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It is important to note that the word “you” means “you”. Portland Thorns Two victories are needed to tie the score. NWSL The team that began the first decade of the NFL’s existence has a record number of consecutive victories.
It has however been a dramatic change for the Thorns. The club started the current season with a lot of doubt as it dealt with both off-field and on-field concerns.
Few weeks ago the team had reached its lowest point in the two-year long identity crisis. Thorns spent the offseason in a state of ownership transition, a process which took a full year and was forced by investigations that revealed systemic abuses across the league.
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The 2024 football season began with a colossal disaster. Portland received a thrashing from the Kansas City Current On the first day, Racing Louisville only managed one point from four matches. It was a 2-2 home draw that took a comeback of two goals and an equalizer in stoppage time.
We don’t want to play just for the point — or even if we do, it’s not a tie.” Midfielder Sam Coffey After the match on March 30, he added: “This is by no means an acceptable outcome for us.”
Portland’s four-game losing streak was the lowest in franchise history. Thorns troubles were more than a one-time issue. They were a result of last year’s inconsistency.
Thorns make a coach change after only four games. Mike Norris was promoted to technical director mid-April after serving as head coach for the Thorns since 2023. Rob Gale, the interim coach of the Thorns, was promoted to the position in mid-April. Since then, the Thorns have won five consecutive games, a first in their history.
Thorns’ forward: “This was a kind of reset button for me.” Sophia Smith After the 4-1 win over Houston, which sparked this current run.
Portland’s franchise has endured two turbulent years away from the field, so it was urgently needed to reset on the playing surface.
The new owner in Portland has brought a relief to the city
Family Bhathal led by Lisa Bhathal Merage, Alex Bhathal and sister Lisa Bhathal. Thorns In early January, the NWSL set a record price of $63,000,000. Portland was in the leadership limbo for more than an entire year following several investigations of leaguewide abuse.
Former Thorns owner Merritt Paulson The failure to respond to former player reports of abuse According to investigations, Riley’s firing was due to his efforts protecting him, which allowed the team to allow him to coach elsewhere for several years. Riley was dismissed by the North Carolina Courage The revelations were publicized in 2021. He was then banned from the NWSL for the rest of his life.
Thorns’ fans called on Paulson to be fired from the team following the scandal, but some did not. I’ve vowed not to go near Providence Park Paulson was not removed. Paulson, who initially kept a low profile, stayed away from events such as the celebration of 2022 NWSL champions and the victory, appearing to wait for the storm’s passing.
The team was not sold. After the investigation, the NWSL applied their own pressure and Paulson eventually agreed to sell the team in the days following the Thorns’ title. It took over a year for the process to be completed because the Thorns shared resources with the MLS Portland Timbers, which is also owned by Paulson.
Uncertainty was evident on the Thorns field at that time. Rhian Wikinson led Portland in its first year of coaching in 2022 to its third title, but after an investigation by the league she was forced out. Her conduct towards a football player. Wilkinson’s guilt was cleared by the investigation but she still believed her players had abandoned her.
Norris was promoted to head coach from Wilkinson, his assistant. Players supported the decision, according to sources. Portland’s early 2023 campaign was marked by uncharacteristic struggles, such as back-to-back draws of 3-3 before a 2-1 defeat to the less talented Dash team in Houston.
Coffey, after the match in May last year, said: “I do not think that we played Thorns football tonight.”
The Thorns’ lack of identity was a constant theme throughout the season 2023, with no tangible solution. An embarrassing 5-1 defeat to Angel City FC On Decision Day, the Thorns lost the NWSL Shield for the second consecutive year. It was a home loss in the NWSL Semifinal to NJ/NY Gotham FC Three weeks later
In 2023-24, there were many questions both on the pitch and off. Ownership uncertainty threatened to undermine the team’s foundation, which was one of the strongest in the league despite inconsistent performances.
Portland’s biggest risk lay in the potential loss of U.S.-based international Sophia Smith, who will be eligible for free agency by the end of 2024. Smith’s record-breaking deal was signed shortly after the Bhathals assumed control of Portland in January.
Smith, “A new owner changes everything,” Tell ESPN March. “Since my arrival, I’ve seen a number of changes in this club, including some not-so-good ones. I was waiting for stability, some assurance that the club would be heading in the right directions, and Bhathal Family coming into the picture is providing that and more.”
Bhathalmerage said in an ESPN interview conducted earlier this month, that she will be spending the majority of her time on a listening trip this year. She said, “We did not want to rock the boat.” The franchise is one of the most successful in NWSL history.
