The Thorns (4-4-4) continue their road trip in Houston tonight, with a 5:30 game against the eighth-place Houston Dash (3-4-5). With a win and a little help from the fourth-place Utah Royals in the form of a win or draw in their game against Chicago, Portland, who are currently fifth in the league, would move back into playoff position.
Both teams will have key lineup changes from the last time they faced off, when they played to a 1-1 draw in May—the Thorns due to some players returning from injury and others newly injured, and the Dash due to recent signings.