Match Preview: Portland Thorns v Seattle Reign

The Thorns head into enemy territory to take on Seattle Reign at Lumen Field

The Thorns hit the road this Sunday, June 16th to take on Cascadia Rivals Seattle Reign for the second time. The game will air at 1 pm PST and can be streamed on Paramount+, and will be broadcast on CBS.

The Thorns have another win under their belt after defeating NC Courage at home. Their lone goal came from a Soph Smith PK in the 79th minute. It’s important to note that Smith will miss this rivalry matchup after earning two yellows in that same match.

The Thorns (7-4-1) currently sit in fourth place in the NWSL while Seattle (2-9-1) is in 13th place. Though that doesn’t mean much when it comes to a rivalry game at Lumen Field, the Reign are sure to put up a fight.

Here at STF we dedicated a whole week to Seattle during the first match against them this season, so if you want to read about why

Alex Barnes

hates Seattle or the history of the clash check out our Beat Seattle page.

Currently, the Thorns and the Reign are tied with 15 wins and eight draws each. They also tally 44 Portland goals to Seattle’s 43. Additionally, Sinc has scored 5 goals against Seattle, tied with Jess Fishlock.

Players to Watch:

Seattle Reign

Ji So-Yun: Recent transfer from Chelsea, the Korean international has already played in 12 games and is a force in the midfield.

Bethany Balcer: With four goals under her belt this season Balcer is one of Seattle’s best attackers. She is great in the air with her head so it’ll be crucial to watch her on corners.

Jess Fishlock: I mean regardless of how she plays she’ll for sure be a pain in the Thorns’ sides during this match. She’s very good at being a big personality.

Portland Thorns

Marie Müller: She’s been phenomenal all year for the Thorns backline- and as she says “she likes to run” so she’s sure to be energetic in this rivalry match.

Hina Sugita: No seriously, y’all should watch her, she’s great. Her speed on and off the ball is phenomenal and she connects the backline and the frontline like any good midfielder should do.

Izzy D’Aquila: With Smith out, someone is going to have to step up. Izzy has shown promise all year when she’s taken to the pitch so hopefully we’ll see her against Seattle.

Predicted Lineup and Score:

Seattle:

Ivory

Holmes-Cook-Barnes-Huerta

Fishlock-Van der Jagt

Huitema-Balcer-King-Latsko

Portland:

Hogan

Reyes-Hubly-Sauerbrunn-Müller

Sugita- Coffey?- Fleming (If Coffey is injured Moultrie can go in the midfield)

Linnehan-D’Aquila-Beckie