Post by Monika on Jan 25, 2024 19:58:48 GMT -8
1/25/24 --
The following is the 2024 schedule for the Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League.
Portland enters its 12th season as one of the original members of the NWSL. This season will feature 26 games; two each against each of the other 13 members of the league. There also will be the fourth annual Challenge Cup featuring six additional games which will not count in the standings. That schedule appears above the regular season schedule. Joining the league this year are two expansion teams; Bay FC (San Francisco Bay Area) and Utah Royals.
The NWSL playoffs will feature the top eight teams in the league with the top four seeds receiving first round (quarterfinals) byes. The Quarterfinals will be held the weekend of November 9-10, the Semifinals the weekend of November 16-17 and the NWSL Championship Game on November 23. Last season the San Diego Wave FC won the Shield (most regular season points), while the Thorns came in just a point behind and earned the second seed. The Thorns earned a bye in last year's quarterfinals, but were eliminated in the semifinal round by the eventual champion NJ/NY Gotham, 1-0. The Thorns have won the NWSL Championship a record three times in the 11 previous years in the league.
Returning is are most of the core players from last year's team, including reigning NWSL Golden Boot winner Sophia Smith. Other notable returnees include forwards Morgan Weaver, Christin Sinclair and Janine Beckie; midfielders Sam Coffey, Hina Sugita and Olivia Moultrie; defenders Megan Klingenberg, Kelli Hubly, Becky Sauerbrunn and Reyna Reyes; and goalkeeper Bella Bixby. Joining them and the other returnees are members of the Thorns 2024 NWSL Draft class.
Portland's 2024 season will be its first under new ownership with Raj Sports. The group completed the purchase of the Thorns from Merritt Paulson on January 3, 2024. Raj Sports is led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. The price of the sale was $63 million. Mike Norris enters his second season as Thorns head coach after having served as an assistant with the team.
The Thorns play their home games at Providence Park, located at 1844 SW Morrison in downtown Portland. The location was originally used as a field before the actual stadium was constructed and completed in 1926. Providence Park has a capacity of over 25,000. The Thorns share the stadium with the Portland Timbers FC of the Major League Soccer, and the stadium was previously home to the Portland State Vikings football team.
This year's schedule provides for a break from early July through the third week in August where eligible players will be able to compete for their respective countries in the Paris Summer Olympics.
This is a banner broadcasting year for the NWSL as it begins media rights agreements with CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps Sports on ION network. The broadcast rights will feature 113 regular season matches Challenge Cup matches and all seven playoff matches (including the Championship Game). The Thorns will be featured on CBS three times, CBS Sports Network two times, ION nine times and Prime Video five times. The season opener on March 16 will be televised on ABC. Remaining games will be available for streaming on NWSL+ through the league's website.
All broadcast information is included in the schedule. Home games are noted in Bold Green. All times on this schedule are pacific time and are subject to change. Where applicable, click on the final score for the NWSL/Thorns Recap.
Preseason
Sat., February 24 - vs. San Diego Wave FC (W 2-1) - Coachella Valley Invitational
Sat., March 2 - vs. University of Portland Pilots (exhibition, no score)
Regular Season
MARCH
Sat., March 16 - at Kansas City Current (L 4-5)
Sun., March 24 - NJ/NY Gotham (L 0-1)
Sat., March 30 - Racing Louisville FC (D 2-2)
APRIL
Sat., April 13 - at North Carolina Courage (L 0-2)
Sat., April 20 - Houston Dash (W 4-1)
Sat., April 27 - at Chicago Red Stars (W 2-0)
MAY
Wed., May 1 - at Bay FC, 7 p.m (W 3-2)
Sat., May 4 - Washington Spirit (W 2-1)
Sat., May 11 - Seattle Reign FC, 7 p.m. (ION)
Fri., May 17 - at Houston Dash, 5 p.m. (NWSL+)
Fri., May 24 - at Orlando Pride, 4 p.m. (NWSL+)
JUNE
Sat., June 8 - North Carolina Courage, 7 p.m. (ION)
Sun., June 16 - at Seattle Reign FC, 7 p.m. (CBS/Paramount+)
Sun., June 23 - Kansas City Current, 1 p.m. (NWSL+)
Sat., June 29 - at Utah Royals, 7 p.m. (ION)
JULY
Fri., July 5 - San Diego Wave FC, 7 p.m. (Prime Video)
AUGUST
Sat., Aug. 24 - at NJ/NY Gotham FC, 11 a.m. (CBS/Paramount+)
Fri., Aug. 30 - Bay FC, 7 p.m. (Prime Video)
SEPTEMBER
Sat., Sept. 7 - at Washington Spirit, 9:30 p.m. (CBS/Paramount+)
Sat., Sept. 13 - Chicago Red Stars, 7 p.m. (Prime Video)
Mon., Sept. 23 - at Angel City FC, 7 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
Sat., Sept. 28 - at San Diego Wave FC, 7 p.m. (ION)
OCTOBER
Sat., Oct. 5 - Utah Royals, 7 p.m., (ION)
Fri., Oct. 11 - Orlando Pride, 7 p.m. (Prime Video)
Sat., Oct. 19 - at Racing Louisville FC, 4:30 p.m. (ION)
NOVEMBER
Fri., Nov. 1 - Angel City FC, 7 p.m. (Prime Video)
Playoffs
QUARTERFNALS: Weekend of November 9-10
SEMIFNALS: Weekend of November 16-17
NWSL CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, November 23
NWSL Home Pitches 2024
Angel City FC - BMO Stadium; Los Angeles, California
Bay FC - PayPal Park; San Jose, California
Chicago Red Stars -- SeatGeek Stadium; Bridgeview, Illinois
Houston Dash -- Shell Energy Stadium; Houston, Texas
Kansas City Current -- CPKC Stadium; Kansas City, Kansas
North Carolina Courage -- WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, North Carolina
Orlando Pride -- Inter&Co Stadium; Orlando, Florida
Portland Thorns -- Providence Park; Portland, Oregon
Racing Louisville FC - Lynn Family Stadium; Louisville, Kentucky
NJ/NY Gotham FC -- Red Bull Stadium at Montclair St. University; Harrison, New Jersey
Seattle Reign FC - Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
San Diego Wave FC -- Snapdragon Stadium; San Diego, California
Utah Royals - America First Field; Sandy, Utah
Washington Spirit -- Audi Field; Washington D.C.
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