Portland Thorns FC players Emily Menges, Christine Sinclair and Midge Purce head up the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Team of the Month, which is presented by Cutter® Insect Repellent and selected by the NWSL Media Association, for August of the 2019 NWSL season.
NWSL Team of the Month – August
GK – Aubrey Bledsoe, Washington Spirit: Bledsoe played all 90 minutes in five games for the month of August. Bledsoe made 13 saves in the month, including a four-save effort in her opening game on the month. She is second in the league for most saves at 64 for the 2019 season.
D – Jaelene Hinkle, North Carolina Courage: The defender is tied for third in assists, with four total this season. She played all 90 minutes in the games played for North Carolina Courage in August.
D – Emily Menges, Portland Thorns FC: Menges played all 90 minutes of the team’s five games in August. She has played a total of 1,215 for the season and boasts an 81% pass success rate. The defender also has two fouls sustained for the month.
D – Abby Erceg, North Carolina Courage: The New Zealander has contributed to North Carolina’s 2nd place ranking in the league, with an 84% passing rate and 51 clearances for the season so far.
D – Casey Short, Chicago Red Stars: Short, who has been named to the Team of the Month twice this season already for both April and June, has one assist from Chicago’s winning game last month against Washington Spirit. Short played all 90 minutes in the games played by Chicago Red Stars in August and has 16 interceptions so far this year.
M – Debinha, North Carolina Courage: The Brazilian’s accolades include the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory during Week 16. She is ranked fifth in the league for shots at 41.
M – Christine Sinclair, Portland Thorns FC: The attacker from Canada dominated the game this month with three goals scored, coming in Week 16, 18, and 19. At nine goals scored this season so far, Sinclair is ranked 2nd in the league and leads Portland Thorns FC in that category.
M – Lo'eau LaBonta, Utah Royals FC: LaBonta contributed to the win in Week 17 with her goal during the 3-1 match against Seattle Reign FC. She was also involved in both of Christen Press’s goals in a 3-0 win over Sky Blue in a midweek contest in Week 17. The midfielder has played 1,331 minutes so far this season in 16 games with a 77% pass rate.
F – Midge Purce, Portland Thorns FC: Purce ended August strong when she was selected as Player of the Week for Week 19, scoring the second and third goals in Portland Thorns FC’s 3-0 victory over the Chicago Red Stars. She is ranked fifth in the league for number of goals scored at eight. So far, she has played 1,059 minutes this season.
F – Christen Press, Utah Royals FC: The forward scored three goals last month, with two in Week 16 and one in Week 18. Press is ranked fifth in the league for shots on goal and has a total of six goals scored this season already. She was named Player of the Month for August.
F – Amy Rodriguez, Utah Royals FC: Rodriguez scored three goals during August, with one goal in each of the two Week 17 games and one in Week 18. The attacker is ranked fourth in the league for goals scored at eight and third for shots on goal at 25.
The NWSL Team of the Month is selected each month of the regular season by the NWSL Media Association, a collection of writers that cover the league on a consistent basis. For more information on the NWSL Media Association, follow them on Twitter.
