NWE to Surf nation

[Guest]

Actually Thorns are consolidating with United PDX and the newly arrived KL

The Thorns are ECNL and UPDX is associated with the USL. They are competing organizations.

[Guest]

The Thorns are ECNL and UPDX is associated with the USL. They are competing organizations.

Huh? UPDX already plays Boys ECNL and Girls ECRL (which is really ECNL-R and the same org...)

[Guest]

Huh? UPDX already plays Boys ECNL and Girls ECRL (which is really ECNL-R and the same org...)

USL Academy League is looking to expand to the Northwest.

[Guest]

So Thorns and NWE are merging, with UPDX USL to become the super dooper league

[Guest]

I do not want to get into a he said she said here but facts matter and you are so confident sounding, but WRONG. Tracy has been with the club since inception. I did not say she was a director the whole time. Furthermore, she became director for the SECOND time the year before Linus. As for stability, news flash, the Thorns Academy is a much younger club than THUSC/Crossfire/NW Elite and not surprisingly it took a few years to figure out how best to run it. They arrived at a place where the professional team runs it all and they utilize a local club’s nonprofit status for the ability to play on OYSA with their younger teams. The new Thorns owners are contractually bound to build a female training facility, the academy will utilize that instead of local fields too. Add to this that the NWSL allows the Thorns to now sign up to 4 academy players without messing up their draft selections. My DD is on the oldest Thorns team and this is her 6th season as a Thorn. Whether through first team training opportunities, monthly sessions with the first team coaches/players, the Thorns academy’s connections to the first team are growing every day.

I am saddened my daughter is not a U13 player right now and able to take advantage of what is happening at the Thorns Academy over the next couple years.

As for the comments about any 2010s that “don’t like their coach”. My advice is do not change a club simply for that reason if the coach is not going to be with that team for years. Don’t take my word for it. Ask some older soccer parents, stability is not just with the club itself, it is also with parents/players.

I’m glad to hear you have had a positive experience with thorns. That hasn’t been the case for my daughter.

The problem with the thorns 2010 coach is he is parent of a player on the team. We are stuck with him unless we leave. He wants to stay with his daughter to help promote her to be recruited. She is his one and only focus. There is no player development and loads of nepotism. It is a really sad situation. It’s too bad as it is a great group of kids.

[Guest]

I’m glad to hear you have had a positive experience with thorns. That hasn’t been the case for my daughter.

The problem with the thorns 2010 coach is he is parent of a player on the team. We are stuck with him unless we leave. He wants to stay with his daughter to help promote her to be recruited. She is his one and only focus. There is no player development and loads of nepotism. It is a really sad situation. It’s too bad as it is a great group of kids.

This is an interesting test case for Winning vs Developing.

That team was formed to be a "super team". A number of those players were recruited from other clubs and/or convinced to play on age instead of playing up. (Culling the shorter (literally, not as tall) end of the '22-23 2010 Thorns roster in the process...) And it's kind of working. They are top of the table.

The coach situation was part of the deal. They knew it would be this way. But maybe it's worse.

If those families can't handle it, could it be that winning isn't everything...?

[Guest]

I’m glad to hear you have had a positive experience with thorns. That hasn’t been the case for my daughter.

The problem with the thorns 2010 coach is he is parent of a player on the team. We are stuck with him unless we leave. He wants to stay with his daughter to help promote her to be recruited. She is his one and only focus. There is no player development and loads of nepotism. It is a really sad situation. It’s too bad as it is a great group of kids.

I would contact the Director of Coaching and/or Operations Director directly. With a new ownership group in place voicing support for the Academy, you would think that the last thing they would want is players leaving their most promising team because of that type of situation.

[Guest]

I would contact the Director of Coaching and/or Operations Director directly. With a new ownership group in place voicing support for the Academy, you would think that the last thing they would want is players leaving their most promising team because of that type of situation.

Aww, you're cute...

You better be ready to leave and to never come back before you make that call...

[Guest]

I am sure the owners, who just spent 63 million are looking forward to a call from 2010 youth team.

[Guest]

I am sure the owners, who just spent 63 million are looking forward to a call from 2010 youth team.

The thorns professional team has nothing to do with the thorns academy!

[Guest]

What does NWE get out of joining Surf? It just seems to be a new name and the same old mediocre club?

[Guest]

If they are changing their name yet again, that really is too bad. In the last decade their top team was THUSC Onyx then Crossfire United then most recently NW Elite.

One thing you can say about the Thorns is Director Tracy Nelson has been with the program since inception 8 years ago. THUSC/Crossfire United/NW Elite has had Rochelle H.,Kevin Legg, now Linus Rhode. She has had to ride some serious ups and downs to get the program off the ground but she has been a rock of professionalism. Stability matters.

Stability? Laura, Mike, Tracy, then she steps down, then is named again. Westside, FC Portland, Albion. Professionalism? Hm.

[Guest]

Is there any news from that all hands meetimg?

[Guest]

Stability? Laura, Mike, Tracy, then she steps down, then is named again. Westside, FC Portland, Albion. Professionalism? Hm.

The Thorns made the mistake of thinking they could hand off management of their own Academy to someone else and the experiment did not work, AKA Westside, this debacle felled Laura and Tracy the first time. Ever since they took back management, yes, it has been stable. FC Portland and Albion or name your club have a transactional relationship with the Academy. They are a contract providing a service (such as fields). No different than NWE having a contract with Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec. These contracts BRING stability, throwing shade on them is yet again, false. This is how the Academy explained it to us parents and things seem stable.

[Guest]

Official word on the rebranding was just sent to families