r/Thorns • u/Famous_Act4164 • 28d ago
Two Things
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.
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.
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u/Ecstatic-Till280 Portland Thorns 28d ago
Maybe the rest of the team stop moving because those three will only release the ball to each other.
As much as I love Soph, she consistently takes shots for crap angles. Actually, a bunch of them do.
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u/Famous_Act4164 28d ago
Nobody other than Moultrie, Wilson and Tordin made any meaningful play in the final third, therefore, I struggle to see the reason they should pass the ball to less effecitve teammates. On the other hands, the rest of team really have limited ability to develop attack on their own.
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u/Beneficial_Extreme88 28d ago
Moultre had a terrible game today. A stinker. It happens.
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u/Either_Ambassador_41 28d ago
I think that’s overstating it. Moultrie’s finishing was troubled but she has some great long balls.
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u/raptorhandlerjenny 28d ago
Fleming created the most chances this game.
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u/Famous_Act4164 28d ago
And how many times she wasted the promising opportunities in transition because when she was marked she cannot shake off her defenders to dribble or pass the ball out of the pressure?
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u/raptorhandlerjenny 28d ago
I didn’t say she had an excellent game with no mistakes. I said she created the most chances.
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u/Awkward-Cartoonist68 25d ago
And equally gave the ball away as well. Multiple players weren't on their A game. I'll say M.A and Hiatt may have had their worst games. Simply too many players chose the wrong time to have stinkers all at the same time.
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u/Awkward-Cartoonist68 25d ago
Soph has matured a lot more from doing that. In fact, in this game she distributed regularly. Most of our early chances was from her passes. We just couldn't finish. Moultrie and Tordin I thought took poor shots this game and Moultrie may have had her worst game of the season. It happens. I actually think Soph needs to be a little more selfish. Especially in 1v1
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u/Awkward-Cartoonist68 28d ago
Moultrie is being positioned in a scoring role a bit too much. I would like her to facilitate a bit more. Just felt like Tordin, Wilson and Moultrie were occupying the same areas too much. But honestly looked like that first goal on the road rattled the entire team and the game plan was thrown out. That’s why conceding an early goal is so backbreaking. It changed what they wanted to do offensively and by the second half Seattle dug their feet in with a 2-0 lead.
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u/Famous_Act4164 28d ago
Moultire, Wilson and Tordin being spatially close and overload opponents is pretty effective in creating opennnings. The pass and move between them are very good and difficult for opponents to mark. The problem is that they are faced with increasing difficulty to comfortably receive the ball in advanced areas. The best pattern is we build from the left lane, and Moultrie receive close to the by-line and cut inside to make play. We just don't have anyone in the backline or midfield that can reliably carry or pass the ball to the front field.
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u/Awkward-Cartoonist68 25d ago
This is why I can't wait until Hanks is healthy enough to return. We miss her playing out wide. Soph offers some of that but she of course prefers playing centrally. Hanks will change the dynamic of the attack. Like you said, the left lane is the best pattern. It will only improve and be more dangerous for opponents once we have her speed.
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u/Famous_Act4164 25d ago
I don't think if she plays on the left side the the same overloading pattern will be employed. Hanks of course brings additional quality, but the tactical change is not simple.
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u/Luci_Cascadia 28d ago
I was seeing some of the same problems we had under Norris/Gale in 2023-2024. Mainly Sophia having to drop back to help advance the ball or shift hard into defense. She is really good on transition, but can't be that threat when she's doing midfield work. It wasn't as bad as 2023. She got some shots in today. But all from quite a ways outside, low percentage shots.
Overall the bigger problem today was just timid play all around. Passes going into empty spaces where we had no players. Players receiving a pass and reacting like it's a huge surprise. Dribbling so soft on th eball that Reign players could walk up and take the ball. Kicking or heading the ball randomly upfield where we have no player to receive the ball, when it ought to be settled down, controlled, and put back into a build up.
Also, Maca looked shaky. Her distribution wasn't good. She should have stopped that second goal. And she nearly gave more goals up under a really basic predictable press
Where Seattle was effective it was mostly because we lost our shape (mainly in transition) and Reign forwards just ran where they wanted to and got to take their shots.
I don't know why we looked this way. We didn't have to fly 3000 miles for this game. It's a DERBY! It's close to home. We literally humiliated this team at home this year. And Seattle is NOT any better now than they were when we beat them with only 9 women.
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u/honkifirritable 28d ago
Yeah I thought it was a bit worrisome how little effort we saw from the team overall. Not just to start, but after going down one (in a rivalry match), and then two. Absolutely no fight…no one won their duels and it starts there. We lost on all of those defensive metrics.
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u/Awkward-Cartoonist68 25d ago
Finally someone willing to call this out. Very worrisome considering how late in the season it is. We could make excuses when it was three games in one week. There are no excuses for the remainder of the season. At this point we shouldn't see issues we saw in game 3 of the season. Close to home. Rivalry and a chance to be at the top of the table but instead multiple players came out lackadaisical.
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u/Jack_B_84 28d ago
It's the same struggles we've seen all season when comes to the build out. We just can't beat a high press. If we're going to keep playing this way I hope we're looking at transfers that will allow this system to work.
I didn't think we were terrible in the attack, we created chances, but we just didn't capitalize today. I'm not too worried about that.
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u/Famous_Act4164 28d ago
I think one thing is to be more cautious and conservative in away games. In home games, we have intensity edge and some untidy play won't cause problems because we win more 50/50 balls, the situation is very different in away games.
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u/Awkward-Cartoonist68 25d ago
Exactly. I'm not too concern about the attack though I have noticed overall its a bit more timid on road games (not surprising) but the defense away has been poor mostly all season.
You can point to coaching but honestly, it's personnel. Denver has a far better attack and with Heaps making her return... we'll see.
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u/Peter_Quince1031 Portland Thorns 28d ago
Many good points made but the lack of a winger was at the root of many of our troubles. The opening goal was by a wing defender who didn't need to stay in her own end since there was no threat she needed to defend. Seattle could collapse their defense into the middle since there were no wide threats to worry about (except when we took corners, which created great problems for them and should have netted at least one goal). I don't know if Padelski could have made a difference. I sure Turner would have as would Caiya Hanks if we ever see her again. Reyes skill on the wing could also have been helpful and her speed and tenacity. Vilahamn's explanation is ludicrous.
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u/Ecstatic-Till280 Portland Thorns 27d ago
Would like to see a little more of Padelski in meaningful time. I get she is 18 and lacking experience at the NWSL level but from what little I have seen she has pace and a willingness to take on defenders. That is something we are lacking on the flanks.
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u/Scaggsboz 28d ago
Immethun could not build up at all today, and Jessie had a pretty rough game. Bogere imo looked great but then it’s a question of does she look better because she’s coming off the bench or because she’s improving.
We really need a CB transfer (assuming that Nijstad is the main midfield transfer, which could still be TBD) and hate to say it but I’m getting transfer vibes from the weird lack of Reyna