Venue: Providence Park — Portland, Oregon
Scheduled Kickoff: 7:00 PM PT / 10:00 PM ET
Surface: Artificial turf
Capacity: ~25,000
Atmosphere: One of the loudest and most intimidating home environments in NWSL
Weather Forecast — Portland, OR
Temperature: 79°F at kickoff
Humidity: 52%
Wind: 5 mph WNW
Rain Chance: <10%
Conditions Impact:
Ideal playing conditions
Turf surface increases ball speed
Favors high‑tempo, possession‑heavy teams like Gotham
Injury Report
NJ/NY Gotham FC
Lynn Williams — FW: Active
Rose Lavelle — MF: Active
Estelle Johnson — DF: Active
Abby Smith — GK: Active
Tierna Davidson — DF: Day‑to‑day (hip tightness)
Injuries:
Midge Purce — FW: Out (ACL recovery)
Sinead Farrelly — MF: Out (back)
Portland Thorns FC
Sophia Smith — FW: Active
Morgan Weaver — FW: Active
Sam Coffey — MF: Active
Becky Sauerbrunn — DF: Active
Injuries:
Christine Sinclair — MF: Out (knee)
Meghan Klingenberg — DF: Day‑to‑day (ankle)
Key Tactical Matchups
1. Sophia Smith (POR) vs. Tierna Davidson / Estelle Johnson (GOTH)
Smith is the most dangerous attacker in this match.
Gotham’s back line must avoid isolation situations; Smith thrives in 1v1s.
If Davidson is limited, Gotham’s defensive stability drops significantly.
2. Lynn Williams (GOTH) vs. Becky Sauerbrunn (POR)
Williams’ pace vs Sauerbrunn’s elite positioning is a classic matchup.
Williams excels in transition; Portland must avoid midfield turnovers.
3. Midfield Engine: Rose Lavelle (GOTH) vs. Sam Coffey (POR)
Lavelle’s creativity vs Coffey’s control and defensive range.
Whoever wins this duel dictates tempo and chance creation.
Coffey’s ability to break Gotham’s press is crucial.
4. Goalkeepers: Abby Smith (GOTH) vs. Shelby Hogan (POR)
Smith has been one of the league’s best shot‑stoppers in 2026.
Hogan is solid but less consistent under high‑shot volume.
Recent Team Form
NJ/NY Gotham FC (9‑3‑3)
Last 5 matches: 3‑1‑1
Goals For: 24
Goals Against: 15
Road Record: 4‑2‑2
Form Summary:
Elite defensive structure
Lavelle in top creative form
Williams generating high‑value chances
Missing Purce reduces wing explosiveness
Portland Thorns FC (8‑5‑3)
Last 5 matches: 3‑2‑0
Goals For: 27
Goals Against: 22
Home Record: 5‑2‑1
Form Summary:
Smith in MVP‑level form
Coffey controlling midfield
Defense occasionally vulnerable to pace
Strong home performances
Series History
2024–2026 Meetings: Gotham leads 3‑2‑2
At Providence Park: Portland leads 2‑1‑1
Scoring Trends:
Average goals per match: 3.0
Portland averages 1.7 goals at home vs Gotham
Gotham’s press has historically disrupted Portland’s build‑up
This is one of the league’s most competitive modern rivalries.
Betting Trends
Portland overs hit in 7 of last 10 matches
Gotham unders hit in 6 of last 10 due to defensive strength
Portland has scored in 10 straight home matches
Gotham has earned points in 6 of last 7 road matches
MATCH ODDS
NJ/NY Gotham FC + 185
Portland Thorns + 125
Draw + 240
Over 2.5 – 125 Under 2.5 + 105
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Thursday, July 23, 2026
