Warrior cats fan art

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🌹🌹🌹 LET'S GET THORNY!! 🌹🌹🌹
You can check out the the original post with links to all other write ups for this year here.
BACKGROUND
Head Coach: Mike Norris
Formerly an assistant coach for the Thorns, Mike Norris took over the team in January of this year following the resignation of last year’s head coach, Rhian Wilkinson who stepped down after only one season. Her resignation came after a joint investigation by the NWSL & NWSLPA regarding a relationship developing with a current player on the team. While the investigation found Wilkinson did not violate league policies, Wilkinson left the team after player urging, regarding the broken trust between the players and Wilkinson, the legitimacy of the reporting/investigation process of the team/league, and potential retaliation amongst other issues.
Norris joined PTFC in 2022 as an assistant head coach under Wilkinson. Most recently, Norris was the goalkeepers coach for the current Olympic champions, the Canadian Women’s National Team, but Norris’s assistant coaching background in women’s soccer is extensive. After starting his coaching career in youth soccer, he quickly moved up through Canadian youth’s national system up to the senior team over the span of 8 years. Most importantly, Norris was hired with the backing of the current players. Expectations are high for Norris. The Thorns are coming off their third championship season with sights set on a repeat performance.
Technical Director: Karina LeBlanc - General Manager
Karina LeBlanc took over the role of General Manager in November of 2021 following a 3 year stint as CONCACAF’s Head of Women’s Soccer. The newly dedicated role in the Thorns' organization came after a separation between the Thorns management from their brother club Portland Timbers FC stemming from the fall out of the 2021 abuse scandal of the league. LeBlanc, a Canadian national team Hall of Famer, was immediately thrown into the mix, managing to make a splash with her first two trades within her first month, securing a substantial amount of allocation money and expansion draft protection. Unfortunately, LeBlanc stumbled a bit in her first NWSL draft, using her first pick on a player that was never signed by the club (due to transphobic/anti-LGBTQ+ social media posts). In just over a year, LeBlanc appears to be a breath of fresh air in the recent tumultuous years of the club. Just like head coach Mike Norris, there are high expectations for LeBlanc (honestly though, not protecting a known abuser would instantly shoot LeBlanc up to the best GM in Thorns history).
Captain: Chrstine Sinclair
Synonymous with Portland women’s soccer and needing no introduction, the Canadian GOAT Christine Sinclair has been the Thorn’s captain since the start of the league in 2013. While several players have worn the armband in Sinc’s absence, the captaincy is Sinc’s and truly Sinc’s alone.
Stadium: Providence Park, Soccer City, USA
Arguably one of the most iconic professional soccer stadiums in the US, Providence Park has played host to the Thorns since they joined the league in 2013. Located in the Goose Hollow neighborhood in Southwest Portland, the recently renovated stadium is home to both PTFC teams and can host over 25,000 fans.
Ownership: To Be Determined
I am not going to waste time talking about the Thorns' current owner; in no way does he deserve any more publicity and in mine, and I’m sure many others’ opinion, should not be allowed to own a club in the league. Thankfully, in December of 2022, it was announced the Thorns would be up for sale. While this could potentially hinder both the Thorns & Timbers’ mantra of “Two Teams, One Club”, the future is bright for the Thorns. Right after the announcement of the sale, it was reported that an all-women investment group led by Nike executive Melanie Strong was looking to submit a bid with a valuation of $60 million.
Mascot: N/A
While there is no mascot for the club, the prominence of roses can be seen throughout the club, including on merch, within the supporters section, and even awarded to players after home matches.
Kits: We’ve Got Some Mixed Opinions
The Thorns have had some really great kits in past years. However, the kits unveiled in 2022 really missed the mark. One comment pointed out that the 2022 kits looked as if someone took the 2021 kits and remade them in MS Paint. Switching to black kits the previous year, Portland’s primary kits kept with the theme of a black base with the inclusion of red vines/thorns. A nice little easter egg, the acronym dear to the PTFC supporters, BAON, is included within the neck tag (a feature added to the kits starting in 2020).
The secondary kits didn’t fare much better. The club kept with the primary colors of white and red, but other than that, not much else can be said about them.
2023 brings about a fun new kit for our Ed Hardy fans out there (at least we can say they didn’t play it safe???). The Thorns wanted to go bold and that they did. With an updated logo on the shorts, they definitely stand out.
Supporters Groups: The Rose City Riveters
Housed in the North End of Providence Park, the Rose City Riveters are a wild bunch of supporters. You can check out their Instagram or Twitter. The group provides plenty of volunteer opportunities, charity drives, and are never shy in supporting what they believe in. The Riveters are loud and proud (NSFW - language), creating one of the best sporting environments in the league. Very biased, but they also create some of the best TIFOs and banners; since I love a good TIFO/banner, here are few of my recent favorites:

