“We do simple stuff, we have simple rules.”
For Portland Thorns FC, the principle remains as true now as it was three years ago, when Mark Parsons was explaining his new team’s strong start. He was seven months into the job in Portland, trying to institute a new scheme and culture, and his team had quickly becoming one of the stingiest in the league. A Thorns squad that was known for the elite talents they had in attack began adhering to defense, first.
“We have areas the other team is allowed to go to,” he explained, then.