Recorded at Dingo's during the October international break. There was no Thorns match this week, so we follow where every Thorns player went, starting with USA 0–2 Spain. Our Pappy's friend Tyler drops in partway through.

Sophia Wilson's suspension is now two matches. She misses Bay (Sun Oct 18) and North Carolina at home (Fri Oct 23). Club suspensions don't carry over to internationals, so she started against Spain. She still has no new contract, which raises the question of whether we've seen her last game at Providence Park.

USA 0–2 Spain at Audi Field (sellout, 19,220). Spain scored twice in the first 14 minutes. The US were much better in the second half: Wilson's goal was ruled out for offside, and Lily Yohannes had a second-half penalty saved after Wilson was fouled.

The penalty debate. Wilson was the player fouled and is 11 for 11 on career penalties for Portland. Alan's read is that the order was set before the game: Heaps was first on the list but had been subbed off, so Yohannes was next. Alan and Marissa still want to know why the list is in that order.

Marissa's hot takes: the Heaps, Yohannes and Lavelle midfield "will never work." Sam Coffey was badly missed. Yohannes should go to the U-23s until she's ready. Tordin's technical game is what this midfield lacks.

Thorns Abroad: Arnold's Australia lost 4–2 to Müller's Germany, with Thorns on both sides. Canada drew 1–1 with Denmark and won an unofficial shootout (Marissa had Fleming as captain). Marissa said Reyes started and played well in Mexico's 4–3 home loss to Jamaica. Marissa said Loboa was a late call-up for Colombia. Hanks, Perry and Calzada went to the USA U-23s, Nijstad to the Netherlands U-23s and Bogere to the Sweden U-23s.

Crystal Dunn, a former Thorn, was honored before the match. She has 160 caps and 25 goals, and she scored the 93rd-minute semifinal winner against San Diego on the way to the 2022 title.

Coming up: the US play Spain again on Tuesday at Subaru Park (4 PM PT). Will Tordin get minutes? The Thorns are at Bay on Sunday, then home to North Carolina on Friday Oct 23. Alan and Marissa will be at that game as fans.

Recorded Sunday, October 11, 2026, before the Tuesday rematch. Suspension and contract details are as of the recording.

Bring a drink.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Back at Dingo's, and the international break
02:54 Wilson's ban is now two games
04:04 USA 0–2 Spain
07:53 Our friend Tyler drops in
11:26 Marissa's counterpoints
20:36 Wilson and Tordin in camp
23:07 Thorns Abroad
28:16 Crystal Dunn's tribute
30:03 What's next: Spain again, Bay, and a game as fans
33:55 Marissa's PS: give the team some grace

Portland 2-4 Boston. Down to ten in the 22nd minute, down two at the break, and still in it until stoppage time.

We're back at Pappy's, our original bar, on a Monday, because Marissa got a tattoo on Sunday. It says "gay" in Old English, lowercase g, so it doesn't read "hey".

Marissa was in the press box. Boston played like a team chasing playoff points, not one that was already eliminated. Sophia Wilson was sent off for a hair pull right in front of the referee, and Marissa isn't arguing with the red. Boston scored twice before halftime. Then, with ten players, Portland played what Marissa calls some of their best soccer. Pietra Tordin's penalty made it 2-1, and Shae Harvey scored her first NWSL goal off the bench. Boston scored either side of it, in the 88th minute and in stoppage time. Marissa has questions about Mackenzie Arnold's positioning on those two goals. She also says no one player loses a game.

Then the good news. Tordin's penalty made Portland the first club to 50 regular-season penalty goals, and she has her first senior USA call-up. Jessie Fleming set the club's single-season appearance record and has played 51 games in a row. Alan has a new jersey, and Marissa wants the owners to bring back red, black and green.

Plus Marissa's Match Week 24 Roundup, the table after the weekend's games (seventh, three clear of Seattle with three to play), and USA v Spain in the international break. Thorns Abroad is next week.

Recorded Monday, October 5, after every Week 24 game was played.

