Saturday, May 18 
FC Kansas City vs. Boston Breakers – 8:35 p.m. EDT - WATCH LIVE

Sunday, May 19
Portland Thorns FC vs. Washington Spirit – 5:00 p.m. EDT - WATCH LIVE
Seattle Reign FC vs. Sky Blue FC – 9:00 p.m. EDT - WATCH LIVE

The Washington Spirit will travel West for the first time this season to face the Seattle Reign at Starfire Stadium in Tukwula, Washington.

Seattle’s match this week marks only their second home game out of six matches so far this season. The Reign are coming home after a 2-0 loss to Sky Blue on Saturday and are hoping the home crowd advantage will help them to earn their first win of the season. Washington however, is also looking to record their fist win to kick-start their stint of three away matches over the next month.

The Spirit enters the match off their second 1-1 draw on Saturday to the Boston Breakers. Midfielders netted both goals. The first one coming off a ball fed from Breakers Lianne Sanderson to Joanna Lohman who blasted a shot from 14 yards out beating Spirit’s keeper Ashlyn Harris. Washington struggled to generate chances the rest of the half. Ali Krieger and Candace Chapman got subbed out after the break to make way for rookies Kika Toulouse and Domenica Hodak. The change paid off just five minutes later when Diana Matheson sent a ball towards the middle finding Lori Lindsey who took a single touch and blasted the ball between the woodwork. The team continued with newfound energy the last half of the match, which seemed to be their best soccer all season, constantly threatening the Breakers and never letting up on their pressure. Despite multiple opportunities in the second half from the Spirit they couldn’t make good on any of their chances to pull ahead. The team is definitely improving and will continue to do so throughout the season, building their chemistry and skill as a team.

The Reign who have yet to record their first win in the 2013 NWSL season and are sitting at the bottom of the league rankings after suffering a hard 2-0 loss against Sky Blue on Saturday. Both goals came just five minutes apart from one another. The first of the two goals came off a Christie Rampone free kick in the 30th minute when she launched the ball into the box. Reign’s keeper Michele Betos came out to punch the ball away only to have it land at the feet of Danesha Adams who had no trouble putting it away for the 1-0 lead. Just five minuets after the opening goal Sky Blue’s Lisa De Vanna stole the ball from a Reign defender putting her 1-on-1 with Betos. De Vanna easily slotted the ball between the posts securing a 2-0 lead. Seattle came out with fire in the second half but the game remained 2-0 until the final whistle was blown.

The first of three matches this season between Seattle and Washington will be one of high energy with very physical play. Both teams will have to put fourth a lot of work in order to come away with the win. It will be essential for both teams to maintain possession.

In the battle of midfielders all players will need to keep cool calm heads with players like Jessica Fishlock (3 yellow card in 4 games) and Diana Matheson going at it all day. While Seattle may have some trouble breaking through Washington’s backline, the Spirit’s forwards Stephanie Ochs and Tiffany McCarty will need to contribute more while the midfielders try to contain Fishlock, Keelin Winters, and Kaylyn Kyle.

Washington Spirit will need to improve on connecting passes in the final third and work on generating more chances in the run of play and off of corners. Seattle needs to cut down exchanges between Matheson and Krieger to keep them from gaining yards forward. Seattle had looked very disorganized this season, playing sloppy, and will have to save their energy as to not waste it on unnecessary runs. They also need to improve on creating chances and being able to convert them. It is imperative for their backline to provide better coverage for their keeper Betos. It will be a very physical, even matched, entertaining game.

Seattle will look to improve attendance this week at Starfire Stadium after drawing a crowd of 2,618 for their home opener against FC Kansas City on May 4th.

The Portland Thorns return home for only the second time this season as they host to Sky Blue FC in their first match since April 21st at JELD-WEN Field. The Thorns are coming into the match undefeated on the season and currently on a four-match winning streak having defeated the Chicago Red Stars 2-0 in Chicago on Sunday on first half goals from forward Alex Morgan and midfielder Allie Long. Meanwhile, Sky Blue is coming into Portland on the beginning of a three match road trip that takes them to the three most western located teams in the NWSL. In their last match, Sky Blue defeated the Seattle Reign 2-0 on goals in quick succession by forward Danesha Adams and Lisa De Vanna.

