Smith can still run at and behind defenders on the wing, and her removal from the center of the park has made it more difficult for teams to simply shadow her and hack her down when they can’t keep up. Gotham, for example, fouled Smith six times in a 1-0 victory in March, often preventing counterattacks through tactical fouls.
Smith was scoring despite Portland’s struggles earlier this year. Now, she is again the driver of a harmonized Thorns attack. The front line of Smith and Sinclair (and Morgan Weaver before her injury) interchange seamlessly.
The Thorns’ 2-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars on April 27 exemplifies these changes. Smith started the game as a right winger and scored a brilliant individual goal from the left wing 10 minutes into the match. Sixteen minutes later, she scored from the right side after floating back there in transition.
Gale has implemented a system that gets the best out of everyone on a roster loaded with talent. Coffey is the team’s connective glue as its defensive midfielder. She leads the NWSL in ball recoveries, per TruMedia, and often sparks the attack with simple, patient passes from deep areas.
Time has been on the Thorns’ side, too, as it has allowed newer defensive partnerships to blossom.
Isabella Obaze, Nicole Payne, and Marie Müller are all new to Portland’s back line this season. Their lack of familiarity with each other and the rest of the squad was evident early in the season as the Thorns made defensive mistakes and got stretched out of their shape. In Saturday’s 4-0 win over rival Seattle Reign FC, the Thorns stayed compact and purposefully conceded possession to the Reign, challenging them to find a way through; the Reign could not.
The Bhathals and general manager Karina LeBlanc still have plenty to figure out. The Thorns job is one of the most attractive in the NWSL and should garner interest from top coaches. Gale, whose head-coaching experience prior to Portland was largely in Canada’s youth national team ranks and the men’s Canadian Premier League, also has the team bought in right now.
“Our intention is to build the top global women’s soccer team in the world,” Alex Bhathal told ESPN in a recent interview. “And this is an opportunity for us to evaluate the talent that’s available on a global basis to help us achieve that goal. Rob Gale will certainly be considered as part of that search.
“We’re not going to leave stones unturned because we do have a long-term vision for what we’re going to accomplish. And we’re thrilled with the success that Coach Gale was having with the team and the positive culture and winning and fun that we’re seeing. From the team, from the players, and everybody affiliated with the club is just really exciting. We want to keep that going.”
Another date with the Dash awaits Friday, followed by the Thorns’ biggest test since opening day: Their longest road trip of the year, to Orlando to face a Pride team that is unbeaten through nine games. If the Thorns win each of those, they will tie a league mark held by multiple teams, including Portland’s 2017 squad, which won the championship that year.
Expectations remain high for the Thorns. As Coffey said after a more recent win against expansion side Bay FC, “This is the standard now.” It always has been. Add in the rising standards of the NWSL and the Bhathals injection of investment and energy, and that bar will continue to be raised.
