Match Info:
Chicago Red Stars vs. Portland Thorns FC
Saturday, August 18; 9:30 p.m. CT
Providence Park; Portland, OR
BRAODCAST: ESPNews

Match Preview:
CHICAGO – The Red Stars head to Portland to take on the third-place Thorns in NWSL’s Game of the Week.

Chicago is on a quick turnaround after Wednesday’s scoreless draw in Seattle. Despite only earning a point from the draw, Chicago delayed Seattle Reign’s playoff clinch for another week, leaving the last three spots still open for the Semifinals.

The Red Stars have lost just one match since the start of June, going 5-1-3 during the time frame. The loss came against North Carolina, the only match Chicago allowed multiple goals against during those eight games.

Since July, Portland has gone 4-1-0, outscoring opponents 12-4. Recently, the Thorns defeated Playoff hopeful Orlando Pride 2-0 on the road. After a scoreless first half, Lindsey Horan put Portland on the board minutes after halftime, while Hayley Raso notched the second goal just moments later.

This will be the final matchup between Chicago and Portland, with the previous two matches spread out in the season.

In Chicago’s home opener, the Thorns defeated the home side 2-3 as Horan notched the first and captain Christine Sinclair tallied the final two goals, including a penalty that became the game winner. Chicago’s Alyssa Mautz completed a brace for the Red Stars.

The last match up in June saw both sides earn a goal to bookend halftime. Yuki Nagasato gave Chicago the lead into the second half, but Horan was able to equalize just minutes into the final half.

After Portland, the Red Stars will head down to Orlando to take on the Pride on Saturday, August 25. The match will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on the NWSL app and NWSLsoccer.com.

Series History:
March 31: 2-3 L @ Home (Horan 9’/Mautz 31’ 67’/Sinclair 40’ 65’)
June 16: 1-1 D @ Home (Nagasato 43’/Horan 48’)