Can We Play You Every Week?

Attendance was 18,367 which was the high for the season so far and 7^th highest all-time. For comparison, this fixture last season occurred later in the year as the playoffs loomed; Portland won 5-1 in front of 17,152.

The Riveters were in fine voice all night, obviously aided by the early lead. But the possible highlight of the night happened while the autograph signing lines were forming, after the television cameras were turned off. Coach Parson’s adorable young daughter, Edie, was stretching with Meghan Klingenberg on the pitch while holding a rose. She decided to “conduct” the Riveters’ chant by waving the rose. Each repetition got louder as she bent several thousand adults to her will. It was incredibly cute. That child is going to grow up with a very distorted view of the women’s soccer world. But perhaps in 2032 most NWSL games will have similar colors, sounds, crowds, and pageantry.

There are at least two new banners on the walls:

See also Canberra United, winter home of Raso, Boureille, and Sykes.

The French Football Federation’s coq gaulois (Gallic rooster) – Portlandized

The next match is versus Sky Blue FC at the Rutgers campus in New Jersey on June 3 at 4:00pm. This will be a go90 game. Blessedly the streaming problems discussed in the last match report seem to have been resolved. If that holds, you should have little difficulty watching.

Following that match there is a one-week schedule break for international friendlies. The USWNT will play Sweden on June 8 at 10:30am on ESPN2 and then Norway June 11 at 10:00am on Fox. Canada will play Costa Rica on June 8 at 2:30pm and again June 11 at 11:00am. Both matches on TSN if you can get it. Iceland plays Ireland June 8 and Brazil June 13 although it is improbable that Dagny will get called up. France and Denmark have no matches scheduled until July.

Then it’s back to NWSL, with Sky Blue visiting Providence Park for the return leg of our second consecutive home-and-home series. That will be June 17 at 7:00pm. It’s also Pride night so there will be special goings-on by both the Riveters and the club. The Thorns and Q Center are hosting a “pride section” in the north end of the stadium, details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1690314124611245/

See you then!

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By Richard Hamje

Video editing by Jeanette “Bitmangler” Hamje