space like someone just left the door open for her. Match that with Klingenberg’s service from the wing or Adrianna Franch’s seven clean sheets and what should we have? The best team in the league. But what do we actually have? Third place.

Christine Sinclair

She could have been included in the last reason, but I think she really deserves her own section in this argument. We all know she deserves it. Her country even knows it – It’s why she was recently appointed to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honor. In her international career, she has scored 168 goals. She is a force. And for every American who has ever watched a match versus Canada, they know that she is one of the greatest threats inside the box. She is that extra boost of power up top, the veteran who holds everyone to her standard, and one of the most lethal strikers in the game. She is also someone who works harder than the team’s third place showing would have you believe.

Club and Country Teammates

There is something to be said about familiarity. The more you see and are around a person, the more you get to know them. The same can be said for soccer. The more you play with a teammate, the more you get to know their style of play and how they move on and off the ball. Sure, international breaks can sometimes interfere with the ease of chemistry when allocated players come back to their club team, but for the star Americans on the Portland Thorns that is not the case. Tobin Heath (who is currently sidelined with a back injury), Lindsay Horan, Meghan Klingenberg, and Allie Long almost never get a break from each other. They go from club to country and back. There should be a cohesiveness with these players that create a major advantage that other teams are not afforded, but it seems at times that they have difficulty capitalizing on this advantage. And yes, Klingenberg shockingly did not make the Tournament of Nations roster, but for the past few years, those four have not seen the pitch without the others on it. And even without Heath currently, their chemistry should still be the stuff of legends, but it doesn’t seem enough to propel them to the top of the table.

Providence Park

Even though it is only the third largest stadium in the NWSL, it is notoriously the hardest to come in and play at. It’s a sellout crowd that relentlessly chants for their team and against the opponents, and flags that will never stop waving. It is smoke bombs after goals. It is the pounding of the crowd in your ears. And it is the extra push that any other team in the league would die for. Being a part of the Portland Thorns doesn’t mean you just go out a play with ten other women on the pitch. It means that you play with a stadium of warriors behind you. Warriors that would do anything to help give you the edge. And they do. It is a major uphill battle to come out with an away win at Providence Park. The atmosphere is something that most other teams have to consider in preparations because they aren’t used to that kind of sound or that kind of rowdiness. Providence Park makes other teams’ matches look like scrimmages in comparison. Because no one is as hyped as the fans in Portland. But shouldn’t that drastic shift in atmosphere lend somewhat of a helping hand to the players on the pitch? Maybe not a push to make Portland better, but definitely a distraction that could cause the opposing team to lose focus. Still, the Thorns are not the best in the league.

Sure, there is a lot more that goes into the Portland Thorns and their record than just these five reasons. They have to work out the kinks like everyone else. And yes, they are on the rise. In fact, they have an excellent chance of finishing the regular season at the top of the table. But they should have been there sooner. They should be looking down at the rest of the teams. They should have been number one by now. They are perfect on paper. They should be in the standings.

Unsung Hero of the Week: Fantastic Freeman on Display

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 Sky Blue FC defender Mandy Freeman.

The 22-year-old was taken 10th overall in the first round of the 2017 College Draft by Sky Blue. Fresh off a NCAA Championship with USC, Freeman jumped right into the NWSL, so far starting in all 10 games for the New Jersey side. In her first season, she has the opportunity of a lifetime: to be paired next to Christie Pearce. What a mentor to have, huh? Going into the season I wasn’t sure if Sky Blue would be able to start strong, but 10 games into the year we find them in third place and really starting to find a groove.

Sky Blue 3-1 Portland

Sky Blue got off to a perfect start, scoring the opening goal just 24 seconds in. Officially it was given to Raquel Rodriguez (after a lovely pass from Sam Kerr) 25 seconds in, but I have watched it several times and it’s clearly in the back of the net at the 24 second mark–which would make it the fastest goal in NWSL history.

But I’ll move on from that and get down to specifics.

The first play worth talking about from Freeman was in the 11th minute. #22 had darted forward to intercept a pass intended for a Thorn player at the halfway line. Freeman got it to Kerr, who charged forward and put herself in a dangerous position in the middle of the park. Emily Sonnett eventually won a tackle, stopping Kerr just before she entered the 18-yard box. But it was a wonderful attacking move which started with Freeman winning possession and then quickly finding Kerr moving forward.

Now, it’s certainly no easy task to rattle to Portland … at Providence Park … in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 16,736. Also add in the fact that the Thorns had not lost at home since July of 2016. Quite an impressive feat, but in the first half Sky Blue were playing like they were the home team, executing their game plan to a tee.

Freeman wasn’t only doing her defensive duties, she wanted in on the action at the other end too. She awaited the service of a Kelley O’Hara corner in the 17th minute, volleying it towards goal where forward McKenzie Meehan sent it just just over the crossbar.  Obviously, Sky Blue drafted her for her defensive abilities but at 5’8″ Freeman could sneak onto the scoring sheet eventually. In her college days at USC, Freeman did find the net twice and earned eight assists as well, so it’s not a completely foreign land to her.

The next big play came in the very next minute. Portland patiently strung together a series of passes, working their way deep into the Sky Blue end. At the end of it, Sinclair turned Mills away with a cute stop-and-go on the right side of the 18 and found Raso, who was in the middle, with a point-blank shot. Or so she thought. But instead, Freeman comes lunging forward with such graceful desperation, putting her body in front of a ball that was on its way to being blasted upper 90 for the equalizer. Freeman once again read the play, reacted in the right way and preserved the lead for Sky Blue. It was a crucial moment. With Portland’s pressure growing and the game moving at a frantic pace, an equalizer could easily have turned the tide on the night and shifted the momentum. Freeman’s clutch stop gave Sky Blue some refuge and let them restore some order to their game plan.

As every team in the NWSL knows, containing Portland is extremely difficult to do. With the likes of Nadia Nadim, Christine Sinclair, Allie Long, Amandine Henry, and Lindsey Horan, Sky Blue and their balanced defense managed to do just that. Balanced meaning two veterans and two rookies keeping the line very organized. Freeman deserves individual plaudits for her containment of Sinclair–a player who has proven capable of escaping from the world’s best defenders. In maybe her best game of the season so far, Freeman kept Canada’s legendary forward in check and off the score sheet.

In the second half, Portland didn’t start well but in the 64th minute, they could’ve had a quality chance on goal if not for Freeman. Building from the back, the Thorns found Meghan Klingenberg out wide, looking to serve the ball toward Long in the box. Once again, Portland were inches away from a goal, but somehow Freeman burst in to steal the header from Long and deny a golden scoring chance.

One last play to highlight Freeman came in the 88th minute with Portland desperately searching for a bit of pride back and a consolation goal. Henry won the ball near the midfield and surged forward, leaving two Sky Blue players in the dust on her way to goal. Freeman came over to support, stood tall against the French playmaker and took it away from her. Then she had the awareness to slot it to Madison Tiernan in the midfield, who sent a long searching ball to a certain Aussie (who beat the entire Portland backline) and raced 15 yards before faking out Adrianna Franch for the cool finish and a brace.

Freeman had to deal with some incredible talent on the night and taking the ball away from Henry and starting the final goal-scoring sequence had to feel good for the rookie as it capped off a fantastic game for her. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this game, it was end-to-end action. And in my opinion, Freeman made the difference for her club on the night.

Sky Blue are currently sitting in third place with five wins, four losses, and one draw. If Freeman and this backline can continue this type of electric play, we could see this team back in the playoffs for the first time since 2013.