The inaugural season of the newly formed National Women’s Soccer League is finally underway, as the Portland Thorns FC played its first regular-season game in a road matchup with FC Kansas City at Shawnee Mission District Stadium on April 13.
The Thorns went to Kansas City with a roster that is bolstered by several marquee names, including Christine Sinclair, the former University of Portland Pilots star and Canadian national team captain. She is joined by Alex Morgan, the U.S. national team member who is most known for her game-winning goal against Canada in the semifinals of the 2012 London Olympics. The duo has already received plenty of attention—Richard Farley of NBC Sports has even gone so far as to compare them to a certain famous duo currently playing basketball in southern Florida.
“The NWSL have their own Miami Heat,” Farley said in a recent article before the Thorns’ first game. “In Christine
Sinclair and Alex Morgan, Portland Thorns FC…may have the two best players in the league. Canada’s captain and the U.S.’s main goal-scorer form as good an attacking tandem as you could imagine, a partnership whose members perfectly complement each other.”
The Thorns are among the early favorites to win the first NWSL championship, but Kansas City FC was unfazed by the hype and came out strong on Saturday, getting on the board almost immediately with a goal by Renae Cueller in the third minute. Cueller caught a long pass and ended up one-on-one with Thorns goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc, blasting it by her for the first goal in NWSL history and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
Though the Blues controlled possession for the majority of the game, Portland showed tremendous nerve under pressure. In the 66th minute, the crowd erupted in a chorus of boos when the Thorns were awarded a penalty kick after Danielle Foxhoven was slide-tackled by Lauren Sesselman in Kansas City’s box. Sinclair was set up 12 yards away and, after taking a moment to settle on her strategy, strode forward and sent a low shot into the right side of the net to bring the Thorns to a 1-1 draw.
The Thorns now head home to Jeld-Wen Field to take on the Seattle Reign FC on April 21 at 2 p.m. The Reign come in with some notable players of their own, including Megan Rapinoe, another former University of Portland alumna, and Hope Solo, the outspoken goalkeeper on two gold-medal U.S. squads. Following the Seattle match, the Thorns move on to the Midwest for a meeting with the Chicago Red Stars on April 27.