Club

NWSL Match Preview: Portland Thorns FC vs. Seattle Reign FC at JELD-WEN Field - June 16, 2013

Matchday Preview, Thorns vs. Reign, 6.16.13






Match Information
Portland Thorns FC vs. Seattle Reign FC
Presented by Parklane Matress
Date: Sunday, June 16, 2013
Kickoff: 2 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: JELD-WEN Field (Portland, Ore.)
Forecast: 72 degrees, partly cloudy
Radio: Freedom 970
Webstream:www.portlandthornsfc.com
TICKETS

Sunday’s match, presented by Parklane Mattresses, is the third meeting between Pacific Northwest neighbors Seattle Reign FC and Portland Thorns FC, and it marks the second matchup between the teams at JELD-WEN Field.


Thorns FC enter the match tied atop the National Women’s Soccer League standings with 22 points, alongside Sky Blue FC, after a thrilling 4-3 win over FC Kansas City on June 6. Playing on 10 days rest, Thorns FC must take on Reign FC without the services of leading scorer Alex Morgan, forward Christine Sinclair and starting defender Rachel Buehler due to national team duty with the United States and Canada.


Seattle comes into the match seeking its first win of the NWSL season, but must do so without goalkeeper Hope Solo (United States), defender Emily Zurrer and midfielders Kaylyn Kyle (Canada) and Jessica Fishlock (Wales), due to national team duty. Head coach Laura Harvey’s squad is coming off a 1-0 loss to FC Kansas City on June 9 at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.


Last Time Against Seattle Reign FC
In a physical match at Starfire Sports Complex, forward Christine Sinclair converted a penalty kick in the 84th minute for the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over Seattle Reign FC on May 25. Thorns FC goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc made five saves in earning her second consecutive shutout of the season, while Portland upped its season record against Seattle to 2-0-0 and extended its undefeated streak on the road to an NWSL-record five games.


Seattle goalkeeper Hope Solo made her NWSL debut in the match, returning from wrist surgery to make two saves as Reign FC pushed for its first win of the season. Seattle outshot Thorns FC 17-13 in the game.


On Frame
The league leader in shots on goal, Thorns FC forward Alex Morgan ranks second in the percent of total shots put on goal as 24 of Morgan’s 37 shots (65 percent) have been on frame this season. Among players with more than 15 shots, Boston Breakers midfielder Heather O’Reilly ranks first as 14 of her 16 shots have been on goal (88 percent).


Among League Leaders
Thorns FC rank among league leaders in several categories. As of June 15 Portland ranks second in goals scored (16) and tied for third in assists (10). Thorns FC also place third in shots (115) and second in shots on goal (63). Tied for first in the league with 22 points, Thorns FC are the most fouled team in the league, suffering 103 fouls in 10 games.


Magic Number
Thorns FC are 6-0-0 when scoring two or more goals this season. In six of the team’s seven wins, Portland has tallied two or more goals, including a streak of four straight wins when scoring twice in a game (April 21-May 12). Portland leads the league with six multi-goal games this season, the Western New York Flash are second with five multi-goal games.


Halfway Point
Sunday’s match marks the halfway point through the 22-game regular season for Portland. Thorns FC have never been outside the top two spots in the league standings for the opening 10 games of the regular season and have consistently been among league leaders in several offensive categories as forwards Alex Morgan (5 goals) and Christine Sinclair (4) have helped lead the club’s attack. Through 10 games, seven players have tallied a goal for Thorns FC, which is tied with the Boston Breakers for the highest number of different goalscorers on one team.


National Team Duty
Thorns FC forward Alex Morgan and defender Rachel Buehler have been called up to the U.S. Women’s National Team for a pair of international friendly matches against Korea Republic on June 15 (Foxborough, Mass.) and June 20 (Harrison, N.J. Forward Christine Sinclair was called up to join the Canada Women’s National Team for a friendly against FIFA No. 2-ranked Germany on June 19 in Paderborn, Germany. All three players are scheduled to join Thorns FC in New Jersey prior to the team’s match against Sky Blue FC on June 22.


Davis, Dutra, Lewis Added For Match
Thorns FC have called up amateur players Carlie Davis, Amanda Dutra and Cris Lewis for Sunday’s match against Seattle Reign FC. Lewis, a former Portland State goalkeeper, made her first professional start on June 1 in a 2-0 loss against the Chicago Red Stars at JELD-WEN Field. Davis, a defender, and Dutra, a former Portland State midfielder, were also called up for the match against Chicago.


Reign FC Call Up Four Amateur Players
Seattle Reign FC called up four amateur players for Sunday’s match against Thorns FC. All four players are from Issaquah Soccer Club of the WPSL, which serves as the Seattle Reign FC Reserves side. Defenders Bree Rowe and Caitlin Allen and midfielders Macy Jo Harrison and Joana Houplin joined the team for Sunday’s match. Rowe, the older sister of New England Revolution forward Kelyn Rowe is a Federal Way, Wash., native who played at the University of Oregon from 2007-10. Allen finished her four-year collegiate career at UNLV in 2012 with 74 appearances for the Runnin’ Rebels from 2009-12. Harrison also starred at UNLV, recording four goals and eight assists as a senior in 2012. Houplin is a member of the Philippines Women’s National Team and played collegiately at Western Washington University from 2009-12. She made two appearances for the Philippines in 2014 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifying from May 21-25 in Bangladesh.


Thorns to Play on FOX Soccer
The NWSL and FOX Sports Media Group announced on Thursday a national television broadcast schedule consisting of six regular-season matches and three playoff games. Portland Thorns FC are featured in consecutive weeks on FOX Soccer in regular-season home matches on Sunday, July 28, against the Chicago Red Stars and Sunday, Aug. 4, against FC Kansas City at JELD-WEN Field. The times of those matches have been changed to accomodate national television. The match on July 28 is now at 4 p.m. (PT) and the game on Aug. 4 (a doubleheader with the Timbers Reserves) is at 5:30 p.m. (PT).


Referee: Robert Sibiga

Assistant Referees: Cory Richardson, Jason Perlewitz
Fourth Official: Andrew Brooks