Thorns’ Interim Head Coach Rob Gale navigating whirlwind season

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Rob Gale’s first-ever game on the bench as an assistant last year for the Portland Thorns was against none other than the Seattle Reign.

The squad’s current interim head coach got an education from the greatest historians of the rivalry and rather quickly.

Rob Gale and his Thorns take on the Seattle Reign at 1 p.m. Sunday on KOIN 6.

“Menges, Kling, Sinclair, who’d been here the longest, Becky, just how they talked about it and explained it to players coming in and some of the colorful language around the opponent. It’s different, you can tell it’s different,” recalled Gale. “You learn very quickly that this is more than just a neighborly derby up the street.”

Something that will make this iteration of the game different?

The lack of Sophia Smith, who is out of this contest due to getting a yellow card for what was seen as stalling while on the bench in last week’s game against North Carolina.

Thankfully due to national team commitments, this is hardly the first time this season the Thorns have had to play without the NWSL’s leading goal scorer.

“I think what we’ve done really well over this group of eight games, is the players who’ve come on, or when we’ve had to rotate, they’ve all contributed,” said Gale. “I think we’ve used 20 out of the 22 available outfield players so far in those eight games.”

That actually illustrates the biggest lesson Gale has learned thus far this year.

He was thrust into the head skipper’s job two months into the season after the Thorns hadn’t won a game in a month.

They’ve won seven of their eight since.

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that the easiest part of coaching is coaching the first 11, 12, 13 who play regularly. I knew that before, but especially with this group, it’s maintaining communication and contact with the players who you’re going to need at some stage,” said Gale. “The key is nobody is bigger than the team and you have to make sure that everybody feels a part of that.”

Another key to Gale’s run has been making practice as competitive as an actual game and drilling into everyone around the team to never waste a day.

It’s resulted in something Gale is perhaps the proudest of of all.

“The one thing I wanted— I knew we were at a low point— and I just wanted to bring that love for football back again. When you hear Becky and Sinc and Soph saying that they’ve rediscovered their love for the game, as a coach that’s as high of praise as you can get,” said Gale.

So the question begs, does Gale want the highest job title he can have within the Thorns and get his interim tag removed?

“People ask me that all the time. It’s such a great job. It’s a privilege to do it while I can. If the ownership and management feel that I’m the person to take it forward, then absolutely I would want the job,” said Gale.