• A Restorative Fire
• Because the Club Belongs to Us
• Welcome Back to the Madness
• Where There’s Fire, There's Smoke

Subreddit: /Thorns
The Thorns subreddit is probably above average in activity compared to other clubs. You’ll get the biggest news, fun social media posts, and the occasional hyped upvote party (we like excitement). Drop by to show your support!
News and Commentary: Stumptown Footy & Riveting!
Stumptown Footy & Riveting! are the two publications that you will constantly find Thorns-centric coverage & commentary. While STF is currently going through the SB Nation cuts of all soccer coverage, they still plan on continuing coverage of soccer in Portland. Both are great for not just coverage, but opinions on the Thorns & the league.
Key Twitter Follows for Team Insights:
Thorns FC
Ryan Clarke - Beat writer for The Oregonian
Paul Danzer - Sports writer for The Portland Tribune
Stumptown Footy
Phuoc "Francis" Nguyen
Rose City Review
Mike Donovan
Chris Rifer
Anne M. Peterson - Portland based AP writer
Meg Linehan - The Athletic (it’s not a true list without Meg)
Craig Mitchelldyer - Great PTFC photos!
DanteysArt - Not Twitter (though they do have one), but great game day pics!
SCHEDULE
2023 Season/Home Opener: Sunday, March 26th, Orlando Pride @ Providence Park
Full 2023 Schedule
HISTORY

• NWSL Championship: 2013, 2017, 2022
• NWSL Shield: Supporters’ Shield: 2016, 2021
• NWSL Challenge Cup: 2021

Also including the 2020 NWSL Community Shield for the Fall Series after the Chaos Cup.
2022 Season Review
Three Stars!!! ⭐⭐⭐
The Portland Thorns were your 2022 NWSL League Champions! As any other season in Portland, the Thorns came in with high expectations following their Shield win in 2021, but their upset loss in the semi-finals to Chicago. Portland went into the pre-season Challenge cup in the West Division finishing 3-1-2, but missed out on advancing to the knockout stage to defend their Challenge Cup championship. The Thorns started off the regular season a little sluggish, going 1-3-1 in their first five games, falling all the way to 7th in the standings. Thankfully, they quickly hit their stride, going on a 10 game unbeaten streak. Following back to back thrashings from NCC & SD, the Thorns went on to not drop a match for the rest of the season. They ended the season with a record of 10-9-3 and a goal differential of +25! The race for the shield at the end of the season was wild, with Portland being in control of their own destiny, but couldn’t get it done, ultimately falling short by 1 point to OL Reign.
Focusing on the on-field storylines, there is one name that was the star of the show: Sophia Smith. Coming into her 3rd season in the league, Smith took off (for club and country)! Racking up 14 goals with 3 assists which lead to 3 Player of the Week nominations (1 win), a Player of the Month award, 2nd in the race for the Golden Boot, NWSL Championship Game MVP, and ultimately being crowned the 2022 NWSL MVP. Nothing could stop Sophia Smith last season and hopefully this is just the beginning for her.
Smith was not the only Thorns player to really step it up this year. Continuing on with the nickname of Goalkeeper FC (shout out the magical Thorns GKer coach Nadine Angerer), starting goalkeeper Bella Bixby tied for the most clean sheets in the league with 9 (10 if you include the playoffs). Rookie Sam Coffey made an immediate impact in the midfield, switching to a DM position and being an anchor our midfield needed. The Thorns also had 1 iron woman in 2022, defender Kelli Hubly who really solidified her starting role going forward (over an injured Emily Menges). Last, but not least, one of the biggest stories of the season: the return of Crystal Dunn! After giving birth to her very adorable son Marcel in May, Dunn returned to the pitch less than 4 months later. And who could forget Dunn’s game winner to send Portland to the championship?
OFFSEASON
Players Out

