Chicago heads to Portland in NWSL Week 21 game of the week
By Jordan Small
With four NWSL games to be played on the weekend, here is a preview of Week 21 action.
Week 21 action kicked off in the NWSL on Wednesday night with a 0-0 draw in Seattle between the Reign and Chicago Red Stars. Once again, it’ll be another busy week in the NWSL with four games taking place.
With just under a month remaining in the season, the playoff race will be an important focal point in week 21.
Game to watch
The game to watch over the weekend will be the late night game between the Portland Thorns and Chicago Red Stars on Saturday night. This will be the NWSL game of the week and will be broadcast on ESPNEWS.
After Wednesday night’s draw with Seattle, Chicago is in fifth place, even on points with fourth-place Orlando.
In the first matchup between these two teams, Portland came out victorious with a 3-2 win in March. When the two teams played again in June, a 1-1 draw was the result. For Chicago, marking Lindsey Horan on set pieces will be key.
When it comes to Chicago, Portland needs to keep Sam Kerr and Yuki Nagasato in check, otherwise Adrianna Franch will be be busy in goal.
Player to watch
Last week, Adrianna Franch took home Player of the Week honors for her six-save performance against Orlando. The shutout was her second of the season. After coming back from a knee injury, Franch has racked up four wins and a tie in seven games.
She has let in just under a goal per game and has racked up 30 saves in the process.
This week, Franch and the Thorns will be facing off against Sam Kerr and the Chicago Red Stars. The Red Stars are fourth in the NWSL with 27 goals on the year. Right now, the Red Stars are still trying to find their goal scoring form after being off for 27 days.
Kerr is in second in the Golden Boot race with 10 goals for the year. If the Thorns want to pick up important points at home, Franch will play a major piece in trying to stop Kerr and the Red Stars attack.
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NWSL schedule
Friday, August 17
Houston Dash vs. Washington Spirit – 8:30 p.m. ET Houston, Texas
Saturday, August 18
Sky Blue FC vs. Utah Royals – 6:30 p.m. ET Piscataway, New Jersey
North Carolina Courage vs. Orlando Pride -7:00 p.m. ET Cary, North Carolina
Portland Thorns vs. Chicago Red Stars -10:30 p.m. ET Portland, Oregon