It was never in the plan to change coaches four weeks into the new season, but the identity crisis of the team remained. Smith would not have scored a pair of goals to bring the Thorns into the Kansas City game on opening day. The loss was even worse if he had failed to do so. Smith’s brilliance was heavily emphasized in game plans.
Norris Removed as Head Coach April 16,The Thorns’ success has been a constant since then. After a change in coaching, the usual question is: Was it just the temporary coaching boost or has the situation changed permanently?
Thorns receive a jolt and get some new tactics
Portland’s current lineups are not drastically different than the ones that began the season with disastrous results, but Gale’s positive energy is immediately felt by the players.
Thorns longtime forward, said: “Rob has helped me rediscover my passion for football. Playing these games was a real pleasure and blast.” Christine Sinclair“He just told me to go out and play, be free, just read the game. He told me just to play and be myself, read the rules, but not worry about anything else. The fact that I could always hit the back of my net when given the opportunity was a great feeling.
Gale implemented subtle tactical adjustments to highlight the strengths of every player including Sinclair. In the four matches she played for Gale, Sinclair has scored two goals and had an assist. This includes the first goal of the Dash’s rout that started the current team run.
Sinclair will return to the center forward position she played in for more than two decades, which helped her become the top international scorer. Sinclair was a more attacking midfielder in the Thorns’ last few seasons, but began the season as if she were squished into wing forward positions where Thorns required more defensive commitment and mobility. Sinclair’s successful positional change was not a one-off.
Smith has returned to her former self as the charismatic forward that won the 2022 NWSL Golden Boot and the 2023 NWSL MVP awards. However, this time around she plays more of a role in which the wings are pushed out. She is the only player to have scored more goals in the NWSL this year, with eight.
Smith is still able to run behind and at defenders in the wings, but her move from the middle of the field has made it harder for opponents to just shadow her. They can no longer hack her when she can’t catch up. Gotham for instance fouled Smith 6 times during a 1-0 win in March. This often prevented counterattacks by tactical fouls.
Smith continued to score despite Portland’s troubles earlier in this season. She is now the driving force behind a harmonized Thorns offense. Smith and Sinclair’s frontline (and Morgan Weaver Before her injury), interchange seamlessly.
Thorns 2-0 victory over the Chicago Red Stars These changes are evident on the 27th of April. Smith began the game on the right side and scored from the left 10 minutes in. Sixteen minutes after that, Smith scored on the right side.
Gale’s system is designed to get the most out of a talented roster. Coffey’s role as the defensive midfielder is to act like a glue for this team. TruMedia reports that she leads the NWSL for ball recovery and is often the one to spark the attack from the deepest areas with patient, simple passes.
Thorns have also benefitted from the passage of time as this has led to newer defensive partnership.
Isabella Obaze, Nicole PayneThen, Marie Müller Portland’s defensive line is all-new this year. Early in the year, the Thorns were unable to play together and as a team. They made errors and lost their form. The Thorns’ 4-0 victory over their rivals on Saturday was a good example of this. Seattle Reign FCThe Thorns were compact, and they purposefully gave possession of the Reign to them, to challenge them to find their way through. They couldn’t.
Karina leBlanc and the Bhathals still have a lot to learn. Thorns’ job should attract top coaches. Gale’s experience as a head coach in Canada was mostly in the youth ranks of the national teams and in the Canadian Premier League for men. The team is also on board with him right now.
Alex Bhathal, in an ESPN interview recently, said: “Our goal is to develop the most successful global women’s soccer team.” This is a chance for us to assess the talent available globally to assist us in achieving that goal. Rob Gale is certain to be included in this search.
“We won’t leave any stones unturned. Because we do have an overall vision, we will not be wasting time. We’re excited about the results that Coach Gale is having, the winning culture that the team has created and how much fun they are having. It’s just so exciting to see the excitement and enthusiasm of the entire club, the team, the players, as well as everyone affiliated with it. “We’d like to keep it going.”
The Thorns will face another matchup with the Dash on Friday. After that, they’ll have their biggest challenge since the start of the season: their longest trip this year to Orlando, where they play a Pride squad which is undefeated through nine matches. They will also tie multiple league records, such as Portland’s 2017 championship team.
Thorns continue to be a team with high expectations. Coffey stated after the recent victory against an expansion team Bay FCIt is now the norm. This has always been the case. This bar will only continue to rise with the NWSL, Bhathals’ investment and their energy.
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