Quick Recap: After a dominant performance in the first half, which resulted in a Jasmyne Spencer goal and would have been many more if not for a fantastic performance by Thorns goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, Seattle Reign FC heads back to Seattle with a 2-1 loss. Portland equalized just before halftime on a Tobin Heath goal, and Lindsey Horan gave them a second in the 76th minute. Reign FC couldn’t recover, and will unfortunately be watching the NWSL Championship from afar after a fun, quality season. Seattle Reign FC returns to Providence Park on Saturday to face the Portland Thorns in an NWSL Playoff semifinal match. The winner returns to Portland a week later for the big prize, the NWSL Championship. The Saturday afternoon game kicks off at 12 PM PT and will air on Lifetime. After the Seattle Storm earned their third WNBA Title on Wednesday, Seattle Reign FC has a chance to follow in their footsteps and make a name for women’s sports in Seattle. Getting one step closer against their rivals, in enemy territory, would be icing on the cake. Standing in their way is MVP candidate Lindsey Horan, who scored two goals against Seattle last weekend, along with a whole host of characters — Tobin Heath, Christine Sinclair, Adrianna Franch, Caitlin Foord, and the entire Thorns backline. It’s the NWSL semifinal. It’s a rivalry match — in front of more than 20,000 fans. It’s going to be a great show. Injury Report Portland OUT: Meg Morris (left hip pain – SEI), Hayley Raso (L2-L4 transverse process fracture), Katherine Reynolds (right knee MCL repair) Seattle OUT: Yael Averbuch (illness – SEI), Kiersten Dallstream (right knee sprain – SEI), Kristen McNabb (right knee strain); QUESTIONABLE: Allie Long (right knee sprain), Megan Rapinoe (rib soreness) Lineups Available substitutes today are Addo, Andrews, Betos, Kawasumi, Leon, Westphal, and Yanez. pic.twitter.com/hZo5XNVBWT — Seattle Reign FC (@ReignFC) September 15, 2018 First Half Highlights 18’ - What a series of stops by Lydia Williams! 28’ - Goal, Seattle! Great shot by Megan Rapinoe, an even better reaction by Jasmyne Spencer. 32’ - What a shot by Jodie Taylor! What a save by Adrianna Franch! 37’ - Franch with another incredible save. 43’ - Shoot, Tobin Heath evens it up just before half. Great work by Horan to get her the ball. Second Half Highlights 69’ - Goal, Portland? I guess not. It’s called back for offside. 76’ - Ugh, goal, Lindsey Horan. How to Watch Date/Time: Saturday, September 15 @ 12:00 PM PT Location: Providence Park — Portland, Oregon TV: Lifetime (Atlantic Crossing will also be airing the game) Streaming: MyLifetime.com, NWSLSoccer.com (International) Join the Discussion This is your Seattle Reign FC gamethread — your place for live conversations and match updates for the NWSL playoffs. Watch and discuss all the action with us, and follow us on @rovalks for live tweets.<doc-sep>Well, here we are again. The stage is set for the Thorns to host their Cascadia rivals for the second week in a row, this time in the first of two NWSL semifinal matches. The winner will go on to face the winner of North Carolina-Chicago, which the league announced yesterday will be played in Portland next Tuesday, due to Hurricane Florence. Although it’s a rematch, don’t expect this game to play out like last week’s did. It’s the nature of playoff games to defy expectations, and Seattle could have the option to make some key changes over the lineup they fielded on Friday. Projected Starting XI As for the Thorns, there’s no reason to expect changes from last week’s lineup. Midge Purce had a great game stepping in for Hayley Raso, and Caitlin Foord looks good to play 90 minutes again. Only Raso, Katherine Reynolds, and Meg Morris are on the injury report. Scouting the Opposition Once again, it’s unclear who will be available for Seattle. Allie Long and Megan Rapinoe were both out last week, Rapinoe with some kind of rib injury and Long with an unspecified knee sprain, and are again listed as “questionable.” If I were a betting woman, I’d put my money on Rapinoe to be available before Long, since her injury would seem to be more an issue of pain management than anything else—but that’s complete speculation on my part, as Vlatko Andonovski has been understandably mum about the likelihood of either playing. With that said, either or both being available could change the game. As Portland fans are well aware, Long isn’t the kind of defensive mid who’s generally going to play defense-splitting passes or set up her teammates higher up the field, but she is extremely reliable in possession, can stand up to pressure, and rarely gives the ball away in dangerous areas. Having her at the base of the midfield instead of Morgan Andrews would enable Rumi Utsugi to push a little higher and serve as the connective tissue between Seattle’s defensive corps and players like Jess Fishlock. Rapinoe, of course, is one of the best creative players in the game, is in peak form, and has