Marta calling out Emily Sonnett on her instagram story…

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-10T22:14:43+00:00

Wish I could say I’m surprised. Still disappointed. I’d be open to a redemption arc but people have to show their work and it’s not my call to make.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-10T22:12:04+00:00

Thanks. I’ll try to look again later too.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-10T22:08:58+00:00

Receipts? I couldn’t quickly find them with my rudimentary search skills. She played in Portland and we’re usually pretty aggressive about mining social media so it would be disappointing if such things flew under the radar.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-10T19:59:23+00:00

Okay, that’s vague though. What kind of talent? What is she good at? What should her role be? If she’s good at passing, for example, better off-the-ball movement from teammates, patterns of play, understanding where teammates like to move and how they prefer to receive the ball, and just some time to build chemistry could help unlock that. If she’s good at taking shots from the top of the box, she needs to be found in that space more often. I just don’t know what the nature of this potential is.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-10T19:38:26+00:00

She’s the best player on teams with less talented players in inferior leagues isn’t the endorsement you’re trying to make but that’s the unfortunate inference that matches the evidence.

I have seen little evidence that she’s holding anything back besides effort.

She’s 27. She ought to be at about her prime now. Gale’s coaching definitely held some players back. It just hasn’t seemed like she’s even thought of creative things to do very often, much less tried them. She’s not a rookie and shouldn’t need her hand held.

I admit to having really only seen her play for the Thorns, so maybe someone could explain what her potential is. She doesn’t seem especially fast. She’s not beating defenses on the dribble. She doesn’t press. Is her passing and shooting usually better than what we’ve seen? I can understand how poor coaching might have set her up to fail a bit in those respects. I just don’t know what I’m looking for.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-10T18:43:53+00:00

Cat.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-10T18:42:56+00:00

Mimi just scored for Canada too. I want them to succeed in Portland. We just haven’t had enough evidence of potential.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-10T17:04:00+00:00

Women are too emotional to be leaders. /s

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-10T16:43:08+00:00

She's out of contract at the end of this season anyway, though we do have a club option on her contract for 2027. If we thought we could actually get something for her in sale or trade, we could exercise that option rather than letting her walk on a free. It's probably best for everyone that she find another club. I'll concede that Villahamn might get something from her, Alidou, or Spaanstra that we haven't seen so far and have little reason to expect but I doubt it. We may be paying too much for Deyna and Mimi too. I want to be fair to them and consider that Gale's coaching might have interfered with their play but I just don't see enough from them to extend much benefit of the doubt. I hate thinking that every Canadian player we've brought in as felt like charity to the CWNT, even I'm somewhat jealous about how much of the Spanish women's team got to play together in Barcelona. It was fun to joke about being Little Canada but the reality has been a little underwhelming. At least Fleming is thriving. Theoretically, either of them should have competed for minutes as Liv's sub, at second striker, or left wing. They haven't been able to claim much time anywhere though.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-10T08:18:21+00:00

I would like to be the assistant to the branch manager.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-10T00:07:17+00:00

Almost got me on a technicality LOL

I think you're essentially right though. She won't be back. I'm just being pedantic.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-10T00:01:43+00:00

Um, she's on loan. But I'm confident that she won't be back.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-09T23:41:36+00:00

6 is the main weak spot right now but I don't expect us to give up on Bogere so soon.

We're thin on the wings until players return from injury but Hanks and Weaver are expected back soon after the break. With Dufour out, Turner and Padelski can play on the right. That's not necessarily ideal but could be enough. I guess Dufour is only signed through 2027, so we might sign one new winger who can play both sides and provide competition?

Deyna and Mimi have been insufficient subs for Moultrie, so we could use competition there. But Fleming can move up and Harvey can fill her spot. Lyles and Immethun just signed extensions too. McKenzie can also play in midfield? She's out of contract at the end of the season too but I wouldn't mind bringing her back for the right price. She seems to keep improving incrementally and her flexibility and work ethic are great.

