Thorns Dethrone San Diego Wave as the Number One Team
Nearly 20,000 fans poured into Providence Park on Wednesday night as first place San Diego Wave faced off against the second place Portland Thorns in an explosive midweek matchup. Sporting the captain’s armband was Jessie Fleming who carried the same quiet confidence which was long associated with her former club and country teammate, Christine Sinclair.
As if the stakes weren’t high enough, USWNT head coach Emma Hayes was in attendance as part of her three game tour following San Diego. During pregame interviews, Emma stated that she loves Providence Park and wants to bring the national team here, but can’t until grass is grown on the field.
The Wave entered this match riding a five game winning streak after handing Portland their only loss of the season just over a month ago at Snapdragon Stadium. It was apparent that redemption was on the Thorns’ minds as they set the tone early and dominated possession from the start.
In the 11th minute, Olivia Moultrie delivered the ball to Marie Müller, who buried her first goal back since returning from a torn ACL and meniscus injury that she suffered while training with the German National Team in February of 2025. From the left edge of the box, Müller curled the ball around the keeper and into the far side of the net.
Her face lit up with pure joy as she locked eyes with Sophia Wilson, who also just got her first goal back against Angel City earlier this week after maternity leave.
In the 63rd minute, Providence Park erupted in cheers as Sophia Wilson scored her first home goal since 2024. She sprinted straight to the bench, where the entire team swarmed her in a group hug.
San Diego pushed harder in the second half, dominating possession and creating some dangerous looks, but Mackenzie Arnold shut down every chance that came her way, and the Thorns ended the night with a 2-0 victory. Redemption was earned for the Thorns, and the prize was a number-one spot at the top of the NWSL leaderboard.
