Somebody fire up the Blood Smoke! The Thorns are at it again!
Somebody fire up the Blood Smoke! The Thorns are at it again! Photo courtesy Portland Thorns FC

In a thrilling every-second-counts match, the Thorns were victorious over Chicago 1-0. Providence Park was packed with 14 thousand plus fans on Saturday, all there to watch Portland star forward Nadia Nadim hammer in ANOTHER penalty kick. KEEP EM COMINā€™

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
I reported on this game remotely from my birthday Baycation in beautiful Berkeley, California. Plain and simple: I needed a sunburn and some flip flop weather. This long, wet winter weakened me to a pale, layered mess. My translucent skin ached for some color, and squirting vitamin D into my eyes was not helping, so I had to take matters into my own hands. Now this was my first opportunity to watch the Thorns play on the Lifetime Television Network, and while there were some wonderful analysis and background on the players, I can once again say with conviction, NOTHING BEATS A LIVE GAME AT PROVIDENCE PARK.

HALF AND HALF
There were some close calls and some encouraging opportunities in the first half. Both teams possessed the ball with command and things felt pretty equal when the teams left for the locker rooms after the first 45. The Thorns midfield kept consistent service to the box, but the organization was choppy and unstable. It wasn't until the last seven or so minutes that things seemed to be falling into place. Our defense seemed stretched, frustrated, and in need of support. Chicago forward Christen Press kept knocking and Julie Ertz (formally Johnson) foiled many connecting opportunities for the Portland midfielders. Thorns maintained possession 62% of the first half and had four corner kicks to Chicagoā€™s two. It was in that fourth corner kick that a handball was called in the box, enacting a penalty kick for the Thorns. AND WHO DO YOU KNOW THAT NEARLY NEVER MISSES PENALTY KICKS? Nadia Nadim put away her second PK this season. PARTY TRUMPET EMOJIS

Nadia Nadim picks up another PK for the Thorns in the first half!
Nadia Nadim picks up another PK for the Thorns in the first half! Photo courtesy Portland Thorns FC

The second half was fast and at times wild. The entire Thorns squad seemed hungry for a goal, but there was one Thorn who passed hungry and was straight-up HANGRY. Somebody get Hayley Raso a Cliff Bar! This was Rasoā€™s first start of the year. She and Mallory Weber have been fighting for this starting position and Raso showed her worth for the entire match. She brandished speed, control, and fighter's precision the whole game. She created some crucial opportunities throughout the first and second half and kept the squad on the move.

FANCY FRANCHY
Iā€™ve expressed my unease with Portland goalkeeper Adrianna Franchā€™s style in a previous blog AND BOY DID I HEAR ABOUT IT. So I want to roll out some credit where credit is due... Franch had some terrific saves on Saturday. Were there some dangerous opportunities created by Portlandā€™s defense? SURE. But Franch made some impressive saves in the air and kept the Red Stars scoreless.

Adrianna Franch kept the Red Stars scoreless Saturday!
Adrianna Franch kept the Red Stars scoreless Saturday! Photo courtesy Portland Thorns FC

ANTICIPATION STATION
I anticipated a tight match against the Red Stars. But with only 10 teams in the league and increased international players joining the NWSL ranks, I think every game will be intense. And while it's still early in the season, most weeks the rankings are only a one point difference. Also keep in mind that we have a handful of starters that are out with injury (Tobin Heath, Dagny Brynjarsdottir, Katherine Reynolds), so I anticipate lots of tight matches and some new stars shining through this season.

BRING ON THE REIGN
Get your tickets now for Saturday, May 6 to watch the Portland Thorns play the Seattle Reign here at Providence Park. The Reign were handed their first loss this past weekend, but they've also managed some convincing wins this season. Itā€™s always a passionate match when we play Seattleā€”so donā€™t delay on getting those tickets! TICKETS HERE!