PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s days like these that make me ask, “why expansion?” “Why do we have to do this,” but we know the answer to that. The National Women’s Soccer League needs to grow. Moving from the 10 teams it had in 2021 to 12 next season will be an amazingly positive step. Angel City FC? San Diego Wave FC? Welcome aboard!
No, it’s expansion drafts that are the problem. They’re a uniquely American thing – the idea that other teams in a league should make players available to their new competition. Why can’t new teams just sign uncontracted players? There’s literally a world’s worth of talent out there, and probably 95, 96 percent of them would love to play professionally in the U.S. I’m just guessing at those numbers, but you get the point. For a couple of years, we could relax new teams’ limits on international players, give them a little more room on the salary cap, and make this work. It just doesn’t feel that hard.
Alas, that’s not the world we live in. Instead, every time the NWSL expands, there’s a tax to pay. Last year, it was Thorns FC losing the rights to Tobin Heath when she was selected by Racing Louisville FC. This year, it’s Simone Charley and Tyler Lussi – for now.
As announced today, Portland has agreed to trade Charley and Lussi to Angel City. In return, the team gets a second-round pick in next weekend’s draft, $100,000 in allocation money, and immunity from Angel City in next Wednesday’s expansion draft.
San Diego can still take a Thorn. They probably will. Losing Charley and Lussi are just the first of Portland’s expansion losses.
“I’ve been a player who has been traded, so the most important part of this process was meeting with Simone and Tyler to ensure they were supported in this move,” Thorns general manager Karina LeBlanc said in her team’s announcement. “Both players expressed their love for the Thorns and the impact their time here has had on them as people and players, yet when this opportunity came about, they conveyed their desire for a new challenge and opportunity.”
Charley and Lussi are both 26 years old. They’ve been out of college for some time. Lussi just completed her fifth year with the Thorns; Charley, her fourth. In 2021, Both were significant parts of Portland’s three-trophy season, but in 2022, their realities weren’t going to be so different. Each was looking at a forward depth chart that has two U.S. internationals, Sophia Smith and Morgan Weaver, at the top.
“With expansion, we knew we were going to lose some players, and after speaking with them we came to a mutual understanding,” LeBlanc continued. “They are both great people that have shown a commitment to helping this club become a success on the field, in the locker room and within the Portland community. We appreciate all their contributions and wish them all the best in Los Angeles.”
Whether Charley or Lussi get more time with Angel City remains to be seen, but the mere fact one of the NWSL’s new teams gave up assets for them shows a certain level of commitment. As of now, Angel City has its own U.S. international forward on its roster. Christen Press’s acquisition was announced earlier this year. But if head coach Freya Coombe decides to play more than one striker at a time, a starting spot will be open. That could lead to more opportunity than either might see in Portland.
Given the constraints of an expansion-draft world, this deal feels like a winner for all involved, albeit a relative one. Would Charley and Lussi rather stay with the Thorns and have a route to more minutes here? Perhaps. The Thorns certainly would have preferred to have them around. But now, instead of losing one or both for just allocation money, the Thorns get a draft pick, as well as increased certainty around next Wednesday’s draft, the players get a new opportunity with a promising club, and Angel City gets two quality players in their physical primes to take into their first season.
What’s left in Portland are the memories. We’ll start with Lussi. She was a prolific scorer at Princeton before being selected in the 2017 draft. In the five years that followed, she proved a reliable bench option defined by a nearly unmatched level of commitment. Across all competitions, Lussi made 56 appearances, 16 starts, and scored six times, though thanks to that commitment, her biggest contributions may have happened beyond the whistles.
While she was always blocked from starting spots by talents like Smith, Weaver, and Charley, Lussi pushed those players to new levels. There have been times over the last few seasons where she would briefly pass people on the depth chart and force Portland’s other forwards to get more out of themselves. As recently as the 2021 preseason, Lussi temporarily claimed a first XI spot. Likewise, in every training, other forwards risked being outperformed and passed by Lussi. Her commitment forced her competition to be their best selves.
Charley was one of those who were pushed, and over her last three seasons in Portland, the results began to shine through. After being undrafted and unrostered coming out of Vanderbilt in 2018, Charley started seeing regular time in 2019, entering Portland’s starting lineup during that summer’s World Cup. She ended up making 11 appearances that year, appeared in every game in 2020 (10), and became a full-fledged threat in 2021. Her six goals across all competitions were one behind her team’s leaders (Smith, Christine Sinclair), while her 0.43 goals per 90 minutes ranked only behind her fellow new Angel City striker: Lussi (0.44).
Those numbers will be important to remember, especially as the rest of the Thorns’ offseason unfolds. With Charley and Lussi, the Thorns had forward depth that was possibly unrivaled across the NWSL. San Diego willing, they could still have Marissa Everett, who averaged 0.27 goals per 90 as an attacking midfielder last season. Sinclair, of course, can also play forward, and Rutgers standout Amirah Ali should join the team in preseason. Each could augment the depth chart. But with Charley and Lussi, there was no could about it. The Thorns had that depth. Expansion has already thinned out the forward corps.
It's also deprived Portland of two beloved teammates. Though different personalities, Charley and Lussi were respected for similar reasons. Each spoke with their work as much as their words, and in that work, they were beyond reproach. Nobody outworked either. Each had to persevere after being relatively overlooked to become players who could challenge more renowned options. Charley and Lussi may not be U.S. internationals yet, but at times, their contributions have rivaled players at that level.
Coupled with their kindness, willingness — who they were as people — Charley and Lussi are perfect fits within a culture that stresses it. In their loss, there’s risk. There’s risk you can’t replace the person. There’s risk a new person doesn’t mesh as well. Or even if the mesh is there, there’s risk the commitment in meetings, training, the community, and on the field isn’t at the same level. Charley and Lussi were important.
Why, then, are they going? Or to circle back, why expansion? Why? Yes, we know that, in the big picture, this will make the NWSL a better place. And even in the near term, this could lead to new paths for two former Thorns. As of today, though, they are former Thorns. Charley and Lussi have moved on.