Portland Thorns FC were unable to start either of their starting center backs for the first two matches of the NWSL Challenge Cup: Becky Sauerbrunn was away with the U.S. women’s national team, and Emily Menges was dealing with a knock.
These absences forced coach Mark Parsons to move players around. The first decision was to slide defender Kelli Hubly into one of the center back slots. Natalia Kuikka lined up beside her, despite spending most of the offseason training as a right back.
Hubly showed her ability as a center back last year, and her performance against North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Challenge Cup was a testament to her class.