Stumptown Footy - Coverage Hub: Portland Thorns at Utah RoyalsYou are my sunshine, my only sunshine.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/31537/stumptown-fave.jpg2018-05-01T13:01:06-07:00http://www.stumptownfooty.com/rss/stream/170599552018-05-01T13:01:06-07:002018-05-01T13:01:06-07:00Thorns FC: Good Point?
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<p id="MNO5T1">For the third match in a row, Thorns FC made a disastrous error in the back that led to the first goal. For the second match in a row, Thorns FC <a href="https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/4/28/17297856/thorns-and-utah-royals-draw-1-1">fought back</a> to equalize, and steal a point.</p>
<p id="mWhneQ">One point is better than none. But the teams going ahead early and forcing PTFC to battle for that single point were Washington and Utah; we’re not talking “Sky Blue bad” or “Houston bad”, but neither team is particularly good right now. That, in turn, suggests that Thorns FC isn’t particularly good right now, either. </p>
<p id="aV8fDB">I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by making the excuse that the Thorns are cobbled together from a mix of regulars, new arrivals, reserves, and fringe players, or that injuries have been a consistent problem, or that the team will look very different in mid-season. I concede all three points. The Thorns are likely to look very different at the beginning of September than the beginning of May.</p>
<p id="woBe5E">My concern isn’t how good the team will be in September. It’s how many points the team will be sitting on at the end of May. Because I’m seeing problems in these early season matches; where are the goals coming from, and what about the defending?</p>
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<cite>Image from go90. Licensed under Fair Use</cite>
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<h3 id="eGgwlz">All We Really Want Are Goals</h3>
<p id="8w4QgE">The gorgeous <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/293432/tobin-heath">Tobin Heath</a> chip that equalized in Salt Lake City shouldn’t obscure the fact that the Thorns’ three regular starting forwards have exactly zero goals so far this season. </p>
<p id="DzgjXW">Mallory Weber? Ifeoma Onumonu? Tyler Lussi? </p>
<p id="setU4D">A combined 790 minutes. </p>
<p id="eLUXeR">No goals, no assists.</p>
<p id="6rFoX6">The Thorns: failed to score at all in Cary; capitalized on a keeper error, a bit of individual <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/293434/lindsey-horan">Lindsey Horan</a> brilliance, and a PK in Chicago; tallied a Horan <em>golazo</em> and a <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/293438/christine-sinclair">Christine Sinclair</a> tap-in (largely thanks to some awful marking) against Orlando; scored on a PK against Washington; and, finally, created a lovely goal in Salt Lake City from an Andressinha tackle, a Sinclair pass, and the Heath chip. </p>
<p id="oFHkZY">Take a bow, Heath. </p>
<p id="P1qJG9">Oh, wait. You did.</p>
<p id="rPHc5L">Even counting Sinclair’s tap-in against the Pride, Heath’s is only the second goal the Thorns have created by a deliberate, run-of-play buildup so far. And, obviously, none of the goals have come through the frontline.</p>
<p id="cC6ym2">It’s not that Thorns FC can’t win if the scoring comes from the midfield rather than the forwards. But reaching backwards for goals has risks, as the last two matches have shown.</p>
<p id="rolNtb">Washington showed that one way to hinder the Thorns midfield from scoring was to press the midfield and force Horan backwards. Utah did the same thing for over an hour, with <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/277494/diana-matheson">Diana Matheson</a> and Elise Thorsnes doing what Ashley Hatch had done the week before. As Horan was forced back, Sinclair was either stranded or had to retreat with her to stay in contact, and with Celeste Boureille offering little going forward the Thorns’ midfield was stifled.</p>
<p id="J3d1Qm">That’s the bad news. The good news appears to be that when PTFC brings on Heath, she helps take the pressure off the midfield and unlocks both Horan and Sinclair. Both times the Thorns’ midfield looked more dangerous going forward after Heath came on. </p>
<p id="KBr6BC">So, at least in theory, as Heath moves closer to full-ninety-minutes-fitness the Thorns midfield should be capable of supplying more goals. This wouldn’t be the first time the Thorns had to make do with getting goals from the midfield - the 2016 Thorns had a lot of the same issues and had to use the same midfield-scoring workaround.</p>
<p id="HCtjzW">But that still leaves the question of counterattacking. Because to counterattack you first need to consistently stop the <em>opponent’s</em> attacks, and that’s been a problem, too.</p>
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<cite>Image from go90. Licensed under Fair Use</cite>
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<h3 id="BSA5tc">Eighty-nine Minutes of Comfort, Sixty Seconds of Terror</h3>
<p id="MB7n0r">The 2017 Championship was built on top of a defensive wall. That wall has looked decidedly unstable so far this season. </p>
<p id="ctuUdf">At least once in the last four matches one or more Thorns have made disastrous errors leading directly to a concession; Hubly in Utah, Eckerstrom and Horan against Washington, Sonnett and Reynolds against Orlando, and practically half the team on the first goal in Chicago. </p>
<p id="dhQVdZ">There was no reason the Thorns needed to go down a goal. Look at Utah’s shot graphic; </p>
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<p id="AmNv0d">The Royals had only four decent opportunities and biffed three of them; Amy Rodriguez’s 20th minute floater and 39th minute blast that both went high, and Stengal’s 84th minute shot wide. But the defense broke down in the 53rd minute and nearly gave the game away. One minute of confusion was almost lights out in Utah.</p>
