Welcome to Around the Forest! In this article, will bring you some of the best reads this week about the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC from this past week. We’ll even throw in a few general MLS and NWSL pieces towards the end. This week, we have the Idaho Statesman on Blake Bodily, The Equalizer on the Thorns, and Richard Farley looking ahead to next week against Club America.

Timbers and Thorns

Let’s start with Bodily. The Timbers homegrown made his third appearance with the club last weekend and it was a vital one. He recorded the fastest assist in an MLS debut in club history and gave the usual starters some much-needed rest against the Houston Dynamo. You can read what Michael Lycklama had to say about it here.

Next, The Equalizer’s Claire Watkins goes into how the Thorns’ big moves this past offseason weren’t just for show. They look ready to take on the whole world after clinching their spot in the NWSL Challenge Cup Final. The piece requires a subscription, but it’s worth it. You can read it here.

Finally, Richard Farley of Timbers.com wrote about how the drama in the first leg of Portland’s CCL matchup against Club America should have us dreaming of what’s to come when the team travels to Mexico City next week. You can read about it here.

MLS and NWSL

USL strikes broadcast deal with ESPN for Latin America and Caribbean, sources say | The Athletic

What Chicharito’s hot start means for the Galaxy, Mexico, and MLS as a whole | The Athletic

11 way to early (or not) conclusions for the 2021 season | MLS.com

Is a Seattle Sounders youth movement Brian Schmetzer’s next mission? | MLS.com

How the NWSL schedule gets made, and the reasons for 2021’s delayed release | The Athletic

MLS youngsters ready for Europe: Who’s next in line to follow Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams across the Atlantic? | ESPN

See anything we missed? Let us know below!