NWSL playoff race heats up heading into week 20
By Jordan Small
We’ve officially come to under one month remaining in the NWSL season. Here is a preview of Week 20 action.
Week 20 officially kicked off on Wednesday when the Washington Spirit fell on the road to the Utah Royals. There will be four more games on the weekend to make sure you get your NWSL fix in. With just about five weeks to play before the playoffs start, the race for the final three spots are really heating up.
Game to watch
The NWSL is saving the best game for last on the weekend when the Orlando Pride welcome the Portland Thorns to town. With these two teams just one point apart in the standings, this game will have major playoff implications down the road. Portland is just one point back of Orlando in third place and is just one point ahead of the Chicago Red Stars, who sit in fifth.
In the two previous meetings between the two sides, Orlando and Portland have split 2-1 decisions. If the Thorns want a chance at picking up three points, their biggest concern should be Marta. In last week’s draw against Sky Blue, Marta had a goal and a penalty kick saved. As for Orlando, stopping Lindsey Horan on free-kicks will be key.
Player to watch
It has been 27 days since the Chicago Red Stars last played a match. In that time, Australia faced the United States, Brazil, and Japan in the Tournament of Nations. So while many of her teammates have sat stagnant for nearly a month, forward Sam Kerr has been able to see some competitive matches. This should come in handy for her team this weekend.
Kerr is one of the hottest players on the planet right now. Despite having not played an NWSL match since July 14, Kerr still sits in second for goals scored with nine. There is a reason that Kerr is considered one of the top goal-scorers in the women’s game right now and it is because of her ability to put the ball into the back of the net with ease. For roughly every six shots she takes, one is going into the back of the net. She has also been able to make the players around her better this year and it is showing in the way Chicago have been playing. Heading towards the playoffs, Kerr is definitely a player to watch.
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Schedule
Friday, August 10
Chicago Red Stars vs. North Carolina Courage – 8 p.m. ET Bridgeview, Illinois
Saturday, August 11
Utah Royals FC vs. Seattle Reign – 3:30 p.m. ET Sandy, Utah
Sky Blue FC vs. Houston Dash -7:00 p.m. ET Piscataway, New Jersey
Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns – 7:30 p.m. ET Orlando, Florida