PORTLAND, Ore. – There’s a domineering quality to Lindsey Horan’s play in midfield that feels eternal. Her strength in possession. Vision to probe all angles. Power to separate foe from ball. This is not only the Lindsey Horan we know; it feels like the only Lindsey Horan we’ve known. Sometimes, it feels like she’s been a part of Portland Thorns FC from the start.
One year ago, though, things were drastically different, if not to the eye, than at least to Horan and her coaches scenes. Coming into her second in Portland, the then-22-year-old was emerging as one of the NWSL’s best attacking midfielders, but she still felt her game wasn’t where it should be.