Morgan Messner is not Messing Around
Jess Fishlock, captain of the Seattle Reign, has this Cascadia rivalry embedded in her DNA. Being with the club since its inception 13 years ago, she knows all too well what it means to play at Providence Park as enemy #1.
On the Portland side, Christine Sinclair had been a constant since the Thorns’ founding in 2012 until her retirement in 2024. Watching from the sideline this time, her absence only raises doubts for this newly refreshed Portland squad: Will not carrying the full mental weight of the rivalry work in their favor, or against them?
Up until this game, Portland held 17 wins, Seattle held 16, and there have been 10 draws. Across these 44 meetings, 227 players have been featured in the rivalry, and 10 players have played for both teams, including Allie Long and Portland's new captain, Sam Hiatt.
Last year’s captain, Sam Coffey, who helped bridge the gap between the Thorns’ old era and new, left for Manchester City in the offseason. During last year’s rivalry home match, Coffey gathered hype videos from club legends like Sinclair and Becky Sauerbrunn to fire up the newcomers. This year, that connective tissue is missing as players like Morgan Weaver and Bella Bixby, who understand the stakes, are still on SEI.
It took just two minutes after kickoff for the supporters’ section to launch into one of their most beloved chants. Thorns fans eagerly sang;
“Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put Seattle on the top” with all the usual spite they reserve only for Seattle.
Just four minutes in, newcomer Cassandra Ella Bogere got a beautiful shot on target, but USWNT goalkeeper Claudia Dickey on the Reign was able to get a hand on it to send it flying over the net. Bogere’s Providence Park debut packed more drama into 9 minutes than many players see in a full 90.
At 7 minutes, she received a yellow card for a tackle on Jess Fishlock, though Fishlock still managed a meaningful touch to move the ball forward. Then, at 8 minutes, Bogere was shown a second yellow for taking down Mondésir, resulting in a red card and an ejection less than 10 minutes into what many consider the biggest rivalry game of the NWSL season.
The fear and shock on Bogere’s face beamed loudly as she realized this was the end of her first home game appearance. Hiatt immediately stepped into the captain’s duties to speak with the referee while new USWNT mainstay, Olivia Moultrie, guided Bogere away from confrontation.
What could have felt like a game-ending blow for most teams seemed instead to light a fire under Portland. Some may say, a bonfire.
This kind of overt aggression from the Thorns has been sorely missed since Becky Sauerbrunn retired in 2024. In their first two matches, the Thorns seem to be making it obvious that they’re laying the groundwork for a more forceful, dominant, and fearless defensive line this season.
Interim head coach Sarah Lowdon and staff appeared to have done a tremendous amount of work during the preseason after previous head coach Rob Gale was let go in the offseason. Portland looked like a different team: organized, sharp, and ready to be handed off to new head coach Robert Vilahamn.
In the 27th minute, Olivia Moultrie delivered a perfect corner kick into the box, where Pietra Tordin, surrounded by five Reign players, headed the ball into the right side of the net. This was Tordin's fifth NWSL goal and first this season. She leapt into Moultrie’s arms, and the energy in the stadium was palpable as the Rose City Riveters erupted into their “One Goal Beyond” victory dance.
In the 36th minute, Reilyn Turner stayed consciously onside in a perfect display of confidence and chemistry as Moultrie and Tordin connected to supply her with a breakaway ball, where she then buried Portland’s second goal in the back of the net. She pounded the Thorns crest on her chest in celebration, filling at least a piece of the Morgan Weaver-sized hole in the lineup. During the celebration, Moultrie placed a crown on Reilyn’s head. It was Turner’s tenth NWSL goal and her first of this season.
Later, Mondésir threw Mimi Alidou to the ground in nearly the same spot where Bogere had been sent off for a similar offense, yet escaped without a card.
Jessie Fleming, captain of Canada’s National team, cleaned up everything all night. Sweeping up the ball even when the backline was already in position. Fleming constantly stepped up to protect Portland’s lead. In the 44th minute, stemming from a throw-in, third goalie Morgan Messner lost her grip with the ball against Maddie Mercado, but an extra step from Mercado gave Messner just enough time to dive down and redeem her first, and only, slip-up of the night.
In the 51st minute, Mondésir ripped Jessie Fleming to the ground and again avoided a card. Then in the 52nd, Reyna Reyes was shoved with two hands by Madison Curry, with Curry claiming Reyes had pulled her hair, which stopped play for a VAR review. After four minutes of deliberation, Reyes was shown Portland’s second red card of the match for violent conduct. Fishlock sent Reyes off with a respectful embrace as she exited the field.
The severity of refereeing in the NWSL this season is already obvious, as just two weeks into the season, six red cards have been issued across the league, compared to only 11 over the entirety of last season. Remarkably, in all previous Thorns vs. Reign meetings, there had never been a red card given. Portland has now found itself with two in a single match, down to 9 players against their rivals.
The last Thorns’ red card before this game came in 2024, when Sophia Wilson famously hid a ball under the bench against the NC Courage to waste time. The NWSLPA appealed that decision, but the appeal was ruled “frivolous,” costing the Thorns their appeal bond for both the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Marie Müeller came on as Reyes came off, but was immediately shown a yellow card for entering before she had officially been waved on. She had to return to the sideline and wait to be formally welcomed on as a substitute for goal-scorer Reilyn Turner.
Sophia Wilson then replaced goal-scorer Pietra Tordin, stepping onto the Providence Park field for her first regular-season home appearance since 2024 following her maternity leave. After Müeller and Wilson entered, Vilahamn appeared to shift Portland into a 1-4-3 formation, with Sophia as the lone attacker.
The second half featured more than a handful of incredible saves from Messner, who is standing in for Mackenzie Arnold while she is back home in Australia with her national team playing in the Asian Cup, and Bella Bixby, who tore her ACL during the preseason.
This is only Messner’s second NWSL start, but to an outsider, you would think she is Portland’s mainstay goalie. She controlled this game from start to finish, catching everything Seattle had to throw at her with the weight of the rivalry on her shoulders.
Sophia Wilson, reminding everyone exactly what she brings to this sport, had multiple forward presses in her first home game back. Sophia alone can apply the kind of pressure of a fully stacked attacking unit.
In the 83rd minute, Laura Harvey, Seattle’s head coach, was shown a yellow card after a water bottle was kicked from the sideline, drawing a massive cheer from the crowd, which Harvey seemed to enjoy joining in on.
Harvey entered this match with a little extra heat already surrounding her after last year's AI lineup controversy, and the crowd clearly has not forgotten, as one sign in the stands read, “Seattle Reign powered by AI… still losing.”
Then, in the 90th minute, Ward picked up a yellow for dragging Jayden Perry down headfirst mid dive.
As the final whistle blew, Vilahamn wore the smile of someone who had just won the lottery as his new team claimed victory again in the electric atmosphere of Providence Park.
Up 2-0 after going down two players, the result leaves only one question:
How many Thorns does it take to build a bonfire?
