Energy > Planning

Funny how predictions go, isn’t it? By paying close attention to the Thorns’ offseason and preseason, every logical sign told you that Portland would take months to slowly grow into the season. Instead, the Thorns immediately look energized and unified, winning two straight shutouts over unfocused and discombobulated opponents.

Game #1 — Portland Thorns 1, Washington Spirit 0 — The NWSL tried their best to kick off the entire regular season with this big-name, high-octane match-up. Then, the Thorns and Spirit conspired to play one of the most boring first halves of soccer you’ll ever see. Both teams walked into the locker rooms for halftime before getting off a proper shot on target.

On the other side of the half, Portland’s unlikely spark came from central defender Isabella Obaze. Obaze dribbled an opponent before sending up a brilliant, line-breaking pass to Pietra Tordin. Tordin then slid over her first career assist to Olivia Moultrie, who authoritatively finished the game’s only goal. Morgan Messner, playing goalkeeper for the Thorns, got a clean sheet in her regular season debut without really even being challenged. That felt like it was less about the Thorns’ defensive line, and more about a shockingly sluggish effort from Washington.

Game #2 — Portland Thorns 2, Seattle Reign 0 — Nothing boring here. Instead, this one was one of the most constantly surprising games in Thorns history. In the middle of a positive start, Portland midfielder Cassandra Bogere managed to get herself ejected from the game in the first ten minutes, thanks to two different arm-yanking, card-earning pull-downs on Reign players.

Down one player, the Thorns proceeded to run circles around the Reign for the next forty minutes, scoring two decisive goals while Seattle barely mounted an offensive attack. But this game was about to enter a third chapter. A second red card, given to Reyna Reyes for a hair-pull, meant the Thorns had to slog through the last half-hour 9-vs.-11. (Obviously, a strong Portland home crowd didn’t like the calls, and did so very loudly. While I’ll always be proud of this strong home-field advantage, I actually did think this game was fairly officiated.) Seattle at least controlled the ball the rest of the way, but they were still inaccurate and imprecise with most of their shot attempts. Their lack of focus was underscored by the Reign bench earning a yellow card during this chunk when Seattle was up two players. Ending the game in another shutout felt like one of the more complete psychological victories you’ll see in soccer.

As mentioned last time on Thorn Town, Portland is heading into this season with a very simple lack of numbers at the midfield position. This is why new head coach Robert Vilahamn rolled into both games with a rarely-seen 4-2-3-1 formation. This is a logical choice, given the roster Vilahamn has to work with, but I’m not sure the team will be able to stay in this shape for the entire season.

Against Washington, I think having only two midfielders really backfired against the Thorns, and led to a lot of struggles when it came to building sustainable possessions. When the Portland defensive line held the ball, the two midfielders could be easily guarded, and it was hard to find a positive next step. The Thorns got the only goal of the game when Obaze sent a pass clear over the midfield line, bypassing the issue altogether. Portland only possessed the ball 38% of the time in this game — the same amount they would possess it in the Seattle game, despite being down two players for half an hour.

Portland got off to a livelier start against Seattle with this same 4-2-3-1 shape. However, the ejection to Bogere might have inadvertently knocked the team into a more productive formation. Vilahamn quickly adjusted his side into a 4-3-2 shape, and that’s how the team then scored their two goals.

It was time for Vilahamn to solve another logic puzzle after the ejection to Reyes, which he did quickly and successfully. With nine players, Portland closed out the game in the unbelievable 5-2-1 formation, resolutely defending the goal.

The Thorns’ three goals scored have one thing in common: Pietra Tordin contributed to all of them. Tordin’s 2025 rookie year was incredibly exciting, even though it seemed like she would be unable to regularly contribute as a passer. That has transformed basically overnight, as Tordin has delivered two assists as part of devastating, line-breaking counter-attacks. Vilahamn has also put Tordin into the starting lineup in both games, a refreshing change from last year’s constant where-is-Tordin questions.

All credit goes to Tordin for growing as a player — this growth is the result of hard work, and it doesn’t just happen on its own. These new flourishes in skill development are also part of the multi-year plan from GM Jeff Agoos, who has intentionally created one of the NWSL’s youngest rosters. It’s been an electric start to the season for Tordin, and the sky feels like the limit.

• A tough break for a former Thorn: over in Angel City, Hina Sugita tore her ACL, ending her 2026 season before it even started. Here’s hoping for an incredibly quick recovery for one of Portland’s biggest-ever fan favorites.

• In-between the first and second games, the Thorns made an unconventional move by loaning forward Alexa Spaanstra to the Utah Royals through July 2026. (I don’t know if that means the beginning or the end of July.) Spaanstra has already made the transition, and even appeared for Utah in their loss last weekend. Spaanstra’s tenure with the Thorns has unfortunately been marked by a lack of aggression towards goal, with three shots on target in 816 total minutes since 2024. With a roster spot now open, I’ll be curious to see if Portland acquires a midfielder soon, to help restore positional balance.

• It’s true that Morgan Messner had to face only one, low-octane shot attempt in the victory over Washington. There was an incredible amount of responsibility on her plate in the game against Seattle, though, with the last 30 minutes taking place directly in front of her goal. With four shots saved along the way, pitching a shutout in this contest was a thrilling, career-making game for Messner. I would say Messner guaranteed herself solid 2027 NWSL playing time with this performance. Messner is currently scheduled to be a free agent this offseason.

• Speaking of goalkeepers: Mackenzie Arnold and her Australian national team got all the way to the final of the AFC Asian Cup. In front of an absolutely electric 70,000+ crowd in Sydney, Arnold and the Matildas lost the championship, 1-0 to Japan, off of a stunning early long-distance strike. That game took place on Saturday, so I’d guess Messner will still be the Thorns’ starter for the next game or two.

• Vilahamn and the Thorns have been wisely conservative with playing time for Sophia Wilson, who is still working her way back to full strength. A 15-minute cameo in the first game was followed by a 30-minute appearance in the second. While there have been positive moments from Wilson, it does look like she is still working her way back to both 90-minute fitness, and also the mindset of full offensive aggression that we see from her at the peak of her powers. In this incredibly long season, everyone will be happier this fall if Vilahamn continues to be conservative with Wilson’s minutes in these early moments.

• I appreciated this nugget from the Amazon Prime contest: the red card to Bogere was the first red card issued in 44 lifetime contests between the Thorns and the Reign. Pretty cool that the NWSL’s fiercest-ever rivalry has also had this undercurrent of good sportsmanship. And, uh, whoops, there goes that streak.

The NWSL’s new 30-game schedule will lead to incredibly congested moments for teams like we’ve never seen before. The Thorns are in the middle of this kind of moment, currently blasting through a three-games-in-nine days streak. After hosting the Reign last Friday night, the Thorns have traveled down to San Diego for a road game this Wednesday night. And then it’s back up to Portland to host the juggernaut Kansas City Current this Saturday afternoon.

In a way, the standard one-game suspensions for red cards to both Bogere and Reyes aren’t going to hurt the team so much. A schedule this condensed means that Vilahamn will have to do some thoughtful roster rotation — and the suspensions kind of make his decisions for him. Look for extended play from Shae Harvey and Marie Müller this week, in the midst of all sorts of rotation juggling.