<p id="NOM4xN">A counterattacking team needs to be able to drastically reduce or, better, eliminate that sort of damage. If you can’t defend consistently over a full match you can’t rely on the counter; you’ve got to score early and often. So if PTFC were raining in goals, winning 4-2 wouldn’t be an issue. But when only scoring seven over five games and conceding six? <em>Then</em> defending becomes an issue. </p>
<p id="i0V1hh">With A.D. Franch and Menges out for at least another month, and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/255543/meghan-klingenberg">Meghan Klingenberg</a> now either missing, or leaving, two matches in a row with injury, it’s on a makeshift defense to solve that issue.</p>
<p id="FOQjwr">Based on her short time on the field in Salt Lake, Andressinha appears to be one possible part of the solution. Two other parts of that solution, as we’ll discuss in the player ratings and comments, however, is that 1) the Thorns as individual players have got to stop making catastrophic mistakes in the back, and 2) the backline and defensive midfield need to figure out how to work together better as a group. </p>
<p id="Z1BkCL">If the Thorns aren’t going to get production from their forwards, and if low scoring games are going to be the rule, then it’s past time for the defense to pull together and start putting up something they haven’t; clean sheets.</p>
<p id="JjLwhO">This coming Saturday will be the sternest test for Thorns FC since the opening match against North Carolina. A win will settle PTFC solidly into third on the table (and possibly even up to second, if Utah defeats Chicago), while a loss will vault the Reign over the Thorns and could even drop Portland down into the scrum of Orlando, Utah, and Washington that waits below the red line.</p>
<p id="c9NY08">There’s never a bad time to win, but this coming weekend would be an exceptionally <em>good</em> time for Thorns FC to win, and win big.</p>
<h3 id="0lczJs">Player Ratings and Comments</h3>
<p id="yfqa3j"><strong>Weber</strong> (+7/-6 : +6/-3 : +10/-9) For the second match in a row, Mallory Weber looked ineffective in attack, and her stat sheet shows it. InStat lists her with no shots, a 56% success rate for her attacking actions (poorest on the Thorns outside of Boureille), and 11 lost balls to only 1 recovery from Utah. Her forechecking defense was not effective; Weber went into 23 challenges and lost 18 of them. </p>
<p id="UakuEi">That’s just not acceptable. If she’s not scoring, not creating, and not disrupting the opponent’s attack in their own half, Weber isn’t contributing, she’s just along for the ride. Portland can’t afford to be dragging along any passengers at this point; Coach Parsons needs to either spark Weber’s game or bench her.</p>
<p id="E0PxsK"><strong>Crnogorcevic</strong> (<em>57’ -</em> +4/-2 : +3/-0 : +7/-2) As I watched the match live I liked Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic’s work better than any of the other Thorns forwards. Her statistical metrics don’t really support my enthusiasm. She was good, but not <em>that</em> good.</p>
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<p id="iYHxwQ">She did have a chance at goal, which neither Weber nor Onumonu did, but her turnover rate was statistically identical to Weber’s, and her attacking actions were only marginally more successful.</p>
<p id="Tn2UBn">I still think that Crnogorcevic has looked the best of the three regular starting strikers. But she has yet to fulfill that potential, and despite how she looked, she didn’t in Utah. </p>
<p id="USdsFD"><strong>Heath</strong> (<em>33’ - </em>+7/-3) Her 66th minute goal was a perfect summation of Tobin Heath; skillful, cheeky, and critical to the team’s success. Right now, Heath has taken over the position of “straw that stirs the Thorns’ drink” from Horan. PMRs and statistics aside, the Thorns look stale, flat, and unprofitable without Heath but look sparky and creative with her on the pitch. Heath did the same thing in 2016, and it looks like she has begun to resume that role. The Thorns need her to maintain that contribution over a full ninety minutes, and soon.</p>
<p id="7PaDGq"><strong>Onumonu</strong> (<em>25’ -</em> +1/-1) Not a factor, despite performing technically well. My guess is that with Heath on the pitch the attack started going through her and Sinclair, rather than through the on-paper-forwards including Onumonu.</p>
<p id="utG2Vi"><strong>Horan</strong> (+11/-3 : +7/-2 : +18/-5) My Woman of the Match. As noted above, Utah took a page from Washington’s book and kept bodies on Lindsey Horan all evening, forcing her to do more defending and recovering than distributing and attacking. Horan still managed to create a header that was cleared off the line in the 36th minute, and a pretty spinning shot barely wide in the 65th minute. </p>
<p id="CsYAe2">So Horan had a good match, but I thought the team still lacked the divine spark that Heath brought on with her. I’d <em>love</em> to see Horan and Heath develop the sort of connection that Heath and Sinclair have. In my imagination, the result would be one of those multi-pronged-swarming-attack martial arts things where you don’t see anything happening until suddenly there’s a swirl of movement and color, your heart explodes, and you die.</p>
<p id="Iocew9"><strong>Purce</strong> ( +11/-10 : +6/-6 : +17/-16) Although her InStat Index suggests that Midge Purce didn’t have a more difficult a match against Utah than she did against Washington the week before -</p>
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<cite>Images by InStat. Used by permission</cite>
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<p id="wtaTml">- her PMR reflects her relative ineffectiveness against the Royals. Her stats <em>do</em> reflect the second difficult match in a row for Purce; she only won 62 percent of her challenges, completed only 59 percent of her passes, and was only successful 69 percent of the time when she made an attacking move.</p>