What do the Thorns need to do?

The Thorns handily defeated a tired Chicago Red Stars squad 2-0 on an early goal by Morgan and Long adding her first goal of the season off a perfectly placed cross from midfielder Nikki Washington. Unlike their previous matchup with the Red Stars, the Thorns controlled the match throughout, deflating Chicago with the early goal and then wearing them down as the match went on. The Thorns could have easily scored a couple more goals in this match, but a timely goal-line save and solid goalkeeping from Erin McLeod kept the Thorns at two goals.

The Thorns come into this match riding high, not leaving any points in four matches and only dropping two points on the season in the Week 1 draw with FC Kansas City. Morgan has been on fire, tied for second in the league in total scoring, while leading the lead in total shots (20) and shots on goal (15). Additionally, the midfield has solidified its play in all phases on the game, especially in the linking play necessary to spring their potent attack.

Sky Blue will present the stiffest test that the Thorns have seen since Week 1 bringing in a solid defense and offense. As always, the key for the Thorns will be to get their offense going early and often, as they did in their past match, while absorbing and countering the attack, which has brought much success for them this season.

The question for the Thorns will be how they handle playing on only three day’s rest for the first time this season, as well as having another match on Sunday, though Sky Blue will be having the same conundrum, though with an additional days rest.

What does Sky Blue need to do?

Sky Blue defeated the struggling Seattle Reign on Saturday as Adams scored off a free kick in the 30th minute and De Vanna beat Reign goalkeeper Michelle Betos 1 v 1 five minutes later. The match was statically even in most areas, but the ones that matter most: goals (2) and total shots (22-4). While Sky Blue faced some pushback in the second half, they were easily able to handle it.

Sky Blue comes in with one of the most potent attacks in the NWSL as three players are in the top 10 in total shots and shots on goal – forward Kelley O’Hara (20 shots/8 SOG), De Vanna (15/8), and Adams (12/7) – as well as midfielder Sophie Schmidt leading the team with 3 goals. The defense is anchored by goalkeeper Brittany Cameron who has performed admirably in place of the injured Jill Loyden and is tied for the league lead in shutouts (2) and only allowing 4 goals on 20 shots on goal, allowing less than a goal a match on average (.800 GAA).

Sky Blue has had an interesting season thus far, drawing the Red Stars last week, defeating the Western New York Flash in their first match of the season and the other wins came against Washington and Seattle, teams still looking for the attack to click. Their lone loss came in their second meeting with the Flash.

The Thorns will present a much different challenge, coming in with what is statically the best defense in the league. What works to Sky Blue’s advantage is their potent attack that can match Portland’s in firepower. They will need to push for possession and keep the ball out of their defensive third for success in this match. How the Schmidt-led midfield plays will be a key factor in determining how well they achieve this though, as well as getting their forwards actual scoring chances versus simply shooting the ball.

Projected Lineups

Both of these squads seem to have found their starting lineups, and there is no reason to assume that this match will be any different. Sky Blue comes in using a top-heavy 4-3-3 that looks to attack early and often. The Thorns will likely continue to use the hybrid 4-4-2/4-3-3 that relies on the distribution of the midfield to the attack and the speed from Morgan and the outside midfielders. The biggest question though will be how the respective coaches decide to handle substitutions with less rest than normal and another short break before their next match.

What to Expect

It could be easy to expect a goal-fest with two of the top-scoring teams in the league facing off in Portland, and that is likely going to be the case. For either of these teams though, the attack will be reliant of midfield distribution, and both these teams have two of the best attacking midfielders in the game in Sinclair and Schmidt, teammates with the Canadian Women’s National Team. With both teams placing emphasis on the attack, it will be important for both team’s defenses to have solid games, and this is an area where Portland seems to have the advantage as well as a veteran goalkeeper in LeBlanc, while Cameron will likely be returning to a reserve role upon the nearing return of Loyden. This match will likely go based on how the Sky Blue defense handles the pressure and the attack counters.

