All the obstacles that there were missing from last week’s season opener against the Orlando Pride surfaced on Saturday in Bridgeview, Illinois. Coming off their 2-0 victory in Florida, Portland Thorns FC conceded their first goals, overcome their first deficit, and dropped their first points of the season today against the Chicago Red Stars. The 4-4 draw improved the Thorns’ all-time record against Chicago to 8-1-9, but amid a day of defensive mistakes and, in the 94th minute, a final Red Stars chance hitting the cross bar, the result could have been worse.
“The positives from the game were that we were the team trying to take charge, trying to get on the front foot and stay on the front foot by scoring and taking the lead,” head coach Mark Parsons said, after the match.