It's the Olympic break, which means there's no NWSL action to recap. So, let's talk about the biggest NWSL news of the week: The Thorns announcing the permanent hiring of interim coach Rob Gale as manager.
I'm going to put on my Thorns fan cap for this one, because some fan perspective is needed. Let's start in 2022:
Fresh off winning a championship under manager Rhian Wilkinson, the most recent of many Thorns scandals broke. Wilkinson admitted to a having a relationship with a player and resigned. Wilkinson's resignation put General Manager Karina LeBlanc in a tough spot: With a lame duck owner almost certainly unwilling to spend money on a shiny new manager and a roster of players screaming out for some continuity, Leblanc took the easy route and hired former GK coach Mike Norris as manager.
Notably, and partially because of the ownership issue, Norris never had an interim tag. It was assumed that he was a placeholder until new ownership was brought in, but Thorns fans never knew for sure. Norris had an underwhelming first season in charge, starting strong before a horrendous end to the season culminated in the Thorns getting thoroughly dismantled in LA by Angel City in the last matchweek, losing the Shield on the last day for the second season running. The team put in a better performance against eventual champs Gotham at home in the semi, but fell 1-0 to a Katie Stengel extra time winner.
The Bhathals did not officially complete the acquisition of the Thorns until January 2024, meaning that hiring a new coach prior to the season was always unlikely. The Thorns' poor performance to start the 2024 NWSL season -- picking up just one point through four matches via a late Sam Coffey equalizer at home against Louisville-- spelled the end for Norris, as the FO took quick and decisive action. For many, including myself, this was promising and unexpected. Instead of taking season one as a "watch and evaluate" season, the Bhathals seemed to be walking the walk of their opening press conference promise of "making the Thorns the best team in the world." After appointing Gale as interim, a world-wide coaching search was promised. Combined with the shock of star forward Sophia Smith electing to bypass free agency to re-sign in Portland, it appeared the Bhathals were taking real, tangible steps towards restoring the Thorns to their former glory.
After Norris was fired/promoted, the Thorns dictionary-defined "new manager bump," winning six straight under Gale. The vibes were very high. Gale paraded around Providence Park in his vast array of well-cut suits, jumping into the Capo stand after wins, exuberantly celebrating goals on the sideline, and bringing his assistant coaches into post-win pressers to ensure they were properly praised. In many ways, Gale is the anti-Norris: A well spoken and personable communicator who replaced his predecessor's inane rambling mumbles with smiles and constant gratefulness. I completely buy that Gale's "vibes guy" attitude isn't a bit: He seems legitimately grateful to be in the position he is, has done a mostly good job as interim, and is beloved by the players.
But here's the thing: After the Thorns' six game winning run, they collected just eight points from their next six games, two of which came in the dullest draws you'll ever want to see against bottom feeders Utah and Seattle. They've looked outclassed against the NWSL's top two teams, KC and Orlando. Injuries to winger Morgan Weaver, CB Isabella Obaze, CDM Sam Coffey, and attacking midfielder Olivia Moultrie combined with Sophia Smith's red card shenanigans and subsequent ban provides a very real personnel-based excuse, but the simple fact is that this team hasn't looked better than a slightly-above-average side that can't put the ball in the net since their marquee wins at home against Washington and Seattle in May. The defense has stabilized for the most part, but still imploded against KC's firepower in a 4-1 home shellacking and has put in its best performances against poor attacking sides. The midfield still hasn't figured itself out, Gale's tactical insistence on relentless verticality --a feature of Norris's sides as well-- making it challenging for the talented trio of Jessie Fleming, Hina Sugita, and Sam Coffey to control games.
Gale's hiring is certainly underwhelming for on-field reasons as well, but my personal disappointment is almost entirely unrelated to his coaching abilities.....which I deem as "fine." Let me try to articulate why:
The first thing to note is that the timing makes no sense. There is no reason at all to remove the interim tag prior to the end of the season, just months after firing the previous manager. Prior to news of Gale's hiring leaking on Thursday, I believed that the Thorns would give Gale a chance to impress and compete with external hires at the end of the season. I did not believe --perhaps naiively-- that Gale would be gifted the job midway through the season. This is not the move of an FO seeking to compete with an increasingly ambitious top flight of NWSL owners. Per Jeff Kassouf's reporting, the Thorns did indeed conduct the promised "worldwide search," narrowing the list of candidates down to a final three that included Gale. Thorns GM Karina LeBlanc declined, unsurprisingly, to give specifics, but cited "data" and "metrics" that indicated Gale's tactical acumen appropriately supplemented his intangibles. We don't (and likely won't ever) know who those candidates were. Was Casey Stoney considered? What went into the interview process? Was there a real process or did LeBlanc's propensity to pick colleagues over external hires (see Norris's promotion to technical director after his failed coaching stint) limit the legitimacy of the process? Were the Bhathals involved or did they delegate entirely to their GM?
LeBlanc has not yet earned the benefit of the doubt in general, and certainly not among the cadre of die-hard Thorns fans who view her decision making and resume as dubious at best. The real question, however, lies with the Bhathals. LeBlanc hiring her buddy is not out of character, but it does mean that she was authorized to settle for the interim. And that is a fundamentally disappointing fact. The Bhathals promised ambition, and instead the Thorns hired an interim over taking a risk on an external hire. Regardless of Gale's qualifications, coaching ability, or vibes, Thorns leadership had a real chance to go out and make an aggressive hire and simply did not do so. I find it unlikely that, as some particularly grouchy Thorns fans have already claimed, the Bhathals cheaped out. I find it equally unlikely that there were not high level coaches interested in the Thorns job, which, though not as high up in the woso coach rankings as it once was, is still an immensely desirable position. Which means that they actively passed over some real candidates for the guy they had in house after an incredibly short evaluation period. And that's just bad process.
In reality, the impact of a coach is always difficult to assess. The really good ones --Hines and Amoros-- have had transformative impacts on their respective clubs, but have also received massive investment on the player side. We just saw an underperforming "top-level" manager (Stoney) get canned after a few months of poor results. A popular young coaching prospect (Rodriguez) was kicked to the curb months into an expansion campaign. Bay FC coach Albertin Montoya has underwhelmed. The flashiest new coach (Fran Alonso) hired last offseason is MIA (seriously, wtf is going on with that guy)? Could Gale, with more roster talent, put the Thorns in a contending position? Sure, but we don't have any evidence for that. And that's the biggest reason why taking the easy way out feels like a Thorn --pun very much intended-- popping a big balloon.
So, this is where I stand at the end of the day: I am not necessarily upset at Gale remaining manager, but the process to get there was immensely flawed. Settling for the interim demonstrates a level of ambition from ownership that fails to meet their vocalized promises of serious intent, and that is a fundamentally disappointing kick in the face for Thorns fans who put their hope in the Bhathals. Gale is, at best, a fine coach. He hasn't yet shown an ability to elevate, and while sticking with him probably keeps the floor relatively high, it is likely --please prove me wrong, Rob!-- to keep the ceiling equally as low.
I'll end on a positive note. Per reports, the Thorns have a few new signings on the way. Hit on one or two of those, and the pendulum swings back to the optimistic side pretty quickly. Even the most fervently disappointed Thorns fans would probably admit that it would be hard for any coach to succeed with the front line the Thorns have been rolling out lately, and even one big addition could turn the tide for the better. LeBlanc has --hopefully-- put her own job on the line by hiring Gale. She and ownership best support their newly minted manager, because it could get very ugly if they don't.
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