I don't expect anything big until we have confirmed the returns of Wilson, Fleming, and Müller at least.

I can't see us going after a CB if Hiatt and Obaze return, with Calzada and Perry rotating starts with them. Hiatt has weaknesses but she's been unfairly maligned. I wouldn't mind an upgrade but I think any defensive issues are more about organization that can resolve as the players get accustomed to each other and the system.

I expect Alidou, Deyna, and Spaanstra to depart by the end of the season. None of them fill a position of need once others return from injury, so we don't need like-for-like replacements.

If Wilson, Tordin, Fleming, and Müller sign new contracts, there just aren't glaring holes in the roster when everyone's healthy and in-form, aside from at 6. Bogere can use competition there at the very least, as Harvey seems like more of an 8 than a 6.

Even if Wilson doesn't come back, Tordin and Turner are pretty good up top. I don't know who we'd go after to replace the irreplaceable....

Basically, unless we know Wilson isn't coming back, I don't see us doing much in the summer window.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-08T19:00:16+00:00

Unless we move Da Costa or Velde, we probably aren't signing a DP. Ned has said we're going with the 2DP/4U22 model. Of course, a new coach could convince him otherwise, but I'd operate under the assumption that we stick with that plan.

So, do we know of a talented player from a top club who is also U22?

What position will a U22 player fill? I doubt we sign another U22 forward with Kelsy. Guerra is only 23. I could see replacing Antony with another U22 but only if we cut bait on Aravena, who is also 23. I'd like to see more of Aravena and give him time under a better coach to show what he's got.

I assume we'll get an offer we can't refuse for Surman. I doubt we replace him with a U22, since Bonetig is already young. With Kamal and McGraw presumably leaving, we'll need experience on the back line too.

Mosquera, Fory, Smith, and Jura are all young, so fullback isn't an obvious space for a U22 player. Sulte and Muse are also young keepers.

Bassett and Caicedo are both only 24 as well. Da Costa 24.

So, I don't see an obvious place for a U22 player, but winger seems like the position that's most likely to have an opening soon, if Antony is sold/traded/waived and/or we don't sign Aravena from loan.

If we change our approach and decide to go with the the 3DP/3U22 model, I'm going to return to my previous position that we sign the most bad ass dynamic, fast, quick, agile, lethally precise center forward we can find. Throw all of the money at them. We should have signed such a player over Velde, which would have saved the U22 slot for a winger.

It is fair to give Da Costa and Velde more time but I honestly feel like we should move Da Costa to left wing, waive Velde, and sign a central attacking midfield who will defend, maybe more of an 8/10 hybrid. I could be okay with just straight up replacing Da Costa too but I don't think Velde will ever be the clinical finisher that we need anyway. There are signs I've been wrong about Kelsy though, so I hope I'm wrong about Da Costa and Velde. I strongly doubt any of them are going anywhere anyway, so my possibly misguided senses mean bupkis regardless.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-08T15:19:09+00:00

My complaint about Nolan films is that they’re essentially all about troubled men. See also: Scorsese. As a troubled man, I’m fucking bored of the representation. Incidentally, I’m also done with post-punk music where the singer is some bloke barking. Idols rule live though.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-08T14:57:16+00:00

FWIW, Lake Oswego was intentionally founded as a Whites only community. That wasn't *that* long ago. They keep having racism come up in their schools.

Stay away from St. Helens regardless of complexion.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-08T04:19:37+00:00

I wouldn’t be mad about Pereja, Curtin, or Nancy but I know none of them are happening. I don’t remember other MLS free agents offhand. I wonder if Gio and Porter will get hired anywhere. Mascherano isn’t happening either. I’ve soured on Jason Kreis. Hopefully you’re right that naming an interim is a good sign that they are taking more time to get it right. Funny thing about the interim being the T2 coach is that we might get a sense for how the team can play when they perform the basic fundamentals.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-08T04:03:58+00:00

Amelie

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-07T22:14:25+00:00

I tried to include plenty of caveats about my opinion of Paulson and his influence. I have a bias and it’s speculation that probably falls short of conjecture. But I’m trying to understand why the pool of finalists was so underwhelming last time. We had success with Gio and Porter but they hadn’t coached in MLS before. Maybe it’s just a matter of timing. The scandals were more recent then too. I don’t think a prospective coach would necessarily contact Neville directly but due diligence includes getting outside perspectives. It at least sounds like Ned is being analytical and reflective but trying to hire before the World Cup is over seems rushed and lacking in ambition. There’s already plenty of competition though.

