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USWNT

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Three Thorns called up to U.S. Women’s National Team January training camp

by John Rustik
written by John Rustik

Over the past three days, a trio of Thorns players have been called up to represent the U.S. Women’s National Team for the January training camp taking place in Austin, Texas.

On Wednesday, the Thorns twitter announced that veteran midfielder Lindsey Horan and forward Sophia Smith were named to the 25-player roster to take part in the USWNT training camp that will span from Jan. 19-28.

The following day, the Thorns added that forward Morgan Weaver would also be joining her two teammates.

The three players bring various levels of experience within the USWNT. Horan leads the three with 108 caps. Smith has made 10 appearances and Weaver has played for country twice.

While there won’t be any friendlies played during this training camp, it’s a great sign to see three players get the recognition that they deserve.

The USWNT will make their 2022 debut in the SheBelieves Cup, facing off against the Czech Republic, New Zealand and Iceland. The SheBelieves Cup will start on Feb. 17.

 

 

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Portland Thorns

Portland Thorns 2021 Season Preview and Roster Update

by Michael Martinez
written by Michael Martinez

It has been a long while but we’re back!! I am hoping to get more consistent Thorns news out starting with the 2021 Challenge Cup. My goal is to have Thorns content out at least once a week. So without further ado, let’s get to it!

If you read my friend Charlie’s previous post, you would know that the 2021 Challenge Cup begins tomorrow, against Kansas City. After the Challenge Cup, the 24-match regular-season kicks back up on May 15th. The league is not expected to break for the 2021 Summer Olympics (if that is even going to be a thing) and the season will conclude on October 30th. Full details on the Challenge Cup format and the complete regular-season schedule should be announced here soon. Until then we can just speculate and wait.

After the regular-season finishes, six teams will qualify for an expanded NWSL playoffs set to begin on Nov. 6, with the top two seeds receiving a first-round bye. The Thorns are obvious favorites for the first-round bye. The league’s ninth season will conclude with the NWSL Championship on November 20th. Where hopefully we can see the Thorns lift the Cup after a 4 year drought. 

Key Players: 

  • Christine Sinclair: The 8 year veteran and our captain. The star Canadian midfielder has put in the work consistently since coming to Portland in 2013. Her presence on the pitch is enough. As an attacking midfielder, she has an incredible eye for goal. For two seasons in a row, she has been the team’s top scorer. With the addition of Crystal Dunn in the midfield, I would not be surprised if we see Sinclair even higher up the pitch this season.

  • Crystal Dunn: The USWNT international joined the Thorns this last fall from Washington Spirit. She has over 100 caps for the USWNT and is touted as one of the best midfielders in the country. While she mainly suits up as a left back for the national team, for club, and her preferred position, is the midfield. She may not score too much, she can dictate the game and take control of it herself. She could easily be a contender for MVP. 

  • Lindsey Horan: Horan has been a mainstay at the club since 2016. The partnership of Horan and Dunn will easily be the best in the league. While she has spent time playing uptop, she has made the switch to the midfield for club and country. She has not been on the scoresheet as much since joining the Thorns, but that does not mean she can’t bang one in. She has exceptional vision and can pin point passes where she needs. 

Head Coach Mark Parsons on Horan and Dunn, 

“Lindsey and Crystal are key pillars to our future,” “Their role on and off the field is crucial to our identity and the collective goals of the club.”

Official 2021 Roster
Goalkeepers: Bella Bixby, Adrianna Franch, Shelby Hogan

Defenders: Kelli Hubly, Meghan Klingenberg, Natalia Kuikka, Emily Menges, Meaghan Nally, Madison Pogarch, Becky Sauerbrunn, Christen Westphal

Midfielders: Celeste Boureille, Crystal Dunn, Lindsey Horan, Rocky Rodríguez, Angela Salem, Christine Sinclair

Forwards: Simone Charley, Marissa Everett, Tyler Lussi, Sophia Smith, Morgan Weaver

What to Expect This Season:
The Thorns have just one more night’s sleep until the Challenge Cup starts. Then the actual season matches begin, and the wins of the offseason become irrelevant. As the offseason comes to an end, the Thorns have to take this type of success to the pitch.

