Deadlock Delight
The Thorns equal the Courage in a game that was way more action-packed than its 0-0 scoreline
Game #3: Thorns 0 - Courage 0
0 wins - 2 draws - 1 loss
2 points | 11th place
Nobody is ever rooting for a 0-0 tie when they watch a soccer game. But, as far as 0-0 ties go, this was a pretty phenomenal one, with consistent end-to-end action throughout the entire game, and 34 total shots between the teams. Although the Thorns sit at a relatively low 11th place, this is the second game in a row where I emerge feeling optimistic about the season.
This game saw an uncommon number of very high-level saves coming from defenders. The first one was the unquestioned highlight of Isabella Obaze’s tenure in Portland. In the 24th minute, her precise sliding tackle deflected away a goal-line tip-in from (former Thorn) Hannah Betfort. In the second half, many of the Thorns’ most dangerous shots of the day also all managed to be deflected by North Carolina defenders before they even got to Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy.
Portland’s goalkeeper, Mackenzie Arnold, also created her own highlight of her time with the Thorns. In the 76th minute, Jaedyn Shaw went up to the spot for North Carolina, after Reyna Reyes was given a penalty that was only awarded after video assistance. Arnold made a no-doubt save on the shot, making her 2-for-2 on penalty kick saves in the NWSL, and preserving the point for the team. (Arnold is 3-for-3 if you add an additional save from this preseason.)
Whenever a team goes all-in on an ultra-young rebuild, as the Thorns did before the season, falling into a deep, dark last place is definitely a possibility. It does look like the Thorns are more likely to jump into a fight for the final playoff seed than to have that type of total downer season.
Getting quantity over quality
There’s reasons to be optimistic — and there are, still, a ton of areas for improvement. One area is, without a doubt, getting into a positive possession out of the team’s own goal kicks, instead of quickly turning the ball over, which is happening shockingly often. (Funny enough, that was a surprising hang-up of the 2022 championship team. It still seems to be an issue even though the coach, general manager, owner, and about 80% of the players have changed in those short few years.)
Another issue is going to be working to get higher quality of shots in the attacking third, and not firing off quickly from long-range.
Now, when it comes to the quantity of shots the Thorns are getting, everything is going great. In fact, Portland is actually leading the entire league in this category, with 51 shots. Honestly: this is huge. A team doesn’t lead the league in this stat without a huge percentage of the lineup contributing to a positive attack. When it comes to shot-creating actions per minute — either setting up a teammate, or setting up your own shot with a one-on-one take-on — there are Thorns all over the league leaderboard:
#2 - Olivia Moultrie
#4 - Reilyn Turner
#16 - Sam Coffey
#21 - Hina Sugita
#31 - Reyna Reyes
#32 - Kaitlyn Torpey
(Pietra Tordin and Mallie McKenzie are also performing excellently in this stat, but haven’t played enough minutes to qualify.)
The next step in the team’s development is: getting accurate with these shots. In this game, only 2 out of the team’s 19 shots were on-target, requiring a save by Murphy. Now, that number is ever-so-slightly deceiving: the handful of shots Courage defenders skillfully deflected away don’t get filed, in the ol’ stats machine, as a shot on-target. Those shots don’t get to the goalkeeper, or the goal — even though they really were high-quality chances by the Thorns.
But, it definitely is a problem on the year: Portland is last in the league in their total percentage of shots that are on-target, at 27.5%. The team also ranks 11th out of 14 teams when it comes to how far away their average shot comes from the goal, at 18.9 yards. That is, yes, outside of the penalty box. It’s good to know that the league-leading teams in this stat are usually between 15 and 16 yards away with their average shot. It seems like it could be more valuable for the Thorns to fight for those three extra yards — even if it does mean running into some defenders and losing some shot opportunities overall.
Up next
Just when we were starting to roll with the momentum of the new season — it’s already time to hit the brakes for a national team window. This weekend, I count an astonishing ten Thorns who are headed out and about around the globe. When you actually write it all out, I am always really struck by what a huge logistical effort it has to be just to get everybody to the right practices and games around the world. Then there’s the actual, you know, games.
Reyna Reyes will join the Mexican national team for a pair of friendlies against Jamaica. These are going to take place in America, in Kansas City and Houston.
Jessie Fleming and the newest Thorn, Mimi Alidou, will join the Canadian national team for a pair of friendlies against Argentina. This is a relatively short trip, with both games in British Columbia.
Caiya Hanks, Olivia Moultrie, and Reilyn Turner will go down to Los Angeles for something new: a training-camp only session for what is technically a youth team, America’s U-23 squad. This is a new idea created by USWNT coach Emma Hayes. Recently, at the SheBelieves Cup, the senior American team pretty much was an under-23 group. This is an opportunity for some additional, formal development of America’s talent pipeline.
Sam Coffey is also traveling to California, but for the senior American team, as they play two friendlies against Brazil.
Isabella Obaze will be joining Denmark for two games in the UEFA Nations League — which is something in a nebulous gray area between a tournament and exhibition games. It’s a long trip for Obaze, with a road game against Wales, and then a Danish home game against Italy.
Mackenzie Arnold and Kaitlyn Torpey will join with the Australian national team for two friendlies against South Korea. This is a long haul, with both games in Australia. These games could really impact each player’s availability or freshness, as they have only four days between the second game for Australia, and the Thorns’ next regular season game. Speaking of which…
Up next next
Game #4: Portland Thorns at Utah Royals
Friday, April 11 | 7:00 PM
Broadcast: Amazon Prime
On the other side of the international break, the Thorns will continue the regular season in Utah. Despite having some preseason buzz about cracking into the playoffs, the Royals have gotten off to a slow start this season, with one draw and two losses. Along with the Chicago Stars and, shockingly, Gotham FC, the Royals are one of three teams who are underneath the Thorns in the standings.
Still, this has proved to be a bizarrely tough matchup for the Thorns. When Utah was an expansion team last year, Portland had three games against the Royals (including one in the exhibition Summer Cup), and came away with two losses and one scoreless draw. So far in 2025, Utah has given up the second-most goals in the league, and the Thorns should expect to get a win here, even on the road.
Stats from fbref.com.