The source of the Portland Thorns' resilience

Where does the courage come from, the ability to put one foot in front of the other as they step out onto the pitch week after week?

This was the question I found myself asking after watching Portland Thorns rookie, Jayden Perry, sink yet another penalty kick, delivering yet another equalizer in stoppage time, this time on the road against the San Diego Wave.

I entered Saturday night’s post-game press conference determined to uncover the truth behind battling through a season of frustrations for the Thorns — frustrations that this Thorns team has shown they are not shying away from.

As it turns out, the answer is simple: the source of their strength of resiliency lies within the belief they have in one another.

Thorns head coach Rob Gale introduced this idea to me, as he addressed the media first following Saturday night’s 1-1 draw.

The question I posed to him: “Your team continues to face adversity week after week – just thinking to your last 3 [matches], a physical match against Louisville, facing a #1 Orlando team, and then tonight finding the 1-1 equalizer in the final minutes – what are you telling them in the locker room to keep their morale high?”

His answer started as pure a tactical coaching answer as one would expect, “Keep believing in the process. Keep believing in each other, and the style of football that we want to play,” said Gale.

But then he disclosed what goes on behind the scenes, in the cracks and crevices just outside of what the public gets to see on the pitch.

“The vibe off the field is hilarious, they’re having a great time as a group, the camaraderie is there for all to see. And supporting each other, they’re out there with the players who didn’t play tonight cheering them on in the sprints and the extra work – that just shows the team.”

“So we’re just asking them to continue to build off of that,” said Gale. “Keep holding that momentum and standard, keep holding each other accountable and then we believe that the quality of the football and the quality of the players we have will begin to show as well as it has done at times.”

A standard that captain Sam Coffey took pride in bolstering, one that is upheld and reinforced by every member of this team.

“We have two captains, but I think everyone on the team is a leader in their own right and everyone leads in their own way – whether that’s you pressing the ball, or you’re communicating and using your voice, stepping up and taking a penalty kick – we’re all leaders and we all believe in each other in that way,” said Coffey.

Coffey also indicated having similar feelings as her head coach, regarding the intangible dimensions of this team.

“We just have so much belief in one another,” said Coffey. “I think it’s the little things on and off the field, the encouragement, the belief, the body language, the high fives, hyping someone up after a big tackle, or big play, and just continuing to encourage one another in intangible ways is so huge for us and our performance and also for our culture.”

A simple fact that is reflected in the success that Jayden Perry has exemplified in her ability to step up in high pressure situations – having gone 3/3 on the penalty kicks this season, as a rookie and center back.

“It’s all about me knowing that my teammates trust me and the staff trusts me, so I am fully confident being in those situations,” said Perry.

That trust the staff has in Perry was shown in a big way a few days after the match, when the defender was signed to a contract extension through the 2028 season.

With an NWSL race as close as this year’s, and still so much season left to go, it would seem that adversity isn’t going anywhere just yet. Rather than run from it, resilience will be a characteristic the Thorns will continue to lean on as the season hedges forward.

“It’s a long year and there are going to be some nights where not all the pieces are there,” said Coffey. “But for us to grind out a result and come out with a point against so much adversity, against a great team, in a hard place to come to [referring to the San Diego match], I think that’s a testament to the DNA of this team,” said Coffey.