Bring a drink.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Back at Pappy's, and Marissa's new tattoo
04:55 Marissa at the game, and Stephanie from the Mercury
06:34 Portland 2–4 Boston
10:52 Wilson's second red card
12:37 Tordin's penalty, Harvey's first goal, and the last two goals
15:39 A new coach, and the players we've lost
17:25 Milestones, Tordin's call-up, and Thorns Abroad
19:54 Alan's new jersey and Fleming's record
22:03 Marissa's Match Week 24 Roundup
27:27 The table after the weekend, with three to play
30:43 The international break: USA v Spain and the FIFA rankings
33:25 The NWSL table
35:08 Sign-off

Portland 1-1 Houston. Twenty shots, eight corners, one point.

Our first show at Dingo's Sports Pub on SE Stark, where the Matildas kit hangs a couple of jerseys down from the Thorns. Alan ordered a Portland IPA to undo last week's Seattle beer curse. Marissa ordered Tito's.

It was Hispanic Heritage Night at Providence Park, with 18,247 there and every announcement in English and Spanish. Houston's Kat Rader scored in the 10th minute, and Portland chased the game until Marie Müller finished first time in the 85th after Sophia Wilson drew three defenders. Marissa's verdict: this was not on the defense. Reyes and Vignola were excellent. The finishing and the set pieces weren't: eight corners and no plan. Credit to Houston's interim coach, with a win and a draw in two weeks, and to Rader, a rookie with 10 goals.

Then the milestones. Jessie Fleming made her 50th straight league start and wore the armband. Wilson's assist was her 18th goal contribution of the season, tying the club record she set in 2024. Portland's 100th regular-season clean sheet, which no NWSL club has reached, is still out there for Boston on October 3.

Plus Marissa's Match Week 23 Roundup, the table as it stood after Saturday, and congratulations to Val Loboa, whose Colombia beat Italy for bronze at the U-20 Women's World Cup, the country's first U-20 podium.

Recorded Sunday afternoon, September 27, before Utah played North Carolina later that day, so the table talk is as of Saturday night.

Adults only. Bring a drink.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Our first show at Dingo's
03:56 Portland 1–1 Houston
11:13 Eight corners, no plan, and credit to Houston
13:59 Fleming's 50th, Wilson ties her record, and the 100th clean sheet
18:50 Marissa's Match Week 23 Roundup
25:44 The table after Saturday
28:09 Val Loboa and Colombia's U-20 World Cup bronze
29:44 Thanks to Dingo's, and Boston next

Orlando 1-4 Portland. Four goals, four scorers.

We're back after a week off. We both had some medical stuff to deal with. We start with the episode we never recorded: Portland 1-1 Chicago on the 13th, the draw that felt like a loss.

Then Orlando. Nina Nijstad scored in the 3rd minute, her first NWSL goal, set up by Sophia Wilson. Wilson scored the penalty Caiya Hanks drew, her 11th career penalty, which passes Christine Sinclair's club record. Morgan Weaver scored from outside the box in the 74th, her first goal in 687 days after three knee surgeries, and Cassandra Bogere got her first NWSL assist on it. Renee Lyles came off the bench and scored in the 88th, Wilson assisting again. Wilson finished with a goal and two assists in her 100th regular-season game.

Marissa's read: Portland took their foot off the gas after half an hour, let Orlando back in at 2-1, and then the subs took over.

The next clean sheet is Portland's 100th shutout, and no NWSL club has ever reached 100. Houston at Providence Park is the next chance. Portland are fifth, level with Utah on points, and a top-four finish means a home playoff game.

Plus Marissa's Match Week Roundup, a rain-soaked camera that made Chicago 0-3 Spirit close to unwatchable, and Val Loboa's stoppage-time winner against Nigeria that sent Colombia to the U-20 World Cup semifinals.

Recorded at Pappy's on September 22, so the table and the shutout count are as of that night.

