Thorns FC: I Swear They’re Out There

First, an apology.

This may be the first time in TFC’s existence going back to the storied days of Slide Rule Pass that I’ve ever been three full matches behind. Ever.

I’m going to ‘fess up to part of the blame for that. I let life get in the way; my little sister came to visit, my daughter celebrated her 20th birthday, my son’s 23rd is this week, and I had a kendo rank test last Sunday I had to spend a lot of time preparing for (and passing, so ganbatte, me…).

Part of that has to be on the heads of FIFA and the NWSL, though, for dumping three games in barely a week on us. Angel City last weekend, San Diego midweek, and finally Chicago this past Sunday. I’ve barely had time to screen the LA game, and here’s the writeup for that. I’ll be sitting in front of the screen for this whole week to slam out the others and get caught up before…(checks notes)…wait! Fucking Racing this Friday? WTF..!?!

Shit.

Okay, well, enough whining. Let’s start with the first of the three games, at Angel City.

This match and San Diego were the two that scared me a bit.

The Wave handed Portland it’s ass in the first leg, winning 3-1 in San Diego and, as we discussed, the match wasn’t really that close. Portland’s attack went missing (again) and defensive derps shipped goals, road loss, game over, thanks for playing.

And as we noted in the prediction game preview, the first San Diego match featured two elements also present in LA; a 1) decent-or-better opponent (ACFC was fourth on the table last weekend, only three points behind Portland with a game in hand) playing 2) a game on the road.

So…worried? Yep.

After watching the thing twice…I’m still not sure whether I should have been worried or not.

If I was a neutral I’d have to admit that much of the Angel City game wasn’t exactly “good soccer”. Fun enough to watch – there were some exciting moments, both squads created several chances or half-chances – but before the 76th minute 1) Portland’s defending dealt with what ACFC created (except for one moment we’ll discuss below), while 2) Portland’s attackers couldn’t finish those they created.

Here’s Chris Henderson’s xG plot:

The big black riser is a truly scary minute or two around 25-26′, when Macca Arnold punched Gisele Thompson’s point-blank shot over the crossbar, and then Arnold scrambled to block out another direct shot inside her own 18-yard box.

Other than that a bunch of ticky-tacky not-really-much low-xG opportunities that were as often as not easily caught, blocked, or shanked wide or high, especially by Portland.

Here’s from my notes:
11′ – Wilson – shot right at Anderson
18′ – Tordin – shanked wide right
29′ – Moultrie scored but she was offside
32′ – Moultrie – shot right at Anderson
49′ – Wilson shoss wide, Tordin potted the cross but she was offside, too
51′ – Moultrie pounced on a bad backpass but Anderson came out well to take
61′ – Alidou – shot right at Anderson
70′ – Alidou – shot right at Anderson

Portland’s first goal came off a recycled corner kick that the Angel defense couldn’t clear before Pietra Tordin got a head to it and beat Angelina Anderson on her own goal line.

Sophia Smith then sealed the win with a gorgeous cross-goal shot deep in injury time. You’ll note that between them Tordin’s and Smith’s work made up something like 76% of all of Portland’s goal-scoring opportunities.

Here’s the Sofascore “attack momentum” bar graph:

See the blue bars? Yeah? No? Neither do I.

After the middle of the first half there’s a whole lot of Thorns nothin’ until the Tordin goal (Wilson’s came off a completely-random-horrific-derp between Anderson and one of her defenders that coughed up the ball for Wilson to finish, so no attacking momentum)

So the Thorns attack? Still not exactly crushing it. Good enough, but outside Wilson breaking her duck kind of AWOL, so I was still a bit nervy with San Diego coming in midweek.

But the defending held up (until Prisca Chilufya Naruto-ran through a Portland backline caught flatfooted by a quick restart for the consolation goal…) and the Thorns won on the road, so, fine. I’m good with that.

Short Passes

Kind of a continuance from Cary; LA outpassed Portland, completing 76% of 448 passes to the Thorns’ 75% of 367. This time it didn’t really hurt the Thorns, largely because I think Portland – especially Wilson, Tordin, Turner, Fleming and Bogere – pressed well, and the Angels broke down in the final third a lot.

Here’s Carlisle-sensei with the passing. First, Portland:

Pretty much matches my “eye test”; packing it in and grinding, waiting for opportunities and taking them. Not pretty, but as my drill sergeant used to say, if it’s stupid and it works it’s not stupid.

