As the Portland Thorns prepare for the NWSL postseason playoffs against FC Kansas City on Saturday (11am PT, FOX Sports 2), here is a rundown of how their regular season panned out through some vital statistics.
After starting the year with a five-game unbeaten run, Cindy Parlow Cone’s team set the bar in a lot of key areas and they continued to maintain those high standards throughout the season.
Now, after finishing with a win over Seattle Reign FC, the Thorns enter the playoffs hoping to go all the way and win the inaugural NWSL Championship trophy. Here is a statistical look at how they did in the regular season:
17,619 was the biggest attendance of the season at JELD-WEN Field when the Thorns lost 3-2 to FC Kansas City on August 4. The game was nationally broadcast on FOX Soccer.
1,956 minutes clocked by midfielder Allie Long, which sees her top the list with the most minutes played for the Thorns.
26 times forward Alex Morgan was fouled by opposing teams, while Allie Long conceded 29 fouls on opposing players.
23 players featured for the Thorns with nearly every one featuring more than once except for amateur goalkeeper Cris Lewis.
10 saves made by goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc in a scoreless draw with the Western New York Flash on Aug. 10, which set the mark for most saves in a game.
9 different players scored goals – Marian Dougherty, Danielle Foxhoven, Allie Long, Alex Morgan, Mana Shim, Christine Sinclair, Nikki Washington, Tiffany Weimer, and Courtney Wetzel.
8 goals scored by both Alex Morgan and Christine Sinclair makes them the team’s joint top scorers.
7 shutouts registered by Karina LeBlanc, who made 92 saves and stopped two-of-four penalty kicks in 21 games.
6 players scored game-winning goals – Danielle Foxhoven, Allie Long, Alex Morgan, Mana Shim, Christine Sinclair, Nikki Washington.
5 assists registered by Alex Morgan makes her the most dynamic on the team in terms of production, while 11 other players also set up goals.
4 players arrived as new signings during the season – Tina Ellertson, Casey Ramirez, Elizabeth Guess and Tiffany Weimer.
3 players started all 22 games this season – Kathryn Williamson, Allie Long and Nikki Marshall.
2 players picked up yellow cards in the final regular-season game to bring the team’s total up to 29, but they did not receive a single red card.
1 of the Thorns’ 32 goals was scored with a header (Marian Dougherty), while they only conceded one own goal (Nikki Marshall).
Gareth Maher is a contributing writer to PortlandThornsFC.com. He is a frequent writer about soccer for the Irish Daily Mail in Dublin as well as ESPNFC.com.
