Match Recap: Portland Thorns vs North Carolina Courage

Second game at home... how did the Thorns do?

Photo: Kelsey Baker

Portland welcomed North Carolina Courage to Providence Park on Saturday night. It was going to be an interesting game between two teams looking for their first win of the season. After a draw against Angel City last week, the Thorns wanted to seize the advantage playing at home was giving them.

Source: Portland Thorns FC

Coach Rob Gale put out a 4-4-2 formation with Caiya Hanks earning her first start alongside Reylin Turner in the front line. Other than that, Gale used the same formation and personnel he used against Angel City.

Average players’ positions. The ones in light blue are the Thorns. Source: Opta.

It was nice to see Jessie Fleming returning after her injury and being out last match. She came in for Deyna Castellanos in the second half.

Match recap & Storyline

5' Mackenzie Arnold collides with Hannah Betfort. Well, that certainly looked painful, especially for Betfort, who got the worst of Arnold’s leg in her face. Thankfully, both players were ok after the concussion protocol cleared to stay on the field.

20' Betfort heads it off the post.

25‘ Hannah Betfort off the post again. It really looked as if the former Thorn was going to score on her ex-team.

45’+1 Reilyn Turner header. Turner was really vibrant in the first half but couldn’t find the back of the net.

58' Castellanos showing her skills. Deyna Castellanos eludes pressure and almost scores the opener.

74’ PK for North Carolina. The visitors got a PK after a VAR check. The foul? Reyna Reyes pulled Ashley Sánchez’s jersey inside the box.

75’ Macca Arnold saves the day! The Matilda saved Jayden Shaw’s shot from the penalty spot.

Photo: Kelsey Baker

85’ Pietra Tordin shoots! The sub shot went out of bounds by mere inches. She was close to impacting the game on the scoreboard.

Full time: Portland Thorns 0 - 0 North Carolina Courage

Conclusion

The Thorns and the Courage delivered a fun first half where both teams had the chance to score. The woodwork saved the home team twice while they tried to make things happen through Turner.

The first start for Caiya Hanks was something needed. However, she couldn’t impact the game like she did against Angel City. But still, she had her good moments.

The second half started slow for both clubs, with neither trying much until 10 minutes into it. After that, both sides started to produce good looks. The Courage had some worthy chances when Sánchez had the time and space to create.

That’s how North Carolina found its biggest chance in the game. During the entire match, the duel between Reyes and Sánchez was something fun to watch. The winger was controlled for most of the game, but she broke free in the 74th, and as a result, the Courage got a PK.

Shaw stepped up from the penalty spot, but her shot wasn’t the best and it was an “easy” save for Arnold.

Portland looked even more alive after that, and although they tried to find the back of the net until the last minute, both teams shared the spoils.

It was good to see Arnold come up big in a crucial moment of the game and get the clean sheet. However, the Thorns’ attack remains a question mark. They had their moments, especially via the boots of Hina Sugita and Olivia Moultrie, but no one could find the final touch despite having 19 shots total (only two on goal).

After this match, Portland has accumulated one loss and two draws and the international break will give them a chance to regroup and try to solve the mystery about how to make this team more clinical in the final third.

Becky Sauerbrunn is honored

The fact that former USWNT and Thorns’ captain Becky Sauerbrunn announced her retirement at the end of last year didn’t give the club the occasion to honor her just like they did with Christine Sinclair.

Photo: Kelsey Baker

The club needed to fix that and they did it before the game against the Courage. However, they wanted to honor Sauerbrunn in a true Becky way. Therefore, in order to do so, they donated over $5,000 to Athlete Ally, a nonprofit organization dedicated to LGBTQ athletic advocacy. Their goals are to strive to create more inclusive sports communities, reduce discrimination, and empower athletes to advocate for LGBTQ equality.