Keys to the Match:

Thorns

1. Go for the early goal
2. Control the midfield and flow of the match
3. Limit/Absorb the barrage of shots

Sky Blue

1. Shoot with a purpose
2. Control possession
3. Disrupt the Thorns distribution

Score Prediction

This one is a bit harder to call. Both teams have solid attacks and it is possible that we could see a high scoring match, but it is also possible that the teams could bunker down and absorb the attack.

The Thorns a solid two-way team, while Sky Blue is more offensive-laden, and this will likely be the breaking point. Its too hard to ignore the success that the Thorns have had a both offense and defense, and because of this, I expect the Thorns to win 3-1, running their winning streak to five.

Not only did Lindsey control the midfield and continually encourage her teammates to increase their pace, she also made sure her team earned a much needed point against the undefeated Breakers by scoring one of the most memorable goals so far this season.

In the 51st minute Diana Matheson found Lindsey at the 18 who one-touched it and rocketed a shot into the upper-right corner of the goal beating a diving Breakers keeper Ashley Phillips to even the score at 1-1.

Click play below to watch Lindsey score the match-tying goal:

Lindsey took control of this week’s voting from the first vote and finished with an 18-percent lead over runner-up Western New York Flash’s Abby Wambach. Fans recognized the importance Wambach had in her team’s 2-1 win over FC Kansas City by outvoting Lindsey on Facebook, but in the end it was Lindsey being named MVP.

Final Voting Results for Week 5:

1) Lori Lindsey
2) Abby Wambach
3) Alex Morgan
4) Brittany Cameron

The match started off a bit slow as both teams were trying to maintain possession and create quality chances. In the 6th minute of play, the Flash were awarded a corner kick. Adriana made a beautiful cross to Kerr but she headed it off the line and it was cleared by FC Kansas City’s Merritt Mathias.

The first goal of the match arrived in the 34th minute, when Abby Wambach scored her second goal of the NWSL Season. Flash defender Brittany Taylor completed a long pass to Veronica Perez who flicked it onto Wambach who was able to catch defenders Becky Sauerbrunn and Lauren Sesselman, out of position and easily finish with her left foot.

One minute later FCKC’s Krisite Mewis took a long shot that hit off the crossbar and Sinead Farrelly was right there for the rebound but she shot it right into Flash’s keeper Adrianna Franch.

The Flash began to punish the Blues for their mistakes when Sesselman and Mathias had a miscommunication and Wambach intercepted the ball and did what she does best, fire it into the net giving the Flash a 2-0 lead.

When asked after the match about her two goals, Wambach said:

“One of them I got lucky in terms of a defensive turnover. And the other one, you dream of those where everything happens like it’s supposed to and you actually finish it like you envisioned.”

Wambach almost had the second hat trick in NWSL history when got her head on a cross by Katherine Reynolds but goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart was there for the stop.

Going into halftime the Flash lead 2-0. Kansas City looked out of sync during the first half and if they wanted any chance of a comeback they would need to start finishing their chances.

“That was a fantastic first half of football today. I thought the girls were brilliant,” said Flash Head Coach Aaran Lines. “We didn’t give them a square inch in the first half, minus the distant shot from Mewis. Once we figured out that Mewis had a left foot, we were able to keep her relatively quiet in the second.”

45 minutes is a long time to score two goals and Kansas City wasn’t going to do down that easy. What they needed was a quick goal coming out of the half and in the 52nd minute they would get that crucial goal.

The chance was created by Mewis when she faked the shot and passed it to Leigh Ann Robinson who crossed it to Lauren Cheney and she flicked it into the net. Just like that, it was 2-1.

In the 64th minute the fans got what they were anxiously waiting for, the debut of Carli Lloyd. She had missed the first four games due to a shoulder injury she had recieved when she was with the U.S. National Team at the Algarve Cup. As soon as Lloyd stepped on the field, she was able to create a few quality chances, but unfortunately none of them went in.

“It was a lot of fun out there. I enjoyed it. I took a fall on my first touch of the game and shoulder feels good –  testing it out early.” Lloyd said after the game.

With 20 minutes left the Blues were starting to apply full pressure and you could tell they were really stepping up their game.

In the 74th minute Cheney sent a ball into Buczkowski who was able to sneak in behind the defenders, but Franch was there to stop it.