Here’s the Angels:

What’s interesting is what Carlisle-sensei notes, the thin connections between the Angels midfield and wingers and their big gun, Sveindis Jonsdottir. That may be our Swedish Chef cookin’; regardless of her Banda-Winga-ization potential she’s the danger woman in LA. Cut her off and watch the Angels fall. I’m going to guess that was part of his plan. If so? Well planned, kompis!

Oh, but even marked out of the match she still always can do and does this. Here’s a long LA service that Carolyn Calzada has to boot away into touch:

The problem with giving LA a throw-in within about 20-25 yards of your goal means that Jonsdottir is gonna get the ball in her hands, and…

…huck the sonovabitch right into your goddamn six-yard-box.

That’s conceding a corner on every LA throw in your defensive third. Not a great idea. Remember Jess McDonald doing that shit for The Damned back in the Teens and how that bit us in the ass more than once?

Just saying.

Turnover and over.

Here’s how things are going;

Opponent – Venue (Result)	Turnovers
Washington – Away (W)	26
Seattle – Home (W)	11
San Diego – Away (L)	29
Kansas City – Home (W)	23
North Carolina – Away (D)	25
Angel City – Away (W)	22

Well…better than San Diego away. Sort of about the same as the last couple of matches, and LA wasn’t particularly tidy, either; we lost 11 in each half, they coughed up 9 in each. Like much of this game, since the result was good, okay.

Cassandra Bogere was far and away the Biggest Loser; five turnovers. Calzada turned over three times, Nobody else more than twice.

Bogere’s turnover in the 33rd minute and Calzada’s in the 69th got tagged with the “!!!” symbols that are my shorthand for “ooh! dangerous turnover” but I don’t see any LA shots or attacks in the game log from those times, so as with Carolina, either the Angels couldn’t take advantage of these goofs or Portland got back and snuffed out the threats.

Press!

Sixth match tracking the press. I counted either a 1) turnover (either from a tackle-for-loss or a mishit forced pass), or a 2) forced retreat or drop-pass that killed off a progressive action, as a pressing “win”.

Angel City came out pressing hard; 36 attempts in the first half to Portland’s 27, and much more successfully – 27 wins (75%) that yielded a Portland turnover in 13 of them. This effort gassed the Angels by halftime, though; after the break the Angels attempted only 16 presses (while still winning 10 of them – 62.5% – and nicking the ball 6 times.

Portland’s press was slower and steadier, and grew into the match; from 27 before the break (16 wins – 59.2% – and 7 forced turnovers) to 34 (but only 16 wins – 45% – and 6 turnovers). About half were “high” presses – in the LA defensive third – and the other half were in midfield. Of the forechecking presses 15 of 27 were wins, in midfield 17 of 32, so pretty much a wash between the thirds.

Match time	ACFC presses (wins)(%)	Thorns presses (wins)(%)
0-47′	36(27) (75%)	27(16) (59.2%)
45-101′	16(10) (62.5%)	34(16) (45%)
Match Total	52(37) (71.1%)	61(32) (52.4%)

My thoughts:
1) I didn’t see a lot of this directly from the stream, but my guess is that the success ACFC had pressing (especially in the first half) contributed a lot to the flat-lining of Portland’s xG numbers until well after the hour…but…
2) I wish now I’d kept track of how many of Portland’s presses were on Jonsdotter (as well as Thompson and Marie Suarez – look back up at ACFC’s passing diagram) because I suspect that had a lot to do with Jonsdottir’s problems (and the problems that the Angels had getting to Jonsdottir) .
3) So, like Carlisle-sensei said of the match in general; Portland’s press was, like Portland, patient and consistent, keeping the Angels underfoot until the Thorns finally got a break, and then…boom.

Here’s the running tally:

Match (Result)	Opponent Press (Success)	Thorns Press (Success)
Washington Away (W)	40(27) (67.5%)	69(41) (59.4%)
Seattle Home (W)	61(30) (49.1%)	35(20) (57.1%)
San Diego Away (L)	33(22) (66.6%)	88(40) (45.4%)
Kansas City Home (W)	26(15) (57.6%)	43(23) (53.4%)
North Carolina Away (D)	35(22) (62.8%)	56(26) (46.4%)
Angel City Away (W)	52(37) (71.1%)	61(32) (52.4%)

Corner Kicks

Just the one, but…

Time	Taker	Short/Long?	Result
76′	Moultrie	Long	To the back of the scrum. Poorly cleared by an Angel no further than Vignola. Her header pinged up to Calzada, who, in turn, headed up to Tordin for the go-ahead goal.

Now that’s fucking productivity!

