The Portland Thorns have officially clinched a spot in the 2022 NWSL Playoffs. Their 3-0 victory over Racing Louisville on Wednesday night brought them to 35 points, mathematically guaranteeing that they will finish in one of the top six spots in the standings, thus booking them a postseason berth.
Portland is the first team to clinch a playoff spot this year, and this marks the Thorns’ sixth consecutive regular season making an appearance in the postseason, dating back to 2016 (this doesn’t include the pandemic impacted 2020 season, where the Challenge Cup and Fall Series took the place of an NWSL regular season).