After a hard-fought loss against the defending champions, the Reign return to the pitch at Lumen Field to host their original rivals, the Portland Thorns. The home match kicks off at 7:00 PM PT, and will air on Prime.
Both teams are off to a middling start, with the Thorns in 6th place and the Reign just one point behind them in 7th, and both will be looking to make a statement and climb in the standings at their rivals’ expense. Heading into the match, the Reign appear to be getting healthy, with Lynn Biyendolo and Jordyn Huitema returning from injury against Orlando, and Ji So-yun cleared to play. The Thorns, meanwhile, have a litany of injuries and absences, but are coming off their best performance of the season, a 1-0 win over the Utah Royals.
There’s always a little extra on offer when the Thorns and Reign play, and veteran center back Lauren Barnes had a lot to say on the topic.
“We have so much history with Portland. I think it’s been one of the, you know, most, probably globally and definitely in the NWSL the biggest rivalry you can have, and that’s been really exciting,” she told reporters on Thursday.
“It’s created this history and this sort of really kind of intense and competitive environment between us. (…) When we prepare for league games, it’s definitely different when it comes down to Portland because there is a little bit more on the line with this game.”
Head-to-Head
- The Reign are 15-10-15 all time against the Thorns, including an 8-7-5 home record.
- The Reign have scored 43 goals in the rivalry while conceding 44.
Recent results
- The Thorns have a 1-2-1 record this season and have scored 3 goals while conceding 4. They’re coming off their first win of the season, 1-0 over the Utah Royals.
- The Reign are 1-1-2 and coming off losses in back to back matches, 2-1 against Angel City and 1-0 against Orlando Pride.
2024 results
- The Thorns ended 2024 in 6th place with a 10-4-12 record, scoring 37 goals and conceding 35.
- They lost in the first round of the playoffs, 2-1 against Gotham FC.
- The Reign ended in 13th place with a 6-15-5 record.
Offseason moves
- The Thorns have had an enormous amount of squad turnover since 2024.
- All-time international goalscoring record holder and Canadian icon Christine Sinclair announced her retirement, as did indispensable centerback Becky Sauerbrunn.
- Other departures include longtime stalwart Meghan Klingenberg, along with defenders Gabby Provenzano and Kelli Hubly and goalkeeper Shelby Hogan.
- They signed former Reign center back Sam Hiatt, previously at Gotham FC, in free agency. They also signed Jayden Perry out of UCLA, and Brazilian defender Daiane, who has yet to appear in a match for them, for an undisclosed fee to Flamengo.
- Midfielders Deyna Castellanos (from Bay FC) and Carissa Boeckmann (from Florida State) joined the side, along with forward Pietra Tordin (from Princeton.)
- Versatile and dangerous Canadian midfielder Mimi Alidou joined the Thorns from Benfica, making her first appearance against Utah.
Thorns players to watch
Reilyn Turner: With Sophia Wilson (née Smith) out on maternity leave and many significant 2024 contributors departed, the big question for the Thorns was “where will the goals come from?” The best answer, through four games, has been Reilyn Turner, who scored the winning goal in their 1-0 victory over Utah Royals as well as the draw-securing goal in their 1-1 tie against Angel City. Turner is very strong in the air, good receiving the ball under pressure, and can put in a dangerous shot with either foot. She can create her own space with the ball on occasion but has relied on service from Hina Sugita and Olivia Moultrie for the majority of her chances.
Olivia Moultrie: Now in her fifth professional season, Moultrie is a known – and dangerous – quantity, an excellent progressive passer with great vision and ball skills who can both provide quality service from midfield and create her own danger as the late runner in the area. She and Turner are the only Thorns players to score this year, with Moultrie finding the consolation goal in Portland’s season-opening 3-1 loss to Kansas City.
Hina Sugita: In her fourth season with the Thorns, the Japanese international is now one of the club’s most essential veterans, leading the side with 2 assists and 12 shot-creating actions. A midfielder with incisive forward vision, no weak foot, and a stunningly smooth touch, she can create something out of nothing if she’s given a chance to.
What to watch
The width is lava: The 2025 Thorns play narrow, looking to overload the midfield with their creative core of Moultrie, Sugita, and Castellanos frequently switching and playing off each other. Occasionally, it even works, but frequently, they’ve overcrowded their own playmaking, with Moultrie and Castellanos in particular trying to occupy the same spaces. Playing as narrow as they do has allowed packed in defenses to deny them clear-cut opportunities – 26 of their 62 shots have come from outside the penalty area – and Kansas City and Angel City both found success taking advantage of the width and space that Portland ceded.
With that said, the Thorns showed a version of it that largely worked against Utah and may be figuring out their spacing.
Doing something with the ball: On the ball, the Thorns are incredibly wily, categorically the best-dribbling side in the NWSL. Their midfield, though crowded, features a number of highly skilled players who can beat their mark in a number of ways. They’ve struggled to turn that ball skill into chances, however, taking relatively few shots, and translating those shots into even less danger. Turner has been a real danger whenever she’s given the chance, but they don’t give her the chance consistently enough, and she can’t create the chance for herself consistently enough to move the needle.
Or, in a chart:
That rivalry energy: Call it a rivalry, call it a derby, call it Cascadia, when the Reign and the Thorns play, you can often just throw the analytics out the window. These are two teams that know each other well, going back to the days of playing each other four to six times a season to keep travel costs down. This is the original NWSL rivalry, and both sides know that taking it means way more to the fans than any boring old win along the way.
After last season and that harsh 4-0 loss, the Reign have something of a score to settle in this one.
Injury / Availability Report
Seattle Reign
OUT: Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee), Jess Fishlock (leg), Veronica Latsko (SEI – lower leg), Maddie Mercado (excused absence)
Portland Thorns
OUT: Moira Kelley (Ankle), Marie Muller (SEI – knee), Nicole Payne (SEI – knee), Olivia Wade-Katoa (maternity leave), Morgan Weaver (SEI – knee), Sophia Wilson (maternity leave)
How to Watch
The Reign will face the Portland Thorns on Friday, April 18th at 7:00 PM PT at Lumen Field. The match will air on Prime Video.
