Even after consecutive wins, the Portland Thorns know their margin for error is thin in the final quarter of the National Women’s Soccer League season.
On Sunday, the Thorns will try to build their late-season run into a surge when they host the Chicago Red Stars at 6:30 p.m. at Providence Park. The match will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1. This is the next to last home game of the season for the Thorns.
Portland (5-6-4) entered the weekend tied for fifth place with FC Kansas City. FCKC played Saturday night. The top four teams will make the playoffs.
The Thorns posted wins over seventh-place Western New York and last place Boston in their last two matches, but second-place Chicago figures to present more of a challenge.
With seven players from Women’s World Cup rosters, the Red Stars have lost only one time this season. They have allowed the fewest goals in the NWSL and scored the second most.
Christen Press, a forward for the U.S. women’s national team, has eight goals in six games for Chicago this season. The other Red Stars on World Cup rosters were Lori Chalupny and Julie Johnston for the United States; Karina LeBlanc, Adriana Leon and Melissa Tancredi for Canada; and Abby Erceg for New Zealand.
Including newly acquired forward Lianne Sanderson, who represented England at the World Cup, 10 Thorns players were on World Cup rosters and nine of them played in the tournament.
United States forward Alex Morgan, while recovering from a knee injury, has not yet played for Portland since the World Cup.
After struggling for goals through much of this season, the Thorns scored four in the second half of Wednesday’s 5-2 win over Boston. England’s Jodie Taylor played the first half and scored her first Thorns goal. Midfielder McCall Zerboni shifted to a wing position and scored twice, Christine Sinclair had two assists and Allie Long a goal and an assist.
