The matchups for week 5 of the NWSL season include two Friday night games and a slate of three scheduled for Saturday.
Friday night, the Boston Breakers look for their first points of the season as they travel to the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey to take on the 1-2-1 Sky Blue FC, while winless FC Kansas City hosts the 3-1-0 Chicago Red Stars.
In Saturday’s matchups, the Houston Dash travel to the Maryland Soccerplex to face the Washington Spirit. The Dash come into the match at 2-1-1 and sit three points behind the undefeated Spirit. The Western New York Flash invade Orlando to battle the expansion Pride, both teams sitting on six points with 2-2-0 records; while the late game reignites the rivalry between the Portland Thorns and Seattle Reign FC as the Reign look to reestablish a win streak at home against the visitors from three hours south. Both teams have two wins on the season, with Portland still undefeated with a pair of draws, while the Reign dropped their opener at home to Sky Blue and last week’s match to Orlando.
League Leaders:
Goals: Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars) and Diana Matheson (Washington Spirit), 3 apiece.
Assists: Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns), 4
Saves: Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), Lydia Williams (Houston Dash), Nicole Barnhart (FC Kansas City) and Sabrina D’Angelo (Western New York Flash), each with 15.
Clean Sheets: Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars) and Stephanie Labbe (Washington Spirit), each with 3
This week’s injury report:
Boston Breakers
OUT: Sinead Farrelly (Disabled List), Abby Smith (torn right patellar tendon)
Chicago Red Stars
OUT: Cara Walls (right ankle sprain)
PROBABLE: Amanda Da Costa (right quad strain), Julie Johnston (left groin inflammation)
FC Kansas City
PROBABLE: Caroline Kastor (right adductor strain), Alexa Newfield (right adductor strain), Katelyn Rowland (step
throat), Erika Tymrak (left 4th metacarpal fracture)
Sky Blue FC
OUT: Sam Kerr (offseason surgery, left foot)
DOUBTFUL: Danielle Schulmann (right hip flexor strain)
Not listed in the League’s update, but Seattle Reign FC’s Jessica Fishlock is also expected OUT (left tibia fracture) as is Megan Rapinoe (right ACL tear). It is likely the official update merely covers the two matches for Friday, May 13th, and will be supplemented later today or tomorrow.
Seattle Reign FC