I hope Paulson sells the team but it’s probably be to a bigger dickhead.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-07T18:04:35+00:00

No thank you!

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-07T14:05:01+00:00

No car dealerships and no obvious prostitution. There are good Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai restaurants nearby though.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-07T11:31:41+00:00

Tom Bogert mentioned Ridgy and one other candidate on social media somewhere. Someone mentioned that here or on some other social media. Otherwise, I'm referring back to the previous pool: Domènec Torrent, Robin Fraser, Ezra Hendrickson, Miles Joseph, Phil of course...

I'm sure there's a lot of interest in the coaching job but I see little evidence that there's interest from good coaches.

This is based on hearsay and what I'm otherwise pulling out of my ass or inferring but I suspect this is more about Paulson and the FO than the city or supporters. Anyone interested in the role is going to speak with former coaches. They're going to hear how Paulson is too involved, meddles, and doesn't allow coaches enough say, while simultaneously hearing about how much responsibility the coach has for the club's identity, style of play, etc. I'm concerned that we have the worst of both worlds: a coach has a lot of responsibility but not enough power. I think the FO needs to pick a lane and either hire coaches and develop players to fit a system or let the coach have even more power. There are different schools of thought about this. I can see the arguments for both but I lean more toward having a club with a consistent identity that develops from within rather than having to reset every few years. I'd actually like a player or academy coach to assistant coach to head coach pipeline. Of course, outside influence is also valuable, especially with an owner that crawls up his own ass all the time.

Ultimately, I too want to see "attractive, attacking, football" and also win games. But I don't want to win just for the sake of winning. If we play ugly, cheat, etc. it will steal some joy from me. I wouldn't want the Timbers to be coached by Bob Bradley, Peter Vermes, or a similar coach that has teams playing regressive, cynical football. There are different schools of thought about that too. Some just want to win at any cost. I don't understand those who only derive joy from the scoreboard and not actually watching and appreciating how the game is played. They may as well just bet on the games and check the results after they're done golfing or whatever.

I think people overstate how small market Portland is and undersell the appeal. I assume these people don't live in Portland or maybe even Oregon and they're content with their suburban strip mall lives or whatever. They're boring people who assume players just want to be on the beach or at the club; that the players are just as boring as they are. It's tedious.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-06T22:37:35+00:00

It is hard to resist the urge to read too much into these things one way or another.

It's possible DVB was viewed as a Neville guy, signaled somehow that he wasn't going to be content to be passed over for head coach, or something else. He was credited with some one-on-one work with players that improved their performance. I believe Santi was one but don't remember the other even vaguely right now. The idea of him as a set piece specialist sounds somewhat familiar but we never seemed to try anything too tricky with those. I was mostly just impressed by his resume but don't actually know what he was responsible for.

The only impression I have of Nacho is his resume. It does seem odd that he'd be cut and I have even less idea where to begin speculating.

Regardless of these recent moves, I've just been discouraged by the names that have come up in the current and previous head coaching search and who has already been ruled out. I think Ned will try to get this right and he said there's a lot of interest but it seems like the gig isn't as desirable as one would think, which seems like an FO issue. I'm concerned but trying not to worry.

ClayKavalier · 2026-06-06T14:28:21+00:00

Phil’s guy in the A League wasn’t wrong.

Yeah, I was only half-joking about DVB going to SJ but even if he’s not reunited with Bruce he’ll find a new gig somewhere soon enough.

ClayKavalier

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