With the minutes ticking down Kansas City tried to find that equalizing goal but the Flash did a great job protecting their goal and clearing out any crosses they came upon.

The Flash recorded their second win of the season and Kansas City suffered their first loss of the season.

As of now the Flash (2-2-1) and Kansas City (2-1-1) are tied for 4th place in the league.

FC Kansas City will host the Boston Breakers on Saturday while the Western New York Flash have a week off before the Chicago Red Stars come to town on May 24th.

Reporter Caitlin Murray contributed to this report.

Unlike their first meeting of the season, where the game remained scoreless late into the second half, Thorns star Morgan ensured this wasn’t the case.  In the 3rd minute defender Nikki Marshall sent the ball up to Morgan, who was able to slip the Chicago defenders and push the ball past goalkeeper Erin McLeod, scoring her third goal of the season and running her points streak to four matches, scoring in the past two, while giving Marshall her first assist on the year.

After allowing the quick goal, the Red Stars went on an attacking run of their own, with midfielder Zakiya Bywaters and forward Ella Masar both having opportunities to put the ball on net, only to be stifled by Thorns goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc.

For the next several minutes, both teams had their chances, but nothing came of it.  Morgan had another solid scoring chance in the 10th minute, but McLeod easily saved it, while the Red Stars had what was possibly their best chance of the night, when midfielder Julianne Sitch fired the ball in, but it was pushed aside by LeBlanc in the 22nd.

The Thorns began to take control of the match after that, threatening often in the attacking third, before finally breaking through again in the 35th minute, as midfielder Allie Long whipped in a cross from midfielder Nikki Washington, earning Long her first goal of the season and Washington her second assist.

A few minutes later, it appeared that Thorns forward Christine Sinclair had added the third goal of the match, but it hit the crossbar and was cleared off the line by a Red Stars defender.  Whether the goal would have counted remains unknown, as it appeared Sinclair may have been a step offside, though it went unflagged by the nearside assistant referee, who signaled the teams to play on.

The remainder of the first half was relatively uneventful with the Thorns going into the break two goals up on the Red Stars.  While the shot total was relatively even with the Thorns up nine shots to seven, they clearly came out of the first half the better side leaving Red Stars head coach Rory Dames looking for answers.

Coming out of the break, the Red Stars made one change, bringing in midfielder Jackie Santacaterina in for midfielder Julianne Sitch. Both teams came out with physicality to their game, with Thorns defender Rachel Buehler being given a yellow card for a challenge, followed by another card being given to Red Stars midfielder Alyssa Mautz, both for aggressive play.

The game settled down a bit after this, with both teams making attacking runs, but nothing coming from it.  As the match went on, the effects of playing a hard-fought match on Wednesday began to wear on the Red Stars and it became more apparent as the clock ticked away.

While the Thorns had needed to weather furious comeback attempts in their past two matches versus Chicago and Washington, this was not the case today.

The Thorns had another chance at a late goal as Red Stars midfielder Lori Chalupny was whistled for a handball at midfield.  Morgan headed the ensuing free kick on goal, but it was handled by McLeod.  Another solid attempt came from defender Marian Dougherty off a free kick taken just outside the penalty box, but it sailed just over the crossbar.

The last few minutes of the match were uneventful as the Thorns lessened their attack, while the Red Stars continued to show the effects of playing earlier in the week, with neither side making any attempts of note.

With the victory, the Thorns remain at the top of the table with 13 points, while the Red Stars remained in 7th place, one point ahead of last-place Seattle Reign.

For the match the Thorns had 15 total shots, with 9 of these on goal, led by Morgan’s 7 shots (5 on goal), while the Red Stars had 10 total shots, with 4 on goal, spread amongst several players.  LeBlanc earned her second clean sheet of the season (second against the Red Stars), making 4 saves, while McLeod was much busier, making 7 saves.

After their second shutout loss to the Thorns, the Red Stars and their coach Dames are still looking for answers, “We’re a team that wants to win the league and Portland is a team we’ll have to figure out.”

The Red Stars will not next take the pitch until May 24, when the travel to Rochester, New York to take on the Western New York Flash (2-1-2, 7pts) at Shalen’s Stadium at 7:05pm EDT (6:05pm PDT).

