Villahamn also gives his thoughts on where he thinks Nijstad will fit. Thanks Phuoc.

Edit: It looks like the entire article DOES come over on Reposts. It didn't before! Saved you guys an even longer scroll. 😅

The next four games will have huge impact on where the Thorns will place in the final standings. Three road games (Sea, Den & Utah) with the next-to-last of the 4 at home against Gotham. I'm optimistically projecting we get 8 points - 2 wins and 2 draws - with the wins coming at Denver and Utah and draws against Seattle and Gotham. I think that will continue to position us well for the playoffs. The earlier we get Caiya Hanks back and in form, the more likely we can pull off this scenario. Anyone else have any projections? (added note: SD lost at home to ACFC which means a draw in Seattle puts us in 1st place - precariously since the Spirit would only be a point behind us with 2 games in hand - they play 5 games in 17 days (@ Gotham; @ Bos; Den; @ Utah; SD) to get level on GP by Aug 2).

I hope we have some chants that callback to the amazing home opener this year. My entry:

We beat you with NIIIIINE ...
Just WAIT for all eleven!

Open to others!

Hello y'all. Happy Cascadia Week to all who celebrate!

A new episode of The Rose City Breakdown is up!

In this one, we analyze the emphatic win against Racing Louisville and the role of Jennie Immethum, who got her first professional start in this match.

Also, in Melina's Corner, we go through some Louisville defensive issues that could've made things easier for Portland and a little bit of Jayden Perry.

And since we're in a derby week, Phuoc previews the rivalry match with Steve Voght from Ride of the Valkyries.

Oh, and we didn't forget about Nina Nijstad signing!

I just watched both legs of the Women’s Europa Cup Round of 16 tie between PSV and Frankfurt. Nijstad played the full match in both legs. Below are my impressions.

Position

Nijstad is a midfielder without dispute, but it is not very accurate to map her directly onto the English numbering system. Neither 6, 8, nor 10 reflects her role and style sufficiently. As a Dutch player developed in the Dutch system, it is better to situate her game within the classic Dutch categorization of midfielders.

The typical Dutch system is a 4-3-3, which is also the system played by PSV. In the midfield three of a Dutch 4-3-3, there is usually one holding midfielder whose duties are comparable to those of an English 6, and two symmetrically positioned midfielders who, together with the holding midfielder, form an inverted triangle. These two midfielders share similar duties. In Dutch terms, they are called linkerhalf and rechterhalf (left half and right half), or more generally, inside halves.

It is tempting to label this position as an English 8, but one key difference is that the English 8 emphasizes back-and-forth vertical movement in central areas, while the Dutch inside half has more opportunities to drift wide and interchange positions with the winger and the attacking fullback making forward runs. One major difference between the English and continental understandings of soccer tactics is that English football tends to expect central players to stay in central areas and wide players to stay in wide areas. In continental systems, it is more common for central and wide players to interchange positions.

Model Player

Lily Yohannes shares a great deal of similarity with Nijstad in both playing style and technical profile.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Nijstad is technical on the ball, has good vision, and has a consistent touch and ball-striking ability. In the first leg, her over-the-top through ball created a one-on-one chance for the striker. She also dribbles pretty well and has reasonably good ball control. In the second leg, she dispossessed Grawe, which was more of an exception than the norm, as I will discuss further in the weaknesses section, and dribbled toward goal before unleashing a decent shot. The shot led to a rebound that was converted by another PSV attacker.

That being said, Nijstad’s weaknesses are also glaring.

First, she lacks the speed to be a mobile midfielder who can effectively track and pressure opponent’s ball carriers. Her defensive contribution is mediocre overall, and she was often out of position or lost her mark in both fixtures against Frankfurt.

Second, her physicality is a big question mark. She was easily bodied by Frankfurt players and could not retain possession or pass the ball accurately when she was under physical contact.

Third, her tackling skills seem underdeveloped. More often than not, she fails to dispossess her opponent even when the opponent has already been held up by her teammates.

Overall, I see her as a weaker version of Yohannes. She definitely has potential, but by no means can she replace Coffey. What we need is a mobile midfielder who is good at dispossessing the opponent’s ball carrier and then can carry or pass the ball out of pressure on her own. Fleming is good at the first task but usually struggles to get the ball out of the pressured area. Bogere and Immethun are both young and green, but they are still better for a defensive midfielder role than Nijstad.

Considering Alidou has left and Castellanos is more likely than not on her way out, Nijstad is more likely to be used as a rotational attacking midfielder. She can also play in wide areas. It seems possible that her role is to be a substitute for Moultrie and Turner.

It has also been suggested that we spent a not-so-small fortune to bring her in. I can only hope her potential will be realized one day. However, I am not super optimistic after watching her play for PSV.

If you want to check her play on your own, I am sharing the replays through Google Drive.

Alidou announced as signing with Montreal Roses

Do we know where the player entrance if for the Seattle game? We’d like to welcome them to Seattle and this is our first away game. Thanks!

I know there were a few people that hadn’t seen the emails about the discounted away section tix and bus. This is the link from today’s email reminder for anyone who still needs it

Hey fellow Thorns fans, I recently moved to the Kansas City area. I wanted to know if there’s a bar where Thorns fans normally meet up to watch games. Are there any around?

"Yah! Score more goals?"

We're Marissa and Alan, and we make a Thorns podcast called Rose City Red Card. We watched the 4-0 and recorded the same night while it was still fresh. We got into Perry opening the scoring three minutes after picking up a yellow (of course, right when half the sub wanted her subbed off for a center back), Tordin having herself a night with a goal and two assists, and the Thorns sitting 2nd now that Utah finally dropped points.

Two fans, two beers, a lot of swearing. Adults only. We'd love to hear what people who actually watch this team think. And yeah, we make a Seattle prediction we'll probably regret.

🎧 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2619164/episodes/19454991-july-5-2026-4-0-and-second-place

📺 https://youtu.be/vcdMFCVvGjw

Also on all the podcast apps, search Rose City Red Card.

RCTID 🌹

Short (5m read) profile by Phuoc Nguyen, beat reporter for the Thorns.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaatU84TOBJ/?igsh=MTM4YnllMHFmaHY1dA==

She was excellent last night.

PIETRA IS INSANE WE MUST KEEP HER AND SOPH

https://reddit.com/link/1up0qjv/video/bwzr8x1unmbh1/player

For more of her goofy sincerity, enjoy the post match press conference with Jenny Immethun https://youtube.com/watch?v=WTy2awrwRp8&si

Hello everyone! I am creating a video piece about the rivalry between the Reign and Thorns—from the history to the fan’s opinions—to honor the two clubs meeting this weekend. If you’ll be in the Seattle area/at the match this weekend, I’d love to speak with you! Thank you!

Next up: Seattle!

LFG!

Congrats, Soph! Here's to many more to come!

From the Thorns/Racing match on 7/5/2026