Portland Thorns Schedule Released; Are You Ready for the Reign?

The Portland Thorns tweeted about their home opener yesterday, but today the full schedule came out for the 2016 NWSL season.

The Thorns will kick things off this year at home on April 17th with the arrival of new NWSL side, the Orlando Pride, giving Thorns fans a chance to see superstar Alex Morgan once again after the blockbuster trade at the center of the reshaping of the Thorns' roster. Certainly Thorns fans will be looking forward to the opportunity to thank Morgan for helping to bring up and coming young attacker Lindsey Horan, FIFA World Best XI defender Meghan Klingenberg, and new USWNT call up Emily Sonnett all to the side.

Of course, Morgan's return is not the only notable thing about this season.

Standing out big among the Thorns' twenty matches this year four against the Seattle Reign. The two sides will face off twice in May, once in July, and once in August, with their two summer matches bookending the league's break for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Also eye catching is the Thorns' four game road swing following the home opener, sending the side to face defending champs FC Kansas City, the Boston Breakers, the Western New York Flash, and finally their first match against the Reign. This will be balanced out by a home-heavy second half to the season as the Thorns will finish out the year while playing three of their final four at home.

The Thorns' last home game of the year will be against the Flash, after which they will on the road to end the regular season with an away game against Sky Blue FC.

The Thorns' press release:

THORNS FC ANNOUNCE SCHEDULE FOR 2016 NWSL SEASON 
Club opens fourth NWSL campaign against expansion side Orlando Pride, squares off against Cascadia rival Seattle Reign FC four times 

PORTLAND, Ore. – The National Women’s Soccer League today unveiled the full 20-game, 2016 regular-season schedule for Portland Thorns FC. Portland kicks off the 2016 season at Providence Park against expansion side Orlando Pride on Sunday, April 17; kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (Pacific).

Thorns FC will play 10 home matches and 10 away matches during the six-month season. The 10-team league features a single table and Thorns FC will play an unbalanced schedule, featuring a home and away meeting with eight of the nine teams in the league, while Portland will square off against Cascadia rival Seattle Reign FC four times during the regular season – twice at Providence Park and twice at Memorial Stadium in Seattle. Portland plays host to Seattle on May 29 and July 30, while Thorns FC are on the road against Reign FC on May 14 and Aug. 27.

Single-game tickets for the 2016 season go on sale March 15 at 10 a.m. (Pacific) and will be available online at thornsfc.com, at the Providence Park box office or by calling (888) 736-6849. A presale will take place March 14 for Thorns FC season ticket holders with more details to follow.

Season ticket packages for Thorns FC start at $105. Fans interested in purchasing Thorns FC season tickets are encouraged to call the ticket office at (503) 553-5555 or email ticketsales@timbers.com. Additionally, single-game tickets and tournament ticket packages for the club’s preseason tournament March 27-April 2 at Providence Park are available online at thornsfc.com. 

The 2016 schedule will completely avoid league play in the regular season during all FIFA dates. In addition, the NWSL will take a 25-day break from August 1 through August 25 during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil. The League will play approximately 74 matches prior to the Olympic break and 26 matches following it.

Portland plays home matches on three different days of the week this season, including eight weekend contests. In addition to playing four Saturday home games, Thorns FC play host to four Sunday fixtures at Providence Park.

Thorns FC conclude the regular season with three of their final four games at home before closing out their regular-season slate on the road against Sky Blue FC on Sept. 25.

Schedule Breakdown:
Home Dates by Day of the Week:
Wednesday (2), Saturday (4), Sunday (4)

Road Dates by Day of the Week:
Friday (1), Saturday (5), Sunday (4) 

Home Dates by Month:
April (1), May (2), June (1), July (3), August (0), September (3) 

Road Dates by Month:
April (1), May (3), June (3), July (1), August (1), September (1)

League Opponents Played Twice at Home:
Seattle Reign FC

League  Opponents Played Twice Away:
Seattle Reign FC

League Opponents Played Once at Home: 
Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Kansas City, Houston Dash, Orlando Pride, Sky Blue FC, Washington Spirit, Western New York Flash

League Opponents Played Once Away: 
Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Kansas City, Houston Dash, Orlando Pride, Sky Blue FC, Washington Spirit, Western New York Flash

2016 Portland Thorns FC Schedule (home matches in bold, CAPS)

Date	Opponent	Kickoff (Pacific)	Venue
Sun., April 17	ORLANDO PRIDE	7 p.m.	Providence Park
Sat., April 23	@FC Kansas City	TBD	Swope Soccer Village
Sun., May 1	@Boston Breakers	TBD	Jordan Field
Sat., May 7	@Washington Spirit	TBD	Maryland SoccerPlex
Sat., May 14	@Seattle Reign FC	TBD	Memorial Stadium
Sat., May 21	WASHINGTON SPIRIT	7 p.m.	Providence Park
Sun., May 29	SEATTLE REIGN FC	4 p.m.	Providence Park
Sun., June 12	@Chicago Red Stars	TBD	Toyota Park
Fri., June 17	@Western New York Flash	TBD	Sahlen’s Stadium
Wed., June 22	CHICAGO RED STARS	7 p.m.	Providence Park
Sun., June 26	@Orlando Pride	TBD	Citrus Bowl
Sat., July 2	SKY BLUE FC	7:30 p.m.	Providence Park
Sat., July 9	FC KANSAS CITY	7:30 p.m.	Providence Park
Sat., July 16	@Houston Dash	TBD	BBVA Compass Stadium
Sat., July 30	SEATTLE REIGN FC	7:30 p.m.	Providence Park
Sat., Aug. 27	@Seattle Reign FC	TBD	Memorial Stadium
Sun., Sept. 4	BOSTON BREAKERS	4 p.m.	Providence Park
Wed., Sept. 7	HOUSTON DASH	7 p.m.	Providence Park
Sun., Sept. 11	WESTERN NEW YORK FLASH	6:30 p.m.	Providence Park
Sun., Sept. 25	@Sky Blue FC	TBD	Yurcak Field