SeatGeek Stadium | Bridgeview, Illinois – Sunday, June 18 at 6:00 PM ET
Players to watch:
The Red Stars have fielded 27 players in at least one game for the side in all competitions with season with 26 of those having at least one start. Both of those figures are the most in NWSL this season ahead of Orlando (26 players, 25 starters). Of those players, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher has stood out with her 43 saves in the regular season putting her at third in the league in that category.
Playing in her 50th career regular season match in NWSL, Portland forward Sophia Smith scored her 27thgoal of her NWSL career. The only players with at least that many goals in their first 50 NWSL matches were Christen Press (29) and Kim Little (29), both of whom played professionally prior to NWSL unlike Smith.
Match facts: The Chicago Red Stars host Portland Thorns FC in a Sunday evening showdown at SeatGeek Stadium. The Red Stars have won two out of their last three in the league (L1), while Portland has won two of their last three across all competitions (L1). Chicago currently sit in 10th place with 10 points from 11 games while Portland is up to 3rd place with 19 points from 11 games, just a point off 1st place San Diego.
Chicago’s last league match was a 5-0 loss to North Carolina, which was the first time the Red Stars had lost by five or more goals in a home game (all NWSL competitions). It was the second time Chicago had conceded 5+ goals in a home game, tying Portland and Washington for most in league history.
The Thorns are coming off a loss of their own, falling 3-1 to Orlando over the weekend, the team’s first loss by multiple goals in any competition sine a 2-0 loss to the Wave last August. The loss to the Pride was Portland’s 18th consecutive road regular season game with a goal, however, the longest such streak in NWSL history.
Portland scored a 4-0 home win over Chicago last month and has lost just twice in 25 regular season meetings with the Red Stars (W13 D10). The 23 games avoiding defeat are the most by any NWSL team against a single opponent, three more than any other fixture.
