Thorns vs. Spirit canceled; Portland awarded three points

The National Women’s Soccer League announced today that the Portland Thorns would be awarded three points in the league table as their postponed match against the Washington Spirit was canceled. Per FIFA guidelines, the game will be recorded as 3-0 in favor of Portland. The league has also issued the Washington Spirit a $25,000 fine for breach of the league’s medical protocols. Portland now has 38 points through 18 matches.

The league first announced Saturday, Sep. 11, that OL Reign were awarded three points after the Reign’s match against Washington was canceled. The match was declared a forfeit by the NWSL due to breaches of the league’s medical protocols. Per FIFA guidelines, the match was recorded as a 3-0 win for the Reign.

The Portland players didn’t react kindly to the news. Christine Sinclair was the first to speak out about the decision and the different treatment of the Thorns’ case. Sophia Smith, Kelli Hubly and Morgan Weaver were some of the players that rallied around Sinclair’s initial tweet.

Five days after the league declared the match between the Reign and Spirit a forfeit in favor of the Reign, the Thorns v. Spirit match was declared a forfeit, and Portland were awarded three points and a 3-0 win.

The Thorns press release stated, “Credit for the missed game will be applied to the accounts of Annual Members. Those who purchased individual tickets or groups will receive an account credit that can be applied at their discretion this season or in 2022.”

The NWSL’s full press release can be accessed here.