Spirit hope for better fortunes in Portland against Thorns

Plenty to talk about during last season’s Thorns and Spirit match-up (Photo Credit: Jeff Wong).

We are not sure if the Murphy in Murphy’s Law was a sports fan, but if they were, I’m pretty sure they would have been a football fan. The notion that anything that can go wrong will go wrong seems very apt when describing the difficulties that face a soccer side as they go through rebuilding. While the Spirit have had a tough season, they still hope they can turn the tide against Murphy’s Law when they travel to Portland on Saturday to take on the Portland Thorns (3:30 PM EST/12:30 PST Lifetime).

This trip out west will not be easy for the young Spirit side. The club has won just once in their last ten matches (1-7-2, 5 points) and are coming off a 3-2 Wednesday night loss to the North Carolina Courage. That, coupled with the news that forward Arielle Shipp will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL and the trade of midfielder Kristie Mewis to the Chicago Red Stars, finds the club in a very difficult spot. History is also not on their side: in five matches at Providence Park the Spirit have yet to come out with three points (0-4-1, 1 point).

Meanwhile things for Portland are looking much rosier. Coach Mark Parsons’ side are coming off an impressive 2-1 victory in their Cascadia derby against the Seattle Reign and have won seven of their last ten matches (7-2-1, 22 points). A victory over the Spirit would not guarantee Portland a playoff spot but it would go a long way towards securing a spot in the NWSL’s second season.

Joanna Lohman and Allie Long during last season’s match up against the Spirit (Photo Credit: Jeff Wong)

So too would a healthy Tobin Heath. The Portland midfielder and United States Women’s National Team player was activated from the club’s disabled list just this week after having missed the entire season due to a back injury. The club also announced that it has agreed to part ways with midfielder Mana Shim, which should in theory open up a spot in the roster for Heath. But given the long hiatus, you can expect Heath to see limited minutes in Saturday’s match.

Even without Heath defending Portland will be a challenge for the Spirit. In their other appearance against the Thorns this season, a 2-1 loss, the Spirit came under considerable pressure on all sides from Allie Long and Christine Sinclair. Since Portland like to directly engage a club’s center-backs, it could mean a long night at the park for Estelle Johnson and Whitney Church.

If Washington have any designs of getting points out of this match they will need to get forward Francisca Ordega goal-scoring opportunities early and often. Ordega scored Washington’s lone goal in their 1-0 win over Portland at home earlier this season and when healthy has been their best weapon up top. Their chances against Portland would greatly increase if midfielder Mallory Pugh can link up with Ordega to create some attacking chances.

Although this match may seem like a slam dunk for Portland it will be a good litmus test for how the Spirit will fare during the playoffs, should they make it. Being able to put away sides is a fundamental must for any good side. All in all, Washington might be out of the playoff picture, however like they showed on Wednesday night against North Carolina – they are still taking this season seriously.