PORTLAND, Ore. – At first glance, the move looks like a no-brainer. Thorns FC lost a forward before the season began, with Caitlin Foord going down with a foot injury in the final game of her Australian W-League season. Given the chance to get an established international such as Ana-Maria Crnogoru010deviu0107 – Switzerland Women's National Team's all-time leading scorer with 101 international appearances and 50 international goals – the team would certainly jump at it the opportunity, right?
Not necessarily. When Mark Parsons first arrived in Portland over two years ago, he inherited a team that was built to play Christine Sinclair at forward.