There were a lot of conclusions drawn at the end of the Portland Thorns’ disappointing NWSL Challenge Cup run. Those conclusions became significantly more positive after the Thorns were crowned Verizon Community Shield Champions in the Fall Series. Portland went from scoring the second fewest goals in the Challenge Cup to scoring the second most goals in the Fall Series.
The Thorns as a whole were much better in the Fall Series and able to capitalize on the opportunities they created. Christine Sinclair got into better positions and was as clinical as ever while Sophia Smith, Rocky Rodriguez, Simone Charley and Lindsey Horan added a goal each.