PORTLAND, Ore. — For almost every Portland Thorn, Tuesday morning practice at Providence Park wasn't their first with teammates in 2021. As veteran defender Emily Menges explained, some Thorns have been "training as a big group in the offseason. "We have a bunch of people who stay [in Portland]."
But Tuesday was different in terms of process, intent, and in terms of the National Women's Soccer League's 2021 season, context. For Portland, the session marked the first official training for the season, so whereas offseason practices tend to be player-driven, this time, head coach Mark Parsons and his staff were providing the course.