• Lindsey Horan, MF - For now, Horan is still out on loan to Lyon through the summer of 2023
• Marissa Everett, F - Retired (to pursue a career in nursing)
• Abby Smith, GK - Free agency (signed to Gotham)
• Yazmeen Ryan, F - Traded to ACFC

Players In
Free Agents: None
Drafted:

• Reyna Reyes - Defender - Round 1 Pick 5 (still unsigned, but training with the team)
• Izzy D’Aquila - Forward - Round 1 Pick 12 (signed)
• Lauren DeBeau - Forward/Midfield - Round 2 Pick 24 (released by the team ahead of final roster)
• Lauren Kozal - Goalkeeper - Round 3 Pick 32 (signed)

ROSTER
Preseason Roster
Thorns return 23 players from their 2022 season and added 3 new players through the NWSL Draft.
Goalkeepers (3): Bella Bixby, Shelby Hogan, Lauren Kozal (DRAFT)
Defenders (9): Kelli Hubly, Meghan Klingenberg, Natalia Kuikka (INTL), Tegan McGrady, Emily Menges, Meaghan Nally, Gabby Provenzano, Reyna Reyes (DRAFT), Becky Sauerbrunn
Midfielders (7): Sam Coffey, Crystal Dunn, Olivia Moultrie, Taylor Porter, Rocky Rodríguez, Christine Sinclair, Hina Sugita (INTL)
Forwards (7): Janine Beckie, Natalie Beckman, Hannah Betfort, Izzy D’Aquila (DRAFT), Sophia Smith, Michele Vasconcelos, Morgan Weaver
Predicted Preferred Gameday XI
Formation: A bit unknown what the formation will be this year with a new head coach, but the Thorns primarily ran a 4-3-3 last year. It’s going to be an interesting discussion to see how Norris handles where Sinclair goes. While I respect the Canadian GOAT, I believe Sinc would be best used as a super sub. Depending how Norris handles where Sinclair goes, there is going to be some variation within our midfield & forwards group. Predicting Sinc remaining in our starting line up, I would expect to see some form of our starting XI looking something like:
-------------------Bixby-------------------
-Kuikka----Hubly----Sauerbrunn----Klingenberg-
----Rodriguez----Coffey----Dunn----
----Smith----Sinclair----Weaver----
Likely Top Bench/Subs:

• Emily Menges, D
• Hina Sugita, MF
• Janine Beckie, F (sike :( )
• Izzy D’Aquila, F
• Olivia Moultrie, M (again, Moultrie’s use is really going to depend on what Norris plans on. Moultrie was ramping up in minutes on the back half of the season last year. As of today, Moultrie is in the Starting XI for the Thorns first preseason match)

