There’s nothing new to learn about the teams. They’re seen each other three times in six months, in different locales, and with various lineups. The coaches have faced off over the course of six seasons, and the main combatants between the lines? Some have known each other for longer.
This isn’t the same Portland Thorns FC versus Seattle Reign FC that was saw at the outset of the National Women’s Soccer League, when the Reign were beset by misfortune, and the Thorns, albeit on track to a championship, were still trying to find themselves. The Thorns have fully matured, developing an identity under Mark Parsons that has come to define their part of the club.