The Thorns are at home again tomorrow to take on their actual rivals (sorry, Seattle), the North Carolina Courage. With North Carolina in first place with 26 points and an 8-0-2 record, the midweek game represents a serious test for a Portland side that had a rocky start to the season. Making matters more difficult, Portland is coming off a relatively short turnaround from a Friday night game, while North Carolina will have had a full week since they last played.
Handing this Courage side their first loss of the season would be an enormous statement from the Thorns, showing both that their recent results represent a real turnaround, and that North Carolina isn’t as far ahead of Portland as the table suggests.