The season’s end draws near for the Thorns, who won their second-to-last regular-season home game this weekend in blistering heat. As resounding a win as this was for Portland, it wasn’t a terribly interesting match from the red-hot Thorns, who delivered a methodical beating to the most beleaguered team in the NWSL. Nonetheless, there were some takeaways:
A rose to Emily Menges, the hero Portland deserves, but for the final twelve minutes on Saturday, not the one they needed. Menges subbed out in the 83rd minute, marking the first time the Thorns have played without her since late in 2015, and ending a streak of 3,150 consecutive minutes.