Preview: Portland Thorns vs Kansas City Current

It's time for payback, Thorns.

Photo: Thorns FC / Craig Mitchelldyer

Nobody knew what to expect from the opening NWSL game between Portland and Kansas but holy moly, it ended up being a treat!

Well, those two teams will meet again on Sunday at 1 PM PT in Providence Park, the game will also be streamed on NWSL+.

Is the defense ok now?

Although goals are fun, having nine goals in a single match is never good from an analytical point of view. It screams something very bad is going on defensively.

In the case of the Thorns, we knew at the beginning of the season that defense was the team’s Achilles’ heel while the offense was flying on all cylinders. Hence, the score in that game. However, the defensive line has improved. The new players have gained some valuable experience and although Portland’s defense might not be the best in the league right now, it definitely has become more reliable.

So the next game will be a good challenge for them. Kansas has some fast and skilled attackers in the form of Temwa Chawinga and Bia Zaneratto.

And speaking of Chawinga, she leads the NWSL in shots on target with 31 this season as that is already the most in a single regular season in Current team history. Chawinga is the first non-U.S. player to have at least 30 shots on target in a single NWSL season since Sam Kerr in 2019 (53), according to Opta. Needless to say, the Thorns need to be aware of her at all times on Sunday.

It will also be a good challenge for goalkeeper Shelby Hogan. Although she collected her fifth clean sheet against Seattle, she hasn’t been put to the test enough. Standing her ground against top strikers such as Kansas’ will give her a confidence boost, something she’ll need in the second part of the season.

A new problem has arose

What is the problem now? The offense. When Sophia Smith and Morgan Weaver out, the Thorns have seen themselves in a serious problem goal-scoring-wise. Even though Smith will be back (thanks NWSLPA!), the Thorns need more offensive threats. So, who is going to step up in the goalscoring department?

A lot will be expected from Janine Beckie who has already shown she can find the back of the net and we can say the same about Payton Linnehan. The rookie has generated a lot of expectation with the few performances she has had donning Portland’s jersey although it is true that her best performance was playing alongside Sophia Smith in the game against Bay FC which won’t be the case in the next match.

Due to injuries, Linnehan hasn’t had a fair chance to make an impact in this first part of the season but she still has the second part to make a name for herself in the NWSL and these difficult times for the Thorns can be the perfect stage for her.

What about the midfield?

Last game, the Thorns had to deal with two very important absences in the midfield: Sam Coffey and Olivia Moultrie.

Although we don’t know when Moultrie will be back — or the nature of her knee injury — we do know that Coffey might be back to play on Sunday because the boot she was on was more precautionary than anything else. If you want an update on injuries by Phuoc, you can listen to the latest episode of the Stumptown Footy Radio podcast here.

Anyways, getting Coffey for at least some minutes will be more than positive since that would help Hina Sugita take a more advanced position on the field and hopefully create opportunities for herself or her teammates.

Portland comes to this match decimated, with key absences, and the team’s resilience will be tested. How can they beat them? Forcing turnovers. That worked well the last time these two met, helping to create one opportunity and one goal.

Another key will be to put AD Franch to the test. She hasn’t been in her best form since last season. According to American Soccer Analysis, her shot-stopping (G – xG) prowess is the worst among goalkeepers in the league with 4.56. What does that mean? That Franch has allowed more goals than expected. In the case of this metric, negative numbers are better, showing that the keeper let fewer goals than expected let in.

Who’s second? I’ll let you go to the ASA website and see it for yourself.

So… what’s your prediction after reading all this? Participate in the poll and tell us in the comments!