The Thorns will finally return home after three matches on the road, hosting Sky Blue FC (3-1-1, 10pts) at JELD-WEN Field in Portland, Oregon on Thursday at 7:30pm PDT (10:30pm EDT), in the first of six matches in the Pacific Northwest, in a match that will feature two squads at the top of the table.  The Thorns will then host the Washington Spirit (0-2-3, 3pts) on Sunday, May 19th at 2:00pm PDT (5:00pm EDT)

The Thorns and Red Stars will next face each other on Saturday, June 1 at 2:00pm PDT (4:00pm CDT) in their first of two meetings at JELD-WEN Field this season.  With the US and Canadian Women’s National Teams facing off the next day at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, both sides will be likely missing several key players as they represent their respective national squads.

Portland Thorns FC (4-0-1, 13pts) vs. Chicago Red Stars (0-3-2, 2pts)
May 12, 2013 – Benedictine Sports Complex (Lisle, Ill.)

Goals by Half               1          2          F
POR                             2          0          2
CHI                               0          0          0

Scoring Summary
POR – Morgan (Marshall)           3
POR – Long (Washington)         35

Misconduct Summary
POR – Buehler (caution)             52
CHI – Mautz (caution)                 54

Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Karina LeBlanc; D Marian Dougherty, D Rachel Buehler, D Kathryn Williamson, D Nikki Marshall, M Becky Edwards, M Allie Long, M Meleana Shim (Courtney Wetzel, 84), M Nikki Washington (Danielle Foxhoven, 56), F Christine Sinclair (capt.), F Alex Morgan (Jessica Shutfelt, 89)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Adelaide Gay, D Jazmyne Avant

TOTAL SHOTS: 15 (Morgan, 7); SHOTS ON GOAL: 9 (Morgan, 5); FOULS: 4 (Four players tied, 1); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 4

CHI: GK Erin McLeod; D Lydia Vandenbergh, D Taryn Hemmings, D Carmelina Moscato, D Rachel Quon, M Julianne Sitch (Jackie Santacaterina, 46), M Lauren Fowlkes, M Leslie Osborne (Jessica McDonald, 72), M Zakiya Bywaters, M Lori Chalupny, F Ella Masar (Alyssa Mautz, 29)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Taylor Vancil, D Michelle Wenino, M Dinora Garza, F Maribel Dominguez, F Hanna Gilmore

TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Two players tied, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Four players tied, 1); FOULS: 12 (Bywaters, 3); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 7

Referee: Kari Seitz
Assistant Referees: Jennifer Jones, Cesar Ibarra
Fourth Official: Greg Dopka
Attendance: 1,329
Weather: 55 degrees, mostly sunny

All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial

History repeated itself Sunday night as the Chicago Red Stars fell to the Portland Thorns 2-0.

It started three minutes in with a goal from Thorns forward Alex Morgan. From there it was all but over with a result that the Thorns are all too familiar with and an outcome that the Red Stars are becoming use to.

Morgan, who had a team high seven shots, started the game early with a goal three minutes in off an assist from Nikki Washington.

Washington would get her scored assist on the night in the 35th minute when she sent a cross into the box that found the foot of Allie Long who blasted her shot past Red Star’s keeper Erin McLeod.

McLeod and the Red Star’s saw little of the ball only managing to take four shots on goal, all of which were stopped by Thorns keeper Karina LeBlanc. This was LeBlanc’s second shutout of the season, both of which have come against Chicago.

Christine Sinclair, the NWSL Player of the Month in April, nearly made a third goal for the Thorns when her shot sailed past McLeod and hit the underside of the crossbar. The ball bounced down on the goal line before it was cleared away. The referee indicated no goal, the only lucky break that came for Chicago on the night.

The wins cap a three-match away trip for the Thorns and they now return home to face Sky Blue FC Thursday evening.

Chicago, who played their third match in nine days, will be on the road next week to take on the Western New York Flash on Friday, May 24th.

Western New York Flash 2 – 1 FC Kansas City

Abby Wambach scored both goals for the WNY Flash in their 2-1 win over FCKC.
Photo by: Caitlin Murray

FC Kansas City experienced many firsts during their Saturday night match against the Western New York Flash that they would like to forget.