<p id="U1SHrI">Purce always leaves everything on the pitch. Utah shows that even the toughest competitor can get shoved out of a match if conditions are wrong for her.</p>
<p id="SEVHS5"><strong>Boureille</strong> (<em>64’ -</em> +2/-8 : +1/-0 :+3/-8) Celeste Boureille had a terrible match in Utah. She lost 9 of 12 individual duels, and her 20th minute pass gifted the Royals a perfect opportunity that Rodriguez wasted by shooting well over the crossbar. The combination of this performance, Boureille’s inability to distribute forward, and the arrival of Andressinha make Boureille’s relegation to the bench seem likely, if not for the coming match then in the near future. That’s a bit unfortunate, since Boureille did well until last weekend. But Andressinha looks like the better option at DM.</p>
<p id="PZxruO"><strong>Sinclair</strong> (+10/-3 : +7/-2 : +17/-5) Another businesslike Cap’n Sinclair performance, including a simple but perfect lead pass to Heath for the goal. Great opportunity to put the Thorns ahead in the 75th minute (from another piece of gorgeous Heath trickery) blocked by Becky Sauerbrunn.</p>
<p id="cQVL7Z">I should note here that as disappointing a match as the Thorns put up in Salt Lake, the Royals should be even less satisfied with the result. Rebecca Moros and Sauerbrunn had to work like heroes to keep the match under control, while their attacking five had difficulty getting a sniff at goal and wasted what chances they had more often than not. This match really was a race to the bottom; as Murphy says, when both sides are convinced they’re about to lose, they’re both right.</p>
<p id="JVcQgw"><strong>Andressinha</strong> (<em>26’ -</em> +7/-2) Terrific work from the Brazilian, culminating in the sly toe-poke tackle for gain that began the Thorns’ goal sequence. What little I saw of her in Utah made me want to see a <em>lot</em> more.</p>
<p id="PuLE7A"><strong>Klingenberg</strong> (<em>65’ -</em> +6/-0 : +6/-0 : +12/-0) Kling did exceedingly well in Utah, and was clearly the best Thorns defender; in fact, InStat rates her as the third-best Thorn on the pitch; her Index rating of 192 falls closely behind Horan’s 207 and Sinclair’s 196. For the first time in 2018, Klingenberg duplicated the devastating service from crosses, passes, and free-kicks she showed in the latter part of 2017.</p>
<p id="mJShsH">The bad news is that Klingenberg had to be taken off with an injury, apparently a recurrence of the stomach-muscle strain she suffered in training before the Washington match. As of this writing, her prognosis is still unknown.</p>
<p id="mzxZsX"><strong>Hubly</strong> (+2/-4 : +4/-8 : +6/-12 ) Kelli Hubly had what can only be described as a nightmare match in Utah, the nadir being her 53rd minute turnover that led directly to Rodriguez’s goal. I have no idea what happened to the composed, professional defender of the previous four matches, but Hubly against the Royals was a trainwreck, and without a hope of replacement in the near future we can only hope that she was working off an entire season’s worth of derps in a single match.</p>
<p id="x7WMgO"><strong>Sonnett</strong> ( +3/-3 : +4/-1 : +7/-4) Emily Sonnett’s (or “Son-<em>NET</em>’s”, as the go90 announcer Kellen Vick repeatedly referred to her) match was the mirror-image of her backline partner Hubly’s; dangerous in attack (86 percent successful in her actions, 88 percent pass completion, including 22 of 26 attacking passes) and resolute in defense (69 percent of her challenges won).</p>
<p id="advuHZ"><strong>Reynolds</strong> (+3/-3 : +5/-2 : +8/-5) Decent match from Kat Reynolds, although she almost gave Utah a goal when she chested down to Rodriguez’s feet with only Eckerstrom to beat; fortunately A-Rod blasted the shot well over the goal. Other than that, however, Reynolds was solid in defense. Still having trouble with her passing, however; Reynolds connected only 55 percent (22 of 40) of her attacking passes.</p>
<p id="bfyaFD"><strong>Eckerstrom</strong> (+0/-0 : +2/-1 : +2/-1) <em>Might</em> have done better on the Rodriguez goal, but I can’t think of how much better; that concession was primarily on her defense. Eckerstrom came out strongly to take a dangerous Utah cross in the 71st minute and generally controlled her penalty area well. Another generally good match from our backup keeper.</p>
<p id="7gy9SB"><strong>Coach Parsons:</strong> If I could ask him anything, my only question for Mark Parsons would be <em>“Why the $#%!$# did you pull Crnogorcevic for Heath instead of Weber?”</em> Die Schweitzerin looked an order of magnitude more effective up front, so unless she was gassed, or nursing a knock, or there’s some sort of rule against letting a Swiss player go more than an hour that I don’t know about, I can’t figure that substitution.</p>
<p id="4DuCk6">Other than that, I can’t think of much Parsons could have done to prevent the concession, or to manufacture a goal. Parsons can’t stop Hubly from having a massive brain-cramp and handing the ball to Rodriguez, and he’s tried every player he has on the roster up front and none of them have caught fire. He’s fought through absences and injuries. There’s no way a coach can yank a player who’s having an awful match if he doesn’t have anyone better to replace her. So the team has managed to muddle through.</p>
<p id="EhIJNb">This coming Saturday, though, something has <em>got</em> to change. We need to see a full match from Crnogorcevic, Heath, and Andressinha if they’re fit and ready. Parsons needs to woodshed the backline and insist that they refuse to let the Reign have so much as a peek at the Thorns’ goal.</p>
<p id="5VLGW8">A road point is acceptable. Barely, given the sloppy mess we saw in Utah, but acceptable in the big picture of the season. </p>
<p id="naaDHF">A home draw, or, worse, a loss to <em>Seattle?</em> </p>
<p id="YZMtai">Is not.</p>
