Portland Thorns FC 2, Seattle Reign FC 1
—Portland edges out Seattle, 2-1, advances to third NWSL Championship
—Lauletta: A.D. was the X factor in Thorns’ semifinal win
—Bush: Injuries, missed chances, take their toll on the Reign
—Kassouf: Semifinal spectacle pushes Portland-Seattle NWSL rivalry to new, natural heights
Attendance: 14,179
PODCAST: The Thorns are back in the NWSL Championship, Tom Sermanni is out in Orlando, and the Courage/Red Stars match is pushed to Tuesday. Dan, Chelsey, and Claire take the reins for Episode 27
NWSL Postseason Awards Finalists
Most Valuable Player
-Lindsey Horan, Portland Thorns FC
-Sam Kerr, Chicago Red Stars
-Megan Rapinoe, Seattle Reign FC
-Lynn Willams, North Carolina Courage
-McCall Zerboni, North Carolina Courage
Defender of the Year
-Abby Dahlkemper, North Carolina Courage
-Abby Erceg, North Carolina Courage
-Julie Ertz, Chicago Red Stars
-Becky Sauerbrunn, Utah Royals FC
-Emily Sonnett, Portland Thorns FC
Goalkeeper of the Year
-Aubrey Bledsode, Washington Spirit
-Adrianna Franch, Portland Thorns FC
-Lydia Williams, Seattle Reign FC
Coach of the Year
-Vlatko Andonovski, Seattle Reign FC
-Mark Parsons, Portland Thorns FC
-Paul Riley, North Carolina Courage
Rookie of the Year
-Imani Dorsey, Sky Blue FC
-Savannah McCaskill, Sky Blue FC
-Andi Sullivan, Washington Spirit
What They Said
"That was tough." ?️ @mparsons pic.twitter.com/OpgvNti3YD
— NWSL (@NWSL) September 15, 2018
"We're pretty disappointed with this one, obviously" ?️ Megan Rapinoe speaks with @DalenCuff. Then @jennhildreth & @alywagner break down what changed in the second half of #PORvSEA. pic.twitter.com/uyb33NVVhB
— NWSL (@NWSL) September 15, 2018
Brief Update:This decision puts great pressure on our staff/players/coaches etc to prepare for trip in midst of storm. No decision is better than bad one. Safety remains our priority for all involved. I’m baffled & disappointed for our Courage family. STAY SAFE. More info later. https://t.co/uHqJjryaBo
— Curt Johnson (@curtjohnson17) September 14, 2018
World WoSo Tables
| W | L | D | GF | GA | PTS | |
| Lyon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 9 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 9 |
| Bordeaux | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Fleury 91 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Dijon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Paris | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Lille | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 4 |
| Montpellier | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Soyaux | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 3 |
| Guingamp | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Rodez | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| Metz | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| W | L | D | GF | GA | PTS | |
| Bayern Munich | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| SSG Essen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Werder Bremen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Wolfsburg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Hoffenheim | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Freiberg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| SD Sand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Turbine Potsdam | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Borussia Monchengladbach | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| FFC Frankfurt | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Duisburg | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| W | L | D | GF | GA | PTS | |
| Atletico Madrid | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| Albacete | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| Real Sociedad | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| Valencia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Barcelona | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Levante | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Madrid | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Granadilla Tenerife | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Sevilla | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Espanyol | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Athletic Club | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sporting de Huelva | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Logrono | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Real Betis | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Malaga | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| W | L | D | GF | GA | PTS | |
| Arsenal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Reading | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Birmingham City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Bristol City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Chelsea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Manchester City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| West Ham United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brighton and Hove Albion WFC | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Everton | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Yeovil Town | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Liverpool | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
This Week’s Schedule
Tuesday
Chicago Red Stars vs North Carolina Courage (in Portland), 9:00 p.m. EDT (ESPNews)
Saturday
NWSL Championship in Portland: Portland Thorns FC vs Courage/Red Stars, 4:30 p.m. EDT, Lifetime