Flash forward Abby Wambach gave her hometown fans a treat for the second match in the row, this time notching not one but two goals. This was the first time a team has scored more than one goal against the normally-solid backline of FCKC. The Blues had actually only given up a single goal all season long until they ran into Wambach and the Flash.

FC Kansas City got on the board in the 52nd minute with a header by Lauren Cheney but that was all the offense could manage. When the final whistle blew, the Flash gave FCKC their first loss of the season, a 2-1 defeat, and moved into a tie for fourth place with the Blues.

Worth Noting: Carli Lloyd made her Flash debut after returning from a broken bone in her shoulder. Lloyd almost got on the scoreboard in the 66th minute on a free kick but it was was punched away by Nicole Barnhart.

FC Kansas City will head back home on Saturday to take on the Boston Breakers while the Flash won’t be in action until May 24th when they host the Chicago Red Stars.

Sky Blue FC 2 – 0 Seattle Reign FC

The Seattle Reign FC are still seeking their first win of the season after losing 2-0 to Sky Blue FC.
Photo by: Michele Abounader

The Seattle Reign FC remain winless as they fell to the Sky Blue FC 2-0 on Saturday night at Yurcak Field Stadium.

Sky Blue FC got on the board in the 31st minute as Reign FC’s goalie Michele Betos punched away a free kick by Christie Rampone only to have it land at the feet of Danesha Adams who put the ball in the back of the net.

Just four minutes later Sky Blue FC was at it again, this time it was Lisa De Vanna who stole the ball from Reign FC defender Kate Deines and beat Betos 1v1 to give her team a 2-0 lead. Although she did not get credit for an assist, the play was the result of a beautiful pass by Adam who saw De Vanna streaking to the goal 30 yards in front of her. The ball was played a little in front of De Vanna but she continued through her run to make the steal and the finish.

Worth Noting: Sky Blue FC outshot their opponents 24-7 with ten of their shots on goal.

SkyBlue FC is back in action this Thursday as they head to JELD-WEN Field to take on the first place Portland Thorns FC.

Seattle Reign FC are also in action the same night taking on the Washington Spirit at home.

Watch the full replay by clicking here.

Washington Spirit 1 – 1 Boston Breakers

The Boston Breakers celebrate Joanna Lohman’s 24th minute goal. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Photo by: Amanda McCormick

The Washington Spirit are still looking for their first win of the season after a 1-1 draw with the undefeated Boston Breakers this past weekend, the second time in as many meetings for the teams.

“We had some good chances at the end. It would’ve been nice to take home the win, but we’ll take the tie on the road,” Breakers Head Coach Lisa Cole said.

The Breakers got on the board first with Lianne Sanderson finding Joanna Lohman who one-timed a shot past Spirit goalkeeper Ashlynn Harris. It was the first goal of the season for Lohman and the third assist in as many matches for Sanderson.

The Spirit got the equalizer in the 51st minute as Lori Lindsey rocketed a shot that hit the upper corner of the net to beat Breakers keeper Ashley Phillips to tie the match at 1-1.

In the 89th minute the Spirit had one final chance to earn their first win of the season as Caroline Miller took a right-footed shot from the top of the box but Phillips made a spectacular diving save to keep the match tied at 1-1.

Worth Noting: Boston Breakers Kia McNeill was held out of the match for precautionary reasons due to a muscle strain.

Watch the full replay by clicking here.

VOTING ENDS MAY 14TH at 6:00PM EDT

BRITTANY CAMERON (SBFC) – Cameron recorded her second shutout of the season on Saturday versus the Seattle Reign FC.

LORI LINDSEY (WSH) – Lindsey scored the match-tying goal in the 51st minute but what you won’t see in the box score is the role she played on the field without the ball.

ALEX MORGAN (POR) – Morgan recorded seven shots (five on goal) and the match-winning goal as the Thorns defeated the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday.

ABBY WAMBACH (WNY) – Wambach is the main reason FC Kansas City is leaving New York with their first loss of the season. Not only did she score two goals that seemed to deflate the FCKC backline but she was also very active on the defensive side of the ball. Last week FCKC’s defender Becky Sauerbrunn made an 80-yard run to help setup a goal and this week Wambach made a very similar run, but not to setup a goal, rather to save FCKC from scoring a goal.

