There is a lot about soccer that makes it different from any other sport, but one thing that always stands out is that some of the biggest moments are in response to potential. Scoring a goal will always get the strongest celebration, but fans spend a lot of those 90-plus minutes reacting to what might happen.

Right now, there’s a lot that might happen for the Portland Thorns. An appearance in the playoffs is all but assured (the Thorns are ranked fifth in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) right now, and the top eight teams will make it in.) But they might crack the top four, which would mean hosting a playoff game at Providence Park.

With two home games and two away games left on the docket, there’s hope the Thorns might win at home, but doing so has been a problem this season. 

The team has struggled a bit since Olivia Moultrie suffered a season-ending ACL tear in her right knee last month. This season has been all about developing new chemistry anyway, in light of Sam Coffey’s departure for Manchester City, and the team has been open about the time it will take for someone else to step into those outsized shoes as a leader.

That was top of mind for Jayden Perry and Marie Müller last week after the Thorns’ 1-1 draw against the Houston Dash during their more recent home game on Sept. 26. “Right now, we are such a young team,” said Müller while speaking to reporters after the game. “Everyone is bringing something on the table… we don’t have, maybe, the leaders who are super loud, but I think Jay [Perry], for example, is one of our leaders.”

Head coach Robert Vilahamn also touched on Coffey’s leadership. “I think when you lose those leaders like [Christine] Sinclair … and then Coffey last year, you cannot replace them with the same new leader,” he said. “So, sometimes you need to find and sign players that are maybe captains in their teams, or something like that, or you need to develop leaders. I think we have signed quite young players, good characters, good players, but we haven’t signed a new captain yet.” 

Perry denied there is a piece of the puzzle missing for the Thorns, and insisted that losses and draws come down to something else: consistency.

“I mean, I feel like that’s soccer,” Perry said. “Sometimes the better team just doesn’t win and that’s how it goes … I wouldn’t say there is necessarily a certain piece that is not working.” 

The second half of the Thorns-Dash game offered more of what the team needed to produce, and what Vilahamn wanted to see. “I think we built on the last 10 minutes of the first half where we felt like we got it right,” he said of the team’s performance in the latter part of the game. 

The goal then became adjusting the Dash’s “plays in the pocket” and being more aggressive. “Overall, the second half [was] one of the best halves we’ve done in a long time,” Vilahamn added. “It’s not enough to win a game, though.”

“We really wanted to have a win today,” he later said. “It was a disappointment to not win the game.”

The trouble is, everyone wants to win, and everyone in the NWSL is good. Vilahamn explained that every team in the NWSL has “a very competitive roster.” Though the Thorns are a “top team,” they are still competing with “bottom teams every game.” 

The Thorns may know when they’ve lost to a team they should’ve beaten, but things aren’t that black and white. “It doesn’t work like that,” Vilahamn said. “You need to make sure you execute your chances. Otherwise, the teams are good enough to actually take a point, or take a win against you.”

Perry and Müller emphasized the team’s biggest goal is getting to enjoy a playoff game at home. “It’s so tight right now in the table,” Perry said. “Every game matters right now.”

To get into the top four and stay there, the Thorns will need to start racking up wins. They’ll get their first shot Saturday, Oct. 3, when they host the Boston Legacy at Providence Park. The match begins at 5:45 pm, and tickets start at $21.