Angel City FC forward Simone Charley came to LA from Portland, where she spent her first three years as a pro with the Thorns. After going undrafted in 2018, she arrived in Portland as an unrostered training player, practicing with the team for a year until she earned a contract in 2019. We spoke with her about her upcoming return to the Rose City.
You've already played the Thorns twice this year, during the Challenge Cup, and you know a lot of their players firsthand. What are you expecting out of this match?
It's kind of weird to talk about Portland—I was on that team for so long! But they're just a quality team. They have a lot of players, who have been playing together for a very long time, and I think they've built up the team chemistry and have quality players on their side. I think we can expect them to bring good possession, as they always have, a quality attack, and they're just dangerous. For us it's just going to be about figuring out how to press them and how to make it difficult for them.
What's the scouting report on their defense? They've had so many quality defensive players for the last few years it's been hard to get them all on the field.
They're in a five back now, and so I think that they've been able to keep a lot of their great players on the field by playing a five back. And so I wouldn't say there's one [defender] in particular who stands out. They're all quality defenders.
Offensively, what stands out?
I mean, Soph [Sophia Smith] is great. she's a great attacking player, she has a very intense mindset and is very dangerous. She's just quality. And then like I said, it's a lot of players who have played together for a long time, so that chemistry is something that we're looking to disrupt.
Which teammates did you look up to and learn from when you were in Portland?
Well, Sinc [Christine Sinclair] is legendary. So I think everyone could say they tried to take a page out of Sinc's book—just her composure on the ball, her vision on the field, and just her ability to be in the right space at the right time. That's a testament to her soccer IQ, so definitely Sinc.
Crystal [Dunn] is someone who has been one of my favorite players always! So being on the pitch with her and seeing her soccer IQ, her ability on the ball, and her technical ability is something that I've always admired. [Note: Crystal Dunn is currently out on maternity leave.]
LA and Portland are such different places. What's your favorite thing about each one?
Off the field, what I like most about LA is the sunshine! I prefer the weather here. But also, it's just a really cool place. There's so many things to do, so many things to explore. I feel like you can never be bored here—there's always something happening. If you ever have a free day or some free time. I enjoy that.
I think just Portland was just a cool city. It's a lot smaller than LA is, but I'm from small towns, so to me Portland was actually pretty big. I really appreciated how you kind of can get the city feel if you wanted to, hanging out downtown, going to Powell's. There are little pockets and spots for any and everybody and whatever you're interested in, you can find a group of people who have the same interest.
They're very different places but each cool in their own right.
What was it like returning to Portland for the first time during the Challenge Cup?
It was weird, to be honest! I'd been in Portland so long, so Portland felt like home, right? So going to Portland and it feels like you're going home, but then you're like, 'Wait, no, I'm not going home, I'm a visitor now.' That's a very strange feeling.
Going back to Providence Park, I think the accumulation of little things felt strange—like you're in the locker room, but you're in the visiting team locker room, and you're on the bench, but on the other side of the field, and you have fans but now they're cheering against you. So it felt similar, but different, because you're on the other side now.
It was also really cool just to see everyone [from the Thorns]. It had been a long minute since I'd seen the girls and everyone, so it was really nice, just catching up with them, checking in, seeing how they're doing.
