Players to watch:
In Portland’s 1-1 draw with Houston last weekend, attacker Crystal Dunn became the 11th player to score at least 40 career goals in NWSL play (regular season and playoffs). Of those 40 goals, 22 have come with Dunn’s left foot, the third-most left-footed goals in NWSL history (including playoffs), behind Alex Morgan (41) and Marta (24). The club is led in scoring by forward Sophia Smith, who has netted four goals in three regular season games with only one of those coming from the penalty spot.
Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo scored on a penalty kick just 2:42 into Louisville’s 2-2 draw with Angel City. The goal was the second earliest penalty kick from kickoff in an NWSL game ever (Lo’eau LaBonta – 2:33 for Kansas City vs. Racing Louisville last season). DeMelo is one of four goalscorers on the year for Racing, with teammates Kirsten Davis, Abby Erceg, and Ary Borges all finding the back of the net.
Match facts: Saturday’s curtain closer pits Portland Thorns FC against Racing Louisville FC at Providence Park, with Portland looking to extend its regular season unbeaten run to four games after wins over Orlando and Kansas City, while Racing Louisville enter looking to achieve the same feat but after three consecutive draws.
The Thorns are on a great run to start of the year. Portland has lost just three times in its last 29 regular season matches (W13 D13), dating back to 2021. The only NWSL team to ever have three or fewer losses in a 30-game span in NWSL history is the Courage who did so multiple times spanning 2017 through 2019. In addition, the club’s nine goals through three games include two games in which they scored four goals.
On the other side, Racing Louisville has tied all three of its matches in league play this season with the last two coming by a 2-2 scoreline. It is the first time in NWSL history that a team has started a season with three straight draws. While it was a two-goal comeback against Washington at the beginning of April for its first 2-2 draw, most recently, it was a two-goal cushion that Racing let go in order for Angel City to earn their own comeback draw.
The Thorns have won all four their NWSL meetings with Racing Louisville, scoring multiple goals in each game while allowing just one goal in total. Portland has never won five straight regular season games while scoring multiple goals in each match against a single opponent.
