– I feel like I still haven’t fully realized that we won!
Natalia Kuikka answers the video call tired but happy. The nights after the American football championship were short, as the five-hour flight from Washington back home to Portland was waiting right from the morning.
– Ever since the game ended, there has been some kind of celebration going on all the time. Right after the game, there was a party organized by the team, where family members could come, but we didn’t have time for the party for a very long time, when we had to come back home. The background told us that there would be a party on Tuesday, that at least one day would be allowed to rest. It’s quite a big deal to win the championship here in the Yankees, Kuikka chats.
The night before Sunday, Kuikka had made Finnish history when he became the first Finn to win the NWSL.
– Yes, it feels good, but I haven’t thought about it in any way other than that we won, the modest Finnish defender states.
In the final, Kansas City, which reached fifth place in the regular season, finally fell 2–0. Portland, which finished in second place in the regular season, did not let the opponent shoot at the goal even once.
As usual, Kuikka played the full 90 minutes. In the national team, he has been seen as a topper, but in the club team, Kuikka plays as a fullback. He recorded the most won duels and the most touches in the match.
– The beginning of the game was chaotic. It felt like the heart rate didn’t have time to drop at all and hovered around 200 for the entire first half. We got our game going, the goal at the start helped a lot. It was nice to keep my head clear, we’ve practiced that a lot. It was nice that you also had some successes, Kuikka times.
Difficult months
In September, Kuikka signed an extension contract with Portland. The Finnish defender is already starting his third season at the club.
– After all, there was that demand elsewhere, but it’s really good for me to be here. Here at our club, there has been a little bit of everything, but when it comes to football, when you look at who your teammates are, what level they are in training, how you can improve…
– I didn’t want to move and try something new again. Portland has become home. This league is so tough, there is always something new and it will probably take many years before you can be the best on the field all the time.
Kuika really has the prerequisites for the top of the world. In August 2021, she was selected as the best player of the tough Women’s International Champions Cup. Three years earlier, he had been crowned the best player in the university league, when Florida, represented by the Finnish defender, celebrated the championship of the university league.
Kuikka was also chosen as the best defender in 2020 while playing in Sweden. And when the prestigious British newspaper Guardian published its list of the 100 best female players in December of the same year, only one Finnish player was included: Kuikka. Less than a week earlier, he had been chosen as Finland’s best player of the year.
However, the time in Portland has not been all about celebration. In October 2021, a chain of events started, which started with a story published by The Athletic, in which several NWSL players told about the injustices they had experienced. by Paul Riley, 58, under. Riley was accused, among other things, of forcing her to commit a sexual act.
Riley coached Portland in 2014-2015, when some of the horrors took place.
Portland investigated the matter after the club’s former player filed a complaint against the coach at the end of the 2015 season and did not renew the coach’s contract. However, the release did not state the reason for the coach’s departure.
Since then, Riley continued to coach in the NWSL until the fall of 2021.
Owner of Portland Merritt Paulson has been criticized for hiding cases. He previously stepped down as CEO. Paulson was also not there to watch the final match.
After the final, the Portland pilot Rhian Wilkison praised his players and said they had every right to be devastated when the harassment report came out.
Kuikka admits that the past months have been challenging.
– It has been difficult to concentrate. We knew the report would come out. What has happened within our team happened before I came here. But it is difficult to play in a league where things are not good. I can say that it has made me think about whether it is the right solution to stay here, Kuikka begins.
– But change comes from wanting it. I didn’t want to run away from the hard and difficult work we have ahead of us in making this league better. It has been difficult, but we have played the game for ourselves and not for these people.
The difficulties have only strengthened the team’s spirit.
– We have focused on team spirit all year. It is really important for players to have a safe environment where they can be and be able to share their thoughts. That also gives a good flow to the field. The events of the last few months have confirmed that we are even more united than before.
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