PORTLAND, OR. – Success drives players on and now that the Portland Thorns are on the cusp of playing the inaugural NWSL Championship on Saturday (5pm PT, FOX Soccer / FOX Sports 2, Free webstream trial: FOXSoccer2Go.com), Alex Morgan insists they are ready to hit top gear.
As they prepare for the match against Western New York Flash at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester, NY, the Thorns are feeling good about their chances of ending the season in the best possible way.
For Morgan, who scored eight goals in 18 regular season games, this matchup is about more than lifting a trophy or winning a single game, it is about making history and becoming the first NWSL champions.
“It’s an honor to be able to play in the first NWSL Championship and we want to take it home for the fans that were so loyal to us this year. This is a really important game for us and there is a lot of positivity going around our team, especially coming off that huge win in Kansas City,” said Morgan.
“I think the confidence is there and that we’re going to play some good soccer in Rochester. We know them [New York] pretty well and we know the personalities that they have on the field and we know our strengths and we’re going to play to our strengths.”
Having missed the playoff semifinal victory over FC Kansas City due to injury, Morgan is feeling good about being available for the final and has trained with the Thorns all week.
Even though they produced a remarkable comeback to get through that semifinal, head coach Cindy Parlow Cone is happy to have a player like Morgan – one of the best forwards in women’s soccer – in the mix.
“I think it was great that we didn’t need her in Kansas City because it gave her a little bit extra time to recover, but she did full training and looks great,” said Cone.
As Morgan lost her voice cheering her teammates on in that 3-2 victory over Kansas, the other Thorns players showed their character by coming back from two goals down to reach Saturday’s showpiece event.
If they are to get through this final test of what has been a testing season, then forward Tiffany Weimer reckons that it will require a team effort and plenty of the attacking soccer that has put them in this position.
“Everyone has stepped up at different times this season, that’s what makes a team sport so special as it’s not always one person. As a team going into the next game, we believe we can do anything now after coming back from 2-0,” said Weimer.
“In order to win sometimes you have to know how to win. We have a great chance, this is our championship to win and it’s going to take every single one of us to get through it.
“Credit to the Flash for everything they have done in the last three years, Aaran [Lines] has done an amazing job with that program. I think for us, it’s just to do what we’re good at. I think we’re a great attacking team and we saw how well we can fight together and can come back from anything.”