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https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/5/1/17302458/thorns-fc-good-pointJohn Lawes2018-04-28T20:39:52-07:002018-04-28T20:39:52-07:00Thorns and Utah Royals Draw 1-1
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<figcaption>Sinclair and Heath against the Spirit. | Kris Lattimore</figcaption>
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<p>Tobin Heath scores her first goal of the season to win a point for the Thorns on the road.</p> <p id="awmYtK"><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/293432/tobin-heath">Tobin Heath</a> scored her first goal since returning from injury and the Utah Royals scored their first ever goal at home in a high energy match dominated by turnovers on both sides.</p>
<p id="rqdK3k">The Thorns saw <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/255543/meghan-klingenberg">Meghan Klingenberg</a> return to the lineup and Crnegorcevic receive her first start of the season, but the overall shape and style remained unchanged from last week’s draw against Washington. Britt Eckerstrom retained her spot in goal, and with no other regular goalkeepers available the Thorns had to bring in <a href="https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/4/28/17295950/adelaide-gay-signed-as-goalkeeper-replacement">former keeper Adelaide Gay</a> as a replacement to sit on the bench. </p>
<p id="DA8PGM">Utah came out of the blocks with a high-pressing look, especially from their forwards Amy Rodriguez and Kelly O’Hara. They succeeded in pushing Portland back early: the Thorns defense were stuck playing the ball between themselves and booting it long for the first 15 minutes, and Utah looked dangerous when they won turnovers in their attacking third. Rodriguez in particular was very effective at pressing and won the ball in threatening positions, but shot high and wide several times.</p>
<p id="iLuQz2">Portland grew into the match though, getting their first good opportunity in the 18th minute through Midge Purce. Purce got some space on the right and sent in a cross for Ana-Marie Crnogorcevic which Abby Smith had to come off her line to punch away. Not long after Crnogorcevic played in Sinclair with a backheel only for Becky Sauerbrunn to block the eventual shot. </p>
<p id="BITQfp">Sauerbrunn was immense in the first half: as Portland began to dominate, she seemed to be there to breakup any promising move before it resulted in a shot. The best opportunities that the Thorns created were set pieces and Purce crosses. Horan had a header cleared off the line by Amy Rodriguez in the 35th minute and just before halftime Purce put in a dangerous cross that <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/285633/rachel-corsie">Rachel Corsie</a> nearly sent into her own net with a defensive header. Portland went into the break on top but without anything to show for it.</p>
<p id="qS5lK5">The Thorns carried the same energy over to the second half, with Horan again getting a header on target from a Klingenberg corner in the 49th minute, but sloppy play at the back resulted in a Royals goal just four minutes later. Emily Sonnett got a poor header on an aimless long ball over the top and Kelli Hubly stepped in to intervene but Amy Rodriguez picked her pocket, rounded Eckerstrom and passed the ball into the net. This was the Royals’ first shot on target and it would prove to be their only one.</p>
<p id="sG9Z57">With the team needing a change, Tobin Heath made her entrance in the 56th minute, and Andressinha made her club debut just afterward. In the 64th minute Klingenberg, after stretching to cut out a cross and deny Utah a shooting opportunity, worryingly came off holding her stomach in the place she strained her muscle two weeks ago. Her absence shifted the Thorns into a 4-2-3-1, with Onumonu coming on to play as striker and Weber and Heath the two wingers. The extra player on the front line made the Thorns press more effective and cut off Utah’s passing angles, immediately leading to a goal. Andressinha and Sinclair pressured Scott off the ball, Sinclair played Heath in on goal between Miramontez and Corsie and Heath casually chipped the ball over Abby Smith to make it 1-1.</p>
<p id="zCjgoa">Utah brought some pressure late but the Thorns defense closed up when called upon and managed to deny shots. Heath and Andressinha produced a few late chances for the Thorns as well: Heath beat Miramontez down the left and crossed for Sinclair only to be denied a shooting opportunity by Sauerbrunn again, and Andressinha played Purce in behind the Utah defense but could not get a cross in when matched up on Becca Moros. In the end, neither team could get a decent look at goal in the final minutes.</p>
https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/4/28/17297856/thorns-and-utah-royals-draw-1-1Tyler Nguyen2018-04-28T15:00:02-07:002018-04-28T15:00:02-07:00Portland Thorns at Utah Royals: Preview, How to Watch, Match Thread [6:00]
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<figcaption>New signing Tobin Heath. | Nikita Taparia</figcaption>
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<p id="rx2AsX">The Thorns are back on the road this week against the Utah Royals. Personnel wise, the NWSL’s newest team has been in a similar position to the Thorns, with their Australian, Katrina Gorry, away at the Asian Cup for the beginning of the season, and Amy Rodriguez still gradually coming back from injury.</p>
<p id="bWw66o">Utah has struggled to score this season; they notched one in their inaugural match against Orlando, before going scoreless in the next two games. They got two in their draw against North Carolina last weekend, both following egregious defensive errors by the Courage. As the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/teams/washington-spirit">Washington Spirit</a> showed last week, though, some teams can step up when they face the Thorns, and former Seattle boss Laura Harvey being at the helm in Utah might be extra fuel on the fire.</p>
