The Portland Thorns travel to New Jersey to face Gotham FC in their regular season finale. With a playoff berth wrapped up, the Thorns have their sights set on the top seed for the playoffs— and with it the 2022 NWSL Shield.

Storylines So Far

The Thorns (10-3-8, 38 points) are on the cusp of winning back-to-back NWSL Shields. All they need to secure it, a first round bye in the playoffs, and the honor of hosting a semifinal game is a win this afternoon. They could lock up all three with a draw (or even a loss), but that relies upon getting some help from elsewhere. The Thorns control their destiny, and today they will decidedly want to capitalize on that.

They face a Gotham FC (4-17-0, 12 points) that is in the midst of one of the worst NWSL seasons experienced by any team. They have only won four times this season, and that was back in early July. They’re the bottom team facing the top team— easy win for Portland, right?

Well... we must remember that NWSL is a chaotic and unpredictable league, and that anything and everything could, and likely will, happen. The Thorns will need to be focused for a full ninety minutes if they want to achieve glory, and set up a redemption playoff run.

Pregame Reading

Melina previewed this afternoon’s clash.

Becky Sauerbrunn re-signed with the Thorns for another year.

The Stumptown Footy crew reviewed the upcoming ESPN investigative documentary into last year’s NWSL abuse scandals.

How to Watch

Location: Red Bull Arena | Harrison, NJ

Time: 3 p.m. PT

Watch: Paramount+, Fox 12 Plus, Evoca

Lineups

Portland Thorns

Gotham FC