April 7, 2014
SPORTS
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 9
NWSL kicks off second season this month
SECOND SEASON. Japan Women’s National
Team members Aya Sameshima (left) and Nahomi
Kawasumi (right) pressure Tobin Heath (center) of the
United States during the women’s soccer gold medal
match at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
The two Japanese players are playing in the National
Women’s Soccer League during the 2014 season.
Sameshima signed with the Houston Dash in January
and Kawasumi joined Seattle Reign FC in February.
Heath is a member of Portland Thorns FC. (AP Photo/
Julie Jacobson, File)
By Jody Lim
The Asian Reporter
he second season of women’s pro
soccer in Portland kicks off this
month. As 2013 National Women’s
Soccer League (NWSL) champions, the
Portland Thorns intend to defend their
title.
After a busy offseason that included a
coaching change, the college draft, an
expansion draft, numerous player trades,
and a new name for the team’s home field,
the squad is ready for their first two
matches on the road.
On Saturday, April 12, the Thorns will
take on the league’s first expansion team,
the Houston Dash, and the following
Saturday, April 19, they travel to
Piscataway Township, New Jersey to play
Sky Blue FC.
The squad’s home opener against FC
Kansas City takes place at the end of the
month, on Saturday, April 26.
The remaining clubs in the now
nine-team NWSL are the Boston
Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, Western
New York Flash, Washington Spirit, and
Seattle Reign FC.
Hawai’i native Meleana “Mana” Shim,
who scored five goals, had two assists, and
was named Portland’s Newcomer of the
Year last year, is back for 2014. Last
season as a rookie midfielder, she
appeared in 19 games, became the first
Thorns FC player to score a goal in four
consecutive matches, and ranked third on
the team in scoring with 12 points. She was
also called up to the U.S. U-23 Women’s
National Team this past December and
again in March for the Six Nations Tourn-
ament in Spain.
A new addition to the Thorns FC roster
T
is defender Rebecca Moros, who played the
last two seasons for INAC Kobe Leonessa
of the Japanese Nadeshiko League. Moros
helped the squad win back-to-back cham-
pionships in 2012 and 2013. Before com-
peting overseas, she played for the
Washington Freedom and Western New
York Flash in the previous league, Wom-
en’s Professional Soccer (WPS), between
2009 and 2011.
Moros feels her personal game improved
and she grew as a player in Japan. She was
impressed by the sophistication and
technical style of the Japanese game and
hopes to bring some of what she learned to
Portland.
The Portland squad also includes
returnees such as Christine Sinclair and
Angie Kerr-Woznuk, who played soccer on
the bluff for the University of Portland,
and U.S. National Team players Alex
Morgan, Tobin Heath, and Rachel
(Buehler) Van Hollebeke.
Several international players, including
three from Japan, have joined the NWSL
this season.
Nahomi “Naho” Kawasumi joined
Seattle Reign FC in February. On loan
from Japanese side INAC Kobe Leonessa,
Kawasumi was the league’s second-
leading scorer and was named league MVP
in 2013. She was also a member of the
Japan Women’s National Team that won
gold in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup
and silver at the 2012 Olympic Games in
London.
The two west coast teams face each other
three times this year. The match at Reign
FC’s Memorial Stadium takes place July
27. Home games at Portland’s Providence
Park are scheduled for May 10 and August
17, which is the last regular-season match.
Defender Aya Sameshima signed with
the Houston Dash on January 24, 2014. In
2013, she played for Vegalta Sendai in
Japan. Sameshima won a gold medal at
the 2011 Women’s World Cup and took
home silver at the 2012 London Olympic
Games alongside teammate Kawasumi on
the Japan Women’s National Team. She
has 53 caps with the Japanese national
team.
The Thorns play the Dash twice in
Houston — on April 12 and May 14 —
before meeting them at home on August 3.
Forward Nanase Kiryu signed with Sky
Blue FC in February. A native of
Kanagawa, Kiryu had 127 appearances
and 40 career goals for her previous club,
NTV Beleza, which competes in the
Nadeshiko League. The Japanese interna-
tional was recently called to national team
duty for the 2014 Algarve Cup.
Sky Blue FC visits Portland May 24 and
June 25. While the team is in town, look for
coach Takayoshi “Taka” Ishihara on the
sidelines. A native of Aichi, Japan,
Ishihara joins Sky Blue this season after
having success at various levels in Japa-
nese soccer. Most recently, he was head
coach for perennial power INAC Kobe
Continued on page 13