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Thorns put all the pieces together for NWSL Championship magic

Thorns captain Christine Sinclair lifts the 2022 NWSL Championship trophy, the club’s third. (Amber Searls/USA TODAY Sports)

As the Portland Thorns cruised to the club’s third NWSL championship on Saturday, one could be forgiven for thinking they’d been in that position many times before. Despite it being the team’s first championship appearance since 2018, they appeared calm, well-drilled and cerebral as they contained the Kansas City Current for 90 minutes in a 2-0 win.

Any championship performance is a culmination of a year of work, and first-year coach Rhian Wilkinson added her own spin to the Thorns’ pre-established culture to guide them through a tumultuous month off the field. It could be hard to tell from the outside how the significance of the Yates report, which implicated a number of Thorns executives in perpetuating a culture of abuse in the NWSL, was affecting the players on the ground.

The response seen in primetime on CBS was a comprehensive performance by Portland and a result that was never in doubt. The Thorns’ back five — led by now three-time NWSL champion Becky Sauerbrunn, who only misplaced five passes all night — didn’t take a wrong step, and the Current finished the match without a single shot on goal. Portland sustained pressure throughout the match, winning the ball and possessing to recycle attacks and force the Current into exhausting themselves while chasing.

“Honestly, just a fun game to play,” Final MVP Sophia Smith said after the match, who provided her team with a signature moment just minutes after kickoff. One of the best players in the world with the ball at her feet, Smith wasted no time when given an opportunity, giving the neutral crowd of over 17,000 fans a reason to cheer early.

Benefitting from a slip by Kansas City center back Elizabeth Ball, the 22-year-old rounded AD Franch to tap the ball into the back of the net in the fourth minute. Smith isn’t always the most demonstrative goal celebrator, but in a match of this significance, even she had to give a little shrug to the camera before being mobbed by her teammates.

Smith said that her shrug seen across the country was in response to anyone who thought she didn’t deserve to be league MVP. In the stadium, the moment also represented a certain amount of inevitability. Early goals can open things up and signal that even more goals are coming. But while Kansas City quickly pushed for an equalizer, they had trouble finding one another, and the Thorns firmly controlled the run of play for the next 85 minutes.

The Thorns’ ability to dictate the terms of the match came from veterans and young talent alike. While Portland’s established leaders have a wealth of championship experience, the starting XI for Saturday’s game looked almost unrecognizable to the group that won the team’s last title in 2017. Rookie Sam Coffey held court in the defensive midfield, and second-year forward Yazmeen Ryan provided a spark throughout the match that gave Smith room to operate.

“What can I say? Unbelievable,” Wilkinson said of the way her young players stepped up. “Sam was a rookie for a day, and then took off. And Yaz has had … I think last year she was just trying to find her feet, and then you see her coming alive.”

While her name didn’t make it onto the scoresheet, it was Ryan’s cross into the box that the Kansas City defense mishandled into the back of the net and sealed the game in the second half.

Wilkinson did make one major change to her starting XI from last week’s semifinal, reintroducing Christine Sinclair into the starting midfield in place of Hina Sugita, after the longtime captain came off the bench against San Diego. The move was purely tactical, with Wilkinson wanting to lean into Sinclair’s experience at the tip of the midfield supporting two attackers.

She joked after the match that since her team won, her slight personnel adjustment must have been the right decision. Sugita has had an excellent season for Portland, but her manager wanted very clear roles against Kansas City’s packed midfield, and Sugita mostly thrives as a box-to-box midfielder who can also drift wide. Wilkinson also thought that Raquel Rodriguez was peaking at exactly the right time, which made the No. 8 hard to drop in favor of anybody else. The Thorns dominated the midfield, proving their manager right.

“What a privilege to have Hina Sugita on the bench,” Wilkinson said, noting that the Japanese international made a huge impact in the second half. That willingness to rotate has been one of Portland’s great strengths this season. Their ability to put fresh legs into the match as Kansas City grew tired put the match out of reach long before the final whistle blew.

It’s clear that Wilkinson has more than earned her squad’s respect, with Smith telling reporters after the match that it was “bulls–t” Wilkinson wasn’t nominated for NWSL Coach of the Year.

“I think it’s easy to overlook, because historically, this is a successful club,” Portland goalkeeper Bella Bixby said. “But it’s not easy to come in and implement your style of play, how you want your players to play, get player buy-in from the start, all of those things.”

Guided by Wilkinson’s steady hand, the champion Thorns also served as a reminder of the lifeblood of the NWSL: the players. On the field Saturday, Portland’s players showed the same chemistry that has carried them through a difficult year. As a club, Portland has come to represent many different things, and the players were put under a level of pressure that Wilkinson acknowledged could have warranted a full collapse.

Instead, they played for each other and for the supporters that have been with them every step of the way.

“We all love soccer,” said Smith. “So for me personally, soccer was like an escape from all the things going on. I just looked forward to going to practice every day, seeing my teammates.”

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

USC’s Aaliyah Gayles Opens Up About Her Journey Back to Basketball

USC Basketball - Aaliyah Gayles

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate Aaliyah Gayles. Here are five things to know from our conversation with the redshirt freshman guard from Las Vegas.

#1 Aaliyah suffered from a near-death act of violence in 2022.

The incident taught her a lot about herself and the support around her. “[USC] Coach Lindsay [Gottlieb] was one of the first people to fly out there and come see me. That means a lot to me off the court.” 

#2 Her favorite USC memory is when she surprised her teammates after getting out of the hospital.

She left her walker at the door to show she was on the road to returning to the court. “That was my favorite memory because it was family. It was my first time being able to walk to you guys and see you practice.”

#3 There's a reason she wears #3.

#3 was her grandpa’s favorite number and a golden number in her life. Plus, AG3 has a nice ring to it. 

