PORTLAND, OR – MAY 4, 2024: Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns scores Portland’s second goal (Photo by Diego G Diaz Photography).
The Portland Thorns’ 2-1 win against the Washington Spirit on Saturday, May 4th is the fourth consecutive win under interim manager Rob Gale, raising the team from the bottom of the table to the fourth place, five points behind leaders Kansas City Current, with 17 goals scored, against 14 conceded. Portland had started the season in free fall, having been able to only earn 1 point in their first four matches, one of the worst season starts in club history.
Rob Gale took the reigns of the Portland Thorns as interim coach, after the club decided to shuffle the team’s coaching staff. Mike Norris, got moved to the chair of Technical Director, then GM Karina LeBlanc, appointed Gale as temporary boss while the club starts the search for their new head coach. In his debut, Portland made a statement 4-1 win against Houston Dash on April 20, 2024, making good of an old football saying “new coach, sure win”.
Portland’s awful season start was not just saving a single point at home against Louisville in a frustrating 2-2 draw, but letting in ten goals in those four first games. The Thorns were showing at times some abysmal defensive performances. Four out of the six goals scored were during the season opener at Kansas City, when they lost 5-4 in a thrilling match against the Current. After that first day, the team seemed to go on a dry scoring patch, which only exposed even more its defensive problems.
Four games is not a big span to extract a lot of conclusions, but Portland’s defensive issues weren’t new. Portland under Rob Gale, same as it has been with Mike Norris, and as with Rhian Wilkinson, has been a decisively offensive team. Portland’s strength always have seemed to be their ability to be on the scoreboard twice as high as their opposition. But their impressive goal scoring stats has always been in sharp contrast with being the league contender with the most goals allowed.
For perspective, in 2023, Portland lead the league in scoring with an impressive tally of 42 goals, 11 more than the shield winners, San Diego Wave, but third from the bottom in goals against, having allowed 32 goals. San Diego, scored 32, but allowed just 22, making it the second least scored on team behind Houston Dynamo with 18.
The Thorns had always trouble when facing stubborn defending sides, with efficient pressing, and studied tactics closing them down. In such a 0-0 environment, the team that made mistakes in their own last third is going to be the one needing the miracle, and Portland found their way in that position way too often, but more often than not, their talent tended to get them through.
After the epic 2024 season opener on March 16 at Kansas City Current at brand new CPKP stadium, Portland’s home opener, one week later on March 22, saw again, Gotham FC edging them almost the same way they had knocked Portland out of the semifinals in 2023. Not just that, Gotham made the Thorns look vulnerable, spent, without any arguments to contest a team very happy to sit back and exploit errors and pounce with counter attacks, also a team expert at managing the game.
The Thorns then would tie 2-2 with Louisville at home on that March 30, then concede another two goals in an away shootout defeat against the always tough North Carolina Courage in April 13, another contender to the tittle. Whether Norris would have picked up the pace on the shoulders of an inspired attacking half lead by the super star, Sophia Smith, there is little doubt in my opinion. The question is, would this be enough to go all the way to the final and win it like in 2022?
Before answering that question, let’s remember, Gotham FC knocked Portland in a contested semifinal in another 0-1 loss in a match that could have gone either way, luck does play a part in this game. Also that 2023 season, under Mike Norris umbrella, Portland grazed the shield in the last week, loosing 2-0 to San Diego Wave, who in turn were the Shield winers.
Second, I’d like to historically contextualize the struggle. There has been a constant argument between those who promote attractive freer attacking style vs. defensive stoicism since the game was created. The Italian “catenaccio” (door bolt) vs the Brazilian magic of the 60s, Holland’s “total football” vs the German machine of the 1974 world cup, Cesar Luis Menotti’s flair vs Carlos Bilardo’s combative philosophies of the Argentinian national teams of 1978 and 1986, to today’s Pep Guardiola’s “tiki-taka” vs José Mourinho’s pragmatism, to mention a few notable examples.
