Portland Thorns FC 0
North Carolina Courage 3
NWSL Championship
September 22, 2018
Providence Park – Portland, OR
Hours before kickoff walking up Morrison Street outside Providence Park the lines were forming. Hundreds of Thorns supporters with flags, wearing jerseys of their hometown favorites like Horan, Heath, and Sinclair were already loud and ready to celebrate another possible NWSL championship.
An hour before kickoff the end zone section was filled with red clad Rose City Riveters chanting “M! V! P!” for Thorns midfielder Lindsey Horan. No one was yet on the field.
photo by MEL
The stadium was a sea of red, but for the corner of travelling North Carolina Courage supporters. The 21,144 that filled Providence Park early, their chants and songs rang out the entirety of the match.
A 13th minute goal by Debinha put the Courage in front and the stadium got louder.
Match MVP Jessica McDonald made it a two goal lead for the travelling side in the 40th minute. If anything, the home crowd got louder trying to rally their troops.
photo by MEL
Thorns keeper Adrianna Franch looked to have suffered an ankle injury just prior to the interval, causing one of the few lulls as she was treated, but cheers greeted her return from the locker room to start the second half in front of the supporters section.
In the 88th minute, the match winding down, the home team down three goals, and the NWSL Championship clearly heading back to the Carolinas, the songs did not stop.
As the North Carolina Courage celebrated their title in front of their travelling section, Thorns players gathered across the field to salute their fans and the songs and chants continued.
An hour after the trophy celebration dozens of fans were still outside the stadium, disappointed in the result and not having the party they had hoped for, but also not wanting it to end.
photo by Maddy Grassy
The 2018 North Carolina Courage had a historic season. By winning The inaugural ICC Women’s tournament this summer, the NWSL Shield, The NWSL Championship, and setting statistical records, they have set the bar by which teams will be measured on the field. They overcame the challenge of their playoff run being disrupted by Hurricane Florence leading to a neutral site semifinal in Portland and short rest championship match in a hostile pre-selected “neutral” site.
photo by Maddy Grassy
Despite the disappointment, Christine Sinclair summed up the day clearly in the post-match press conference, “I think that it’s a huge day for women’s soccer. I think this is hopefully what the future of the game will look like in this country. Here in Portland, we have the honor and privilege of playing in front of this crowd week in and week out and being a part of this organization. My only hope is that other cities and clubs in this league start to get that opportunity as well. We’re treated 100% like the professionals we are and everyone in this league deserves to be treated the same. This is the standard for women’s soccer in this country and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Portland put on a show. A full stadium with passionate fans. Future teams will be measured against the 2018 Courage. Future finals will be measured against 2018 at Providence Park.
For match recap of the Championship click here.
For photo gallery click here.
website kicker photo by MEL
