CONCA-Crushed

The Thorns get visibly annoyed in a sloggy 2-0 loss to Tigres, eliminating the team from CONCACAF competition

On Wednesday, the Thorns played a non-NWSL game down in Mexico. You can catch up on what everything means in the honestly-pretty-complicated CONCACAF W Champions Cup with this post.

---

By my count, it took until the clock hit 8:10 in this game for Tigres to actually get past the halfway line of the field with solid possession.

That goes to show how the Thorns dominated a lot of the underlying statistics in this game, including controlling the ball the majority of the time. But — this was clearly part of the game plan for Tigres as well. Most of the game saw forward Thembi Kgatlana roaming around in the offensive half all by herself, while Tigres kept huge numbers back. It seemed to work for Tigres on both ends: the defense was comfortable and set, and with so much open space around her, Kgatlana seemed to cause more chaos on her own than the entire Thorns offensive attack. This was despite Caiya Hanks having a completely stellar game on the left wing, frequently carrying the ball down that side of the field, and sending crosses inside — where a teammate was very rarely in position to receive it.

The Mexican team would also move players up the field for set pieces: that accounted for their first goal, just one minute after their first foray into the offensive half. That came on a very decisive run-and-header from American defender Aaliyah Farmer off of a corner kick. The second goal came midway through the first half, on a devastating unforced blunder from Bella Bixby, which Kgatlana knocked home. One of the Thorns’ most recent goalkeeping errors came in this same CONCACAF competition last fall. The Thorns were completely dominating the game against Panamanian team Santa Fe when Shelby Hogan made a similar error, suddenly adding late drama to a one-way contest. So, it happens once or twice a year. It’s not fun, but it doesn’t feel like a crisis, either.

The two-goal lead was all the encouragement Tigres needed to pack it in and start playing the time-wasting game early. A Tigres player took the ball into the corner by the flag in the 57th minute, which has to be some sort of early-bird timewasting record. It made for a pretty frustrating watch, but, I don’t think it affected the outcome of the game. The shocking nature of both goals, combined with a multitude of not-on-the-same-page passes, meant that the Thorns were more obviously annoyed and off-kilter than in any game this year.

There is definitely the feeling that Portland would win the majority of games if they faced Tigres ten times. That’s, obviously, not how the tournament works. While it would have been nice to proceed in CONCACAF competition, there is also a sense of relief that the mistakes came in a non-NWSL game, and that this whole journey is over.

Well: after Saturday’s third-place game, it will be over.

---

Up next: Consolation Contest

Third-Place Game: Portland Thorns v. América

Saturday, May 24th | 4:00 PM

Broadcast and Replay: Paramount+ and ESPN+

Yes, the Thorns must stay in Mexico for a few more days, all in anticipation of one of the lowest-stakes games of the year: this third-place consolation game. The winner of the nightcap between Gotham FC and Tigres will go on to represent the continent in next year’s global FIFA Women’s Champions Cup. But, in the matinee for Portland and the Mexican squad América, it’s pretty much just pride on the line.

Personally, I think this is a great opportunity to cycle in many of the team’s young players into the lineup. Rookies Carissa Boeckmann (midfielder, #28), Moira Kelly (defender, #46), and Morgan Messner (goalkeeper, #35) all have yet to make their professional debuts. Defender Daiane and midfielder Sophie Hirst have also only made limited cameos this season. Without any current scheduled exhibition games during this summer’s long break, this game is, truly, a valuable opportunity for these players to play minutes against a competitive opponent. This was absolutely the path taken by increasingly valuable rotation player Mallie McKenzie, who began appearing during last year’s Summer Cup exhibitions between NWSL and Mexican teams.

---

Also Up Next: Staying Abroad

While I prefer the NWSL for its sky-high level of week-to-week competition: European teams and countries always create a singularly epic atmosphere for the final rounds of the Champions League. The year-long tournament hits its final game this Saturday morning at 8:00 am Pacific time, and in America it will be free to stream on YouTube on the DAZN channel. (That is, no joke, pronounced “Da Zone.”)

The underdog in this game will be the English team Arsenal, featuring USWNT member Emily Fox as a regular starting defender. They will be going up against the ridiculous juggernaut that is Barcelona, who will be trying to win for the third straight year, and the fourth time in five years. Barcelona has the world’s last two Ballon d’Or winners on the team — Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí — and yet two other players are leading the team in goals (Clàudia Pina) and assists (Patri Guijarro) in Champions League play. Put it all together, and Barcelona has a devastating +37 goal differential in just ten Champions League games.