With the FIFA Women’s World Cup looming in June, 2015 promises to be an important years yet for the nascent National Women’s Soccer League. For Portland Thorns FC, 2015 will be a challenge for returning head coach Paul Riley and the team as they balance new players into the squad, juggle player international absences, and get results from a diverse array of goalscoring talents.
So far, the Thorns appear ready for the challenge.
"What I like about this preseason is the chemistry in the group on the field," Riley told PortlandThornsFC.com. "We've all looked at each other and gone, 'Wow.' If we could just produce this on opening day it would be great for the club.'"
What's New
In a World Cup year, when at least eight Thorns FC players are expected to be away on international duty including Nadine Angerer (Germany), Steph Catley (Australia), Tobin Heath (USA), Kaylyn Kyle (Canada), Alex Morgan (USA), Christine Sinclair (Canada), Jodie Taylor (England), and Rhian Wilkinson (Canada). In anticipation of this, head coach Paul Riley has brought in reinforcements to solidify squad depth.
This offseason, the Thorns acquired midfielder McCall Zerboni and defender Kat Williamson in a trade with the Western New York Flash. Zerboni, who had a career year with the Flash in 2014, and Williamson, who was part of the Thorns 2013 championship squad, both bring leadership and experience to a Thorns team that will be heavily affected by the World Cup.
Riley also brought in English international forward Taylor. Taylor finished last season with 11 goals for the Washington Spirit, a number which tied for third in goals scored in the NWSL. While Taylor will spend part of the season away at the World Cup, her experience scoring goals in NWSL should add firepower to an already potent corps of Thorns forwards.
The Thorns were also allocated veteran Canadian internationals Kaylyn Kyle and Rhian Wilkinson.
The 26 year-old Kyle, who already has 95 caps for her native Canada, previously played for Seattle Reign FC, the Boston Breakers, and the Houston Dash. Kyle has made 42 NWSL appearances, scoring three goals and registering two assists.
Defender Wilkinson, who has an astounding 163 caps for the Canadian National Team, most recently played for the Laval Comets of the USL W-League. In a veteran career that first began in 2003, Wilkinson has played professionally in Norway, the United States, and in her native Canada.
Also added was forward Genoveva (Ayo) Añonma. Añonma, an international from Equitorial Guinea, will arrive from Germany's 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam in May, having scored nearly 100 goals in over 122 matches for Frauen Bundesliga sides Potsdam and FF USV Jena. She will bring much-needed firepower and depth to the Thorns' front line.
Returning Core
Veteran midfielder Allie Long returns in 2015 focused on leading the Thorns back to the NWSL Championship. Long will look to build on a stellar 2014 campaign that saw her named to the NWSL Second XI.
Emily Menges, who spent the first part of her rookie season juggling life as a professional soccer player with the demands of her Georgetown coursework, proved a critical component of the Thorns defense last season. Menges started 22 games in 2014, playing 1,972 minutes and is returning to anchor the Thorns' defense this season.
Goalkeeper Michelle Betos, who first came to Portland in a trade with the Boston Breakers ahead of the 2014 season, has made 10 NWSL appearances in her first two seasons in the league. Last season, Betos recorded her first shutout against the Washington Spirit in a 2-0 win.
Midfielder Sinead Farrelly appeared in 17 matches for the Thorns in 2014. Between May 14 and July 9, Farrelly started in eleven consecutive matches.
Mana Shim is entering her third season with the Thorns. In her first two seasons, Shim made 33 appearances for the Thorns, scoring five goals and registering four assists.
Rachel Van Hollebeke brings both national team experience and NWSL leadership along the back line. Van Hollebeke, a veteran of the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympics, played in 12 regular season matches last season after missing the first nine games of the season due to injury.
NWSL Changes
The biggest change in the NWSL this season is the World Cup itself, which will test the depth of several NWSL clubs, not just Portland's.
Still, the NWSL offseason wasn't without its blockbuster moves.
In March, the Seattle Reign stunned the women's soccer world by trading U.S. Women's National Team star Sydney Leroux and Amanda Frisbee to the Western New York Flash for midfielder Amber Brooks, the rights to Abby Wambach, and a first-round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft.
Prior to the trade, Wambach announced that she would forego the 2015 NWSL season to focus on the USWNT and the World Cup. In her 29 career games with the Flash, Wambach had scored 17 goals and tallied seven assists.
With all of the player absences this summer, the 2015 NWSL season appears as if it will be the most wide open yet.