And success is a fair word. Since the team lost the semifinal in Chicago back in 2019,, Portland has undergone some dramatic changes. If you would have told Parsons that after a year-plus of moves, the roster would be as strong as it is now, he’d be beyond ecstatic. The team has added some powerhouse players like Dunn, Rocky Rodriguez, and Sauerbrunn. Key parts of their core, like Sinclair, Horan, Klingenberg are still hanging around. All are key components to help carry last season’s momentum into 2021. In my opinion, the roster, as it sits right now, is probably the best that Thorns fans could ever imagine. 

Now it’s time to move to the next phase. After all, the point of all this is to produce something special on the pitch. Winning the Fall Series last year was a pretty solid start, but over the course of 2021, the team should expect more. The fans will expect more. Whether that results are in trophies or not, the team should define itself by new levels. Now that is something that I for one, am excited to see.

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Portland Thorns

Portland Thorns Acquire USWNT midfielder Crystal Dunn

by Michael Martinez
written by Michael Martinez

Portland Thorns today announced that the club has acquired 2019 USWNT World Cup Champion midfielder , and 2015 NWSL MVP winner, Crystal Dunn from OL Reign! She came to Portland in exchange for $150’000 in allocation money, an international roster spot for the 2021 season and Portland’s natural first-round pick in the 2022 NWSL College Draft.

Thorns FC president, Gavin Wilkinson on the transfer of the USWNT star,

“We are delighted to add a world-class player to an already talented group…. Crystal has proven herself on the international level and been a dominant player in the NWSL for many years. Her professionalism and presence will reinforce and add to the strong culture we have in this club.”

The 2021 season will mark Dunn’s seventh season in the NWSL. Dunn, 28, began her career with the Washington Spirit and has played the last three seasons with the North Carolina Courage. She also spent a single season (2017) with Chelsea in the FA Women’s Super League. Individually, Dunn won the NWSL MVP in 2015 along with the Golden Boot, scoring a league-best 15 goals. She has also earned herself NWSL Best XI accolades in 2015 and 2018, and NWSL Second XI honors in 2016 and 2019. During her NWSL career, Dunn has appeared in 89 games while recording 32 goals and 20 assists.

Dunn on her move to Portland,

“I think it’s important people realize that this is a new challenge on the field for me,” she says, “one that’s going to make me a better player. That’s really important to me, alongside my home and my family being there as well.”….

“For me, this move is really about playing for an organization that upholds a standard across the league,” she says, “and really wanting to make a mark and an impact on the environment. So many great players have come through this program, so even though I do believe in my skill set, I know there is a standard I have to meet. That’s going to challenge …”

As a member of the USWNT, Dunn has made 104 appearances, tallying 24 goals and 17 assists. She was part of the team that won the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, starting and playing all 90 minutes of six out of the team’s seven matches. While her natural position is midfielder for club, she has been playing as a Left Back for the US. She has excelled there as well. Being touted as one of the better performers for the USWN defense.

With Portland, the challenges are very clear. In joining the Thorns, she becomes part of a group that, as of recent, increasingly has title expectations. While that’s always been a part of Portland’s DNA, those expectations have increased after three years without a trophy. After the team’s progress during the NWSL’s recently completed Fall Series, the Thorns will likely go into 2021 expecting trophies. And Dunn will play a crucial part.

The challenge, the club, the move home. These factors all matter. They’re all part of Dunn’s next phase. While any of those reasons alone would be enough to justify a new start, for her, it’s the combination that matters most. It’s about being well-rounded, bringing different parts of her life together, and achieving the next big thing which, at this point in her life, she’s sought most: balance.

Portland Thorns FC coach, Mark Parsons, on the transfer of Dunn,

“Crystal is a game-changer, and with her intelligence, dribbling, passing and finishing ability, she can unlock a game in a split second, while her defensive qualities and work rate make her as impactful off the ball as she is on it….. She has a winning mentality, a contagious personality full of positivity and the desire to be the best and make people around her the best.”

