There was a moment early in Saturday’s Portland Thorns FC second half which, if it didn’t tell you how those 45 minutes would play out, at least hinted at where the pressure points would be between the home side and visiting Seattle Reign FC.
It was in the period’s opening minutes, right after the teams returned to the field after halftime with the score at 1-1 in the NWSL Playoffs semifinal, when play was first starting to re-establish a flow. Seattle was moving the ball from the left flank back to the middle, where they usually try to play through defensive midfielder Allie Long.