I've thought all along that Brooks would eventually want to play with her UNC buddies again (and for Parlow), when the time for her is right on that. I highly doubt that her life-long dream was to play for FC Bayern, ever since she was a young soccer girl, dreaming of playing for FC Bayern over playing for the U.S. national team.
Ok, so it's still certainly possible that Parlow is an idiot for drafting Ellertson and Brooks, without even talking to them about their true interest in the Thorns. But I haven't been able to accept that as definite. At least one of those two players will end up showing on the Thorns doorstep at some point. Portland just can't put them on the roster yet, because there's nothing contractual about it except for a potential handshake commitment up front. Or ... Parlow was just that ignorant. It's one or the other.
Brooks tweeted yesterday that she's going back to Bayern next season. Doubt that they'd let her play NWSL this summer for fear of injury.
1. Do they have the right to control her decision on that? 2. If this is something that would be negotiated as part of her heading back there next year, would it be in her interest to agree not to play NWSL this summer? I have no idea on either of these questions. If someone actually knows the answers, what are they?
I don't know the answers. I did tweet her directly to ask her if we would ever see her in a Thorns jersey . . . no answer as yet. (Yeah, it was a long shot.)
Well, FIFA says you can only have one contract at a time. If she played in the NWSL she would have to be out of contract at Bayern or on loan. Since she isn't an allocation player, I can't see how either would be in her interest. There just isn't enough NWSL money for her or Bayern. Again, it could be negotiated, but what would make it worth while to Amber or Bayern? There is almost no money ( that's why she left), so Bayern can't profit by putting her on loan. If she gets hurt out of contract with Bayern, then she is taking all the risk. People only go on loan if they aren't playing where they are and need experience, or a lower club can profit by sending the player up. Neither seems to be the case. I can't see it happening, unless there is some non-monetary reason for her to be back here that wasn't evident when she left in the first place.
I looked at the actual tweet So.. She isn't out of contract, and "summer break" doesn't sound like she is playing. She won't be a Thorn this year. Does anyone know when draft rights expire?
Sounds right to me, she apparently won't be a Thorn this year. So, it looks like the Thorns get Libby Guess rather than Brooks. I'm wondering if the Thorns overall may be better off.
According to the box score for the Portland/Boston game on 7/21, Nikki Washington was not available to play. She did not play in the preceding game against WNY. Anyone know anything about that?
Her knee has been bothering her most of the season but that's just a guess. I dont recall an explanation being given.
Apparently, Cindy Cone called Tina Ellertson this past Monday and asked her to play the final phase of the season, indicating that the Thorns needed to add depth at defender. Ellertson felt she could do it, so she was on the game roster and bench for last night's game against Sky Blue. I've noticed that in each of the last two games, Portland has subbed for one of its defenders around the 70 minute mark. With all their games in the current period (5 games in 14 days), it looks like the Thorns are concerned about getting some relief for their defenders and possibly reducing chances for the kinds of defense injuries a lot of other teams have had.
From Merritt Paulson tweet this morning: "Two new Thorns players, new Thorns head coach and some Timbers stuff this week."
Rachel Buehler Van Hollebeke has advised that the name on her shirt henceforth will be Van Hollebeke. Her full name already shows up on the Thorns roster. We'll have to remember it's not Hollebeke and Van Holiday on the WNT.
not again. why? are the inlaws continuously carping "what, you don't like our name?" i just don't get it. when a person has made a name for themselves why surrender it? but i guess that's for another thread.
Umm, Belgium. Hollebeke is a Flemish village in the Belgian province of West Vlaanderen, now part of the city of Ypres.
Im surprised this didnt happen in 2012. If half of them had gotten married Sundhage could have pointed to her roster and trumpeted all the new names she brought in.
Flemish is pretty much Dutch... it's just Dutch spoken in Belgium. (Before someone complains, yes, there are some small differences, but it is more a dialect than a language. They are mutually intelligible.)
While his father, who was apparently born in Montréal, was stationed overseas in Germany... so it doesn't prove the name isn't Dutch.