Hammered Rivets: Royals looking plebeian

The week started with a Royal Wedding in England and ended with a Royals Whipping in Portland. The match ended 2-0 for the Thorns. Becky Sauerbrunn saved face for the Utahns by saving a third goal, with her face.

The evening ended on a no-class note as the Royals bench players ran their post-game laps directly into the assembled Thorns at the north end, complete with mocking gestures. Needless to say, this displeased the Riveters immensely. One of the players involved, Katie Stengel, then doubled down with a tweet making herself out as a victim.

Once the Royals’ shenanigans ended, the Riveters enjoyed the usual post-game festivities, including a reprise of Edie Parsons conducting the final cheers.

The Numbers

The Memorial Day weekend put a dent in league attendance. The Thorns drew 15,113, putting us 3.7% behind last year’s attendance to this point. There were three matches on Wednesday and they all had season-low attendance: Orlando with 3,104, Houston with 2,376 and Washington with 2,433. The weekend had a better showing with Chicago drawing 5,047, their best since opening day, for a goal-filled loss to Orlando. Sky Blue had a season-best 2,814, while Houston attracted a second-best 4,045.

The league total is now up 15% over 2017, down again from last week. Two of the MLS-affiliated sides, Orlando and Houston, are dragging down the league with more than 40% declines from 2017 attendance.

The Chicago-Orlando match was Lifetime’s Game of the Week. Due to the holiday weekend, the ratings are not available as of press time. I promise I’ll include them in the next edition.

Up Next

Wednesday is a big match! The North Carolina Courage bring their unbeaten record to Providence Park for our final match before the international friendlies. Lately, every match between the Courage and Thorns has been an epic affair and this one promises to be no different. Kickoff is at 7:30 pm, gates open at 6:00, and the webcast is on Go90.

After the international break, play will resume June 16 away at Chicago. Every goal scored by the Thorns in June has extra value. The Riveters are participating in Prideraiser to support Outside In. So far, more than $500 per goal has been pledged. You can add your pledge here.

Once again, the Riveters are collecting shelf-stable convenience food items for NW Impact in aid of the homeless and people temporarily displaced. They need single-service items that are easy to open and don’t require more than microwaving. Please bring your donation to the Fanladen (corner of 17^th and Alder) before the match.

Onward Rose City!