Players to watch:
Portland forward Sophia Smith put three shots on frame out of seven total last Sunday en route to her first brace of the season. Smith has put 16 shots on target this season, second only to Mallory Pugh’s 17 shots on target. Smith leads the team in goals (six), assists (two) and total shots (24) as well, setting the benchmark for the Thorns in their eight games played to date.
Orlando goalkeeper Erin McLeod conceded a tough-to-stop shot from outside the box by Pugh in their 1-0 loss last Sunday. McLeod has seen the most shots on target from outside the box (14), but consequently, has also allowed the most goals from outside the box (4) among NWSL goalkeepers this season. The Pride have only kept one clean sheet in their eight games played this season – a 1-0 away win at Angel City in the second game of the regular season.
Match facts:
Portland Thorns FC welcomes the Orlando Pride to Providence Park to kick off Sunday’s three-game slate across the league, with the Thorns seeking to extend their unbeaten run to five games while the Pride look to bounce back off consecutive losses to Houston and Chicago.
The Thorns have scored multiple goals in four straight games (W2 D2). If they score multiple times against the Pride, it will mark the first time Portland has scored multiple goals in five straight in a single NWSL regular season.
Meanwhile, Orlando has gone scoreless in its last two outings, losing by a combined 6-0 score in those games. The only time the Pride have gone three straight games in the same season without scoring was from late May to mid-June in 2016, their first season in the NWSL.
Portland has won nine times and lost only twice against Orlando in 13 regular season games in the NWSL (D2). Since Orlando joined the league in 2016, Portland has won more games against one other club in regular season play, the Houston Dash (W11 in 16 games).
