Our last look at Portland Thorns FC was as much revelation as relief. Now, weeks later, it still feels like we saw something special.
Two games into the stretch that sees every NWSL team deprived of its World Cup stars, over 19,461 fans at Providence Park saw a pair of players perform like they should be in France. Within 31 minutes, Midge Purce had scored twice, doubling her career goal total, while Simone Charley had registered the first two assists of her professional career. Whether it be via previous national team callups (Purce) or a college career that earned all-SEC honors (Charley), both players had given fans reason to pay attention before, but with the stage cleared by the World Cup, June 2’s performances thrust them front and center for the Thorns home opener.
“We have a very talented group,” Purce said after her team’s 3-0 victory over Chicago, “and sometimes it’s not always acknowledged, because we have such incredible players. All respect to them and credibility to them, but it doesn’t take away credibility from other players. It just adds.”
Expect the rest of the league to take notice. Charley and Purce’s efforts were so convincing, so overwhelming, that every team in the league will have to take their film seriously. They’re going to look at how simply Portland’s attackers beat Chicago’s defenders – how Portland continuously created winnable, one-on-one battles against the Red Star backline – then adjust.
There won’t be any surprise factor this week against the North Carolina Courage (4:45 pm PT, Yahoo! Sports). Head coach Paul Riley and his staff are better than that. The more pertinent question is, even knowing what might be coming (because there’s no guarantee Thorns head coach Mark Parsons doesn’t change things up), whether the current version of North Carolina has the personnel to matchup.
Here are three things to … no. We’re not going to do that, this week. Let’s boil this preview down to the things which, during this World Cup break, we know you care about:
Who’s out
Not that any Thorns fan should feel bad for another team’s plight, but just like Portland, North Carolina is feeling their absences at every level of the field.
In goal: Canadian international Stephanie Labbé. She’s kinda important. In defense: Abby Dahlkemper (United States) and Abby Erceg (New Zealand) – both starting central defenders – are big, big losses. In midfield: U.S. internationals Crystal Dunn and Samantha Mewis are both Top 10 players in the league, at worst; and Brazilian midfielder Debinha may be just as valuable. And in attack: well, after last year’s final, nobody in Portland needs to hear about the power of Jessica McDonald.
The Thorns are in the same situation, with a starting goalkeeper (Adrianna Franch), defenders (Ellie Carpenter, Emily Sonnett), midfielders (Lindsey Horan, Andressinha, Christine Sinclair – if you want to slot her here) and attackers (Tobin Heath, Hayley Raso, Caitlin Foord) all gone. But as Portland’s performance against Chicago attests, these World Cup periods are as much about the players that are here as the players who are gone.
There is no rule that says you are doomed by your World Cup hardship. You do, however, have to adjust.
Who’s in
Unfortunately for the Thorns, they’re not the only team that’s seeing overlooked talents step. Two weeks ago against the Orlando Pride, North Carolina’s Kristen Hamilton scored three second-half goals, bringing to life all the praise Riley’s heaped on her. Dating back two years, when the recently-drafted Ashley Hatch (now with Washington) gave the appearance of North Carolina having three starting-caliber forwards (Hatch, McDonald, and former NWSL MVP Lynn Williams), Riley always insisted that Hamilton be included in that group. His selection issues went beyond having three forwards for two spots, he explained. Riley had four players he felt could start.
It only took one Hamilton performance to justify that praise, but in trying to replace the defending champions’ missing star power, she’s not alone. Kaleigh Kurtz and Cari Roccaro are forging a new central combination in defense, while Merritt Mathias has been moved from her fullback’s role to fortify central midfield. As with Portland, North Carolina’s players are being asked what they can do, not what they’ve done.
It’s the same for the Thorns, but obviously, the effort goes beyond Charley and Purce. Britt Eckerstrom has kept two straight clean sheets in goal, an effort that’s been aided by the replacements in the backline: midfielder/center back/who knows what's next talent Gabby Seiler, as well as right/center back Elizabeth Ball.Ana-Maria Crnogorčevićis picking up new responsibilities in midfield, while previously unknown (and unsigned) players like Marissa Everett and being asked to step up, even if they’re coming on in substitute’s roles.
What it all means
Now, I don't switch into the first person lightly (feel free to knock me down a letter grade for this), but I watch a lot of NWSL games, and when thinking about how North Carolina might match up against the Thorns on Saturday, I have no clue. I mean, I can fake it, tell you how the Courage played against Orlando, but there is no way that Riley’s staff looks at the film of Portland against Chicago and thinks, “oh, no worries. We’re fine. No need to change anything.” And at the same time, no Thorns coach will look at the Courage’s last game and assume, “they’ll just do the same thing against Midge and Simone.”
This is the beauty of the World Cup period. The new stars. The new approaches. The unpredictable. While many lamented what this 10-week period was going to look like without the league’s biggest stars, those closest to the NWSL were right to relish their chance to see the league’s Charleys, Hamiltons, and Purces. We’re right to feel the reward for following the league close enough to care about players like Seiler, Kurtz, and Ball. And if we occasionally scoff when people lament the league’s "depleted" months, it's because we've seen under-appreciated talents step up before.
How that translates into forecasting Saturday’s game, frankly, I don’t care. Come kickoff in Cary, North Carolina, we’re going to see a series of players who, while regularly overshadowed, are more than worthy of our attentions. If, for you, Charley and Purce didn’t prove as much against Chicago, I suspect nothing will.
