Seattle Reign vs. Portland Thorns: Gamethread

Seattle Reign travel down to Portland tonight for their final match of the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup group stage. The game kicks off at 7 PM PT and will stream on Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo (English) and NWSL+ (Spanish).

Portland beat Club Tijuana 5-0 before falling 3-1 to the Utah Royals last week. The Reign beat the Royals 2-1 in their opening match then lost 3-2 to Tijuana.

While it's not a regular-season battle, the Reign will still be motivated to win against their long-time rival.

"I've been at the Portland games, and the experience is crazy," defender Lily Woodham said in a pre-match press conference. "I think it's really exciting. It's really fun to be involved in. It's easier to get ready and get excited for that game, and we're all really looking forward to it."

Summer Cup format and standings

The Summer Cup features 20 teams divided into five groups of four. Each team plays three group-stage matches. The four teams with the most points will advance to the semifinals at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City on Aug. 6.

• A win in regulation counts for 3 points.
• If teams are tied at the end of regulation, they go straight into penalties. The team that wins the shootout gets 2 points, while the losing team gets 1 point.
• There is no VAR in the Summer Cup.

Heading into the final match of the group stage, all four teams in the Reign's group are tied with 3 points.

• The other group leaders have 6 or 5 points, which could make it hard for any team in the Reign's group to advance. But anything can happen.
• Goal differential is the first tiebreaker, and the Reign, with a goal differential of 0, is third in their group heading into this match.

What to Watch

Lineup rotation

While Reign head coach Laura Harvey has used a really young lineup in the last two Summer Cup games, she'll need to rotate more for the final group-stage match. That's simply because of the tight turnaround between matches. The Reign played three days ago. Asking players who hadn't featured in many regular season matches to push their bodies is, in Harvey's words, "unfair."

"Some of those players that obviously played a lot of minutes on Sunday aren't in a position to really do that again on Wednesday, unfortunately. So, we've got to rotate again and probably bring in some of these older players just because it's unfair. There will definitely be more rotation again."

Portland's formation

Portland has used this tournament to test out new formations. As Harvey noted in a pre-match press conference, the Thorns have been playing in a three-back the last two Summer Cup matches – which isn't their typical formation.

It worked incredibly well against Tijuana, but left the Thorns a little exposed against a rising Utah Royals team – especially in the first half. Will they try the same thing against the Reign?

Finishing chances

On June 16, the last time the Reign faced Portland, the two teams played to a scoreless draw. The Reign outshot the Thorns, who were missing several key players, including Sophia Smith and Sam Coffey. They'll be without those two again – along with several other international players who are at the Olympics.

The Reign couldn't convert their chances in their previous match against Portland – a common struggle for the team recently. Harvey and the squad are hoping to correct that against their rivals while making sure they remain defensively tough to break down and don't give the ball away in dangerous spots.

"I think the key for us is: how can we keep creating chances first and foremost? We're in control of that. How can we make sure that we make it as difficult for the opponent to score? We did a good job of that when we played Portland the last time. And then take the chances that we create. That's the grinding hamster wheel that we're on right now: make it difficult for the opponent to score, which we've done a good job of late up until the Tijuana game, and how can we make sure that we take some of these chances early in games to make life a little bit easier for ourselves."

Lineups

Highlights

10' - Ainsley McCammon, in her first professional start, sends a lovely ball through to Veronica Latsko, but her shot is saved.

40' - In true Reign fashion, they let an opponent get in behind – and they are punished. Payton Linnehan puts the Thorns up 1-0.

Availability Report

Seattle Reign FC

OUT: Lauren Barnes (leg), Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee)

INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Jordyn Huitema (CAN), Quinn (CAN)

Portland Thorns

OUT: Bella Bixby (maternity leave), Gabby Provenzano (SEI – ankle), Morgan Weaver (D45 –knee), Olivia Wade-Katoa (concussion)

INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Janine Beckie (CAN), Jessie Fleming (CAN), Sophia Smith (USA), Sam Coffey (USA), Nicole Payne (NGA), Mackenzie Arnold (AUS)

How to Watch

Date / Time: Wednesday, July 31, 7 p.m. PT

Location: Providence Park, Portland

Streaming: Paramount+ (English), CBS Sports Golazo (English), NWSL+ (Spanish)