Season-High Crowd Witnesses Portland Thorns-Sky Blue FC Draw

PORTLAND, OREGON (June 27, 2018) — Despite a season-high crowd of 18,237 fans at Providence Park, the Portland Thorns could not claim victory over last-place Sky Blue FC.

Sky Blue has earned their third point of the season with the 1-1 draw.

Lindsey Horan Scores in Portland Thorns-Sky Blue FC Draw

After a late first-half goal scored by Lindsey Horan, off an assist from Christine Sinclair, Sky Blue FC rolled out their attack. In the second half, Celeste Boureille gave up a foul in the box, with referee Ekaterina Koroleva pointing to the penalty spot.

Carli Lloyd lined up to take the kick, sending it past Thorns goalkeeper Adrianna Franch. The goalkeeper returned to the starting lineup on June 23 after a meniscus tear in her knee sidelined her. Franch made three saves in her second match back.

After the match, Thorns Head Coach Mark Parsons said that missed opportunities and getting “way too open at the end of the game” cost Portland the victory.

“Outside of those two things, this felt like a Thorns home game from last year,” Parsons said. “This felt like total dominance, being really dangerous, being really great at dealing with the counterattack. We didn’t feel their threat.”

Horan and defender Meghan Klingenberg also shared their frustrations. Klingenberg even went so far as to say that she was “mad.”

“I know we’re better,” Klingenberg said. “We know we’re better. I’m tired of mistakes preventing us from getting the three points. This is all on us.”

Meanwhile, Denise Reddy, Sky Blue FC head coach, said that in the second half there was a shift in mentality and focus.

“We started on our back foot tonight and were defending a bit too much,” Reddy said. “In the second half, we were pressing them on every situation, and we were really getting out on the front foot. It was a great performance in the second half, and we may have deserved more than just a point.”

“To come into an environment like Portland tonight and get a result really says a lot about the character of our team.”

.@SkyBlueFC is on the board! Carli Lloyd earns the PK and powers it into the corner past Franch for the equalizer.#PORvNJ | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/nWHZsChFtN

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 28, 2018

Three Takeaways

Parsons pulling a Jill Ellis: It must be a trend in women’s soccer, especially in the United States, to play certain players out of position. Last season, Angela Salem was the top player for the Boston Breakers as a midfielder. However, Salem, who finally got more than just extra time minutes against Sky Blue, relieved Emily Sonnett of her defensive duties before halftime kicked off.
Rocky still being used as a substitute: Don’t be surprised if Raquel Rodriguez is the next player to shift clubs this season or the off-season. Hardly used under Reddy, Rodriguez is a star midfielder/forward for Costa Rica. However, Rodriguez could shock all and go back to play club in Costa Rica.
The beginning of a downfall? The 1-1 draw certainly has some heads turning in the NWSL. Portland, normally a dominant team, couldn’t pull three points out of a match with the last place team. This is a Sky Blue team that is still waiting for their first victory. Could this be the beginning of a downfall?