There’s No Place Like Home
The Portland Thorns returned to Providence Park with a vengeance after a tough road loss to San Diego earlier this week. In front of nearly 17,000 of their fans, Portland dominated against last year’s Shield winners, the KC Current.
Mackenzie Arnold stepped back into goal following her month-long stint with her National Team in Australia, where they finished in 2nd place in the Asian Cup after a heartbreaking loss to Japan. Despite the travel and quick turnaround, she looked composed, intentional, and kept a clean sheet against a star-studded Current.
Sophia Wilson was featured in her first starting lineup since 2024 after giving birth to her daughter, Gigi, a little over 6 months ago. Showing no signs of time off, Sophia continues to pose the largest threat to any unlucky opponent she faces on the field.
Portland remained without Reyna Reyes as she is serving her two-game suspension following the hair-pulling red card against Seattle last weekend. Bogere returned to the starting lineup after serving her own one-game suspension for accumulating two yellow cards in that same match.
Kansas City, which features multiple USWNT stars like Ally Sentnor, Croix Bethune, Michelle Cooper, and Lo’eau LaBonta, couldn't quite put the pieces together as they experienced their third loss out of four games this season. A trend that is unfortunately becoming all too familiar for this team.
From kickoff, Portland looked like they had predetermined the fate of this game as they took control of the match with almost 60% of possessions, forcing KC into a defensive position.
Playing with the confidence of a group that knows without a doubt they are going to win, the pure joy and camaraderie amongst the Thorns was radiant. While the first half didn’t produce a goal, the Thorns showed clear cohesion, building through the midfield and finding space out wide to supply their attackers with exemplary chances.
Kansas City, meanwhile, struggled to generate meaningful attacks, managing just 6 total shots against Portland’s 18.
Momentum continued to build for Portland in the second half as a breakthrough came early when Sophia Wilson was fouled in the box, giving way to an Olivia Moultrie penalty kick.
The 53rd minute brought every keeper's worst nightmare as Moultrie calmly put the first goal of the match neatly into the corner of the net.
Just ten minutes later, Jayden Perry supplied a perfect ball in the 63rd minute so that superstar Reilyn Turner could put up a fearless header to double the lead for Portland, which instantly ignited the crowd.
In the 71st minute, the Current seemed to have given up hope as they subbed off their star players. The Thorns, on the other hand, continued to bring the heat as they subbed on Pietra Tordin for Sophia Wilson.
The Thorns' energy levels never wavered until the final whistle blew, cementing their third win of the season.
