PORTLAND, Ore. — Nowhere could the World Cup bump in women’s soccer be more apparent than in Portland, where more than 21,000 fans watched a National Women’s Soccer League rivalry match between the Thorns and the Seattle Reign.
It was the second-largest stand-alone crowd to watch a professional women’s league game in the United States. And while soccer-crazy Portland usually attracts big crowds for the hometown Thorns, the rest of the league is also seeing a surge in interest.
The N.W.S.L. is loving the attention.
“The last few weeks have been really, really nice for all of us,” Commissioner Jeff Plush said.