Sunday’s doubleheader for the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns is a huge occasion — and the stakes for the games are just as huge. For the Thorns, it’s a chance to truly stamp themselves as the top team in NWSL and extend their lead at the top of the table, all by defeating their biggest rivals, OL Reign.
For the Timbers ... Well, their 2021 season is careening towards a cliff, and they are in desperate need to turn it around as soon as they can. Sunday’s rematch against the Seattle Sounders will give them their soonest and most pivotal chance to do so.