Rose City Roundup: NWSL Playoffs Edition

The Thorns will face Kansas City tomorrow in the first round (also known as the semifinals) of the NWSL playoffs. Slide Rule Pass looks back at all of the Thorns' meetings with Kansas City this season, to see what we can learn before we face them in the first ever NWSL playoff game.

Ahead of the match, FCKC is winning all the NWSL awards. Seriously, all of them. And the USWNT roster for their friendly on September 3rd features a number of FCKC players, while a certain Thorns midfielder is missing.

I guess there's a non-Thorns playoff game tomorrow too? Soccer By Ives has previews of both games.

With the NWSL regular season officially over, at least one team is definitely not concerned about their head coach: Laura Harvey has signed a four-year extension with Seattle Reign FC.

The Philadelphia Union is taking a big step with their youth academy next month, when they will open their own high school.

Major League Soccer's TV ratings are still pretty bad. They're going to have to make some concessions if they want to change that, but can they afford to do so?

Over on a couple other SB Nation MLS blogs: Hot Time in Old Town takes a look at carryover minutes, an important statistic in determining a team's success in MLS and Quake Rattle and Roll has a detailed timeline of the ongoing disagreement between the San Jose Earthquakes front office and the 1906 Ultras, as well as a look at the varying views on the issue. I've been intrigued by this saga, especially given that the incidents in Portland have played.

And in CONCACAF news, El Salvador has suspended 22 of their players for alleged match-fixing.