Playing Portland in Providence Park is always a struggle for the Red Stars, and certainly seemed like to be so on Sunday on short rest - Chicago’s fourth game in 15 days. The Red Stars also arrived on a two-game losing skid to two of the worst teams in the league, so getting a surprise turnaround against the league leaders seemed like a tall order, especially at the famed home of the Thorns.
But the emblem of influence the Thorns carry over the entire league has taken an interesting avenue in the past few weeks. Recently, Portland’s supporters have been taking an increasingly vocal stance against the Thorns front office’s insistence in carrying the MLS ban on political banners (specifically those of the anti-fascist Iron Front) into the space of NWSL games, which has no such policy.