Thorns beat the Breakers 4-1 on opening day
Coming off of two consecutive ties, the Thorns play Boston on the road, in a rematch of the season opener.
Paul Riley already mentioned it and most Portland fans probably would not have needed the reminder: facing the Breakers in Boston has not exactly been going great for the Thorns last season. So maybe this road trip is a bit more nerve-wrecking than it would have been based on general league standings, results and the scoreline of the home opener.
Nevertheless, it is a new season, a new Thorns team and a new Breakers team. And also, a new field in Boston which Riley thinks is of better quality than that at Harvard Stadium and hence might be more suited to the Thorns’ passing game. Not to forget, Portland has proven in two consecutive games that they can recover from early setbacks and battle back to earn at least a point. And in both games, it could be argued, they were a little unlucky not to take all three.
So what about Boston? The Breakers have looked the most dangerous when either coming through the middle or being able to play short passes up the side. Especially McCaffrey has looked good there, being able to take on and get around defenders, usually with her speed. Rafinha is capable of becoming a danger on the other side, solving the problem with her technical abilities. And – as Portland fans may well know – both McCaffrey and Mewis are also quite good and dangerous at shooting from distance. So far this season, Portland has had a little bit of trouble with closing those players down before they can get off a shot and will be looking to improve in that department.
Despite the possible success they could have playing through the middle or passing up the touchline, a lot of the Breakers attack has consisted of long balls up top, trying to bypass the midfield and exploit their speed up top. How much of that is the preferred gameplan and how much a result of the opponent dominating the midfield is hard to assess from distance.
In the season opener against Portland they seemed to prefer their right side for the long service, which may have been a result of Heath staying slightly higher up the field than her counterpart Johnson. Whether intentional or not, the setup provided Boston a passing outlet while making the attack somewhat predictable and hence easier to close down. It will be interesting to see whether this feat works again for Portland the second time around.
Potentially, as could be seen in Chicago, long balls are dangerous against a team like Portland who plays a very high line. So far, however, many of Boston’s balls have not been precise enough to really trouble their opponents. This is not something the Thorns should trust in, since continued game time will of course help Boston gel in that respect.
As could be seen after the initial 15 minutes in Chicago, however, the Thorns were able to adjust and defend balls behind their backline quite well. They anticipated the service and reacted by dropping quickly. Thus they were often able to beat the forward to the ball and additionally limit the space in behind. This is something they hopefully will not have forgotten in the meantime, especially considering some the counter-attack goals Boston has been able to score against the Thorns last season.
Commanding and closing down the midfield is (mathematically) easy for Portland, since they play a compact field with the box four of Long and co. and so far this season, is has worked rather well for them. It will also be important that Johnson and Comeau close down the flanks and thus avoid a more controlled Boston service to the top, but so far both players have done a good job at tracking back.
Portland Thorns 4 : 1 Boston Breakers photo gallery
Portland Thorns 2 : 2 Washington Spirit photo gallery
After two consecutive slow starts, the Thorns will be looking to not only come out strong offensively, but to better adjust defensively to whatever their opponent might throw at them – preferably before conceding. Rachel van Hollebeke’s injury means that once more, the Thorns will have to adjust to a change in their backline, but Niemic has started against Chicago already, so she should fit in quickly.
That leaves the final question of who will start up top for Portland. Sarah Jackson got the nod against the Spirit and seemed to connect with her teammates quite well. Riley commended her for holding up the ball and playing with her back to goal, which usually – as he put it – “isn’t her cup of tea.” It was her who set up Shim’s first half goal, by turning and blasting a shot on goal that Wys could not hold on to. Anonma, too, is an option, having arrived in Portland on Monday. Paul Riley said she looked sharp in training, but the question is how well she has been able to gel with her teammates in such short time. One advantage Ayo has, however, is that she is able to create opportunities for herself and is not afraid to shoot, so she is potentially dangerous in front of goal even on her own.
Since Tom Durkin prefers his Breakers to come out strong offensively in the first 15 minutes and then settle into the game, it will be key for Portland to withstand the first onslaught. Ideally they will not let it happen in the first place, taking the game to Boston while remaining defensively solid. As the game progresses it will be important that the Thorns put their stamp on the game, by controlling the ball and the tempo and hopefully, find the back of the net.