Returning Players (Almost Everyone):
GK: Bella Bixby, Shelby Hogan
D: Kelli Hubly, Meghan Klingenberg, Natalia Kuikka, Tegan McGrady, Emily Menges, Meaghan Nally, Gabby Provenzano, Becky Sauerbrunn
M: Sam Coffey, Crystal Dunn, Olivia Moultrie, Taylor Porter, Rocky Rodríguez, Christine Sinclair, Hina Sugita
F: Janine Beckie, Natalie Beckman, Hannah Betfort, Sophia Smith, Michele Vasconcelos, Morgan Weaver
The Vets
Almost every Thorns player is a veteran with the team at this point. The vets below are those who have been around the block a time or two in this league:
D: Klingenberg, Menges, Sauerbrunn
M: Dunn, Rodríguez, Sinclair
Something to Prove

• Kelli Hubly (D) - Being the Thorns only iron woman is a feat in itself, but until the 2021 season, Hubly hadn’t been a consistent starter. With an aging backline, it will be seen if Hubly can continue on the upward trajectory in being that anchor of our backline
• Sam Coffey (M) - Year 1 for Coffey went about as good as one could wish for. Like Hubly, Coffey’s “prove it” is if she can continue to be as good as she was last year, proving that year 1 wasn’t just a fluke (I don’t think anyone thinks this is the case though). If she isn’t called in for the World Cup (a long shot at making it at the moment), Coffey is going to be a key piece for the Thorns.
• Olivia Moultrie (M) - The Child. (Can we even call her that anymore?). Moultrie & co. fought hard to allow her to play for the Thorns which led to massive changes in how the league handles U18 players. That said, Moultrie hasn’t really consistently shown that she’s as good as they said she was. A lot of it is due to playing time, it came sporadically and at times, playing only the last few minutes of the match. However, Moultrie has shown flashes of brilliance when she was in. She’s not afraid to be physical and she has the confidence to take her shot.
• Christine Sinclaire (M) - Does Sinc really have to prove anything at this point in her career? No. However, we are unfortunately heading towards the end of Sinc’s career here. The big question is, how will she handle it? This will be Portland’s 3rd coach in 3 years and while the Thorns are far from rebuilding, it is yet to be seen where Sinc will fall in Norris’s game planning. However it shakes out to be, I have a feeling we will see Sinc be what Sinc always is, the GOAT.

Out for the season
So far, Portland is looking good as far as the SEI list (knock on wood). Jinxed myself on this one. Unfortunately, Janine Beckie went down in the preseason friendly against the U23 NT with an ACL tear. The biggest missing piece will once again be Lindsey Horan. Leaving at the start of last season, Horan left big shoes to fill. She will continue to be out until at least June (the end of her loan), but we most likely won’t see her return until after the World Cup. Fortunately for the Thorns, they do not lack depth in their midfield.
2023 PREVIEW
Realistic Best Case Scenario: 1st Place
The Thorns are returning almost the entirety of their championship team. And while they do have a new coach, Norris was there during the Thorns’ championship run. Expectations for the club will be higher than ever with the possibility of the Thorns going back to back a very realistic goal.
Realistic Worst Case Scenario: 5-7th place
The league is only getting better. While the Thorns did not lose any key players, many clubs right below them gained quite a few. Five different clubs were all within 4 points of each other at the end of the season. The 3 teams right below Portland were San Diego, Houston, and Kansas City. I won’t repeat what’s already been said in these write ups about those 3 teams, but the Thorns could’ve easily been 5th last year as they could’ve been 1st. Looking further back, you have a team like ACFC who should be returning many injured starters and could easily project themselves forward in the standings. The World Cup is going to be especially hard on the Thorns who will look to have ~7 players out which includes 5 potential starters. I don’t expect to see Portland drop out of the playoff picture, but the middle to back half of the season could get very interesting.
Realistic Most Probable Scenario: 2nd-4th
While the Thorns didn’t make any flashy trades or free agent signings, they stuck with what they know worked. Sophia Smith really hit her stride last year and is going to be looked upon to continue her dominance this year. The return of Lindsey Horan (if healthy) in the back half should really give us a push late into the season. Portland returns a team of veterans that know what it takes to win. Can they repeat the success of their 2022 season? We’re going to have to find out.

Aggressive waiting "Portals" Album...