<h2 id="Y8DbzW"><a href="https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/4/28/17294910/storylines-portland-thorns-at-utah-royals">Storylines</a></h2>
<p id="aeoSHb">“With Heath and Crnogorcevic in the mix, the top three will look a little different than they have in previous weeks, where two of Tyler Lussi/Ifeoma Onumonu/Mallory Weber played as dual forwards ahead of Christine Sinclair. Instead, Heath will both drop back and drift wide, with Crnogorcevic and Sinclair also alternately dropping into the midfield and getting forward depending on the situation.</p>
<p id="GgZPQ0">The big question mark this week is the bench, which won’t be quite as shockingly bare-bones as last week’s was, thanks to the addition of Andressinha and Carpenter, plus Kling’s recovery, but will—unless something changes between now and game time—lack keepers after Bella Geist showed up on the injury report with a quad strain.”</p>
<h2 id="tL4IC2">Match Information</h2>
<p id="DQMnC8"><strong>Watch it on:</strong> go90 (USA), <a href="http://nwslsoccer.com/"><strong>NWSLSoccer.com</strong></a> (international)</p>
<p id="WpwRo6"><strong>Where:</strong> Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah</p>
<p id="USuyzo"><strong>When:</strong> Friday, April 20th at 6:00 p.m. PT</p>
<p id="GyU4q8"><strong>Portland Thorns:</strong> 2-1-1, 3rd place in the NWSL, drew 1-1 against Washington Spirit</p>
<p id="ksersH"><strong>Utah Royals:</strong> 0-1-2, 7th place in the NWSL, drew 2-2 against <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/teams/carolina-courage"><strong>North Carolina Courage</strong></a></p>
https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/4/28/17296010/portland-thorns-at-utah-royals-preview-how-to-watch-match-thread-6-00Katelyn Best2018-04-28T10:03:51-07:002018-04-28T10:03:51-07:00Adelaide Gay signed as Goalkeeper Replacement
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<figcaption>Bennett Dewan</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="hrnOtS">With both Adrianna Franch (right meniscus tear) and Bella Geist (left quad strain) injured ahead of this Saturday’s game against the Utah Royals, the Thorns have signed journeywoman goalkeeper Adelaide Gay as a goalkeeper replacement.</p>
<p id="OTzSnP">If that name sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because this will not be Gay’s first time in a Thorns jersey: she was Karina LeBlanc’s backup at Portland in the inaugural 2013 NWSL season, making no appearances. She left for the Washington Spirit, playing in their W-League side, before leaving to become a regular in the Swedish and Icelandic leagues. Gay spoke with Jen Cooper about her nomadic career in the game last year <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/howler-magazine/mixxed-zone/e/52532583">on the Mixxed Zone podcast</a>. </p>
<p id="jwVdET">Gay was most recently employed as a national team replacement player for the Seattle Reign while Lydia Williams was away at the Asian Cup, but with Williams returning her contract at the Reign expired. </p>
https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/4/28/17295950/adelaide-gay-signed-as-goalkeeper-replacementTyler Nguyen2018-04-28T09:26:06-07:002018-04-28T09:26:06-07:00Storylines: Portland Thorns at Utah Royals
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<figcaption>Nikita Taparia</figcaption>
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<p id="1FWNQE">The Portland Thorns are on the road against the Utah Royals this week for Utah’s second-ever home match. Portland comes into the match in third place with a 2-1-1 (W-L-T) record, having drawn 1-1 against the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/teams/washington-spirit">Washington Spirit</a> at home last week. The Royals are in seventh with a 0-1-2 record; their last result was a 2-2 draw away at North Carolina.</p>
<h2 id="ILeku3">Projected Starting XI </h2>
<p id="7dZwRi">The Thorns are still thin this week, though exactly where they’re thin has shifted somewhat since last week. Andressinha and Ellie Carpenter both arrived in training this week, and both should be available to off the bench. F***ing <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/293432/tobin-heath">Tobin Heath</a> is back in the fold after getting 30-odd minutes as a sub last week. </p>
<p id="h6LqC9">If Mark Parsons plans to blow things up and change the basic setup he’s been using now that Heath is healthy (though still building fitness), he isn’t telling, so I’m going to predict we’ll see something like this.</p>
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<p id="7zSPq3">In text form: Britt Eckerstrom in goal, Kelli Hubly, Emily Sonnett, Katherine Reynolds at centerback, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/255543/meghan-klingenberg">Meghan Klingenberg</a> and Midge Purce at wingback, and Celeste Boureille and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/293434/lindsey-horan">Lindsey Horan</a> in the central midfield.</p>
<p id="rx2AsX">With Heath and Crnogorcevic in the mix, the top three will look a little different than they have in previous weeks, where two of Tyler Lussi/Ifeoma Onumonu/Mallory Weber played as dual forwards ahead of Christine Sinclair. Instead, Heath will both drop back and drift wide, with Crnogorcevic and Sinclair also alternately dropping into the midfield and getting forward depending on the situation.</p>
<p id="aIQwtD">The big question mark this week is the bench, which won’t be quite as shockingly bare-bones as last week’s was, thanks to the addition of Andressinha and Carpenter, plus Kling’s recovery, but will—unless something changes between now and game time—lack keepers after Bella Geist showed up on the injury report with a quad strain.</p>
<h2 id="xgrfmX">Scouting the Opposition</h2>
<p id="ppBZME">Utah looked really flat the first few weeks of the season. Their matches against Orlando and Houston in weeks one and two (both draws) were almost hard to watch, each pitting two teams that couldn’t get the ball out of the midfield against each other. The team went 267 minutes without scoring after Gunnhildur Jonsdottir notched one in their 1-1 draw against Orlando.</p>