Most times this is an argument framed in a myopic black and white angle of good vs boring football. In my opinion, a gross oversimplification of the game, the successful formula always lives in the grey area. With plenty of success stories on both sides of the flair vs effective, there is only one universal truth, with wining games and titles, there is never a discussion.
The answer for the front office was that was that they didn’t want to wait to see in which shade of gray this 2024 season Thorns would fall in, the veil of the magic seemed to have been lifted, and the thought of another 0-1 early play off exit wasn’t something they wanted to face, so they made their move.
PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 20, 2024: Rob Gale in his day view after 4-1 win over Houston Dash (Photo by Diego G Diaz).
The Portland Thorns still remain as one of the most offensive teams, woman by woman, the balance is still falling on the upper two thirds of the field, and there is nothing wrong with that, plenty of the most successful football teams have been that way, however, a new set of leadership is what it seems that the ownership is looking forward to balance the equation during the season.
Rob Gale appointment has payed handsomely, a four match stretch rendered all contested 12 points won, with 11 goals in favor, but also conceding 5 goals. Gale has found a way to restore the flow in the attacking half, and that has yield the goals, but the questions about defense and game management, are still on the table.
Moving forward, eight games in we are still too early to make any predictions specially with the talent gap between the teams in NWSL being so narrow, being fourth just five points behind league’s leaders Kansas City Current, in a 26-match season, is not ideal, but it’s not bad.
Some say Gale has returned to a more streamlined version of the team’s philosophy, returning Sinclair to the starting 11 as a center forward, and Hina Sugita, this time playing in the center of the midfield, as a play maker as well as pressing partner for Sam Coffey.
The squad is also still falling into place with the introduction of new players, a new set wing backs, Marie Müller, and Nicole Payne (in from Reyna Reyes), center defender Isabella Obaze (in for Keli Hubly), center midfield Jessie Fleming, and a winger Janine Beckie growing in form after her 2023 season ACL injury. Not to forget, the absence of the iconic Morgan Weaver out with a knee injury.
Last Saturday night, against Washington Spirit, Portland came out aggressively, and opened the score just four minutes in. Thorn’s high pressure resulted in a deep run on the left wing by Sophia Smith who squared with Hina Sugita. Sugita’s pass back into space, found Sam Coffey in the center of the outer edge of the penalty box, her shot hit the right side netting, out of the reach of Spirit’s keeper Aubrey Kingsbury.
In minute 22, Christine Sinclair doubled the advantage, in a skillful first touch shot from a ball headed to the center of the goal area by a header from Obaze. A bright first half, that contrasted with the second half, with an ambitious Washington Spirit pressing on, and showing the Thorns weaker bits.
PORTLAND, OR – MAY 4, 2024: Sam Coffey celebrates Portland’s fourth straight win (Photo by Diego G Diaz Photography).
Washington’s control of the match didn’t fully eliminate the threat of the Thorns, and the referee disallowed a goal by Ana Dias in minute 71, the Portuguese international headed Sugita’s pass in the center of the goal area, but the referee disallowed for very narrow offside.
A better work in defense by the locals and great actions by keeper Shelby Hogan manage to keep the visit scoreless, but that ended when Washington found a late goal in minute 86. Lena Silano headed in from the center of the box, after a masterful play in the wing, with luxury dribbling on Sugita and precise lobbed cross by the Spirit’s star Trinity Rodman.
At the end of the night, the Thorns offered the fans again what they are used to see, good, exciting football, goals, and late game drama.
This Saturday, May 11, the Thorns will be facing their arch rivals, the Seattle Reign, a match that aims to settle the Portland come back, and gives a chance to new coach Rob Gale a chance to make his case with a win against Seattle. A derby is never an easy errand, and even as Seattle sis reaching Providence Park with a 4 game loosing streak.
Another Cascadia wounded team, but far from dead, sets the the table for one derby night sure to bring new fans to the women’s game.
Thorns v Spirit match Slideshow
Photos by Diego G Diaz
