That noise heard on Friday night? It was Portland’s fans taking a collective sigh of relief.
With a 1-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage, the Thorns secured their 10th straight trip to the NWSL playoffs.
And three other teams can thank Portland, because the win helped secure playoff berths for the Utah Royals, Kansas City Current and Angel City.
The Thorns had an uneven season going into the game, sitting in seventh in the league standings, but with a win, they could be in the playoffs. But the hungry Courage, and the league’s top scorer, Ashley Sanchez, were going to be a challenge.
Adding to the nail biting was that the Thorns were winless in their last four matches at Providence Park. To top it off, both Sophia Smith (suspension) and Morgan Weaver (thigh) were unavailable for the match.
But the Thorns spent the week ahead of the match confronting their emotions and connecting with their feelings.
No, really.
“We worked a lot this week with the team to make sure the feelings could come out and we could discuss what’s stressful right now. We had a few workshops and a bonfire,” head coach Robert Vilahamn said. “We were doing a lot to remove the negativity we could maybe have, to be scared of this game, and to make
sure we went into it with a fighting spirit and the willingness to actually reach the playoffs in front of our fans.”
A touch of Woo Woo did the trick. Marie Müller smashed a leaping rebound goal in the 60th minute that proved to be the game winner. Mackenzie Arnold got her eighth clean sheet.
“To be honest, I had no doubts that we would win today,” Müller said postgame. “I felt the energy over 90 minutes. There are no players without the Portland Thorns, and I think this is the mentality. This is the club, and this is why we want to play soccer. We’re just super happy.”
The Thorns had just one win in their last seven matches, and even though they’ve clinched, they could finish anywhere between fourth to eighth in the standings. A home playoff game is not guaranteed.
Come for one, expect us all
The anti-trans trolls who have been trolling in Portland again showed up at the Thorns match to cause trouble, then expressed shock on social media that they were treated like the trolls and trouble makers they are. I know, shocking.
The group, which included Seattle right-wing provacateur Brandi Kruse, went into the North End and tried to unfurl an anti-trans banner. It did not go over well, and they were kicked out of Providence Park.
Stadiums across sports ban folks causing trouble all the time. For the life of me, I cannot understand why these rules don’t apply to these activists.
Anyway, the soccer community isn’t tolerating their bigoted antics anymore. The Riveters stopped singing until they were removed. Then supporters groups across the league released statements condemning the group and standing with the Thorns supporters.
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Links
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