It took a half but the Portland Thorns finally showed up Sunday night in front of a record breaking NWSL crowd and a nationally televised audience. For 45 minutes, fans were treated to a mostly snooze inducing game. But, from the start of the second half the Thorns showed glimpses of exactly the type of team they should be and won a crucial game against the Houston Dash 1-0 and firmly put a foothold on the last playoff spot.
From the start of the second half the Thorns looked like a different team. After an embarrassing 5-0 loss in Seattle and a first half Sunday night that featured exactly zero shots on goals, the Thorns looked energized and reborn in the second half. The defense for the Thorns was solid all game holding the Dash to only 2 shots on goal. The Thorns finally scored in the 54th minute on Portland’s best kept secret Veronica Boquete’s put in from a picture perfect cross from defender Stephanie Catley.
If anything can be seen as a downside to their win on Sunday, it’s the fact that the Thorns should have won this game by multiple goals. Alex Morgan looked like she had sure goal just moments after Boquete’s goal. The Thorns were on the attack and had Houston back pedaling for most of the second half. But the Thorns could only score the one goal and thankfully it would be enough thanks to a strong defensive effort. The Thorns should have more wins on their schedule this season but their offense has failed to put in those nail-in-the-coffin goals. With their defense playing solid, the one weakness on this team right now seems to be the one area where everyone thought their strength would be. Offense. But the opportunities were right there and one gets the feeling this team is just waiting to explode offensively. Perhaps it’s a good thing the playoffs are just around the corner and a breakthrough is waiting for them.
There are two games remaining in the regular season for the Thorns. A road game against Boston and a home game against Seattle with a shot at redemption from the spanking the Reign gave Portland up north. The Thorns control their own destiny now as they have a 5 point lead in the standings over 5th place Chicago. The top 4 teams head to the playoffs. The Thorns look poised to defend their title barring any major breakdowns during the next two weeks.
As for the crowd, it was electric Sunday night. The previous record for a NWSL game, held by Portland (who else?), was 17,619. The official attendance for Sunday night’s game was 19,123. The Thorns have one more home game against Seattle on August 17th, a Sunday afternoon. 20,000 anyone?
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