been a driving force in Seattle’s offense all season. If she’s available, the team’s attack—which looked pretty toothless after their early goal last week—suddenly looks a lot more threatening. As important as personnel is, what may be just as important is the psychological factor. The Reign will have gone into this week of training with a chip on their shoulder after that loss. A single-leg playoff game is plenty of motivation in itself; add to that a desire to come back strong after a frustrating defeat to a rival, and Seattle is going to be hungry coming into this game. Seattle are a better team than they looked like last week. Not only that, but they’re led by the winningest coach in NWSL history. I’m not going to try and guess what kind of tricks Andonovski might have up his sleeve, tactically, but it’s fairly likely he has something. As Parsons pointed out a few weeks ago, the Macedonian-born coach has historically been able to adjust his approach for playoff games, finding success against Seattle in 2014 and 2015 by sitting deep and attacking on the counter, which isn’t normally his style. The Thorns have to be prepared to adjust mid-game, if it comes to that. Gameplan With all that said, this looks like a Thorns team that, on their day, can beat any of the playoff teams. The offense looks so good in so many different ways, they should be able to score regardless of what Seattle throws at them. We saw some of that on Friday: they were able to ping the ball around through tight spaces out wide, move it quickly upfield on transitions, and capitalize on errors in Seattle’s half. If all else fails, with Tobin Heath and Lindsey Horan around, there’s always the possibility of a set-piece goal. It would also probably be a mistake to expect Seattle’s defense to be as easily stretchable as it was last week, when Heath and Caitlin Foord seemed to be able to move defenders around at will. The Thorns have to expect better organization, and their finishing on the chances they do find has to be correspondingly more precise. The potential weakness, unlike in 2017, is on the defensive side. The defense looked strong for almost all of the 86-some minutes after Fishlock’s goal, but the fact remains that they conceded that one after a mistake by Emily Menges. In a playoff scenario, the intensity level they found after going down a goal has to be there from the beginning, and those kinds of mistakes can’t happen. Ultimately, in the playoffs, what it all boils down to is this: when the chips are down and the work of the whole season is on the line, which team can find another gear? The Thorns can be the team to do that, but it won’t be easy.<doc-sep>What: The second-place Portland Thorns (12-6-6, 42 points) will host the third-place Seattle Reign (11-5-8, 41 points) in the semifinal round of the 2018 NWSL playoffs. When: Saturday, Sept. 15 at 12 p.m. PST. Where: Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. TV channel: Lifetime (In Portland: Comcast 69/769). How to watch online: Watch live online at MyLifetime.com or with the Lifetime iOS and Android apps. International fans can watch the game live on NWSLsoccer.com. Portland Thorns Lindsey Horan, M: Horan recorded a brace to lead the Thorns to a thrilling 3-1 win over the Reign in the club's regular season finale on Sept. 7. Horan, a candidate for the NWSL MVP Award, finished her regular season campaign with a club-record 13 goals. Horan has developed into arguably the best central midfielder in the NWSL. Along with providing goals in the attack, Horan is a force in the midfield and an asset on defense for Portland. Tobin Heath, M: After missing the majority of the 2017 season and part of the 2018 season due to injury, Heath is now back to playing her best soccer. She finished her NWSL regular season campaign with seven goals and seven assists. She has scored in the last four games and has added a goal or an assist in her last six outings. She recorded a goal and an assist in Portland's 3-1 win over Seattle last week. Christine Sinclair, F: The Rose City Riveters honored Sinclair with the Supporters' Player of the Year Award following Portland's 3-1 win over the Seattle Reign last week. Sinclair has been critical for Portland this season. She finished her NWSL regular season campaign with nine goals and six assists. The Thorns captain has been a part of two championship title runs with the Thorns and is a key leader on the field. Seattle Reign Megan Rapinoe, M: Rapinoe missed last week's game against Portland due to an injury, but could make her return to the field in Saturday's semifinal. Rapinoe is one of the top players in world. Rapinoe recorded seven goals and six assists in 15 starts during the regular season. The U.S. Women's National Team mainstay has caused Portland problems in the past and could make a big impact on the field if she plays in the semifinal. Jess Fishlock, M: Fishlock scored a fabulous goal just four minutes into last week's regular season finale against