Rumors had her linked with a move to Portland all offseason, and on Friday night, Christen Press will have finally arrived. In Utah Royals FC blue and yellow, she’ll be making her first appearance of the season at Providence Park, looking to keep the Royals ahead of Thorns FC in an ever-tightening NWSL playoff picture.
That picture currently has the Royals in fourth, holding down the league’s last playoff spot, one point ahead of Portland – information that is practically overkill with one-third of the season to go. A better way to look at the league’s landscape is in broad, blurring hues, given how uncertain all status still are.