The Thorns Prediction Game

That sucked.

For us as fans. For the players. For the club.

Losing a six-pointer always hurts. But to lose that way?

Ugh.

No one got the result. Since only Roses had a Wave scoring the chance of getting a scorer was slim, and it wasn’t Jakobsson. Nobody even had Pogarch picking up a yellow (C’mon! It’s Po!).

The only points taken were Daniel Stratton’s story of Alex Morgan demonstrating her life on the pitch…

Torneo de Clausura:

Let’s forget that one, eh?

Now we’re down to the last two, and it’s critical to win them both. The first is this coming weekend, and it’s a club we’ve struggled against, Gotham.

I ran through the “worst-case” scenario in the last match report, but the bottom line is that if the Thorns don’t take points from these last two, a combination of others’ results could force a club that has never won three in a row this season to have to win three in a row to defend their title.

So a result against Gotham is a must. Win and we’re in (with a bye for the play-in).

(Last meeting: July 9, 2023, Red Bull Arena, 2-1 Gotham win)

How all this works:
Add a comment to this post. As your first line, put your predicted result, for example 3-1 Thorns.

In the body of your comment, start with the goals and assists, like so:
Smith (Klingenberg)
Kuikka (Free kick)
Moultrie (Unassisted)
Marta (PK)

Next, name the first yellow card recipient: Jess Fishlock
Then a red card. (NOTE: no points awarded for correctly calling a red-card-free match, so take a guess.) Madison Pogarch for mimicking mooning the referee after getting an undeserved yellow.

Make your fun prediction,and give a “thumbs up” to anybody else’s prediction that tickles your fancy: “Pogarch gets the start against her former club. She gets through 70 minutes without fouling her former teammates until she can’t take it anymore. She pushes over Hina, gives Weaver a wedgie, gives Sinc a noogie, then flips off the Riveters and runs out of Providence Park, never to be seen again. The ref issues a red card, which she later contests, and loses.” (h/t to ABell4)

Scoring:
· Correct score: 5 points
· Correct result (draw/win/loss): 3 points
· Each clean sheet: 2 points
· Each goal-scorer: 1 point
· Each FK/PK/assist/lack of assist: 1 point
· Goal/assist bonus: 1 point
· Player with the first yellow card of the match: 1 point
· A player with a red card: 1 point
· Most liked/most outrageously accurate prediction: 2 points

Some ground rules and explanations/clarifications (the fine print):
Comments must be posted before kickoff, but you can edit or amend an earlier prediction right up to the starting whistle.

Keep your scoreline predictions realistic. No crazy scores just to pad out your odds of getting goals and assists.

The goal/assist bonus is an additional point if you predict the correct scorer and assistant on the same goal, for example, you say Hubly scores from a Boureille assist and that is exactly what happens. P.S. if you say exactly that, and it happens, I will hunt you down and buy you a beer!

Be clear whether you think a goal will be unassisted, assisted, or from a PK/FK. Unassisted = no assist, run of play; Assisted = player who got the assist; PK/FK = not in run of play. For the purposes of this thread, Penalty Kick and Free Kick are the same thing. No entry means unassisted.

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John Lawes

Soccer-obsessive. Stats geek. Thorns supporter. Former Slide Rule Pass and Stumptown Footy Thorns beat writer. One of those people who's "often mistaken but never wrong"...

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