Adults only. Bring a drink.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Back after a week off, and the Chicago draw that felt like a loss
02:39 Orlando 1–4 Portland
05:58 Nina Nijstad's first NWSL goal, and the four goals
11:06 Portland's 100th shutout is still out there
12:20 Houston next, and the race with Utah for a home playoff game
16:08 Marissa's Match Week Roundup
20:00 Chicago 0–3 Spirit, and the camera that got rained on
24:35 Val Loboa sends Colombia to the U-20 World Cup semifinals
26:29 Thanks to Pappy's, and a hint about next week

THE NUMBERS

Goals: Nijstad 3', Wilson (penalty) 28', Weaver 74', Lyles 88'. Lemos 30' for Orlando.
Shots: Orlando 19, Portland 17. On target, Portland 13 to 6.
Attendance: 7,602 at Inter&Co Stadium.
Wilson: a goal and two assists. 11 career penalties, one more than Sinclair.
Table (at recording): Portland fifth on 42, level with Utah on points and goal difference. Utah are ahead on total wins, 13 to 12.
Next: Portland v Houston, Saturday September 26, Providence Park.

Portland 1-2 Washington. The first home loss of the season, and the Spirit's first win in Portland ever.

Portland had played ten at home this year and lost none of them. This was the eleventh. Washington came in missing seven players and won anyway.

Sophia Wilson scored from the spot in the 18th, her tenth career penalty from ten attempts. Only one other player in NWSL history has done that. Tara Rudd equalized from the spot in the 59th, given after a video review. Melissa Bethi got the winner in the 80th, her first for the Spirit, set up by Trinity Rodman.

Then the 68th minute. Rudd handled it in her own box and nothing was called. No whistle, no check. She was Washington's captain, she had been booked at 32', and she had scored the penalty nine minutes earlier. Marissa asked for the rules on it, so we went through Law 12 on air.

The part that makes it worse: the VAR was working that night. It had already intervened to give Washington their penalty.

Portland outshot Washington 17 to 10, and 7 to 5 on target, and lost. Alan's read is shorter than Marissa's. He texted her mid-match that Washington looked desperate and Portland looked tired, and desperate beats tired every time.

Marissa was in the press box for this one. She has the room at 59' and at 80', a kid reporter who asked a better question than she did, and Hirschfeld on the touchline going "wow, it's loud."

Also in it: Reilyn Turner available and not playing until Mueller came on for her at 63', Calzada keeping Rodman quiet right up until Rodman assisted the winner, deadline day, and Marissa's Match Week Roundup.

Portland are sixth on 38. Three teams landed on 39 above them over the weekend. Chicago at home on the 13th.

Adults only. Bring a drink.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Cold open: the first home loss of the year
03:25 The handball nobody called
09:44 Marissa at the ground
17:46 Turner, and what Mueller coming on showed
21:02 A guest ad read, and the healthiest roster of the year
27:52 Marissa's Match Week Roundup
36:42 What's next: Chicago at home

THE NUMBERS

Attendance: 19,065.
Shots: Portland 17, Washington 10. On target 7 to 5. Possession 44.7%.
Home record: 7-0-3 becomes 7-1-3. Goals conceded at home go from 5 to 7.
Wilson: 10 for 10 on career penalties, second player in league history to do it. 12 goals this season.
Table: Portland sixth on 38. North Carolina, Utah and San Diego all on 39.
Next: Portland v Chicago, Saturday September 13, Providence Park.

Gotham 1-1 Portland. A point on the road at the team top of the table, and Portland had 26% of the ball to get it.

Jaedyn Shaw scored in the 60th. She admitted afterwards it was meant to be a cross. It still chipped Mackenzie Arnold, who was off her line. Sophia Wilson equalized from the spot in the 75th, her eleventh of the season, after Pietra Tordin got her ankle stepped on inside the box and her shoe came off. Play carried on for two minutes before VAR looked at it.

Marissa's argument is that this was the best the defense has looked all season, and that the reason is boring. Same four as the previous match. Vignola, Perry, Hiatt, Calzada, two games running. Familiarity, not signings.

