BEAVERTON, Ore. – A process that began in earnest six weeks ago gets its season’s first reward this Sunday, when Portland Thorns FC open their 2019 National Women’s Soccer League season against the Orlando Pride. While a victory would certainly get the team’s ninth season off to a desired start, the mere act of getting to a real game, having navigated more than a month-long preseason, provides something positive. These weekend games, serving as the culmination to days of patience and work? It’s what these athletes live for.
Once the first result is in, roughly two hours after Sunday’s initial kickoff in Central Florida, the realities of the season will set in.