The Portland Thorns played out a scoreless draw with the Houston Dash in the final game of their preseason tournament at Merlo Field. It was a match without much goalmouth action but with good performances in midfield and in defense from the Thorns, who largely snuffed out Houston’s attacks.
The Thorns took the field in a 5-3-2, with the wingbacks Meghan Klingenburg and Midge Purce pushing high. Mallory Weber and Ifeoma Onumonu, the wingers, cut inside and effectively played as strikers in front of Christine Sinclair. In the absence of Emily Menges and Tobin Heath, both of whom saw no time and are doubts to start in the opening game, it’s a lineup we could potentially see against North Carolina.