The Thorns Prediction Game: Reading the PTFC Leaves – Matchday 19

The Thorns flew across the country to play Sky Blue in a rainstorm with four key players away on national team duty. They were thoroughly outplayed for 83 minutes, but those other seven minutes were enough to take the win. Robboss was our winner, with the correct score, a correct goal scorer, and the most-rec’d tale of the Thorns adopting the third-world SBFC players for a better life in Portland. The week prior, I goofed up the scoring for our leaders. That is corrected and here is our current table. It’s tight at the top! The “middle of the pack” spot is held by ccccccc.

The Thorns again travel cross-country, to visit the league-bossing North Carolina Courage. Both teams are likely to have their full rosters available, barring any last-minute Tournament of Nations injuries. This includes Caitlin Foord, who may make her Thorns debut. A result will put Portland in a good position to host a home playoff game; a loss hands the Courage the NWSL Shield. The Courage have lost but a single match all year. Can the Thorns make it a double?

How this works:

Add a comment to this post. In the comment title put your predicted result, for example 3-1 Thorns.

In the body of your comment, start with the goals and assists, like so:

Lussi (Klingenberg)

AMC (Free kick)

Heath (Unassisted)

McDonald (PK)

Next, name the first yellow card recipient: First yellow to Dahlkemper

Then reds, if any. (NOTE: no points awarded for correctly calling a red-card-free match, so take a guess.) Zerboni gets a red for tripping Lussi on the edge of the box.

Make your fun prediction:

Paul Riley is so pleased that his B-team won the ICC, he starts them against the full-strength Thorns. It doesn’t go well.

Lastly, please recommend one of the other players’ fun prediction.

Scoring:

· Correct score: 5 points

· Correct result (draw/win/loss): 3 points

· Each clean sheet: 2 points

· Each goal-scorer: 1 point

· Each FK/PK/assist/lack of assist: 1 point

· Goal/assist bonus: 1 point

· Player with the first yellow card of the match: 1 point

· Each player with a red card: 1 point (Cannot earn points for predicting 0 red cards)

· Most recommended/most outrageously accurate prediction: 2 points

Some ground rules and explanations/clarifications (the fine print):

Comments must be posted before kickoff, but you can edit or amend an earlier prediction right up to the starting whistle.

Keep your scoreline predictions realistic. No crazy scores just to pad out your odds of getting goals and assists.

The goal/assist bonus is an additional point if you predict the correct scorer and assistant on the same goal, for example, you say Onumonu scores from an Horan assist and that is exactly what happens.

Be clear whether you think a goal will be unassisted, assisted, or from a PK/FK. Unassisted = no assist, run of play; Assisted = player who got the assist; PK/FK = not in run of play. For the purposes of this thread, Penalty Kick and Free Kick are the same thing. No entry means unassisted.

Have fun, tell your friends, let me know if you have any questions or if I screw up your score.