MATCH INFORMATION
Date: Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Forecast: Sunny, 81 degrees
Referee: Margaret Domka
Assistant Referees: Cory Richardson, Joshua Haimes
Fourth Official: Ekaterina Koroleva
National TV: FOX Sports 1
Talent: Jenn Hildreth (play-by-play), Kyndra de St. Aubin (analyst), Danielle Slaton (sideline reporter)
MATCH DAY PREVIEW
Portland Thorns FC play the second game of a two-game homestand, squaring off against the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday, Aug. 9, at Providence Park. Sunday’s match features a national television broadcast on FOX Sports 1; kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. (Pacific).
The race is tight for the final NWSL playoff spot as two points separate fourth and seventh place in the league table. Following Wednesday’s match, Portland moved up to fifth place in the NWSL standings, just one point out of fourth place behind the Houston Dash (20pts).
Thorns FC and the Red Stars meet for the only time at Providence Park this season on Sunday. The two teams met earlier this season as Portland overcame an early 2-0 deficit to secure a point on the road as forward Christine Sinclair and midfielder Mana Shim each tallied goals in the match.
LAST MATCH RECAP
Thorns FC scored four goals in a 17-minute span in the second half, propeling the team to a 5-2 win against the Boston Breakers on Wednesday at Providence Park. Forward Jodie Taylor and midfielder McCall Zerboni both scored their first goals for the club, while midfielder Tobin Heath tallied her first point and assist for Portland in 2015. Zerboni registered a brace in a four minute span as part of Thorns FC’s four-goal outburst in the second half. With the brace, Zerboni became the sixth different player in club history to record a brace. In addition, midfielder Allie Long scored for a second straight match and forward Christine Sinclair has assists in consecutive matches.
SCOUTING THE RED STARS
Chicago is second in the NWSL standings and comes into Sunday’s match following a 2-2 draw at home against FC Kansas City on Aug. 1. The Red Stars have the top defensive team in the league, having conceded the fewest goals this season (16). On the attacking side of the ball, Chicago ranks second in the league in goals (25) and is led by U.S. Women’s National Team forward Christen Press, who has scored eight goals in six appearances this season. Rookie forward Sofia Huerta also ranks among the top 10 in goal scoring in the NWSL with six goals, while midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo is second in the league with five assists. In addition to Press, Chicago had six other players on rosters at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Lori Chalupny and Julie Johnston for the U.S., Karina LeBlanc, Adriana Leon and Melissa Tancredi for Canada and Abby Erceg for New Zealand.
SERIES HISTORY VS. CHICAGO
Portland and Chicago have played to five consecutive draws, dating back to a 3-3 tie on July 28, 2013, at Providence Park. Forward Christine Sinclair has scored four goals in seven career matches against the Red Stars. Thorns FC lead the all-time series with a 2-1-5 record, but are still in search of their first win at home against Chicago (0-1-2). Last season in the only meeting between the two clubs at Providence Park, Portland scored two first half goals, but Chicago got a brace from forward Christen Press late to secure a 2-2 draw on July 4, 2014.
NOTABLE STATS
Portland is 21-2-5 all-time when scoring first in a match, including a record of 4-1-0 this season. Thorns FC are 14-0-5 all-time when leading at the half and 25-6-10 when leading or tied at half. Thorns FC are 19-9-10 all-time when outshooting their opponents in a match. Also, Portland is 12- 6-5 when limiting its opponent to single-digit shot attempts in a match. When scoring two or more goals in a match, Portland has a record of 20-1-4 all-time.
LONG IN FORM
Midfielder Allie Long continues to have another productive season for Thorns FC, scoring seven goals (tied 4th) and four assists (tied 3rd) in the league. The midfielder has tallied a goal or an assist in nine of Portland’s 15 games this season. Thorns FC are 5-0-1 this season when Long scores and 14-0-3 when Long scores a goal since 2013.
MILESTONES
Midfielder Allie Long became the first Thorns FC player to reach double-digit marks in career goals and assists for the club. Long tallied her 10th assist for the club against Boston, moving into sole possession of first place in all-time career assists. Long is now the club’s all-time career leader with 19 goals, 10 assists and 48 career points.
Midfielder Mana Shim scored her ninth career goal against Boston on Wednesday. Shim ranks fifth all-time in goal scoring and with her next goal she would become the fifth player to reach double-digit goals in a Thorns FC jersey. In addition, if Shim plays at least 21 minutes on Sunday she will reach 3,000 career minutes played for Thorns FC.
Forward Christine Sinclair will make her 50th career appearance for the club if she plays on Sunday against Chicago. In addition, Long could make her 60th career appearance for Portland against the Red Stars on Sunday. Midfielder Sinead Farrelly appeared in her 30th match for Thorns FC against Boston on Wednesday. Midfielder Kaylyn Kyle could make her 50th career NWSL appearance on Sunday.
THORNS AT THE WORLD CUP
Nine of Thorns FC’s 10 World Cup players, including Portland’s newest addition midfielder Lianne Sanderson, appeared in matches at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Tobin Heath and Alex Morgan helped the U.S. lift the trophy with a 5-2 win over Japan in the final, while Sanderson and forward Jodie Taylor won a bronze medal with the England Women’s National team. Heath became the fourth Thorns FC player to score at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup as she tallied the 5th goal in the win for the U.S. Portland is the only team in the NWSL with two players on its roster who have scored a goal in a World Cup final. In addition, Thorns FC had more players score in the World Cup then any NWSL team (4) as Taylor scored for England, Christine Sinclair tallied two goals for Canada and Morgan scored in the quarterfinal round against Colombia. Nadine Angerer logged 690 minutes, the most of any NWSL player at the World Cup. The German international played in all seven of her country’s games at the tournament, including two matches that went to extra time. Thorns FC players combined played 2,928 minutes in the tournament, the most of any NWSL team. In addition, a total of 12 current Thorns FC players have played in a World Cup as both Rachel Van Hollebeke and Ayo appeared in the 2011 version of the tournament.