Her quote of the pod follows from it. She is not a sports analyst, she is drinking well vodka in a bucket hat at 2:45 on a Sunday, but it looks to her like Portland are trading some of their scary offense for that defense. The midfield sits instead of pressing. Sophia Wilson ends up alone on an island up top. Marissa will take the trade and points at Gotham grinding out 1-0 wins all year.

Then the weekend happened. Portland went into it third. Utah beat Orlando on Saturday, Washington beat Bay FC on Sunday morning, and by the time we sat down the Thorns were fifth on 38. One point off fourth.

Also in it: Jayden Perry as the best centerback on the team in her second pro season, Nina Nijstad taking people on one-v-one and picking up a booking for it, Tordin still one assist off the league record, and Marissa's Match Day Roundup.

Five of the last eight are at Providence Park. Portland have not lost there all year.

Adults only. Bring a drink.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Cold open: a point at the best team in the league
03:26 The defense, and why the reason is boring
09:10 The two goals
13:02 Vignola and Tordin, Perry, Nijstad
15:56 The table: third to fifth in one weekend
21:41 Marissa's Match Day Roundup
22:40 What are we drinking
25:27 What's next: five of the last eight at home

WHAT WE WERE DRINKING

Marissa: a shot of well vodka and a big cup of water. She was sent a list of suggestions and had the well vodka anyway.
Alan: a Lagunitas IPA. He ordered every drink a listener recommended that the bar actually had, which came to none of them.

THE NUMBERS

Possession: Gotham 74%, Portland 26%. Portland still had the better of the shot count.
Table: Portland fifth on 38, one point off fourth. Gotham top on 45.
Tordin: 9 assists. The NWSL single-season record is 10, set by Tobin Heath for Portland in 2016 and equaled by Croix Bethune at the Washington Spirit in 2024.
Next: Portland v Washington Spirit, Sunday September 6, 1pm, Providence Park.

Portland 1-0 Denver Summit, and Tobin Heath retired as a Thorn in front of 22,017 people. She signed a one-day contract to do it.

Sophia Wilson scored in the 44th, assisted by Jessie Fleming. It was her tenth of the season and the fourth time she has hit double digits in an NWSL season. Mackenzie Arnold got her seventh clean sheet. Marissa was in the building on a media credential and went to the post-match press conference. Alan watched on his phone because his seven-year-old had the TV.

The bit we care about: we have been asking this club to fix the back line since Episode 6, the 5-1 at Utah. Rob Vilahamn's post-match quote describes a "big, honest meeting" the team held after that exact match, where they changed how they press and asked the back line to step. He has never heard of this show. He just started from the same night and got to the same place. Three wins since.

Plus Tobin's whole career, the new Kaiser Permanente Performance Center in Hillsboro, a table check, and Marissa's Match Day Roundup.

Adults only. Bring a drink.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Cold open, one nil on Tobin's night
02:03 The defense finally shows up
08:07 Denver's side of it
09:25 Tobin Heath night
12:30 From the press conference
14:47 What are we drinking
16:04 The Kaiser Permanente Performance Center
22:53 Where we sit in the table
23:53 Marissa's Match Day Roundup
27:12 What's next: Gotham, then the Spirit

WHAT WE WERE DRINKING

Marissa: Rose City well vodka, water back. Cheap, house pour, genuinely not bad.
Alan: a Lagunitas IPA, chosen mainly so he was not drinking a Seattle beer. He concedes it is an Anheuser-Busch beer now anyway.

THE NUMBERS

Portland are third on 37 points, level with Washington and behind on goal difference. Gotham lead on 44.

Tobin Heath's NWSL co-record is 10 single-season assists, set in Portland in 2016. Pietra Tordin went into Saturday on nine, one away, on Tobin Heath's night. She did not get it. The record stayed with Heath.

Ann-Katrin Berger has ten clean sheets and just became the first NWSL keeper with 10+ in back-to-back seasons.

