Portland Thorns get through Playoffs quarterfinals in an overtime 1-0 win over San Diego Wave

Reilyn Turner scores the lone goal of the NWSL first round of Playoffs San Diego Wave at Portland Thorns at Providence Park (Photo by Diego G Diaz).

The Portland Thorns and San Diego Wave squared up for a spot in the semifinals of the 2025 NWSL playoffs. In a borrowed script from the MLS, San Diego dominated possession, while Portland played more direct and tried to hurt in the counter.

The first half wasn’t the kind of football for new fans to the sport, as it was a carefully played chess game. Both defenses seemed to get the best of the other team’s offense, and the ball lived in the midfield most of the time. There were still clear opportunities that could have gotten any of them ahead on the pitch, but both teams played well in their own strengths and the result unsurprisingly went to the break 0-0.

The second half followed similar pattern, but the edge seemed to turn into San Diego’s good possession game and elaborate playing. It was mostly played on Portland’s half. The Thorns seemed to resist the pressing by the Wave, and had a hard time articulating any effective response, even as forward Reilyn Turner and midfielder Sam Coffey were fighting for every ball like it was a final, and it was!

The last fifteen minutes of the second half saw tables turn in favor of Portland, lifted up by their home crowd, as they started to put the pressure on San Diego, and started to control the game. Like in the horse races, the Thorns became a proper closer, rushing from the outside in that last home stretch that extended through the extra time period.

It was then in the first 15 of extra time, when Reilyn Turner’s head connected a cross from Olivia Moultrie for the lone goal of the match. The crowd at Providence Park at a three quarters attendance, roared in the north end like it was a stadium twice the size. Portland’s soccer home loves dramatic endings.

The second half of the overtime seemed to last forever for the home crew, but still with San Diego pushing, Portland this time, never fully gave the initiative away, and still looked like the most dangerous team, and they were closer to a second than San Diego to equalize.

At the end, celebrations were with the home crowd, in what will be the last home game of the season as the seeding rights to host any combinations of semi finals and finals, does not favor Portland.

An exit note worth the mention would be an exhortation for all parts participating in soccer across leagues and genders to communicate with each other. Seeing a playoff game, the ones that make Portland one of the best atmospheres of the sport in the entire country, with empty spaces in the stands was heartbreaking. It is not a result of loss of interest in the sports, or a waining in the success of the franchise, but an absolute blunder by all parts participating on the scheduling.

Understandably, organizing a weekend of soccer across playoffs of two completely separate leagues with different TV rights and disassociated to a metaverse level, is a complicated task, but not an immpossible one. Portland and San Diego playing playoffs both in MLS and NWSL, scheduling them the same day will only succeed in securing empty seats at both events as fans of same city boys and girls teams are mostly the same people. There has to be a better way.

The away section was empty but a single drummer and a dozen people or so, and the early noon game due to whichever TV time allowance, did nothing but guarantee that the stadium will be far from a full capacity. More over, it was an actual dilution of the experience. What is the measure of the game? The fans in attendance of TV convenience? Why can’t all parts talk, and have the game schedule to maximize the love and the commitment of fans to follow both?

There needs to be better communication. MLS needs to talk to NWSL, Thorns need to talk to Timbers and vice versa.

Regardless of the circumstances, it was all smiles with Thorns moving to semis. They will be facing Washington Spirit at Audi Field next Saturday, November 11.