<p id="XM4Nja">They snapped that dry spell after two atrocious mistakes by North Carolina’s back line last week. The first came when <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/277500/abby-dahlkemper">Abby Dahlkemper</a> decided to head a ball that should have been keeper Katelyn Rowland’s and allowed Katie Stengel to get in and put a header away. The second was a great strike by Brittany Ratcliffe from the top-right corner of the 18 yard box—made possible when Rowland passed directly to her instead of making what should have been a simple clearance. In short, those two goals were all but handed to them by the Courage.</p>
<p id="QIg8Zz">That said, the Royals have something in common with the Thorns: they’ve had some key pieces missing in these first few weeks of the season. Amy Rodriguez is working her way back into the fold after a long injury, while Katrina Gorry just arrived after the Asian Cup wrapped up. A-Rod is, well, A-Rod. Gorry, meanwhile, is a huge acquisition for the Royals who will add loads of quality to the central midfield. However, Portland may be catching Utah at an opportune time, as Gorry, basically fresh off a plane, likely won’t see the field, while A-Rod’s minutes will still be limited.</p>
<h2 id="ioE67s">Players to Watch</h2>
<p id="lRUnq1">For the Thorns, keep an eye on Crnogorcevic. She was painfully close to scoring several times last week, and if I was a betting woman, I’d put money on this being the game she gets on the end of a ball from Horan or Heath or Purce and finds the back of the net.</p>
<p id="yqPAxJ">For Utah, A-Rod is the one to watch. Utah may have lacked scoring punch through this first part of the season, but if anyone on this Royals squad can stretch Portland’s defense out of shape, it’s her.</p>
<h2 id="TGDZkq">Off the Field</h2>
<p id="uWis3v">Utah has been positioning itself as a potential rival to Portland in terms of attendance, facilities, and overall level of professionalism. Royals/Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen has said he wants to have the top professional women’s sports franchise in the world. Currently the Royals have around 5,000 season ticket holders—a very respectable number in the NWSL—and sold out their home opener a few weeks ago. Today, they’re expecting about 10,000, which is steep drop from the opener but again, still a good crowd in this league. </p>
<p id="q3lTdm">Meanwhile, several dozen Portlanders, myself and Stumptown’s own Richard Hamje included, have made the trip to Salt Lake City for the game. Keep an eye out for the Mark Parsons fathead (aka Flat Mark), whose journey to the Beehive State was chronicled under the #DrivingMarPar hashtag on Twitter:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chasing waterfalls <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DrivingMarPar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DrivingMarPar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BAONPDX?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BAONPDX</a> <a href="https://t.co/9ARAGJjtWr">pic.twitter.com/9ARAGJjtWr</a></p>— Notorious RBF ⭐️⭐️ (@StallerAlex) <a href="https://twitter.com/StallerAlex/status/989885545756016642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a>
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<div id="IiMIA5">
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<p lang="und" dir="ltr">Hi <a href="https://twitter.com/mparsons_1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mparsons_1</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DrivingMarPar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DrivingMarPar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BAONPDX?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BAONPDX</a> <a href="https://t.co/dztZCnpvxe">pic.twitter.com/dztZCnpvxe</a></p>— Kelly (@KellyT1124) <a href="https://twitter.com/KellyT1124/status/990006523131609088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a>
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https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/4/28/17294910/storylines-portland-thorns-at-utah-royalsKatelyn Best2018-04-27T12:02:45-07:002018-04-27T12:02:45-07:00Kelli Hubly Signed to Full Contract
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<figcaption>Kelli Hubly in training at Beaverton.</figcaption>
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<p id="7YQI40">The Thorns announced ahead of their game in Utah on Saturday that Kelli Hubly has been signed to a full contract. Hubly’s national team player replacement contract expired when <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/293437/hayley-raso">Hayley Raso</a> returned to Thorns camp last weekend.</p>
<p id="efns23">Emily Menges, the Thorns usual left centerback, has been out since preseason with right tibia issues but Hubly has proven to be a more than capable deputy in her absence, matching up well against some of the top forwards in the league and ranking in the top five in the league in interceptions, tackles and duels won. She (along with makeshift left back Mallory Weber) shut down <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/285653/mallory-pugh">Mallory Pugh</a> at home against the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/teams/washington-spirit">Washington Spirit</a> and she has played her part in denying opposing teams shots on target, even as the unit is still looking for its first clean sheet of the year. Hubly is expected to start against Utah on Saturday.</p>
https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/4/27/17292102/kelli-hubly-signed-to-full-contractTyler Nguyen2018-04-27T12:00:02-07:002018-04-27T12:00:02-07:00Q&A: Celeste Boureille
