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Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Portland wins Cascadia rivalry match against Seattle 4-2 in the NWSL
By The Associated Press Reilyn Turner's goal put Portland in front in the first half and the Thorns went on to defeat the rival Seattle Reign 4-2 on Sunday in the National Women's Soccer League. The so-called Cascadia rivalry dates back to the NWSL's first year in 2013. It was the league-high 43rd meeting between the two Pacific Northwest squads.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Portland wins Cascadia rivalry match against Seattle 4-2 in the NWSL
Reilyn Turner's goal put Portland in front in the first half and the Thorns went on to defeat the rival Seattle Reign 4-2 on Sunday in the National Women's Soccer League. The so-called Cascadia rivalry dates back to the NWSL's first year in 2013. It was the league-high 43rd meeting between the two Pacific Northwest squads. Despite temperatures that reached nearly 100 degrees, there were 21,811 fans at Portland's Providence Park for the game, the biggest crowd for an NWSL game this season. It was the second NWSL match of the day. Earlier the Chicago Fire drew 1-1 at home with Bay FC. With the win, the Thorns (7-4-4) remain undefeated at home this season with five wins and three draws. The Reign (7-5-3), who downed the Thorns 1-0 in Seattle earlier this season, jumped in front in the third minute, when Emeri Adames scored into the far corner after a through ball from Jess Fishlock. The Thorns were awarded a penalty when Turner was fouled in the box and captain Sam Coffey calmly converted it in the 18th minute. Turner put the Thorns in front for good in the 26th minute with a goal served to her by Jessie Fleming. After Reyna Reyes scored on a header in the 55th to extend Portland's lead to 3-1, Fishlock got a header for the Reign to pull a goal back in the 64th. Less than a minute later, the Thorns answered with Pietra Tordin's goal for the final margin. The six total goals were the most for a Cascadia match. Former Reign and U.S. national team player Megan Rapinoe and partner Sue Bird, who played for the WNBA's Seattle Storm, were among the fans at the game. Groom's goal pulls Stars into draw Shea Groom scored just before the half and the Chicago Stars played to a 1-1 draw at home with Bay FC in the National Women's Soccer League. Bay (4-6-5) jumped out to the lead in the 29th minute when Taylor Huff scored between the legs of Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. Groom scored her second goal of the season in the 42nd minute, Ally Schlegel intercepted the ball up the field then ran it forward, splitting two defenders on the shot. Chicago (1-9-5) is struggling with just one win this season, sitting second-to-last in the standings above only the Utah Royals. The lone win was a 2-1 decision against Bay FC in the San Jose, California, in April. Chicago forward Mallory Swanson, who is not playing this season because she is pregnant, was at the match. ___ AP soccer:
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Portland wins Cascadia rivalry match against Seattle 4-2 in the NWSL
Reilyn Turner's goal put Portland in front in the first half and the Thorns went on to defeat the rival Seattle Reign 4-2 on Sunday in the National Women's Soccer League. The so-called Cascadia rivalry dates back to the NWSL's first year in 2013. It was the league-high 43rd meeting between the two Pacific Northwest squads. Despite temperatures that reached nearly 100 degrees, there were 21,811 fans at Portland's Providence Park for the game, the biggest crowd for an NWSL game this season. It was the second NWSL match of the day. Earlier the Chicago Fire drew 1-1 at home with Bay FC. With the win, the Thorns (7-4-4) remain undefeated at home this season with five wins and three draws. The Reign (7-5-3), who downed the Thorns 1-0 in Seattle earlier this season, jumped in front in the third minute, when Emeri Adames scored into the far corner after a through ball from Jess Fishlock. The Thorns were awarded a penalty when Turner was fouled in the box and captain Sam Coffey calmly converted it in the 18th minute. Turner put the Thorns in front for good in the 26th minute with a goal served to her by Jessie Fleming. After Reyna Reyes scored on a header in the 55th to extend Portland's lead to 3-1, Fishlock got a header for the Reign to pull a goal back in the 64th. Less than a minute later, the Thorns answered with Pietra Tordin's goal for the final margin. The six total goals were the most for a Cascadia match. Former Reign and U.S. national team player Megan Rapinoe and partner Sue Bird, who played for the WNBA's Seattle Storm, were among the fans at the game. Groom's goal pulls Stars into draw Shea Groom scored just before the half and the Chicago Stars played to a 1-1 draw at home with Bay FC in the National Women's Soccer League. Bay (4-6-5) jumped out to the lead in the 29th minute when Taylor Huff scored between the legs of Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. Groom scored her second goal of the season in the 42nd minute, Ally Schlegel intercepted the ball up the field then ran it forward, splitting two defenders on the shot. Chicago (1-9-5) is struggling with just one win this season, sitting second-to-last in the standings above only the Utah Royals. The lone win was a 2-1 decision against Bay FC in the San Jose, California, in April. Chicago forward Mallory Swanson, who is not playing this season because she is pregnant, was at the match. ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
03-08-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Rodman scores winning goal in return from injury in Spirit's 2-1 win over the Thorns
