The Thorns are back on the road this week against the Utah Royals. Personnel wise, the NWSL’s newest team has been in a similar position to the Thorns, with their Australian, Katrina Gorry, away at the Asian Cup for the beginning of the season, and Amy Rodriguez still gradually coming back from injury.
Utah has struggled to score this season; they notched one in their inaugural match against Orlando, before going scoreless in the next two games. They got two in their draw against North Carolina last weekend, both following egregious defensive errors by the Courage. As the Washington Spirit showed last week, though, some teams can step up when they face the Thorns, and former Seattle boss Laura Harvey being at the helm in Utah might be extra fuel on the fire.