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<figcaption>Celeste Boureille on the ball against the Orlando Pride | Nikita Taparia</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="6k2hKi">After Amandine Henry left the Thorns to return to Olympique Lyonnais, defensive midfield was one of the major question marks for the team. The Thorns had to replace one of the leading defensive midfielders in the world, and with <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/NWSL/players/293436/allie-long">Allie Long</a> departing as well, nerves were strained among the Portland faithful as to who would play that role.</p>
<p id="3lP6by">In the midst of all the speculation, Celeste Boureille was quietly having an excellent season in the base of midfield for the Brisbane Roar, hanging tough with top internationals and doing the dirty work for the team that let in the least goals over the course of the season. Playing Boureille in the center of the park would have seemed like an emergency option last year, but her standout play in Austrailia made it seem at least feasible for the Thorns.</p>
<p id="eRrgb0">With the Thorns short so many players at the start of the season, people have had to step up and make names for themselves, and Boureille has had as big an impact as anyone. Her simple passing game has kept the team ticking over on offense and her defensive performances have been among the best in the NWSL. Among midfielders, she leads the league in clearances and is second in tackles won. </p>
<p id="Y40g7d">Boureille first joined the Thorns through open tryouts after going undrafted in 2016. Her value to the club has been proven over and over again in the past few years, covering defensive spots anywhere on the field for whoever happened to be missing, but this season she's hit another gear, and returning players will have a job on their hands trying to unseat her from the lineup.</p>
<p id="ANAH7G">Stumptown Footy caught up with Boureille about her offseasons in Australia and how she has grown in her time at the club.</p>
<p id="BcJmkg"><strong>Tyler Nguyen:</strong> It’s been an eventful year for you: this time last year you were playing right back, you had a strong offseason where you spent a lot of time in the middle of the park. Do you feel like you’ve grown a lot this past year?</p>
<p id="B61erf"><strong>Celeste Boureille:</strong> Yes, definitely, I think playing in Australia has been very important in continuing my development. Especially getting more touches on the ball in the midfield and being more comfortable there.</p>
<p id="rskRGx"><strong>TN: </strong>Was that always a goal for you, playing in midfield for the Thorns?</p>
<p id="A2MERQ"><strong>CB:</strong> I do enjoy playing in midfield, but playing here, it doesn’t really matter to me as long as I’m helping my team in every way that I can.</p>
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<img alt="W-League Rd 12 - Melbourne v Brisbane" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/otXTL1tnCeE_TMYnh-PqSae7Cwk=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/10713253/908149732.jpg.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>Boureille holding off Japanese international Yukari Kinga while at Brisbane.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="8OdFrE"><strong>TN: </strong>What was your time in Australia like?</p>
<p id="hSElMB"><strong>CB:</strong> I played in Canberra last season and then Brisbane this season. It’s been really enjoyable. I’ve learned from playing in both clubs and playing with world class players in both teams, with different coaching staff.</p>
<p id="UgXq2v"><strong>TN: </strong>What’s it like as an experience outside of soccer?</p>
<p id="TGLem1"><strong>CB:</strong> I love Australia. It’s a great place to live. Brisbane is fun, I really enjoyed playing with the team. It’s a great city, I lived with an amazing host family; it’s a great setup.</p>
<p id="Z3xqFy"><strong>TN: </strong>You played with Raso at both Canberra and Brisbane, what was that like?</p>
<p id="7jTVnc"><strong>CB:</strong> Whenever I get to spend more time with Hayley it’s awesome.</p>
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BbnTlzajntB/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:33.33333333333333% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div>
</div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BbnTlzajntB/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Rule number one. Always celebrate with your best friend first </a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hayleyraso/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Hayley Raso</a> (@hayleyraso) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-11-17T23:05:27+00:00">Nov 17, 2017 at 3:05pm PST</time></p>
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<p id="uol7Xp"><strong>TN: </strong>What would you say the difference is between the W-League and the NWSL?</p>
<p id="qWSrN2"><strong>CB:</strong> I would say it’s more physical in the NWSL and more high-paced. You have to play a lot faster, a lot quicker. I do find a lot more time on the ball in the W-League, whereas here you have to be quick.</p>
<p id="4JlVZX"><strong>TN: </strong>Katrina Gorry, your teammate and midfield partner at Brisbane, is one of the people who might be playing when the team faces off against Utah this weekend. Has coach Parsons picked your brain about what to expect from her?</p>
<p id="NB3FUM"><strong>CB:</strong> We haven’t talked much about it, but since I did play at Brisbane I know her well as a player. She’ll definitely be a threat for Utah but I think we’ll be able to manage it.</p>
<p id="4zOa4j"><strong>TN: </strong>What was it like to play with Gorry, a hugely experienced international midfielder?</p>
<p id="BIMqlQ"><strong>CB:</strong> It was a great experience playing with her and all the world class players there. Every team I’ve been on I feel like I learn from the qualities of every player. Katrina’s one of those players, watching her on the ball is a joy, and playing with her in midfield is something I hope I get the chance to do again.</p>