Trinity Rodman scored in stoppage time of her first game since April to give the Washington Spirit a 2-1 victory over the Portland Thorns in the National Women's Soccer League on Sunday. Rodman was on the bench to begin the game before entering to the roar of the crowd at Audi Field in the 76th minute. Rodman had not played since April 12 because of a nagging back issue. Rodman, who won a gold medal with the United States at the Olympics last summer, buried her head in her hands and sobbed after the goal, her first for the Spirit since last Sept. 15. 'That was the hardest thing I've had to go through, with the injury and everything. So being back, especially at the home stadium with the crowd behind me, scoring a goal like that, you saw I buried it, was not going to miss it,' she said afterward. 'I'm just really happy to be back. I missed the team, I missed doing what I love, so just joy.' The Spirit (8-4-2) moved into second place in the standings with the victory as the team returned from the league's six-week summer break. The Orlando Pride hosted the Utah Royals in Sunday's late match. The Thorns (6-4-4) had won their last two matches before the break. Gift Monday put the Spirit in front in the 17th minute, taking a well-placed cross from Rosemonde Kouassi and easily putting it past Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold. Monday has five goals this season. Although the Spirit dominated early on, Portland tied it up in first-half stoppage time on Olivia Moultrie's bolt from the top of the box. Adrián González, who was the Spirit's interim head coach last year before Jonatan Girladez took over last summer, became the team's permanent head coach last month during the NWSL break when Giraldez was named coach of Lyon in France's top league. Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury surpassed former Spirit player Tori Huster for most minutes played with the club in the second half. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sophia Wilson, Trinity Rodman headline NWSL's class of free agents
NWSL free agency is here and some notable players could potentially be on the move in 2026. The league published its list of eligible players on Tuesday, with Portland Thorn's Sophia Wilson and Washington Spirit's Trinity Rodman headlining this year's class of free agents. Advertisement Other notable free agents include Gotham's Midge Purce, Kansas City Current's Lo'Eau LaBonta and North Carolina Courage's Casey Murphy. This year's free agency will be especially chaotic for teams hoping to keep their biggest stars, as two NWSL expansion sides — Boston Legacy and a still-unnamed team in Denver — are also actively building out rosters for their inaugural seasons next year. Wilson and Rodman make up two-thirds of the USWNT's self-proclaimed Triple Espresso, the attacking trio that steered the team to Olympic gold in Paris last year. Wilson, who is pregnant, has been absent from the pitch this season, while Rodman is expected to make her NWSL return this month after being sidelined since April by a back injury. The Spirit have been vocal about their desire to keep Rodman with the club, with owner Michele Kang saying in March that keeping the 23-year-old was 'important,' after speculation swirled that Rodman may be the next high-profile star to exit the NWSL for Europe. Rodman previously told ESPN she 'always thought about playing overseas at some point in my career.' Advertisement Kang said at the time, 'We're going to do everything in our power to hopefully keep her here. She's an integral part of our success, our success meaning the Spirit as well as NWSL.' Rodman joined Washington in 2021 when the team selected her second in that year's NWSL Draft. Rodman had a contract extension the next year worth a reported $1.1 million. The three-year deal, which had an option for 2025, made the goal scorer the highest-paid player in the league at the time. Wilson, who announced her pregnancy in March, has an extensive resume in the NWSL. She was the league's MVP in 2022, when the Thorns won the NWSL championship. In 2023, her 11 regular-season goals in 17 matches earned her the league's Golden Boot. That same year, she was the only American player on the 2023 Ballon d'Or Feminin finalists list. In 2024, Wilson notched 12 goals across 20 matches for Portland. While the 24-year-old is currently not an active player on Portland's roster, her contract runs through the 2025 season with a player option for 2026. Advertisement Wilson, a native of Windsor, Colo., would be a dream signing for NWSL Denver, especially as the club has been vocal about its desire to build a roster with direct links to Colorado's rich history as a soccer state. Wilson has spent her entire professional career with the Thorns, beginning in 2020. Players who are under contracts that expire at the end of the 2025 season became free agents Tuesday. They can now begin negotiating their contracts for next year with their current or new teams. Clubs have been working around the clock finalizing their rosters ahead of the free agency period, with a flurry of updates released by various teams in recent days. On Monday, Gotham announced the departure of Portuguese forward Jess Silva, who agreed to a six-month contract in the winter. Defender Emerson Elgin and goalkeeper Tyler McCamey, who joined the club as short-term replacement players, have also left the team. The New Jersey club said it's in 'active contract discussions' with all five of its free agents — goalkeeper Ryan Campbell, defender Bruninha and forwards Ella Stevens, Khyah Harper and Purce. Stevens has a mutual option with the club for 2026. Advertisement Free agency for all remains a novel concept in the NWSL, with the league ushering in this era last year thanks to the 2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NWSLPA. Through this CBA, the NWSL became the first American professional sports league to eliminate its college draft, bucking a North American tradition that put the league in line with the mechanics of global soccer. The league also did away with its expansion draft as part of the CBA. With no drafts and with two expansion teams joining the league in 2026, the NWSL recently introduced more mechanisms for player movement. The rare midseason changes, announced last month, introduced intra-league loans and increased spending resources for expansion teams, adding another layer to this year's free agency. Beginning Tuesday, expansion teams have access to $1,065,000 in allocation money, with 50% of these funds provided by the league. The teams have until December 31, 2027, to use all these funds. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Portland Thorns, Washington Spirit, NWSL 2025 The Athletic Media Company
