Welcome back to the Rose City Breakdown!

Phuoc Nguyen and Melina Gaspar are back to discuss the Portland Thorns' early season, who has stood out, lingering concerns, and much more.

Melina's Corner returns with a full film breakdown from the North Carolina Courage match with positives and a few glaring cons.

Also in the first-ever Portland Fire segment, Matt Bagley of Sports Illustrated (Oregon State Beavers) and PDX WNBA coverage at portlandsupporter.com.

He breaks down the current roster, grades for GM Vanja Černivec, what to expect from head coach Alex Sarama, and 2026 season predictions.

Welcome back to the Rose City Breakdown!

The NWSL is finally returning after the long international break.

In the Portland Thorns' first match back, they'll be heading on the road and facing off against one of the biggest surprises in the NWSL, Angel City FC.

I'm honored to be joined by Angels on Parade, Managing Editor Trebor Tracy, to preview this massive game.

In the preview, we discuss ACFC's strong early-season start, breakout stars Kennedy Fuller and Sveindís Jónsdóttir, Mark Parsons in his new role, underrated players, key matchups, and what to expect in this game.

Support Trebor Tracy!

Angels on Parade - angelsonparade.com

Bluesky - trebtracy.bsky.social

Welcome back to the Rose City Breakdown.

Melina Gaspar is back and gives you a closer look at the Portland Thorns' decisive win over KC Current.

In Melina's corner, she breaks down the impact of Olivia Moultrie, Cassandra Bogere, Soph Wilson, and so much more.

To preview the NC Courage matchup, Phuoc Nguyen catches up with The Lion's Pitch to preview the latest matchup. Trevor Knoblich and Katherine Cleary discuss Manaka's return, how dangerous the North Carolina midfield could be, which matchups will decide the outcome, and much more.

Be sure to listen to their wonderful podcast!

https://www.lionspitch.com/podcast-archive/

The Rose City Breakdown duo immediately react to the Portland Thorns' first loss of the season, a 1-3 defeat at San Diego Wave.

Melina breaks down what went wrong tactically and what metrics stood out the most.

Phuoc speaks to Thad Bell of the KC Soccer Journal to preview the Saturday matchup between the two sides.

They discuss the Chris Armas hire, trade of Claire Hutton, Temwa Chawinga's absence, early season struggles, key matchups and what type of match to expect.

Welcome back to the Rose City Breakdown.

In this episode, Melina Gaspar breaks down footage from the craziest Cascadia Derby ever. She focuses on Jessie Fleming's importance in attack and defense.

She also discusses the six position moving forward without Cassandra Bogere (suspension).

In the second half of the episode, Phuoc Nguyen speaks to Abe Zededa of All For XI and SanDiego.Futbol to preview the Portland Thorns at San Diego Wave midweek matchup.

On this episode we discuss the early season start for SDW, the addition of Catarina Macario, key matchups that will determine the game, and much more.

You can get all episodes of The Rose City Breakdown on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, RSS, and everywhere you find podcasts.

Despite two red cards, the Portland Thorns took down the Seattle Reign 2-0 in front of a home opener record of 21,321 fans at Providence Park.

Pietra Tordin chipped in two goal contributions, Reilyn Turner opened up her scoring account, and the Rose City recorded yet another shutout.

Jessie Fleming, Morgan Messner, Sam Hiatt, and Isa Obaze have put on a masterclass and now have back-to-back shutouts.

Leo Baudhuin of the Willamette Week joins me to break it all down.

Photographer: Kelsey Baker

Welcome back to the Rose City Breakdown.

Happy Cascadia Derby week!

Portland Thorns vs Seattle Reign is widely-regarded as one of, if not the best rivalry in all of women's sports.

Although these special matches are typically played later in the NWSL season, it is now the home opener for the Thorns - Friday at 5 p.m. PT on Prime Video.

Phuoc and Melina break down the Portland Thorns opening day upset at Audi Field versus Washington Spirit, and preview the massive Cascadia matchup against Seattle Reign.

The duo discuss the impact of Jessie Fleming, M.A. Vignola, and Reyna Reyes. Also, give praise to Sarah Lowdon's work during the offseason and preseason to get the team ready.

In Robert Vilahamn's debut nothing was going to stop him for being there for his time either, that's class and a powerful first impression, that will leave a lasting memory for many folks.

And finally, our new segment... Melina's Corner is finally out where she shows clips to analyze tactics and key metrics for every match.

*For those listening it to on Audio, please go see it on YouTube for full film breakdown and clips she uses.

Who's our guest this week on the podcast?

To preview the PNW clash, Sounder at Heart's Steve Voght joins us to preview the matchup.

In our discussion, he breaks down the Reign's opening 2-1 road win over Orlando Pride, who will step up in the goalscoring department, underrated players to watch out for, what type of game to expect, and the key matchups that will determine the outcome of the derby.

The NWSL is back and kicking it off are the Portland Thorns and the Washington Spirit at Audi Field on Friday at 5 p.m. PST (Prime Video).

To preview the Portland Thorns' 2026 season, we are joined by Expected Own Goals' (xOG) Evan Davis and Eric Morgan - two of the absolute best for women's soccer coverage.

The xOG duo are brilliant and primarily focus on tactics and analytics in their coverage.

Without further ado... The episode you've all been waiting for.

Episode Summary: Phuoc, Evan, and Eric discuss the Portland Thorns' 2026 season projection, the offseason, Soph Wilson's return, the timing of the Rob Vilahamn hire, question marks at CB and the six, metrics that should worry & provide hope, and preview the opener against Washington Spirit.

*Editor's Note: Apologies for the audio quality at certain parts - trying a brand new computer for podcasts at the moment

According to ESPN's Jeff Kassouf, the Portland Thorns have hired former Tottenham Hotspur manager, Robert Vilahamn.

The Rose City Breakdown's Phuoc Nguyen and Melina Gaspar discuss the hire, the timing, and how Jeff Agoos failed his first true test as GM. The duo also provides a grade for the hire and a full assessment of why it doesn't meet the standards at the moment.

- Introductions

- Was the offseason a failure?

- Has ownership done enough or are they falling behind?

- Where is the head coaching search at? Without a hire in place, is this a massive concern heading into the season?

- Does a direct replacement at defensive for Sam Coffey take precedent as the biggest need?

- CB ignored in the offseason

- Preseason opener starts off with many issues from 2025

- Injury updates