The Portland Thorns hit the road for their second game of the season and in the Challenge Cup. The Thorns would like to make it two in a row to start the season and put some distance on the top of the table.

The Red Stars drew the Dash on the 9th and now face a strong Thorns squad. After they battle it out with the Thorns, they’ll have to take on Kansas City in the Challenge Cup. The Thorns sit on the top of Group B with three points. The next two closest teams? The same Red Stars and the Houston Dash.

One of the keys to Portland’s success has been the way the black and red have played on set pieces:

“I think we’re always set out to be very, very effective both offensively and defensively off of set pieces,” said Parsons. “You could go since 2016 and look at our crossing free kicks and our attacking corners and say, ‘Well, we are a constant threat.’ Whether it’s been Tobin Heath or Allie Long, or whether it’s been [Meghan] Klingenberg or Rocky Rodriguez, we always look to invest a lot of time and and we really believe in that area of the game, in wanting to be effective.”

You can read the rest of Grant Little’s match preview right here.

Lineups:

Chicago Red Stars

Portland Thorns

Game info

Location: Seat Geek Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
TV: Paramount +
Kick-off: 4:30 Pacific