After an incredibly disappointing 2015 season that saw them finish sixth, the Portland Thorns FC find themselves at a crucial point in their existence. After a series of moves, including the trade of the popular Alex Morgan to the Orlando Pride expansion franchise, some may view the club as going through a transition. However, majority owner Merritt Paulson insisted the team was not in a rebuilding mode, stressing so in a statement he issued in early October.
Rebuilding or not, the team's other major offseason move was to hire Mark Parsons away from the Washington Spirit. It was a smart and aggressive move by the Thorns front office. Parson's greatest strength as a coach is in developing players, his best example coming last season when he helped develop Crystal Dunn into the NWSL MVP. The roster he inherits in Portland includes one bona fide offensive threat in midfielder Allie Long. Long finished the year among the top ten league leaders in both goals (10) and assists (4), winning the team MVP as well as a place in the NWSL Best XI and a Golden Boot. Beyond Long, there is fellow midefielder Tobin Heath, who started twelve games last year as well as defender Meghan Klingenberg, acquired as part of the deal that sent Morgan to Orlando. Klingenberg is a heady and tenacious presence in defense and will bring some much needed experience to the back of the lineup.
Along with the trade of Morgan and the hiring of Parsons, the third major move by the club was to acquire the top two picks in this week's NWSL draft in two separate deals with Orlando and Boston. It gives the team the unique opportunity to add two immediate impact players. That being said, there is no clear cut consensus number one pick in this year's draft, unlike last year when Morgan Brian was the overwhelming top slection. There are a few different directions the team can go, specifically Makenzy Doniak, Rachel Daly, Cari Rocarro, or Emily Sonnett.
Makenzy Doniak, Forward, University of Virginia
Doniak, one of the most decorated players in college, was a Hermann Trophy semifinalist and a Second-Team NSCAA All-American. With 64 career goals and 164 points, she would give some much needed punch to the offense. Long cannot continue to carry the scoring burden for the team and providing her with someone to feed the ball to like Doniak, or even to be paired with should Parsons mix his formations, would ease some of Long's workload.
Rachel Daly, Forward, St. John's University
Like Doniak, Daly is a 5-8 forward with a deft scoring touch. Thus far in her three year career, the native of Harrogate, England has 50 goals, including an amazing 23 in her first full year in 2013. While not as nationally decorated as Doniak, Daly is even more of a sniper, providing speed and an accurate shot, and through her first two years (2013 and 2014) at St. John's, scored seven game winning goals.
Cari Rocarro, Defender, Notre Dame
If it's defense that Parsons seeks, he couldn't find a better place to start than with Rocarro. The two- time captain of the Fighting Irish also brings a wealth of experience having played for the U.S. youth national teams. She served as the co-captain of the U-20 team in 2013 and captain at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. A potential national team member down the road, she started all 75 career games at Notre Dame. Rocarro plays fearlessly and brings a powerful shot, one that she's not afraid to use in any circumstance. Putting Rocarro on a backline that includes the equally fearless Klingenberg would bolster what was an inconsistent Thorns defense.
Emily Sonnett, Defender, University of Virginia
While it's doubtful the team would spend their top two selections on defense, if they did it would be a telling sign of which way Parsons wants to build his squad. The 5-7 Sonnett has been ranked as the third best female collegiate player by TopDrawerSoccer. Like her fellow Cavalier Doniak, Sonnett was a NSCAA All-American and a Hermann Trophy semifinalist. She anchored a defense that posted fifteen shutouts, and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Her offensive game is solid as well, collecting 11 tallies during her four years. Sonnett is another who could find herself as a member of the National Team someday.
There are two or three others that may enter into the conversation as to whom the Thorns will select, but Doniak, Daly, Rocarro and Sonnett are the four most clear cut choices to provide the immediate impact Parsons seeks. Whomever the selections are, they have an outstanding developer of talent in Parsons, who could help propel the Thorns back near the top of the league.