The Portland Thorns and Houston Dash will play each other one last time this season in a fight for all three points.
After a tough 1-2 loss against FC Kansas City the Thorns will look to begin a new unbeaten streak against the Dash, who are coming off a huge 3-1 win over the Boston Breakers.
History
Portland and Houston have played each other two other times this season. The first one ended in a 1-1 draw in Houston. It started off in the eighth minute when Janine Beckie of the Houston Dash scored her first goal of the season to put the Dash in the lead. Houston were in the lead for the rest of the game until the Thorns earned a free kick right outside of the box. Lindsay Horan was able to score off of the free kick and give the Thorns the equalizer in the 91st minute.
The second time the two teams played each other, the game ended in a 2-1 win for Portland. The scoring started and ended in the first half, with the first goal being scored by Portland Thorns defender Emily Sonnett in the 12th minute. Then, 20 minutes later, Dash earned a penalty kick and with Carli Lloyd being Carli Lloyd scored and put the Dash onto the board. Just 6 minutes later, Tyler Lussi scored her first professional goal to give Portland the lead and the win in the 39th minute.
Portland looks to bounce back
The Portland Thorns had their five game unbeaten streak snapped on Wednesday night after they lost to Kansas City 1-2. The Thorns are hoping to bounce back and get things going again. The Thorns still sit in second place but the Chicago Red Stars are only two points behind them. Although, the Thorns are looking pretty good for a playoff position there is still the fight to win the Shield for the second year in a row.
Portland have been missing a couple of key players from their line up lately but will have them back on Saturday.
These players include Nadia Nadim and Allie Long. Nadim was out of the Thorns lineup for a while due to the fact that she was competing in the UEFA Women's Euro's with her national team, Denmark. Allie Long was missing from the line-up for the past two games due to personal reasons that have not been said but her birthday was just the other day. Combined these two have scored 6 goals this season for the Thorns.
With them both being back tomorrow, the Thorns might be able to get back into their scoring groove.
Houston look to take their first ever win in the Rose City
The Dash have a record of 4-5-0 away this season but they have yet to win a game at Providence Park against the Portland Thorns. After coming off a huge win against Boston the Dash will look to find another win against Portland and inch their way up into a playoff position. The Dash are tied for points (23) with Sky Blue FC but sit in seventh place. They are only 4 points behind the Seattle Reign who are the fourth place, which is playoff position. The last couple of games are crucial to the Dash as they try to make club history and go to the playoffs for the first time.
Although US international Carli Lloyd is still out with a left ankle sprain, there have been players that have been able to step up in her place. One of these players is Sarah Hagen, who contributed two goals to the Dash's 3-1 win over the Breakers. Morgan Brian has also been out for a couple games due to right groin tendinitis. The latest injury report does show that she is not listed as out anymore but is now listed as questionable. These two players are key players to the Dash lineup and will be needed against a strong Portland Thorns team.
Although there are players that can step up into these positions, will they be able to perform well and help their team get their first ever win in the Rose City?
The two teams will play each other one last time on August 19th at 10pm ET. The match will take at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. You can stream the match live on the go90 app or at nwslsoccer.com.