The annual Thorns Spring Invitational, presented by Tillamook approaches, with the three teams who visited for last year’s preseason tournament making their returns to Portland.
Beginning Sunday at the University of Portland’s Merlo Field, two NWSL sides (the Chicago Red Stars and Houston Dash) join the United States’ Under-23 Women’s National Team in filling out the four-team field for the Thorns’ annual tournament. Over the course of the following week, the teams will play a three-team, round-robin tournament at the home of the Pilots, one that will serve as the primary warmup for the Dash’s, Red Stars‘ and Thorns’ 2018 seasons.
- TICKETS: Mar. 11 | Thorns vs. Red Stars | 5pm PT
- TICKETS: Mar. 14 | Thorns vs. U.S. U-23s | 7:30pm PT
- TICKETS: Mar. 17 | Thorns vs. Dash | 7:30pm PT
For the Thorns, Sunday’s opener versus Chicago will be the team’s first step toward building on the team’s second NWSL title. Part of that process has involving bringing in new talent, much of which won’t be on the field on Sunday. Still, although Brazilian midfielder Andressinha (with her national team) and Australians Ellie Carpenter (arriving in April) and Caitlin Foord (injured) won’t be in Portland to make their Thorns debuts, other new faces should feature prominently from the tournament’s first whistle. Former Boston Breakers Midge Purce, Ifeoma Onumonu and Angela Salem all training with the team ahead of this weekend’s kickoff.
That kickoff will line Portland up against a potential title rival, with last year’s fourth-place finisher, the Chicago Red Stars, making some offseason waves of their own. In the winter’s biggest move, the Red Stars traded U.S. international Christen Press in a deal that landed the NWSL’s best player, Australian attacker Sam Kerr.
Though it is unknown if Kerr, coming off the Algarve Cup in Portugal with Australia, will feature in the tournament, her presence gives the Red Stars a level of potential the team hasn’t had before. Be it on Sunday or in the coming regular season, the Thorns will eventually have to account for Kerr’s arrival.
The Houston Dash are also a team in flux, partly because of that same trade which send Kerr to Chicago. As a third team in that deal, the Dash acquired Press’s rights while sending U.S. icon Carli Lloyd and Canadian international Janine Beckie to Sky Blue FC. Per reports late Friday, Press is not expected to be with the Dash during the tournament, but given the uncertainties surrounding new head coach Vera Pauw, Houston still carries a level of intrigue. How the new-look Dash set up against the Thorns and Red Stars will give fans insight into to what we can expect from the team’s revamped squad.
The tournament’s big mystery is the U.S. under-23s, who, theoretically, carry an inexperienced and out-gunned squad into the tournament. But B.J. Snow’s team represents the best the of the U.S.’ next generation of talent, and although that talent is still blossoming, the Thorns were reminded of such players’ potential when they lost to a similar age-level squad in last year’s tournament.
With talents like UCLA’s Hallie Mace (a recent invite to the senior national team camp) and Catarina Macario (arguably the best prospect in college soccer), this year’s under-23s feature a slew of potential NWSL talent. They won’t be pushovers.
Even if they were, this tournament is about preparing for the regular season, which means not only getting time for the players who have been ramping up over preseason’s first four weeks but also integrating players like Christine Sinclair, Lindsey Horan and Emily Sonnett – players recently returned from international duty – for their first time in this year’s squad.
Having just arrived in Portland, we may not see those names on Sunday, but as this week’s tournament evolves, we should get a good idea of what this year’s Thorns have in store.
