The last time Portland Thorns FC lost a match, it was to the Houston Dynamo.
It was last year’s NWSL Challenge Cup, the venue was Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, and the stakes were a place in the tournament’s final. The Thorns were coming off a quarterfinal victory over the North Carolina Courage but couldn’t carry that momentum forward. A second-half goal from Rachel Daly propelled the eventual Challenge Cup champions to a 1-0 victory and sent the Thorns home to Portland.
The Thorns remember that match, but they’re also a new team. Significant offseason additions like Crystal Dunn and Natalia Kuikka have move helped push Portland forward in their process, while expectations from last year’s Fall Series, where Portland claimed the league’s Community Shield, have been met with a 3-0-0 start.