PORTLAND, Ore. – Amid the week’s preparations that go into readying Providence Park for dueling home openers – from stocking concessions, to pressure washing sections, to rehearsing all the pre-, in-, and post-match routines – comes a subtle task few would have thought of, one born of the success Thorns FC have enjoyed in their first five seasons.
In the northeast corner of Portland’s home, where signs honoring titles and club heroes hang beneath the wooden roof, sits an empty space, for now. The displays honoring the Thorns’ previous title (2013) and its one NWSL Shield (2016) have, temporarily, been taken down.