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Portland Thorns

Manchester Bound: Tobin Heath Leaves Portland

by Michael Martinez
written by Michael Martinez


Image via Thorns

Image via Thorns

Manchester United Women’s team announced the signing of USWNT and Portland Thorns star, Tobin Heath on a one year contract with an option for a second. Heath, who is one of the world’s best wingers, makes her way to Manchester along with fellow USWNT teammates Christen Press (ManU), Rose Lavelle (ManCity), and Sam Mewis ManCity). She will bring a lot of creativity and tenacity that this Manchester team needs. She may be on the older side, 32, but she still makes a difference while on the pitch. 

She is one of the many NWSL players making the jump overseas. With there being so much uncertainty for the next 9 months after the fall series, it is no wonder why they want to move. This also helps the USWNT players stay in match shape for the 2021 Olympics. With the FA Women’s Super League, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League, they will have plenty of opportunities for game time. 

Heath, 32, joined Thorns FC in the NWSL’s inaugural season in 2013, has helped guide the Thorns to a pair of NWSL Championships (2013, 2017) and an NWSL Community Shield (2016). She is a three-time NWSL Best XI selection (2016, 2018, 2019) and has appeared in 70 regular-season matches with 63 starts. In that time she has recorded 12 goals and 24 assists. She has been one of the best players in the league and her quality and intensity will be missed in Portland. 


Image via Portland Thorns Twitter

Image via Portland Thorns Twitter

In a statement on her move to Manchester United, Heath said: 

“Manchester United is an exceptional club and I’m thrilled to be joining them. I’m looking forward to the challenge of competing in England, playing with and against some of the best players in the world. I have big ambitions for this season and can’t wait to get on the pitch with my new team and start this next chapter,”

Heath has had an incredible career with the USWNT as well. She has won two FIFA World Cups (2015 and 2019) and two Olympic Gold Medals (2008 and 2012). She was also voted as the best US Soccer Athlete back in 2016. Her talent and pedigree is undeniable. 

Watch the Portland Thorns without Tobin Heath on Saturday, September 12th at 12pm PST on CBS. They play OL Reign at home in Providence Park.

UPDATE: Match has been moved to Tuesday, September 15th at 7pm due to hazardous air quality.

Another UPDATE from Thorns front office:
The National Women’s Soccer League today announced that due to continued air quality concerns in Portland and the Pacific Northwest, Portland Thorns FC’s home match against OL Reign, slated for Tuesday, Sept. 15, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 30; kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (Pacific) with a streamed broadcast on Twitch.

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OL Reign

Megan Rapinoe is the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year

by Kevin Nesgoda
written by Kevin Nesgoda
749px-Megan_Rapinoe_48213221576.jpg

I don’t know if Megan Rapinoe has a personal anthem, but it might as well be DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win” because, well… that’s all she does.

This summer, Reign FC’s Rapinoe led the United States Women’s Team to the World Cup trophy (her second), taking home the Golden Boot (for most goals scored) and Golden Ball (the tournament’s Most Valuable Player) awards along the way. Now, Rapinoe is going to need a bigger trophy case because she’s adding another one to the collection.

https://twitter.com/FIFAWWC/status/1176135061504217094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Rapinoe beat out U.S. teammate Alex Morgan and England’s Lucy Bronze to win FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year today at an awards ceremony at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. The vote came from fans, journalists, national team coaches and captains. During the World Cup, Rapinoe scored six goals and three assists in 428 minutes, including two braces and the game winning goal in the final against Netherlands. The team’s coach, Jill Ellis, also won the women’s coach award.

Beyond the individual honor, Rapinoe was also named to the FIFA FIFPRO World 11, along with USWNT teammates Alex Morgan, Julie Ertz, Rose Lavelle, and Kelly O’Hara. The FIFA FIFPRO World 11 is a collection of players chosen by their peers from around the world. Rapinoe is the second Reign FC player named to the team after goalkeeper Hope Solo, who received the honor in 2015 and 2016.

You can catch Rapinoe and the rest of Reign FC as they fight for the NWSL Playoffs this Wednesday, September 25, at Cheney Stadium, taking on the Utah Royals.

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