the Thorns. Fishlock finished the regular season with two goals and one assist in 18 starts for Seattle. The longtime Reign midfielder is a force in the center of the park and an asset for Seattle on both sides of the ball. She also knows the Portland-Seattle rivalry well and will be a key player for the Reign in Saturday's game. Jodie Taylor, F: Taylor finished the season with a team-leading nine goals in 24 starts. She also added one assist. Taylor, who previously played for the Thorns, scored against Portland to lead the Reign to a 1-0 win over their rivals in stoppage time in June. The English striker is a proven goal scorer that will capitalize on her opportunities in the attack. -- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com 503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg<doc-sep>Portland defeated their Cascadia rivals for the second week in a row today, again coming back from a one-goal deficit with goals from Tobin Heath and Lindsey Horan. The Thorns started the same lineup as last week, slotting Midge Purce into what was Hayley Raso’s spot; Seattle had both Megan Rapinoe and Allie Long available after both sat out last week’s game. The boos started early, when Jessica Fishlock won a free kick just outside the penalty arc in the second minute. Rapinoe took the kick and drilled it straight into the wall. After spending the first few minutes absorbing pressure from Seattle, the Thorns started to get some looks of their own. Christine Sinclair took a crack in the 8th minute, beating Nielsen to send in an angled shot from the left side of the penalty area, but Lydia Williams dove to make the save. In the 17th minute, Purce flicked a nice header back to Tobin Heath off an Ellie Carpenter throw into the area; Heath didn’t get much on her one-time shot and Seattle deflected it out for a corner. Just a minute later, more chaos happened in the area, and both Caitlin Foord and Midge Purce had close-range shots unluckily blocked by a scrum of Reign defenders. Around the 20th minute, the momentum swung back Seattle’s direction, with the Thorns defense doing well to block and clear several crosses from the left by Rapinoe and Steph Catley. Carpenter looked strong in the much-anticipated matchup between her and Rapinoe, often teaming up with one or both of Purce and Celeste Boureille to keep the Reign captain quiet. Emily Sonnett earned the first yellow of the game in the 27th minute, for a foul against Fishlock just outside the left edge of the penalty area. On the resulting free kick, Seattle notched the first goal of the game. Rapinoe hit the cross bar from a sharp angle, AD Franch couldn’t quite reach ball to snatch it out of the air, and Jasmyne Spencer made a run to the far post and one-timed it into the net. Several minutes later, Franch made a huge diving save against Jodie Taylor, who found space at the top of the box to send a well-struck volley on target. The Thorns almost got one back in the 34th minute, with Horan getting her head on a service from Meghan Klingenberg, but she sent it wide. Taylor came close again in the 37th, turning the Thorns defense to send a low shot in from close range, but Franch again dove to deflect the ball out for a corner. In the 40th minute, Fishlock earned a yellow for a foul against Boureille, drawing the loudest cheer of the game to that point. In the 43rd minute, The Thorns got one back, with—who else?—f***ing Tobin Heath picking up a beautiful diagonal through ball from Horan, taking a few touches to beat the last defender, and coolly slotting her angled shot past Williams. To start the second half, Mark Parsons made the first sub of the game, bringing in Ana Crnogorcevic for Purce. In the 49th minute, Emily Menges fouled Spencer on a Seattle transition play for the second yellow of the game, Menges’s first caution since 2015. Rapinoe then earned one for Seattle in the 55th minute for a late foul against Heath. By this point, the game was decidedly chippy, with fouls flying on both sides as each team tried to slow the other’s momentum. The result was a lot of free kicks on both sides, and a choppy stretch of the game. In the 60th minute, Allie Long picked up the fourth yellow of the game for a foul on Kling. Portland came close to a go-ahead goal in the 67th minute. Sinclair made a sliding play on the ball in Portland’s attacking third to knock it away from the Reign defense to an onrushing Crnogorcevic, who laid off a nice through ball to Foord, but the Australian was well offside. The Thorns had a goal waved offside in the 69th minute. Horan, Foord, and Heath all charged forward on a transition play with just Seattle’s center backs in position, and Horan found Heath with a well-weighted diagonal ball that she slotted home from the left. Providence Park exploded—but center ref Ramy Touchan called the goal back. By that point, though, the Thorns had Seattle on their back foot, keeping the ball in their attacking third and getting repeated looks on goal. The