Seattle Reign FC 1
Portland Thorns FC 2
NWSL Regular Season – August 26, 2017
Seattle, WA – Memorial Stadium
There were 15 points left for teams to grab going into match 20 on the NWSL calendars this weekend. For the teams in the log jam near the playoff red line, each of those points has season success or failure implications.
In Seattle, the home Reign and visiting Thorns came out at a frenetic pace, playing on hot mid day turf in Memorial Stadium. Several times in a scoreless first half Seattle defenders put body behind ball to deflect and protect their goal while Seattle’s forwards would make through runs matching speed against the Thorns defensive speed. However, the typical Seattle possession game was not evident, as the pace and the movement was Portland’s tactical approach. It had not scored, but it was working.
The first goal of the match was simply a Seattle defensive error and soft passing leading to Australian international Hayley Raso pouncing and quickly finishing in the 50th minute. It was an opportunistic moment that a high pressing forward can sometimes cash in on and Raso did.
Thorns coach Mark Parsons commented, “In other games, when you get the second goal, I think you have an opportunity to shut the door, to slam it and lock it. I felt like we had our best opportunity to stay 2-0, and also looking for more by doing the opposite and beig on the front foot, making sure we stay safe and we don’t take risks that let them in the game, but keep the energy up. Just before the second goal, we were reminding the team to keep pushing forward. We were possessing, we started to go back to old habits, and play sideways, and go backwards, and we slowed the game down. That would’ve suited Seattle, we didn’t want ot do that. We pushed on, we got a second breath, and we got the second goal, and then I felt that there was no reason to change it at that point. In other games there is, 2-0 and you need to change and you lock it shut. For us, to stay on the front foot and keep the ball away from our goal, is to be aggressive, and as a result of being aggressive, trying to grab a third goal, which obviously didn’t happen.”
The match seemed to be over late when Raso completed her Brace, but Seattle had made the tactical choice to put some extra size up front and go direct. “We were just losing 2-0. At that point, we couldn’t pass, so we should’ve just gone on, and we did that and we got a penalty. Then we put them under pressure. I like to play, I want a team that can play, but right now, in today’s game, we weren’t good enough at doing that, so we have to go on.” Reign captain Jessica Fishlock stepped up and converted the late penalty and the Reign found themselves with a stoppage time set piece and a chance to steal the point, but it was not to be.
Where Portland needed points to keep a home playoff match and possible NWSL Shield, Seattle needed points to keep their season alive going into September. After Saturday, only 12 potential points remain to be grabbed and Seattle needs basically all of them to make up the sudden lost ground.
Photos by Vanya Tucherov
Match: Seattle Reign FC (7-7-6, 27 pts) vs Portland Thorns FC (11-5-4, 37 pts)
Date: August 26, 2017
Venue: Memorial Stadium
Kickoff: 1:00pm PT
Attendance: 6,041
Weather: Sunny
Scoring Summary:
POR – Raso 49’
POR – Raso 86’
SEA – Fishlock 90’
Lineups:
Seattle Reign FC: Kopmeyer, Barnes, Corsie, McNabb, Mathias, Utsugi, Fishlock, Nairn (Bauer 62’), Dallstream (Yanez 59’), Johnson, Kawasumi (Crummer 83’)
Substitutes Not Used: Elston, Stott, Pickett, Schiffel
Portland Thorns FC: Franch, Reynolds, Sonnett, Menges, Klingenberg, Horan, Sinclair (Jordan 88’), Raso, Nadim (Brynjarsdottir 75’), Sykes, Henry (Long 58’)
Substitutes Not Used: Bourielle, Weber, Johnson, Eckerstrom
Stats Summary: SEA/POR
Shots: 4 / 25
Shots on Goal: 1 / 6
Saves: 3 / 0
Corner Kicks: 5 / 5
Fouls: 5 / 10
Offside: 5 / 3
Misconduct Summary:
SEA – McNabb (Yellow) 60’
SEA – Barnes (Yellow) 68’
POR – Brynjarsdóttir (Yellow) 77’
POR – Klingenberg (Yellow) 90’
POR – Raso (Yellow) 90’ + 2
Officials:
Referee: Farhad Dadkho
Assistant Referees: Alicia Messer, Maggie Short
Fourth Official: Kelsey Harms
