Match Forecast: OL Reign Set for Rivalry Doubleheader
OL Reign is set to take on Portland Thorns FC for the first time this year in the Seattle soccer event of the season. The Reign kickoff at 5:00p.m. against their biggest rivals in the second match of the day at Lumen Field.
WHEN AND WHERE: The Reign kickoff at 5:00 p.m. PT at Lumen Field, but the first match of the day, the Sounders vs. Timbers kicks off at 1:30 p.m. PT
WHERE TO WATCH: Fans can tune in to CBS Sports Network in the U.S. and TSN+ in Canada to watch the match
2023 NWSL REGULAR SEASON RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): OL Reign: 5-3-1 (16 points, 3rd place), Portland Thorns FC: 4-1-4 (16 points, 2nd place)
Key Points Ahead of the Match:
1. LAST MEETING – This is the first meeting between the bitter rivals this season, with their most recent meeting being July 2022. In the regular season match up, the teams battled to a 2-2 draw. Despite going down a goal twice in the match, the Reign came back twice to earn a point. The Thorns opened the scoring in the 12th minute of the match from an OL Reign own goal, but the Reign responded immediately, scoring a goal from the restart.
Forward Bethany Balcer found midfielder Olivia in the center of the field. Athens used her strength to maintain possession of the ball for OL Reign, before taking a lethal touch to beat Portland’s defense and send the ball past Bella Bixby in goal. The match went into halftime tied 1-1. OL Reign began the second half slow, allowing Portland to add a second goal in the 60th minute of the match from the foot of midfielder Hina Sugita.
The Reign fought for 20 minutes before finding an equalizer. Forward Veronica Latsko dominated the left sideline before floating a cross into the box, where Balcer’s near post run allowed her to get her head on the cross and level the score. The match ended 2-2, extending OL Reign’s unbeaten streak against the Thorns.
2. SCOUTING PORTLAND – Most recently, Portland played a midweek match against Angel City FC in the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup. Portland initially went up 2-0 in the match, scoring one goal before half time and one goal immediately after. However, in the 61st minute, Angel City added a goal of their own. Disaster struck for Portland just five minutes later when they conceded a penalty kick. Angel City used the opportunity to tie up the match. It was looking like the teams would split the points, when Portland netted a game winner in the third minute of stoppage time at the end of the match.
"I think our mindset is always prevention is better than cure with them,” said OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey. “They're fast, they're powerful, they can get in behind you, so how we can solve that by limiting the amount of service that they get is a big thing for us and obviously after the disappointing game here against (NJ/NY) Gotham (FC), that was something that we went back and spoke about - our foundations as a team of being defensively hard to beat and we've got back to that in the last two games and I think that's shown that not only have we not conceded goals, but we've actually scored, too. I think that's just the blueprint of what this team is about, and it won't change any differently for who we're playing against. If we can be aggressive in that defending moment, I think we make it really difficult for them. But yeah, they've got talented players, for sure. They obviously won the Championship last year and the championship team versus the Shield winner is always a difficult opponent to play, so we're ready for that."
3. DOUBLEHEADER & RIVALRY – OL Reign is wrapping up their three-game week with a rivalry match and an exciting doubleheader event with the Sounders. The Cascadia rivalry runs deep and both matches are sure to be tough battles for regional bragging rights.
"The Portland-Seattle, it's just so different, it's so different than any other game. It's like a championship game every time we play, pretty much, from the women's side. We have kind of noticed, obviously, our older players are sort of coming out and these new faces coming in that we do have to make sure that we continue the traditions, I guess, is what I like to think of. We're very passionate about it - (head coach) Laura (Harvey) and I and the OGs that have been on and played a lot of Portland games, especially back in the day, we played them hundreds of times because they were the only west coast team that we had,” OL Reign defender Lu Barnes.
“I think keeping our traditions alive is really important. Like right now, we've got roses hanging from our ceiling in our locker room, so it's a big tradition of ours and just a reminder of who we're playing. Obviously, we played San Diego midweek, so they were in there when we got here this morning. So, just things like that, I think is important. I think when new players come in, they see this and they're like, 'Whoa, this is different,' so I think they can feel the environment we've created around these games, which is important and we hope that they carry that on after we leave. So, they're fun."
4. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO – For fans attending the Doubleheader in person, click HERE to stay up to date on everything happening around Lumen Field and read about all of the important information to know before heading to the matches.
MultiCare Availability Report:
OUT
Angelina (SEI - knee)
Rose Lavelle (leg)
Phoebe McClernon (D45 - back)
QUESTIONABLE
None