I know it seems like I am repeating myself, but the Thorns remain undefeated!
The Thorns defeated Sky Blue FC 2-1 Saturday night after another comeback victory! After 12 weeks of play, the Thorns aren’t just sitting at the top of the table as the league’s number one team, they are dancing on the table with an abandon that can only be described as wild!
I JUST DID A CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE TO WHAT A FEELING FROM THE HIT MOVIE FLASHDANCE ON THE STEEL BRIDGE!
TAKE YOUR PASSION AND MAKE IT HAPPEN
For as much time as the Thorns spent defending their goal in the first half, they had thrice the amount of shots and opportunities to score a goal.
ONCE TWICE THREE TIMES A DETERMINED AND UNRELENTING LADY
There was so much service in front of our goal the only things we were missing were a hummus plate and points. PLEASE, TIP YOUR SERVER
Portland took a total of 13 shots Saturday night and Portland striker, Nadia Nadim, owned seven of those. Nadim was notably the most fired up in this match and at times the most frustrated. More on that fireball later.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Portland goalkeeper Michelle Betos’s was busy stopping goals and crushing Sky Blue dreams. Thank God for Michelle Betos’s natural instincts and show stopping talent – she’s a real Bernatte Peters, if you know what I mean… It’s ok if you don’t. This is a musical theater reference. It just means that I think that Michelle Betos’s is fabulous, talented- and most importantly, ready for any role at any given time. FOCUS ERIN, THIS IS A SPORTS BLOG NOT A WRITE UP FOR THE HIT MUSICAL GYPSY
Things got really crowded in front of the goal in the 28th minute and Sky Blue FC’s Natasha Kai shoved the ball in after Betos and the rest of the defensive group was recovering from another shot. TOOT TOOT! ALL ABOARD FOR FRUSTRATION STATION!
Don’t fret fabulous friends, all of our efforts will not go unanswered! Fear not, for the corner kick awaits!
Five or so minutes before the end of the first half, Nadia Nadim deliver a corner kick to the center of the box, where Portland midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdottir’s (brin-yas-daughter) head bounce it into the goal. BJÖRK MUST BE SO PROUD- If you know what I mean…It’s fine if you don’t. This is a ’90s reference to Icelandic singer/songwriter Björk. Dagny is also from Iceland. GET IT?
After halftime, the Thorns returned regrouped and refreshed. Portland midfielder, Haley Rasso, drove hard toward the goal in search of another shot and the Sky Blue FC defender tripped her from behind.
YOSEMITE SAM SAYS “BACK OFF”
The referee quickly awarded Portland a penalty kick and Nadim delivered a successful shot to the left side of the goal!!! Directly following the kick, Nadim popped over the sideboard and celebrated in front of the Riveters with fist pump and a howl of achievement. HUMAN BEHAVIOR AT IT’S BEST!
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
What the heck is a Sky Blue? Is this along the lines of the “Cleveland Browns?”- where someone names a color that is not terribly specific and we are supposed to just figure things out? IS THIS TEAM SPONSORED BY SHERWIN WILLIAMS WITH A LIMITED COLOR PALETTE?
Sky Blue is from New Jersey. This color team is seated somewhere around seventh place in the league. Don’t let that fool you though—this was a tough match—and super close at times. Even down to the last seven minutes of stoppage time.
MISSING PERSONS
Having our six US national players off for another jaunt was bad enough. Heath, Long, Klingenberg, Sonnet and Horan are currently with the USWNT preparing for their match against South Africa on July 9. Portland Thorns were also missing the magical and mystical Canadian powerhouse Christine Sinclair. These absences made for a very different starting line up and things were… errr… unsettling at first.
The start of the game was choppy to say the least… Or to say more, it was rough. Though the Thorns looked earnest and ready, they just had a little difficulty finding each other on the field. Passes went undelivered and a handful were just plain intercepted. I GET IT WE ARE SPOILED, but it truly felt like we were watching a different team. A medley, if you will, of up and comers that have been waiting to prove themselves with full games of play and a victory to call their own.
SHOW STOPPING MEDLEY OF CUTTING EDGE TALENT
MARKY MARK AND HIS FUNKY BUNCH
Now my name might not be Encyclopedia Brown, but I’m beginning to suspect that Thorn’s head coach Mark Parsons knows what he is doing. Saturday’s game was the first of four that the Thorns will play without their star studded national starters. This group of second and third stringers – this random group of committed and talented women- is nothing accidental. And while it will take more practice time, some seriously nerve wracking game minutes, and a possible loss or two things will straighten out. This type of chemistry takes time.
Trust me, I know about these things, I write a blog.
And to back my bullshit opinion is Coach Parsons—“Tactical cohesion and chemistry will probably need to take a couple of more games and then the period changes again. It will be a couple of more games until this tactical chemistry comes together. The thing that gets you through really tough, tight games is your togetherness and your personal chemistry in how you work for this team, this club and this city and I think every player that went out there was very selfless and unselfish. We talked about it a lot, but we are in a good position because we have a group of players and a staff that continues to put the team first and the team’s needs first. I think while we continue to do that we can keep moving forward”
SOMETHING TO PROVE
This was not the first time Portland got to see Nadia Nadim light things up at Providence Park. She’s started several matches, scored goals in many games this season and has been an all around asset to the front half of the field this season. Grit and tenacity only begin to describe her game. and on Saturday night. Here is what Coach Parsons remarked about her play, “I think Nadia’s energy, spark, fight, bite; everything about her tonight was electric. I know that she’s going to want to have some of those back and improve some of her finishing. She’ll be the first one to say it because she’s got a great mindset.”
IT’S A BIRD!
No, it isn’t.
IT’S A PLANE!
No. Are we looking at the same thing?
IT’S NADIA NADIM, THE AFGHANISTAN-BORN DANISH FOOTBALLER WHO PLAYS AS A STRIKER FOR THE PORTLAND THORNS
Ah, yes! You are correct.
Nadim played for Sky Blue FC for the 2014 and the 2015 seasons and was traded to the Thorns. She’s also been playing with the Denmark Women’s National Team and nailing goals shut in the Champion’s League.
DEMARK?
Yes, Denmark.
NADIM IS FROM DENMARK?
Yes—kind of.
CAN WE GET MORE DETAILS?
Please, be patient.
Nadim was born in Afghanistan. When she was 12 years old her family fled to Denmark after her father, an Afghan National Army General, was killed by the Taliban. That’s probably the shortest version of a very long story. A story that has resulted in a professional that plays with daring confidence and moxie.
Here is what she had to say about her game winning penalty kick in the second half:
“You guys know I’m a really emotional and passionate player. It’s been a hard week. Last game against Orlando, I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t one of my best performances. All of that is in me and when you finally score it’s a great feeling. It’s an emotional moment and I’m going to show it that way.”
I’ve enjoyed watching Nadim this season and can’t wait to see how she evolves with the Thorns.
Catch the Thorns again at Providence Park on Saturday, July 9, when they take on FC Kansas City. The US Women’s National Team will also be playing that day so we will be missing a few of our regulars on the field again. Tickets are still available but if all else fails, stream the game here and follow me on Twitter: @erinjeanius