On Friday, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) decided to make this year’s championship game a neutral site game. The previous two years, the highest-seeded semifinal winner then hosted the championship final. The timing of the decision seems odd as there is only three weeks left in the season.
According to soccerwire.com, multiple sources have confirmed to them that the NWSL and U.S. Soccer Federation have decided to have the championship game played at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, home of the Thorns and MLS’ Portland Timbers. The game will be played Thursday, October 1.
You can’t really disagree with the league wanting to move the championship game to Portland. They clearly outdraw every other team in the league when talking about attendance. It is also a stadium that hosts an MLS team, so it wouldn’t be an issue for FOX Sports to set up their cameras and such as they have broadcasting rights for this year’s championship game.
If somehow the Thorns could make the playoffs, currently in fifth place, and make the final, they would clearly have a home-field advantage over any other team that would play them. One could also assume the reason for putting the game in Portland is they expect the fans to show even if the Thorns are not involved. That is a huge risk to take. If one of the teams is the Seattle Reign and the other is not Portland, the Thorns fans that do show up would more than likely cheer for the other team.
One could also see the reason for a neutral site game is that it gives the lower seeded team a chance. It’s always a challenge to go on the road and win games, but when you are playing a championship game as the visitor at the higher seeded team’s field, it’s not quite fair. Not that it has mattered in the two previous championship games. The “visitors” have won both, Portland against Western New York Flash in 2013 and FC Kansas City against Seattle in 2014.
In the end, it will most likely be the highest attended final in the leagues brief three year existence. The true test will be to see how they move on from here. Do they rotate from city to city or do they keep the “neutral site” in Portland as some reward for the Thorns fan base? Time will only tell.