Match Preview & Discussion Thread: Portland Thorns vs Chicago Stars

The Thorns continued their road trip after leaving Louisville with a 2-1 win and headed to the Windy City, to face the Chicago Stars.

History between the teams

History is on the Thorns' side for this match-up since out of 14 regular-season matches, Portland has lost only one, registering six wins and seven draws.

What is more, the Thorns have found a way to score against Chicago every single time they have faced each other. That is the longest run with a goal against a single opponent in league history when it comes to regular-season road games, according to Opta.

How are the teams doing nowadays?

You might say that Chicago comes to this match in better form than Portland. Why? Because the home team has found a new mentality under coach Ella Masar and has lost only once in the last nine games. Additionally, they're unbeaten in the last six matches, something that hasn't happened since 2019.

On the other hand, the Thorns come from two losses and one win in their last three matches. The victory gained at Louisville wasn't very convincing, with the team obtaining the three points thanks to a late own goal.

Portland has become a "comeback team" this season, collecting nine points from a losing position. That puts the club second in NWSL history in this category after Houston collected 12 points in a single regular season.

Forwards on fire

For Chicago, Brazilian international Ludmila has been attracting the lights all over the league and rightly so. The striker has scored in four straight matches, equaling what Mallory Swanson and Jen Hoy did in 2024 and 2014, respectively. She has also scored six goals in that span.

For sure, her ball control, speed, and finishing will put Portland's defense to the test.

For the Thorns, their goals come with a French aroma since Julie Dufour has scored twice in two games with the team. However, Reylin Turner continues to be the top goalscorer for Portland with five dimes, followed by rookie Pietra Tordin with four.

History says that no thorn has scored in at least three of their first four regular-season games for a single club... Will Dufour be able to beat that stat?

Discussion Thread

Despite what both teams are going through nowadays, the Thorns are in the fourth position (at the start of the matchday) while the Stars are at the bottom of the table. Logic and history are on Portland's side.

Nonetheless, we have seen them shooting themselves in the foot in the past. Will they do that against the Stars?