Portland's NWSL success built around Smith and adaptability

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Sophia Smith's casual shrug of celebration said it all. Four minutes into Saturday's National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Championship, the league's most valuable player scored to make sure there would be no questions about the result or why she was the league's top individual honor.

Smith said that he just did it. There are a lot of people who don't think I deserve to win the Most Valuable Player award.

The Thorns were expected to beat the Kansas City Current on Saturday and win the league title. Portland missed out on the Shield and the top seed in the playoffs. The Current finished last in the world in 2021. It was amazing to make it to the final.

The Thorns season was not easy and there was no guarantee that the final would be the same. Rhian took the helm a year ago. She joined a team that was carefully constructed by another coach but one that was also missing key personnel, with Lindsey Horan on loan to Lyon and CrystalDunn missing most of the season to give birth. The team needed tactical changes, but they were not so drastic that their identity would be disrupted.

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The organization was in turmoil over the leadership's handling of the firing of Paul Riley.

The CEO of the club stepped down following the release of the Yates report. He did not travel to Washington, D.C. for Saturday's game. The fans want him to sell the team. Anyone in Portland who enabled abusers should be removed from the league.

The Thorns goalkeeper placed the championship trophy on the table in front of her, saying it had been a long year.

Smith said that they have gone through a lot of things that are not in the job description. It just felt great. I was proud of our team. It means a lot to us that we can bring this back to our fans who have been with us all year.

Smith was the youngest goal scorer in the Championship. She was the top pick in the draft. This was the year that she became the centerpiece of the Thorns and a regular for the US national team.

In the beginning of the year, Portland used a 3-5-2 and then switched to a 4-3 3 in the summer. The Thorns scored the most goals in the league this year and had the best goal difference, so they didn't have to change anything.

The new coach wanted to improve. The Thorns didn't lose sight of what made them successful despite all the changes. Each time, they worked out.

Hina Sugita was one of the best newcomers to the NWSL, playing in a box-to-box role and on the wing. Christine Sinclair started for the Thorns in the NWSL Championship. Sinclair was left on the bench for the semifinals in favor of a more flexible lineup that could pressure the San Diego Wave.

It's possible that either of those moves would have backfired. They are important reasons for the Thorns' victory.

Smith thinks that she wasn't up for coach of the year. It's difficult to join a team like this because of the reputation. To come in with all of this happening, all of these distraction going on, to come in with a team and implement her style but also take on what we had already built with this club is difficult. People don't give her enough credit for what she's done.

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The Thorns teammate noted that the player bought in from the beginning. She couldn't say what the team was like in the past.

The foundation was there in Portland, from Smith and Morgan Weaver to Sinclair and Sauerbrunn, who did not put a foot wrong in limiting Kansas City to zero shots on target.

The Thorns were not the usual ones. The blend of old and new was right. In a competitive league, they were able to adapt to changing circumstances.

"I think I was able to do it because I had a team that was willing to do it," he said. This group was very special. I had a different formation than the one I used for the semifinals. A team that does not believe in you will not follow you on that journey.

The Thorns needed to perform on Saturday.