Thorns trounce Chicago Red Stars 5-0 in season opener
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Craig Mitchelldyer/Thorns FC
Portland Thorns FC dominated the Chicago Red Stars 5-0 in their regular-season opener. Meghan Klingenberg made her 100th career NWSL appearance and the Thorns celebrated by scoring early and often.
Sophia Smith got it started. She picked the ball off of a defender and curled the ball toward the back post. The ball was knocked into the Chicago net by the Red Stars’ Tierna Davidson, giving Portland a 1-0 lead inside five minutes.
Chicago replied with some pressure of their own, but the Thorns defended well and attacked with numbers. Klingenberg won a penalty kick in the 12th minute and Christine Sinclair stepped up and doubled the lead. Sinclair became the third player in NWSL history to reach 50 regular-season goals.
The Thorns are looking defensively dominant
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Craig Mitchelldyer/Thorns FC
Fans of Women’s soccer were given a proper show of dominant performances if they watched the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final and the Portland Thorns regular-season opener. The Thorns thrashed the Chicago Red Stars 5-0 and FC Barcelona Femení downed Chelsea 4-0.
It is too early to draw really meaningful comparisons between Barcelona and Portland. The Thorns have just started their season and Barcelona have already won Primera Iberdrola and the Champions League, and will look to complete their treble in the Copa de la Reina. But it is hard to not get excited about these two teams considering reports that they will play in the 2021 Women’s International Champions Cup.
Is Kelli Hubly the favorite for the ‘Stumptown Streetwear Champ’ heading into the regular season?
Most Versatile Performance, The Holy Grail and the Stumptown Streetwear Champ. Who are your favorites for Stumptown Footy’s three pre-match style awards?
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via @thornsfc on Instagram
The world of fashion and sport often collide and one of the greatest examples of athletes’ love for fashion is pre-match fits. Before every match or game, the cameras are pointed at the players as they arrive at the stadium, creating a virtual fashion runway for the players as they enter.
These pre-game fashion runways have become a forum for athletes to flaunt their personal style. No one has shown these fits off more than GQ. If GQ sees a fire outfit they will make sure they share it with all of their followers. Recently, NWSL players have been featured in the lead-up to their games.
It’s hump day, and there are four more days until the Thorns play again. To help you get through the rest of the week, here are some of the best moments from the Thorns’ Challenge Cup celebrations.
Six takeaways from the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup
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Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Portland Thorns FC were crowned 2021 NWSLChallenge Cup Champions on Saturday. Christine Sinclair opened the scoring in the eighth minute as the Thorns utterly dominated NJ/NY Gotham FC throughout the first half.
In the second half the game opened up and Portland would rue all of their missed chances. Gotham’s Carli Lloyd rose above Becky Sauerbrunn to head in an equalizer. The match was decided from the penalty spot.
Both teams stepped to the spot with confidence. Through six rounds there were only two misses, both of which hit the post. Adrianna Franch made a one-handed stop in the seventh round and Morgan Weaver converted to give the Portland the title.