Reign looked as organized defensively as they sometimes looked disorganized last week, but Portland kept knocking, and their efforts finally paid off in the 76th minute. Christine Sinclair, OC, sent a beautiful curling service over the top for Horan, whose header plinked off the back post and over the goal line. After that goal, the Thorns had taken control of the match and didn’t let go. The Reign’s only real looks were on set pieces, plus a beautifully set-up chance by Bev Yanez inside the box that she unceremoniously whiffed. In stoppage time, Elizabeth Ball came on for Emily Sonnett, who had pulled up with an injury a few minutes earlier, but initially stayed on the field. After five tense minutes, the whistle blew to send the Thorns to the final next week. The game will be at 1:30 pm next Saturday at Providence Park.<doc-sep>
This is not the recap we wanted to write, but such is life. Seattle Reign FC’s 2018 season has come to an end as they fell to rival Portland Thorns FC 1-2 in the NWSL Playoffs Semifinals. Not much needed to be said going into Saturday’s match in terms of what was on the line — the winner moves on to next Saturday’s NWSL Championship Game, and the loser packs up for the year. The match was end-to-end action, with Seattle dominating possession in the opening minutes and threatening, but Portland would get their spell in the 17th minute off a throw-in that saw the Thorns with three solid chances on goal and subsequent corners that somehow, perhaps miraculously, Seattle was able to stand tall, block and clear out. Seattle opened the scoring when a Megan Rapinoe free kick was punched and kissed off the crossbar by Portland Thorns goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, but Jasmyne Spencer made a back-post run and volleyed the rebound into the back of the net. With the momentum on their side, Seattle would see more opportunities to pounce and add a second, and possibly a third, if it weren’t for the heroics of Franch. If there were any unconvinced parties in terms of who has built up a bullet-proof argument as to why they should be seeing minutes with the US national team, it is Franch. Her performance on the showtime stage of the NWSL Playoffs was superhuman. Reign FC forward Jodie Taylor was fed some amazing balls and got off some shots that — on any other day, any other keeper — would be going in and padding Seattle’s lead, but Franch was there. And there again. The amazing stops flipped the momentum and Portland capitalized on that in the 43rd minute when Tobin Heath equalized off a pass from MVP candidate Lindsey Horan. In the second half, Portland thought they got their second goal in the 69th minute, but it was controversially (and let’s be honest, wrongly) called off for offside on Tobin Heath. The hosts though got their second properly in the 77th minute when Christine Sinclair sent a pass into the box, and wouldn’t you know it, Lindsey Horan was left unmarked in the box, got in the air, and there’s your dagger. From there it was textbook closing the game by Portland. Seattle was unable to penetrate the midfield and put in any ball that threatened Portland’s defense or goalkeeper. And just like that, the full time whistle blew, and Portland has a chance to win their third NWSL Championship in front of their home fans, and the 2018 Seattle Reign FC season is over. Losing to Portland stings. Losing to them in the playoffs really, really stings. You saw it on the players’ faces when they hung their heads as they sat on the field after the full-time whistle. The team eventually formed a circle, as they always do after the match, and Reign FC head coach Vlatko Andonovski spoke. We asked Andonovski what he said to the team. “I told them I’m very sorry for them. That I love them so much and I can’t wait for the start of next season, because I thought we had a great season and we still have a lot of room to improve. I told them what happened out there, I didn’t prepare them good enough because I thought when the game was played, we were the better team. I thought when the game got tough, when the game got ugly, we didn’t know how to match ugly and that’s on me. I have to prepare them for that.” Andonovski has never been shy to admit if he got it wrong when it comes to preparing the team for a match. While Seattle did respond better in comparison to their performance in last week’s regular season finale, it still wasn’t good enough. Portland beat Seattle with the bread and butter of sending long balls over the top, which Seattle wasn’t able to adjust to and respond accordingly. Mark Lindsey Horan in the box? Easier said than done. The mental hangover will feel like an eternity for the team, the players, coaches, staff, and fans, but it could easily galvanize this squad next year. Seattle may have fallen short of ultimate glory, and there will be plenty of time in the offseason to reflect and asks multitudes of should have, could have, would have, but make no mistake: This team was good.