<p id="Pbavk3"><strong>TN: </strong>You scored your first goal in the W-League with a header and you almost got your first NWSL goal last game with the follow-up header from Horan’s penalty. </p>
<p id="3WoN64"><strong>CB:</strong> I know.</p>
<p id="7rCbDO"><strong>TN: </strong>Are you still kicking yourself for missing that four days later?</p>
<p id="NMCsyn"><strong>CB:</strong> A little bit, but it’s part of the game. You just have to go into every game with a mentality of trying to get better and trying to get three points when you can.</p>
<p id="hrk0uo"><strong>TN: </strong>It’s obviously not your primary job but do you think about scoring goals when you go on the field?</p>
<p id="QZDhta"><strong>CB:</strong> No. Obviously scoring is huge but it’s not my main role. It’s not a huge priority in my game but I would have enjoyed that. When you get those opportunities you have to finish them.</p>
<p id="VxDqbM"><strong>TN: </strong>I do see you lining up a few shots from outside the box.</p>
<p id="WFpBfI"><strong>CB:</strong> I do take my chances.</p>
<p id="Rrvveb"><strong>TN: </strong>It’s going to be a tough competition for midfield spots this season. Are you looking forward to fighting for your spot?</p>
<p id="WsTKRx"><strong>CB:</strong> Of course, it is very competitive but it’s why I’m here, I thrive on the competition. It’s a matter of continuing to look forward whatever happens and continue my development. </p>
https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/4/27/17277612/q-a-celeste-boureilleTyler Nguyen2018-04-26T17:00:02-07:002018-04-26T17:00:02-07:00The Thorns Prediction Game: Reading the PTFC Leaves – Matchday 5
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5VVHrJio7J1KN9ts5lcrNV7ZQP4=/0x0:4321x2881/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59507403/PORvWAS_20180420202402_6007_001.1524611467.jpg" />
<figcaption>Nikita Taparia</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="Sffore">No player predicted last week’s 1-1 draw with the Spirit, so the scores were a bit low this week. A perfect prediction would have earned 17 points; this week’s winner was One.Goal.Beyond with five points for calling a Sinclair PK and getting a “rec” for the prediction that the Thorns’ excellence would distract the Riveters from the lack of tater tots. New player cccccc earned four points for calling the Sinclair PK and Sonnett yellow card.</p>
<p id="CCwlMH">Ted Servata remains in first place but it’s getting tighter. The middle-of-the-pack position is a tie between tonysocref and ddornblaser.</p>
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<p id="Mnnmtt">This week sees the Thorns off to Salt Lake City for the first time. As we know all too well, Laura Harvey has historically had Mark Parsons’ number at home, except for that one glorious time last year in Seattle. However, her new team has been lacking punch up front, scoring only three goals this season, two on goalkeeping howlers. The Royals aren’t likely to get any gifts from Eckerstrom or Franch.</p>
<h2 id="Ci9j1o"><strong>How this works:</strong></h2>
<p id="NsbRbj">Add a comment to this post. In the comment title, put your predicted result, for example, <strong>3-1 Thorns.</strong></p>
<p id="ZRMUmr">In the body of your comment, start with the goals and assists, like so:</p>
<p id="xcMKTY"><strong>Weber (Klingenberg)</strong></p>
<p id="GeL6vS"><strong>Sinclair (Free kick)</strong></p>
<p id="yRvaVb"><strong>Horan (Unassisted)</strong></p>
<p id="0xX0Hx"><strong>Jonsdottir (PK)</strong></p>
<p id="mUUgB9">Next, name the first yellow card recipient: <strong>First yellow to Sonnett </strong></p>
<p id="uIE07H">Then reds, if any. (NOTE: no points awarded for correctly calling a red-card-free match, so take a guess.) <strong>Sauerbrunn gets a red for tripping Sinclair on the edge of the box.</strong></p>
<p id="FEHkcO">And lastly, make your fun prediction:</p>
<p id="X4MQMG"><strong>The Thorns trainer has a six-pack of oxygen bottles instead of water and the players share hits during injury breaks.</strong></p>
<p id="S9t5Cy"><strong>Scoring:</strong></p>
<p id="xjx1uw">· Correct score: 5 points</p>
<p id="pPxpPn">· Correct result (draw/win/loss): 3 points</p>
<p id="K2IRtL">· Each clean sheet: 2 points</p>
<p id="ckPhwL">· Each goal-scorer: 1 point</p>
<p id="4mdWzM">· Each FK/PK/assist/lack of assist: 1 point</p>
<p id="0rU4Wc">· Goal/assist bonus: 1 point</p>
<p id="LaH9ug">· Player with the first yellow card of the match: 1 point</p>
<p id="pJPc3q">· Each player with a red card: 1 point (Cannot earn points for predicting 0 red cards)</p>
<p id="RoogqP">· Most recommended/most outrageously accurate prediction: 2 points</p>
<p id="pLmiea"><strong>Some ground rules and explanations/clarifications (the fine print):</strong></p>
<p id="WvaAJE"><em>Comments must be posted before kickoff</em>, but you can edit or amend an earlier prediction right up to the starting whistle.</p>
<p id="BjujwQ"><em>Keep your scoreline predictions realistic.</em> No crazy scores just to pad out your <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/odds">odds</a> of getting goals and assists.</p>
<p id="ZBJ2Jr"><em>The goal/assist bonus</em> is an additional point if you predict the correct scorer and assistant on the same goal—for example, you say Onumonu scores from a Horan assist and that is exactly what happens.</p>
<p id="uJyo2Y"><em>Be clear whether you think a goal will be unassisted, assisted, or from a PK/FK.</em> Unassisted: no assist, run of play; Assisted: player who got the assist; PK/FK: not in run of play. For the purposes of this thread, Penalty Kick and Free Kick are the same thing. No entry means unassisted.</p>
<p id="L6UfIY">Have fun, tell your friends, let me know if you have any questions or if I screw up your score.</p>
https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/4/26/17277302/the-thorns-prediction-game-reading-the-ptfc-leaves-matchday-5-baonpdxRichard Hamje