The more strenuous the game, the longer it takes to recover. It’s both a truism and an obstacle in the world of professional sports, something that’s beginning to redefine how the National Basketball Association is thinking about its schedule. “Are 82 games too many,” those around the league are asking, with those cognizant of the soccer world using the world’s game as an example of how to better manage players.
This week, Portland Thorns FC are in the middle of a management challenge. On Saturday in North Carolina, the 14 players who took the field for Portland played one of the most taxing regular-season games in team history. The next day was a cross-country flight. After that, finally, a real chance to rest. It was only on Tuesday that the team could start the re-entry process, but even then, the load from Carolina lingered. After a game like Saturday’s, the ramp up has to be slow.
“We have to recharge and build back up by the time Friday rolls around …,” head coach Mark Parsons explained on Tuesday. “We haven’t had loads of time, right now, to train because of the schedule, but that period is coming.”
If this was a normal week, Portland would have more time to prepare for its next challenge. But their next game is on Friday, not Saturday, increasing the weight of their cross-country flights and strenuous load. A balance between competitiveness and player health has to be struck, especially for a team with nine players in France, two dealing with injury, and another just returning from international duty. Do the priorities you place on competing Friday compromise your ability to fight in the future?
That’s why, for the second week in a row, we’re going to focus on who’s in, who’s out, and what it all means for Friday’s game against Utah Royals FC (8pm PT, TICKETS, Yahoo! Sports). Here’s this week’s Thorns NWSL preview:
Who’s out
With the national team of every Thorns’ World Cup player advancing to the tournament’s second round, this list is going to stay the same for a while: Australians Ellie Carpenter, Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso; Brazil’s Andressinha; Canada’s Christine Sinclair; and the United States’ Adrianna Franch, Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan and Emily Sonnett.
But wait, there’s more. Midfielder Angela Salem is a long-term absence as she recovers from knee surgery, while a leg injury has ruled defender Emily Menges out, even if her absence shouldn’t be as long. Of even less concern, midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdóttir just returned to the team late Wednesday after being with her national team. According to Parsons, she’ll be available for selection against Utah.
As for the Royals, they’re also missing a mess of players because of the World Cup: Katie Bowen (New Zealand), Rachel Corsie (Scotland), Kelley O’Hara, Christen Press, Becky Sauerbrunn (all United States) and Desiree Scott (Canada). Injuries have already cost Brittany Radcliffe and Taylor Lytle their seasons, while defender Madeline Nolf missed last weekend’s game because of a hip injury. Perhaps Utah’s absences aren’t as numerous as Portland’s, but when it comes to the impact on Friday’s XI, the Royals’ plight shouldn’t be overlooked.
Who’s in
Despite those absences, Utah still has a series of high-level talents capable of taking three points from anyone. The best example of that, right now, is former U.S. international Amy Rodriguez, whose four goals in seven games is tied for second in the league. Gunny Jónsdóttir is one of the best two-way midfielders in the league, while Veronica Boquete’s creative talents need not be explained to any long-time Thorns fan. Head coach Laura Harvey, having been in the league since the NWSL’s inception, knows how to manage these handcuffed periods, leaving her more prepared than most to exploit others’ mistakes during these challenging months.
To this point, though, the Thorns have managed their mistakes during this World Cup period. Defenders Katherine Reynolds and Meghan Klingenberg deserve credit for that, as do some of the players who, in their teammates’ absences, are stepping into featured roles: goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom, defender Elizabeth Ball, and multi-position talent Gabby Seiler. They’ve provided the foundation for attackers like Midge Purce and Simone Charley – players who’ve stepped into the spotlight during the World Cup.
What it all means
If the Purce-Charley combination that’s defining the Thorns’ current approach keeps producing goals, June’s biggest fear will continue to be offset. Deprived of their first-choice attackers, the Thorns left fans wondering where the team would find goals. Purce, in particular, has answered that question, scoring four times in the last three games.
It’s a difficult matchup for Utah, whose major questions during their improvised period are along their backline. But just as Portland’s unheralded attackers have stepped up, so too have the Royals’ defenders. In Utah’s last three matches, the team has only conceded two goals.
Ultimately, Friday’s game will be defined the same way as every NWSL match between now and mid-July; or, for that matter, every match of the season. So much energy was spent assessing the impact of the World Cup departures, too few focused on who would be taking their place, or what those players can do. The sharp edges of World Cup paranoia cut through curiosity we should have had about June’s potential stars.
As player after player across the NWSL has shown, the league’s talent goes beyond its most-famous stars. Come Friday’s kickoff, the game will be defined by the athletes that remain, not the names that have gone.
