Portland Thorns FC (4th, 6-4-1, 19pts) are back in action on Saturday evening and in front of their own to take on North Carolina Courage (7th, 5-6-0, 15pts). Portland will look to bounce-back and reignite their winning streak following a two week international break.
Kickoff from Providence Park is set for 7pm PT. Tickets are on sale here, fans can stream the match live on ION.
The second and final regular-season meeting of the season between Portland and North Carolina will be going down at Providence Park this Saturday, and the Thorns will be looking for a little pay back following a 2-0 loss at North Carolina in mid-April. Since that matchup, the two clubs have had opposite trajectories leading up to this weekend. The Thorns began a six-game win streak while the Courage sunk into a funk that saw them lose five of seven games. Following the international break, both teams are refocused on getting back to winning ways.
Forward Tyler Lussi and midfielder Ashley Sanchez continue to be the Courage's offense, eaching having four goal involvements apiece. Centerback Kaleigh Kurtz has kept their backline competitive, leading the club in clearances and blocks per game with 5.8 and 1.1, respectively. Goalkeeper Casey Murphy has four clean sheets to her name and has saved 67.4% of her shots thus far, and have all played a role in making the Courage the fifth-best defense in the league in goals conceded per match at 1.3.
After 11 matches in the 2024 campaign, Portland has shown they have firepower. They are currently the third most effective club on offense in the league, averaging 2.2 goals per game – only behind the Washington Spirit and Kansas City Current.
Come kick off Saturday, it will have be 56 days since the Thorns' 2-0 loss in Cary, NC. Since then, the Courage have a 2-5-0 record and the Thorns are 6-1-0 over that span.
Portland's defense has also come through as the season progresses, and they find themselves in the league's top 3 of several defensive categories: interceptions per match (3rd, 12.7), possessions won in the final third (3rd, 7.6), and successful tackes per match (2nd, 14.5).
Portland Thorns FC (4th, 6-4-1, 19pts) are back in action on Saturday evening and in front of their own to take on North Carolina Courage (7th, 5-6-0, 15pts). Portland will look to bounce-back and reignite their winning streak following a two week international break.
Kickoff from Providence Park is set for 7pm PT. Tickets are on sale here, fans can stream the match live on ION.
The second and final regular-season meeting of the season between Portland and North Carolina will be going down at Providence Park this Saturday, and the Thorns will be looking for a little pay back following a 2-0 loss at North Carolina in mid-April. Since that matchup, the two clubs have had opposite trajectories leading up to this weekend. The Thorns began a six-game win streak while the Courage sunk into a funk that saw them lose five of seven games. Following the international break, both teams are refocused on getting back to winning ways.
Forward Tyler Lussi and midfielder Ashley Sanchez continue to be the Courage's offense, eaching having four goal involvements apiece. Centerback Kaleigh Kurtz has kept their backline competitive, leading the club in clearances and blocks per game with 5.8 and 1.1, respectively. Goalkeeper Casey Murphy has four clean sheets to her name and has saved 67.4% of her shots thus far, and have all played a role in making the Courage the fifth-best defense in the league in goals conceded per match at 1.3.
After 11 matches in the 2024 campaign, Portland has shown they have firepower. They are currently the third most effective club on offense in the league, averaging 2.2 goals per game – only behind the Washington Spirit and Kansas City Current.
Come kick off Saturday, it will have be 56 days since the Thorns' 2-0 loss in Cary, NC. Since then, the Courage have a 2-5-0 record and the Thorns are 6-1-0 over that span.
Portland's defense has also come through as the season progresses, and they find themselves in the league's top 3 of several defensive categories: interceptions per match (3rd, 12.7), possessions won in the final third (3rd, 7.6), and successful tackes per match (2nd, 14.5).