#4 She has a list of basketball GOAT’s:

Candace Parker, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Cason Wallace.

#5 There have been many celebrity appearances at USC’s games over the years, especially this season.

Aaliyah’s favorites include Will Ferrell, Kehlani, and Saweetie. And she hopes Lil Durk will come to watch a game soon.

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Gotham, USWNT forward Midge Purce out with ACL tear

(Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

Midge Purce announced on Wednesday that she has torn her ACL. 

The Gotham FC and USWNT forward went down with the injury on Sunday during Gotham’s 1-0 win after tweaking it earlier in the game. Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós did not have any immediate updates following the match, with further evaluation revealing the tear. 

“It’s a reality I’m still struggling with and has left me with not too much to say,” Purce wrote in a statement on social media. “I’m heartbroken to no longer be available for my season with Gotham FC or for Olympic selection with the USWNT – know I’m rooting for you both all year long. 

“Though you may not see it, I’ll be doing everything I can to get back on the field.”

Purce is just the latest women's soccer star to tear her ACL, and joins USWNT teammate Mia Fishel in having torn her ACL in the last couple of months. Other notable players include Catarina Macario and Christen Press, with Macario only just returning to the USWNT lineup after tearing hers in 2022. 

International stars such as Alexia Putellas, Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Leah Williamson have also suffered ACL tears. 

Purce’s injury caused Amorós to call out the international schedule, which has been a growing point of concern as more players fall victim to injuries and the playing schedule becomes more packed. Kansas City’s Debinha suffered a hamstring injury in the team’s opening game, while both Lynn Williams and Rose Lavelle have yet to play for Gotham due to injuries picked up during the W Gold Cup. 

“We lost Midge during the game which for me is a bittersweet flavor,” Amorós told reporters after Sunday’s game. “By the way, it’s another player that came from the Gold Cup. Last week, it was Debinha. We are paying the consequences of a tournament that shouldn’t have happened.”

“We’re talking about protecting the players, [who shouldn’t] go to play an international competition after one week of preseason,” Amorós continued. “We’ve seen the consequences now. We’ve got Rose, Lynn, last week it was Debinha in Kansas [City] and now we have Midge. From my experience, the clubs are going to keep paying for that competition."

In her statement, Purce said that “so many friends, teammates and even players I’ve only ever competed against” reached out to offer support. 

“I am so blessed,” she wrote. “Your messages have meant so much to me throughout this process, you have consoled what, for a moment, felt inconsolable. Thank you for reminding me that our football world is not only full with incredibly talent but also, incredible kindness.”

Lauren Jackson included on Australia Olympics roster

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 01: Lauren Jackson of Australia celebrates with team mates after playing her final Opals game during the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 3rd place match between Canada and Australia at Sydney Superdome, on October 01, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Lauren Jackson has come out of retirement once again to compete for a spot on Australia’s Olympic roster. 

Jackson was included on the 26-player roster named by coach Sandy Brondello on Tuesday that will take part in training camps, tours and games in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics. The roster will eventually be whittled down to just 12 players selected from the 26 named on Tuesday.

Jackson helped Australia qualify for the Olympics with a win over Germany in February. After that, she announced her retirement, revealing that she struggled to spend so much time away from her two young children. 

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported that Jackson and the basketball federation had come to an agreement in which they would help cover costs for her children to travel with the team for training camps and the Olympics. 

She’s largely expected to make the Opals’ Olympic roster. 

"It's always an exciting time to announce an Olympic squad and I congratulate all the athletes," Opals coach Sandy Brondello said. "They all know what it means to play for Australia and they all want the opportunity to represent their country at an Olympics. Our squad is full of exceptional talent and they will make the decision to pick a final 12 very difficult."

At the 2022 FIBA World Cup, Jackson helped Australia win a bronze medal with 30 points against Canada. She had previously retired in 2016 due to knee injuries, but slowly made a return in a domestic Australian league the last few years.

Jackson has won four Olympic medals, including three consecutive silver medals starting with Sydney in 2000 when she was a teenager. 

First two rounds of NCAA tournament boast record attendance, viewership

(David K Purdy/Getty Images)

The first two rounds of the women’s NCAA tournament broke attendance and viewership records set just last year – and it wasn’t even close. 

The NCAA announced on Tuesday that attendance for the first two rounds of the tournament was more than 292,000 – up from last year’s record, when almost 232,000 fans attended the first two rounds.

Among the host sites, Iowa had the biggest crowds with nearly 29,000 fans packing Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the first and second rounds. 

"We expected the historic success and quality of play and high level of competition from the regular season would carry through into March Madness. Our championship is again delivering," NCAA vice president of women's basketball Lynn Holzman said in a statement. "Record crowds, ratings, incredible performances and evolving storylines will continue to make the next two weeks a must-see for fans across the world."

And for those that couldn’t attend the sold-out Iowa games, they watched on television. Monday’s matchup between Iowa and West Virginia drew 4.9 million viewers, setting a record for a women’s D-I tournament game prior to the Final Four. 

It is also the third most watched tournament game in the last 20 years, behind last year’s national championship between LSU and Iowa (9.92 million) and Iowa’s Final Four win over South Carolina (5.6 million).

Iowa’s game against Holy Cross in the first round drew 3.23 million viewers. 

But it wasn’t just Iowa drawing big viewership. ESPN’s five games on Monday averaged 2.25 million viewers. UConn and Syracuse drew 2.05 million viewers while LSU and Middle Tennessee on ABC drew 2.01 million viewers on Sunday. 

The full, 16-game slate for the second round averaged 1.4 million viewers – a 121% increase from last year and the highest average ever for the second round.

The full tournament so far is averaging 812,000 viewers per game, a 108% increase from last year.

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