The New Jersey side looked on course to obtain their third win of the campaign in their mid-week match against the Red Stars after in form Canadian international Sophie Schmidt gave them the lead against the Chicago Red Stars with just two minutes of normal time remaining. However, the Red Stars refused to be beaten and were able to level in injury time through substitute Alyssa Mautz, after she lobbed a shot over Brittany Cameron in the Sky Blue goal with seconds left on the clock.

SBFC will be looking to Schmidt to carry on her impressive run of form which has seen her score three of her team’s five goals this season.

Seattle are still in the hunt for their first win of the season after losing their last three matches following the opening day draw at Chicago.

An enthusiastic home crowd at the Starfire Stadium was not enough to boost the side last week after going down 1-0 at home to FC Kansas City thanks to Mexican Renae Cuellar’s third goal of the campaign.

The Reign, who have only scored twice in their four fixtures, will have their work cut out in breaking down a defense that contains U.S captain Christie Rampone and Australian center back, Caitlin Foord.

Tiffany Cameron started her first game of the season for the Reign last week and looked lively out wide throughout while the backline will be looking to give Michelle Betos some more protection, as she leads the league for the most saves made (20).

Manager Laura Harvey will be expecting the same energy from midfield pair Kaylyn Kyle and Jessica Fishlock, but will no doubt be looking for the latter to channel her aggression after picking up her third yellow card in four matches last week.

More travelling for the Reign, their fourth away game in five weeks, will no doubt take its toll, but Seattle must dig deep to overcome any fatigue being felt to achieve their first three points of the season.

The Portland Thorns will be looking to conclude their 3-match road trip where it started, taking on the Chicago Red Stars for the second time in 3 weekends. The Thorns come in after defeating the Washington Spirit 2-1 on goals by forward Alex Morgan and midfielder Nikki Washington.The Red Stars will be looking to build on momentum gathered from a late-match comeback in their last match Wednesday against Sky Blue FC, which saw midfielder Alyssa Mautz score an extra-time goal to steal a point.

In their first meeting of the season, the Red Stars were able to hold off the Thorns attack for the first 70 minutes, when forward Danielle Foxhoven was in the right place at the right time, knocking in the ball off a block by Red Stars goalkeeper Erin McLeod.  11 minutes later,Foxhoven, Morgan, and Sinclair created a perfect passing combination, slipping the defense and allowing Sinclair easily put past the keeper.  While the Red Stars pushed late and had some good scoring opportunities, they were not able to break through.

What do the Thorns need to do?

The Thorns defeated the Washington Spirit last week in a controversial match that saw both teams awarded and converting a penalty kick and Nikki Washington hitting a beautiful curling ball over the outstretched hand of Spirit goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris.  Continuing with a common theme, the Thorns came out and attacked early and often, while having to whether a late surge of attacks by the Spirit.

The Thorns have some questions coming into this match.  Stating left back Nikki Marshall was injured midway through the match against the Spirit, and goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc has looked slightly hobbled since near the end of the match against Chicago on April 27.  While Marshall indicated on Twitter that she is fine, neither player appeared on the official injury report.  The other main question comes over how head coach Cindy Parlow Cone manages the team with three matches this week, as the Thorns will host Sky Blue FC on Thursday and the Washington Spirit next Sunday.  With three matches in a week and Chicago appearing to be the weakest at this point, it wouldn’t be surprising to see some lineup changes to give some players a break, especially on the attacking side of the ball, where Meleana Shim made a start last week,Foxhoven has appeared in every match as a reserve as has utility player Courtney Wetzel,midfielder Angie Kerr has both started and appeared as a reserve, and midfielder Elizabeth Guess has made an appearance in reserve.

Regardless of who ends up playing in this match, the Thorns will look to attack early and often, while hoping to break through early.  With the Red Stars having played on Wednesday, the Thorns will look to wear them down early on defense and controlling the middle of the pitch.  If the Thorns are able to break through early, look for their defense to once again have to step up late in the match as the Red Stars make a late push, as they did in the first match.

What do the Red Stars need to do?

