The Thorns are maddening and inconsistent- and I can't look away

The NWSL is best known as a league of chaos. More so than perhaps any other soccer league in the world, it feels like when the most ridiculous thing has even just a minute chance to happen, it will. It is built on unpredictability and parity, and no one for sure knows what will happen on any given weekend.

This chaos is in no better way summed up than by the 2025 Portland Thorns. After an offseason of transition and change, the Thorns entered this season as a gigantic question mark. Nobody had a good sense of who they wanted to be, how they wanted to play, or how this season was going to play out for them.

Now, 19 games into the season... we still have no idea how to answer any of those above questions. But my goodness have we been watching a spectacle on our way here.

The 2025 Thorns have been maddeningly inconsistent, with the only constant they have provided this season being their unpredictability. That applies to all facets: lineups, tactics, and of course, results.

No stretch of games best encompasses that unpredictability than Portland's last five games. It kicked off with a wild 4-2 revenge game beatdown over the Seattle Reign, which saw the Thorns concede within the first three minutes, but then roar back to score three unanswered plus a fourth to send Seattle packing. It was a fun and fiery return for Portland, and saw the recreation of one of the most iconic Thorns photos of all time:

A week later the Thorns followed it up with a gritty draw in North Carolina. A point earned, even though Portland came away from that game perhaps deserving and wanting more. Those games highlighted the heights Portland's playmakers can reach. Jessie Fleming, Sam Coffey, Hina Sugita, and Olivia Moultrie all had standouts moments, and showed what happens when they all are firing.

What happens when they aren't? Two straight home losses.

Riding a high of momentum, Portland stumbled at home for the first time this season as they fell to runaway league leaders Kansas City. In that match, the Thorns recorded an xG below 1 for just the second time this season (0.9 according to FBRef). But considering the Current's scintillating form, it was perhaps an understandable result.

What wasn't understandable or even acceptable was the subsequent home loss to NWSL cellar-dwellers the Utah Royals. Portland was punchless and timid, letting the worst team in the league dominate proceedings in their own house. They seemed like a completely different team than the one that trounced Seattle three weeks prior.

You might think that the unpredictability had reached its peak by this point. Not so fast, my friend. The Thorns next went on the road, where they had just two (2) times prior, and escaped with a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Racing Louisville courtesy of an own goal (which deserved to be a Jess Fleming goal, but I digress).

So back swings the pendulum, and the Thorns that a lot of us thought were cooked are somehow still alive and fighting. And they have done so with a revolving door of lineups. I know the concept of consistent formations is going out of style in lieu of more consistent tactical ideas, but Thorns head coach Rob Gale has really leaned into that idea. He's toggled between a 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, and other variations over the past month, and it's made for some choppy play.

But what it hasn't taken away from are electrifying moments from the players. Reilyn Turner and rookie Pietra Tordin have had some signature moments over the past months, as had the aforementioned midfield trio. New arrival Julie Dufour has also exploded onto the scene, scoring a goal in her last two games.

Is all of the above sustainable? Probably not! Living on the edge will inevitably have you fall off sooner or later. But does it make the Thorns appointment television now? Definitely.

We have no idea which Thorns we are going to get on any given matchday. Is it the ruthless offensive juggernaut we saw against Seattle? Is it the frustrating and listless side we saw against Utah? Is it the determined and gritty warriors we saw in Louisville? We simply don't know – and that's why we all are beckoned to watch.

There will be a time coming soon to assess and evaluate the state of the Thorns and discuss what they need to do to become a consistently successful team again. But for now, we have a team that gives us joy, frustration, and chaos all in equal portions. So enjoy the ride, for it is truly solely ours to take.