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One point out of a possible 21, seven games without a win, and all of a sudden the playoffs don’t seem so certain for the Portland Thorns.
On the back of this, their worst ever run of form, the National Women’s Soccer League’s most consistently successful club finds itself fighting just to make the postseason, something they have succeeded in doing nine times in their 10 previous attempts. Karina LeBlanc will transition out of her general manager role after the season, the team announced on Wednesday.
How on earth did they get here, having won their third Championship as recently as 2022?
Clearly, it’s been a long two years. And while on paper not much has changed, on the field so much has — and not for the better.
Portland’s last NWSL Championship, in 2022, was built on a mid-season tactical change. Then-head coach Rhian Wilkinson moved away from a 3-5-2 system after a zany 2-2 draw away to the San Diego Wave in which the Thorns conceded 21 shots, switching to a 4-2-3-1.
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