Four days after clinching a playoff berth, the Portland Thorns on Sunday host the Chicago Red Stars in their penultimate game of the 2022 regular season. In the jam-packed NWSL standings, every point is crucial as the team chases the NWSL shield and home field advantage in the postseason.
The Oregonian/OregonLive has Three Points to watch for Portland vs. Chicago:
1. SHIELD IN REACH
Portland can secure the 2022 NWSL shield this weekend, but plenty has to happen outside of its game in order for that to happen. If it doesn’t get the shield, it can also secure a first round bye and set up a home playoff game in the NWSL semifinals.
The Thorns will clinch the NWSL shield if they win vs. Chicago, Houston and OL Reign draw on Saturday, San Diego loses or draws at the Orlando Pride on Sunday, and the Kansas City Current loses or draws at home vs. the Washington Spirit on Sunday.
If the OL Reign were able to catch Portland on points in this scenario, they would have to win their final match vs. Orlando by at least 15 goals with Portland losing to Gotham in order to pass Portland on goal differential and win the shield. If San Diego was able to catch Portland in this scenario, it would need the Thorns to lose their finale as well while winning theirs by at least 13 goals.
The NWSL record for margin of victory is six goals, set by the Thorns in a 7-1 win over FC Kansas City in 2014 and later tied by the Western New York Flash in a 7-1 win over the Boston Breakers in 2016.
The Thorns can clinch a top-two seed in the NWSL playoffs with a win, a loss by San Diego at Orlando, a draw between the Reign and Houston, and either a loss or draw for Kansas City vs. the Spirit. If all those things happen, the result of Portland’s finale vs. Gotham would only have shield implications for Portland, and the Thorns would be guaranteed a semifinal home game no matter what that could propel them into the NWSL championship match.
2. OUCH
Sophia Smith has been tossed around and faced unprecedented physicality in recent weeks. And due to the way officials have handled the calls or lack thereof, she’s been outspoken about it. Other Thorns players have faced dangerous moments in games too, leaving the question open of whether or not NWSL officials are properly protecting players in these situations.
With so much on the line Sunday between Portland and Chicago, here’s hoping that player safety is paramount for officials as both teams will likely be as physical as they are allowed to be.
3. GET ROLLING
The Thorns dominated the first half against Racing Louisville in their last game, but they didn’t score until a flurry of goals early in the second half. A dominant win is a dominant win, but Chicago is a much better team than Louisville and demands a better scoring start to Sunday’s match. Portland has to come out hot.
An early goal or two for the most prolific goal-scoring team in the NWSL would do wonders for its confidence, especially in front of home fans in a pivotal match. And it will make a win all the more likely as Portland has proven a strong defensive team capable of hanging on to leads when its offense takes care of business.
Portland vs. Chicago kicks off at 1 p.m. Sunday at Providence Park (TV on Fox 12 Plus, streaming on Paramount+).
-- Ryan Clarke, rclarke@oregonian.com, Twitter: @RyanTClarke
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