MATCH INFORMATION
Date: Sunday, July 26, 2015
Kickoff: 4 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: Memorial Stadium (Seattle, Wash.)
Forecast: Chance of rain, 70 degrees
Referee: Matthew Franz
Assistant Referees: Cameron Blanchard, Deleana Quan Fourth Official: Levi Rippy
Webstream: Available via www.portlandthornsfc.com
MATCH DAY PREVIEW
Portland Thorns FC and Seattle Reign FC meet for the second time in five days on Sunday, July 26, at Memorial Stadium in Seattle, Wash.; kickoff is set for 4 p.m. (Pacific).
The match is the second, and final, regular-season meeting between the two clubs. In addition, the match is part of a stretch of three games in eight days as Thorns FC face another quick turnaround, traveling to Rochester, N.Y., for a match on Wednesday, July 29, against the Western New York Flash.
Portland visits Seattle with a record of 2-1-0 all-time on the road against Reign FC, making just its second visit to Memorial Stadium. Seattle played its inagural 2013 campaign at Starfire Soccer Complex in Tukwila, Wash., moving to Memorial Stadium in 2014.
SCOUTING SEATTLE REIGN FC
Reign FC (7-3-3, 24pts) tallied a 1-0 win against Thorns FC on Wednesday as reigning NWSL MVP Kim Little scored the game-winning goal in the 57th minute of the match. Led by the trio of forward Beverly Yanez (6 goals), Jessica Fishlock (5) and Little (5), Reign FC lead the league with 25 goals. Goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer has filled in for U.S. Women’s National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo while away for the World Cup, posting a record of 6-1-3 in net, while ranking third in the NWSL with 39 saves. Kopmeyer made a key stop late in the match on Wednesday, tipping a well-placed header and potential game-tying goal by Thorns FC forward Christine Sinclair over the bar in the 69th minute. Reign FC are one of three teams in the NWSL that are unbeaten at home. Seattle has more wins at home (5) then any team in the league, posting a record of 5-0-1 at Memorial Stadium, while scoring 17 goals. In addition, Reign FC have conceded just five goals in home matches.
AGAINST SEATTLE
Portland leads the all-time series with a record of 5-3-0, owning a 1-1-0 record at Providence Park. Thorns FC closed out the 2014 regular-season with a thrill- ing 1-0 victory over their Cascadia rival to secure a spot in the NWSL Playoffs on the final day of the 2014 season. Midfielder Allie Long registered the game- winning assist on forward Alex Morgan’s game-winning goal in the second half of the match. In a tightly contested series, Portland has registered eight goals; three of which have come from forward Christine Sinclair.
BUSY IN JULY
Thorns FC have posted a record of 5-4-6 all-time during the month of July since 2013, scoring 29 goals with multiple goals in seven of those matches. In addition, Thorns FC set a NWSL single-game record for goals in a match, recording a 7-1 win against FC Kansas City on July 13, 2014 at Providence Park and followed that up with a 6-3 win over the Boston Breakers on July 20, 2014. Individually, midfielder Allie Long has been highly productive in July, recording six goals in 14 career matches. In addition, forward Christine Sinclair has six goals and two assists in 13 matches during the month of July since 2013, while defender Steph Catley has registered four of her five assists for the club in July.
MAKING HISTORY
Despite a 1-0 loss in a tightly-contested match on Wednesday between Portland and Seattle, Thorns FC made club and NWSL history with a new league attendance record of 21,144 fans. The previous record of 19,123 was set on Aug. 3, 2014, against the Houston Dash. It marked the first sellout in team history and ranks as the second-largest, stand-alone crowd for a women’s professional soccer match in the United States. The record was set in the inaugural match of the first women’s professional league, the WUSA, in 2001 between the Washington Freedom and Bay Area CyberRays. Wednesday also marked the fifth time Portland has seen a crowd of better than 16,000 at Providence Park since 2013.
NOTABLE STATS
Portland is 19-2-5 all-time when scoring first in a match, including a record of 2-1-0 this season. Thorns FC are 13-0-5 all-time when leading at the half and 23-6-10 when leading or tied at half. Thorns FC are 17-9-10 all-time when outshooting their opponents in a match. Also, Portland is 11-6-5 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 18-1-4 all-time.
MILESTONES
Several players are approaching 50 career NWSL games played: midfielder/defender Kendall Johnson (48), midfielder Mana Shim (48) and midfielder Sinead Farrelly (45). Additionally, forward Christine Sinclair (46), along with Shim, could also become one of a handful of players this year to reach 50 career NWSL games played for Thorns FC, joining midfielder Allie Long.
Midfielder Kendall Johnson is approaching 4,000 career minutes played as she currently sits at 3,990 minutes, while Sinclair has played 3,970 minutes. Defender Emily Menges surpassed 3,000 career minutes on Wednesday, while defender Rachel Van Hollebeke made her 40th career appearance for Thorns FC on Wednesday.
Long remains tied for first-place in career assists for the club with nine, tied with forward Alex Morgan. She can claim sole possession of first place on the list, while also becoming the first player to record double-digit goals and assists if she registers an assist on Wednesday. In addition, Sinclair (16) sits one goal behind Long (17) on the Thorns FC all-time career scoring list.