For the first 70 minutes of their first meeting, the Red Stars game plan worked well.  They were able to hold off leagues most potent attack.  Once the Thorns broke through, the Red Stars went on the offensive, making offensive for defensive substitutions and throwing a late-game barrage at the Thorns.  While the Thorns were the ones who broke through again, the Red Stars had several solid scoring chances.

The Red Stars come in off a mainly uneventful match against Sky Blue FC, which saw no goals for the first 87 minutes, before Sky Blue’s Sophie Schmidt scored, quickly followed by an equalizer from Mautz in extra-time.  While much of the match was spent in the middle of the pitch, the Red Stars have to be hoping to build off the momentum coming off this tie, their first point since their first match of the season.

The Red Stars have had mixed results this season, having been in most of their matches, but not getting the results they wanted, including a 4-1 shellacking at the hands of Syndey Leroux and the Boston Breakers.  Stealing a point from Sky Blue was an important step for this team though, as it shows they can hang with one of the top teams in the league.  Their biggest problem though,has been finding any kind of offense.  None of their goals have come from players listed as forwards, with midfielders Zakiya Bywaters and Lori Chalupny also scoring so far this season. Chalupny is arguably the Red Stars most dangerous player, but you need your forwards leading the attack, and that just hasn’t happened yet, even with legendary Mexican goal-scorer Maribel Dominquez making three appearances and one start thus far.

As with their last match against the Thorns, the Red Stars will have to look to absorb the attack and counter with their own.  Key for the Red Stars will be disrupting the Portland midfield, which is still finding itself, with the attack and defense have solidified their roles and style of play.  If the Red Stars are able to disrupt the midfield and sneak past a Thorns defense that likes to play a high line, they should have solid scoring chances.  If the Red Stars want have a good chance against the high-flying Thorns, they will need more than just a late-game attacking barrage in they want points from this match.

Projected Lineups

The Thorns have been incredibly successful with essentially the same lineup for the past few matches, but what remains to be seen is coach Cone will do with three matches in a week.  That being said, assume that we will see the same 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid that we’ve become accustomed to.

The Red Stars are still looking to find a lineup that will truly work for them, but it will probably continue to be in flux until the arrival of German internationals Sonja Fuss and Inka Grings and the eventual return of US internationals defender Amy LePeilbet and midfielder Shannon Boxx.  In the first match against the Thorns, Boxx lined up next to defensive midfielder Leslie Osborne.  With Boxx injured, Jacqueline Santacaterina is likely to line up next to her to try and break up the Portland attack, along with the usual back four and an attack led by Chalupny and forward Ella Masar.

What to Expect

In their first match up of the season, the Thorns were able to capitalize on their speed and ball movement to spread the Red Stars defense and eventually score.  The Thorns will likely use the same strategy Sunday, and with the Red Stars likely committing more players to defense to start the match.  If the Thorns are able to push early and often at the Red Stars, they will likely have success.

The Red Stars found relative success in their last match by keeping the ball in the middle of the field and disrupting any kind of flow to the game.  While this was effective against a Sky Blue side that rested forward Kelley O’Hara for the first half, the Thorns look to come out early and control the match.

Ultimately, this match will come down to offense vs. defense, where the Thorns have the clear advantage, with 5 players scoring, led by Morgan and Sinclair with 2 goals and an assist each.  The Red Stars have a solid defense and one of the best goalkeepers in the world in McLeod, but committing 6 players to defense will not open up their attack, so they will have to take the risk of spreading the field and counterattacking.

Keys to the Match

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Red Stars-

Score Predictions: The Red Stars found a game plan that mostly worked for then two weeks ago and again Wednesday, which was reliant on disrupting the play of the midfield.  While it is not pretty, it is usually effective in steal a point from the opponent.  The problem with trying to play this style is that it can be easily turned against you, as the Thorns did in the first meeting and will likely do again.  The Thorns are simply too good to be contained, especially in the attack, but the Red Stars defense was nearly up to the task.  Coming off a few days’ rest and without Boxx, it’shard to like the Red Stars chances, even if there is some shuffling in the lineup from either side.  I see the Thorns running their winnings streak to 5, with LeBlanc getting another clean sheet, 2-0.