PORTLAND, Ore. – Six players are off on international duty, another will join them soon, and for Portland Thorns FC head coach Mark Parsons, three players will miss the rest of the NWSL season with injuries. Yet in eight days, his team has to be ready to play their fiercest rivals, with the chance to host a playoff game in the balance.
Welcome to the reality of first-division women’s soccer in the United States, one where an international break falls directly before the end of the season. Once U.S. internationals Adrianna Franch, Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan and Emily Sonnett return, next week – along with Brazil’s Andressinha (set to depart soon), Switzerland’s Ana Crnogoru010deviu0107 and Canada’s Christine Sinclair – Parsons will have close to his full team together.