Player Ratings and Comments

Wilson (+6/-4 : +12: -2 : +18/-6) Wilson played a grinder for 95 minutes. Here’s her pluses:
Tackles or presses: 8
Runs: 4
Clever footwork: 2
Attacks: 2
Passes: 1
Goals: 1

You could tell by how thrilled she was by her goal how frustrating it was for this natural striker to have to do all that forechecking and defensive/transitional scut work. She did it, did it (as she does almost everything she does) well…but it’s goals she lives for, goals that make her joy. I’m glad she got one, and a beauty, at that.

Tordin (79′ – +7/-3 : +5/-0 : +12/-3) Damn good shift.

That said, the one thing I’d like to see more of and better from is the Thorns forwards – who are individually excellent in the #9 role – working together in buildup. The whole “great #9” thing may be the issue; Turner, Wilson, Tordin are all natural center-forwards. I sure would like to see if Coach Vilahamn can figure something out to make one or two of them into someone who can create and combine with (let’s face it, the #9 here is) Wilson.

As of now? Things are working, so if it ain’t broke…

Lyles (11′ – no rating)

Moultrie (+5/-1 : +4/-1 : +9/-2) Livvy’s 29th minute run was sweet. But offside. Which was kind of “Moultrie in LA” all in a piece; hard work, good soccer, all her usual smarts…but just somehow just not…quite. No shame, it happens, and Moultrie busted her ass all match and that pays the rent.

Turner (60′ – +8/-2 : +3/-0 : +11/-2) Turner’s lead pass was another gorgeous piece of the 29th minute attack. Just frame that and hang it in the Boot Room, it was that good, and that wasn’t counting all the forechecking/shuttling/etc. Well played.

Alidou (30′ – +8/-3) Bad Mimi Alidou: shooting right at the opposing keeper.

Good Mimi Alidou: Damn hard work, lots of pressing and tackling, plus the set-up pass on Wilson’s goal.

I’ll take Good/Bad Alidou over Just Kinda There Alidou, so I’m okay with this.

Fleming (+6/-1 : +5/-1 : +11/-2) Worked hard, and successfully, controlling the midfield, cutting out passes, pressing, distributing…all her usual pluses. Fleming is combining well with Bogere at the #6/double pivot, too, which is going a long way to alleviating the concerns we all had about losing Sam Coffey.

Bogere (93′ – +4/-2 : +3/-3 : +7/-5) See above. I’d like to see her a bit tidier with the ball. But beyond that? I’m starting to get comfortable with her.

Perry (~6′ – no rating) The Perry Rooting Section is one of the funner parts of playing in LA.

Vignola (+6/-3 : +6/-1 : +12/-4) Tough battle with, and mostly won over, Thompson (that 25th minute, though…brrr!). That meant M.A. couldn’t add much to the attack, which is one of her usual strengths, but needs must when the Angels drive.

Calzada (+9/-1 : +3/-5 : +12/-6) Hell of a debut, and the rook generally came up strong until late in the match, when she looked pretty gassed. And an assist on Tordin’s goal, so give the rook the match ball. Welcome to the Show.

Hiatt (+3/-0 : +8/-5 : +11/-5) Utterly torched on the Chilufya goal, and a veteran like Sam Hiatt should know that you don’t get to switch off until the final whistle. Especially since Chilufya had just smoked her to the byline in the 85th minute. Solid up until then, so c’mon, Sam. You know what you gotta do.

Reyes (+3/-4 : +6/-2 : +9/-6) Same wide-space trouble with Tiernan and Suarez that Vignola was having with Thompson, so. Still…pretty much held her ground for 100+ minutes. Good enough.

Arnold (+1/-0 : +1/-0 :+2/-0) Two huge saves in the 25th/26th minutes. Scary moment on the long throw and flick-on in the 67th minute pictured above, but generally in control of the match.

Coach Vilahamn: I’m getting more and more comfortable with the guy. I’m not talking soccer savant here, but this squad looks composed and comfortable, the defending is less-derp-prone in general, and the attack is…well, it’s scoring, so damn if that’s not good enough. Plus as of now we know his team is top, having run off three wins in a row (yeah, Chicago, sure, but LA and San Diego are good, solid teams.

So…are we okay with the new gaffer?

An Open Letter to the RAJ Organization

Dear Ms. Bhathal Merage;

Okay, speaking as a soccer fan of forty years duration, this..?

This, THIS, is real halftime entertainment!!!!

Pro stock baby racing? At midfield? During the interval?

Competitive progeny sprint racing? The pre-potty trained version of nitro-fueled funny cars tearing up the Atco Dragway quarter-mile?

Why the hell can’t we have some of this?

You have to arrange this for the next home game or I may reconsider my annual membership.

I am not a crank.

Baby racing. Sport of Kings. I’m not kidding.