Much of the soccer world will be focused on the final World Cup qualifiers this weekend, with teams like the Netherlands, Argentina, Italy and the United States all in precarious positions with two matches to play. But hey, don’t forget about the NWSL playoffs, which begin this weekend.
The NWSL playoffs start on Saturday when Portland hosts Orlando at 3:30 p.m. EST. The top-seeded North Carolina Courage host the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday, also at 3:30 p.m. The winner of the single-match playoffs face off on Saturday, Oct. 14, at Orlando City Stadium for the NWSL crown. All three matches will be broadcast live on Lifetime.
Orlando Pride at Portland Thorns
It’s the league’s best offense going up against the league’s best defense in the first match of the NWSL playoffs.
Orlando led the league with 45 goals behind stars Alex Morgan and Marta on the way to a third-place finish in the regular season. The Brazilian Marta finished second in the league in goals with 13 and assists with six. Morgan meanwhile scored nine goals and doled out four assists in 13 appearances, though one hopes she’s not hung over for the match after an incident at Disney World.
Portland on the other hand has relied on its defense to earn the No. 2 seed, allowing 0.83 goals per game with a back line that includes Meghan Klingenberg, Emily Menges and Emily Sonnett. Goalkeeper Adrianna French set the NWSL record with 11 clean sheets.
Portland led the league with a plus-17 goal differential and with Christine Sinclair leading the line has no problem scoring. The Thorns lost at home in the semifinals last year and won’t want a repeat.
Orlando comes into the match on a nine-match unbeaten run while Portland hasn’t lost in six matches. Though the Pride must travel across the country for the match, they’ll be eager to win to earn a shot at the title on their home field.
Chicago Red Stars at North Carolina Courage
North Carolina may not have the star power of some of the other clubs in the league, but the Courage put together the best regular season of any club. The forward pair of Lynn Williams and Ashley Hatch may not draw headlines like Morgan and Marta, but they combined to score 16 goals as one of the top duos in the league.
The Red Stars on the other hand have a few stars, led by Christen Press, who finished fourth in the league with 11 goals to go with four assists. The team also features USWNT players Morgan Brian, Julie Ertz and recent convert Sofia Huerta.
The Courage this season had an apparent aversion to ties. While the rest of the league averaged more than five ties, North Carolina only had one draw. That allowed the Courage to claim the regular-season crown despite having two more losses than second-place Portland.
Should North Carolina have to play Orlando in a de facto road game in the final, the Courage won’t be scared as they led the league with seven away wins. Chicago, meanwhile, had a .500 record on the road and must beat a team that went 9-3 at home in order to reach the final.
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