Mark Parsons’ face lit up when he was asked about Angela Salem’s performance in the Women’s International Champions Cup final. Portland Thorns FC defeated Olympique Lyonnais 1-0 to lift the club’s second trophy of the season in Providence Park.
“[Amel] Majri, Amandine Henry, [Danielle] van de Donk... Ang[ela] Salem was the most dominant midfielder on the pitch and… she’s been doing this for months, months,” said Parsons in his post-match media availability.
“She impacts every part of the game,” said Parsons. “In possession, what she was doing in the first half to get us around their number nine on the weak side, defensively, you know, I think everyone kicked her, including the referee in the second half.