NEXT

Friday August 28 at Gotham. Sunday September 6 against Washington at home, a day game.

Portland 2-1 Orlando. Caiya Hanks came off the season-ending injury list on Friday, came on in the 88th minute, and won it in the 96th — her first match back after fourteen months out with a torn ACL.

We were in the building on media credentials for the first time. We got in late, we missed the ceremony, we sat in the press box, and Alan asked a question at the post-match press conference. Plus the two knees, a table check, Meghan Klingenberg's whole career, and a vote we need from you.

Adults only. Bring a drink.

🌳 VOTE FOR BELLA BIXBY

Bixby is the Thorns' nominee for the 2026 Lauren Holiday Impact Award. The overall winner's charity receives $50,000 from Nationwide. The NWSL Fan Impact Challenge is how fans back her nomination — one vote per device per day, through August 29 — and the fan-vote winner's charity gets an additional $10,000. Winner announced September 2.

Her charity is Friends of Trees, Portland-based urban forestry.

👉 Vote here: https://g1j9uuaobs1.typeform.com/to/SWulrU2a

CHAPTERS

00:00 Cold open — Hanks wins it in the 96th
02:44 Getting in — credentials, the press box, and the people who fixed it
06:58 The question — our first credentialed press conference
08:15 What are we drinking
09:07 The Two Knees — Moultrie out, Hanks back
15:20 The match — a shaky half, then Providence Park
22:15 Table check — fourth on 34, ten to play
26:05 Bella Bixby — the vote we're asking you for
27:44 Get Klingy With It — Meghan Klingenberg, top to bottom
31:54 Next week — Tobin Heath night

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT

• Caiya Hanks won it in the 96th minute of her first match back. She tore her ACL at Providence Park on June 15, 2025, was cleared off the season-ending injury list on Friday, came on in the 88th, and hit the winner from outside the box into the bottom corner. Assisted by M.A. Vignola.

• The goals: Deyna Castellanos 58' (assisted by Pietra Tordin), Jacqueline Ovalle 63' for Orlando, Hanks 90+6'. Orlando's equaliser came off Mackenzie Arnold's own punched save and ricocheted in off Ovalle's knees. It is credited to Ovalle, with no own-goal notation.

• Tordin's assist was her ninth of the season — one off the NWSL single-season record of 10, co-held by Tobin Heath (Portland, 2016) and Croix Bethune (Kansas City, 2024). She can tie it next Saturday, on Tobin Heath's night.

• Perry and Obaze kept Barbra Banda quiet, which almost nobody manages. Nina Nijstad continues to impress in midfield.

• Nijstad's substitution was concussion protocol, not a diagnosed concussion, after a collision with Jessie Fleming. Sarah Lowdon called it precautionary and declined a medical answer.

• Olivia Moultrie is out for the season with a torn ACL in her right knee, announced August 11. She's 20, and it costs her the Concacaf W Championship as well as the rest of the year.

• Robert Vilahamn was in the building, near the media room — but not on the touchline, and the club still hasn't said why. Sarah Lowdon was acting head coach.

• Attendance: 19,106.

• The run-in: 10 matches left, six at Providence Park, where Portland are unbeaten in 2026.

• We were outside for the Klingenberg ceremony. Credential pickup ran long and we didn't get in until after kickoff. We're not going to describe something we didn't see — go watch the club's footage. We honoured her our own way in Get Klingy With It.

NEXT WEEK

Tobin Heath is honoured at Providence Park on Saturday, August 22 vs Denver Summit, signing a one-day contract to retire officially as a Portland Thorn. Lindsey Heaps returns as captain of the Summit, and Pietra Tordin can tie Heath's single-season assist record on Heath's own night.

THANK YOU

Alberto and Bryce, who got us in.

LINKS

Club recap: https://www.thorns.com/news
Match highlights: https://www.thorns.com/video/video-u16zoavmfwm
Post-match press conference: https://www.thorns.com/video/video-cw87eybowlu