Home Field Advantage

(in which the Thorns make a romp scary but still get the brass ring) With a 3-2 win on Sunday, the Thorns locked up a home semi-final match for the first time in four years. One game remains in the season and with the right results elsewhere, the team could also win the league outright […]

Hammered Rivets – Home Closer Edition

(in which the Riveters get stuck in for the final regular season match and prepare for the Playoffs) Pregame The first sellout of the season set a new NWSL record for total season and average game attendance, breaking the record we already held. The Thorns average attendance was greater than four MLS teams’, and the […]

The Avenging

(Part 2 of 3 short match reports for this busy week) A small-ish crowd of 13,752 showed up on Wednesday night to witness the Thorns lock up a playoff berth with a comprehensive 3-0 win over the Houston Dash. Unexpectedly, the Dash had been Portland’s nemesis this season posting two shutouts against us: 2-0 in […]

Starting the Week Off Right

(Part 1 of 3 short match reports for this busy week) A crowd of 17,152 showed up on Sunday to see their first Thorns home match in more than a month and first with a full roster in more than two months. The opponent was the presumptive Wooden Spoon winner Boston Breakers and the result […]

Not Quite According to Plan

(in which we learn that the Thorns still have work to do; and Coach Parsons runs out of ideas) The Thorns went to Seattle on Saturday and came home empty-handed, losing 3-1. It was our first game with the returning Olympians and the team looked out of sync most of the afternoon. The Reign, playing […]

Episode 10: Okay, We Were Right the First Time About July (w/Richard Hamje)

So…maybe we were right the first time about July. To her credit, Emilie was right the whole time. After a commanding performance against Seattle, we go into the Olympics in a great position on the table. Featuring Richard Hamje. https://soundcloud.com/chizeck/episode-10-okay-we-were-right-the-first-time-about-july-wrichard-hamje

Parsons Preaches the Virtue of Hard Work

(In which the Thorns defy expectations and sate a multitude with one frustrated Fishlock) On Saturday, the Thorns broke a two-game losing streak with an improbable 1-0 win over the Seattle Reign. For a Portland fan, the game was a roller-coaster of near-concessions followed by almost-chances; then a euphoric moment; then fifteen minutes of nail-biting; […]

Victory Tour Blues?

There has been much speculation about the potential loss of national team players to a post-Olympics Victory Tour. Is this worth worrying about? With the facts available today, the short answer is “no”. Will there be a Victory Tour? Yes, this is a near-certainty. According the US Soccer Federation budget, a ten-game victory tour is […]

Episode 9: Maybe We Spoke a Little Too Soon (w/Zippy of Soccer Touchdown)

So, things aren’t looking as bright as they were at the beginning of the month. Will the Thorns survive? Will Mark Parsons use that diabolical brain of his to come up with a solution? Is Meg Morris a cyborg? Find out the answers to this and more! Featuring special guest Zippy of the excellent Soccer […]

Dashed Hopes

(in which the Thorns take a step backward, but it was closer than it seemed) The Thorns went to Houston and came away on the wrong end of a 3-0 result. It was our second loss in a row after twelve unbeaten. Both losses came against teams with only two wins on the season, until […]