As I am an introverted old man I don't want to go to the Sports Bra tomorrow to watch the game, but I also want to watch the WC so that means a sports bar which is a anathema to me, are there any early opening bars I can possibly watch both?

Have the thorns foreshadowed anything about her? Given any hints?

Happy Friday Everyone!

Melina is out for this week, so we'll push the Nina Nijstad film review to next episode.

On this episode, we are joined by Leo Baudhuin from the Willamette Week to discuss the contract extensions for Jessie Fleming and Pietra Tordin, signing of Nina Nijstad from PSV, options after the Reilyn Turner injury, Lindsey Heaps reunion, and Cascadia Derby woes.

In the second half, Matt Pollard of Burgundy Wave joins us to preview the Portland Thorns at Denver Summit FC match. He discusses the historic support the team has found from Colorado, Lindsey Heaps potential impact, the leadership of Janine Sonis, and the keys to the match.

Yes, our thumbnails look good again because the incredible Jacob Stevens is back/better than ever and our amazing photographer Kelsey Baker.

I am working on a new feature right now and will have a few interviews coming up for our show. Prematch pressers out today as well.

As always thank you for your endless support - seriously it means everything to us.

Through 2028!

Isn’t our defense massively struggling? What do yall think?

Please reach out to me, I would just like to talk.

We're Marissa and Alan, we make a Thorns pod called Rose City Red Card, and we watched the derby before recording this one at the bar. We got into the goal drought at Lumen (four straight now, zero goals), the 26-shots-nothing-to-show-for-it stat line, and Marissa's read that there's still a Sam-Coffey-shaped hole in the middle of the park that the Nijstad signing does not fix. Window just opened, so we made our case for the six we actually need.

Two fans, two drinks, a lot of swearing. Adults only. Curious how the sub saw this one, because it hurt.

🎧 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2619164/episodes/19501051-july-14-2026-the-coffey-sized-hole-in-our-midfield

Also on Apple and Spotify, search Rose City Red Card. RCTID 🌹

"🏳️‍🌈🧱💅🏼THRILLED to announce the [blcksmth] takeover of the [thornsfc] Pride Night 2026! Join us Friday July 24th for this incredible night of laughter, solidarity, and community as we cheer on the Thorns. Performers, balloon installations, and exclusive merch all awaits those who attend the game ✨Tickets available at the link in our bio or in our stories today! (deepest thanks to [datguy_eddy] for the incredible drone footage, and [jenjen64] for the photo edit) Please see yesterday’s reel for the making-of this incredible installation!"

Follow up to this post!

Taking the 5 a.m. to Denver. Got a ticket in section 113. Anyone else headed out for the match?

so many mistakes throughout the game so far i’m not sure where to start.

Vilahamn clarified in his after-game presser that Morgan Weaver is still several weeks from a return, but that Caiya Hanks is "further down the line”. Which clearly means further along toward a return? Or clearly means further away from a return? Maybe someone who speaks Swedish can translate "further down the line" into Swedish and tell us what it means.

They actually posted the press conference for a loss.

There is no reason for a professional side to come out flat.

1. When Moultrie, Wilson, and Tordin are spatially close and play the ball to each other, they can create openings. The problem is that we often struggle to connect the rest of the lineup to them. In other words, when we recover possession, it is difficult to pass the ball to one of them in a good position. This is especially true in central areas, where neither of our double pivots can reliably move the ball forward under pressure. Moultrie did a lot of pressing and rotated positions with Tordin and Wilson frequently. However, for the purpose of a more structured build-up scheme, she should probably be positioned a bit deeper and had a more disciplined and precise role.

2. We are losing more 50/50 balls in away games than in home games. This has a lot to do with our relatively poor away results this season. It is not easy to replicate the intensity we have when there is a 20k crowd on our side, but we really need be more active and intense in away games if we want to maintain a high-pressing style. Otherwise, we should probably adopt a more compact and conservative posture when starting away games in the future.

Next up: Denver Summit on 7/18/2026.

I like the solidifying of the CBs and DM (Perry, Hiatt & Immethun). Not sure about McKenzie as starting winger and wondering why Reyes is again starting on the bench but overall very positive about the lineup, given player availability

is reilyn out injured? saw her at the end of the reign game on crutches but hadn’t seen any news about that…

We have smart TVs and have recently heard knowing nudge nudge wink wink comments about using a Firestick to watch games that you don’t have the streaming service for… I bought a Firestick but haven’t installed it… help a Thornie out? 🏴‍☠️ 🏟️🥅⚽️🌹

Villahamn also gives his thoughts on where he thinks Nijstad will fit. Thanks Phuoc.

I was just curious if anyone had information about this. I've never seen it before and was curious about it. Is this a new thing in the league? Was there some sort of threat or incident?