Hurricane Florence forces Portland to host both NWSL semifinal games

The NWSL regular season has come and gone. It’s now time for the top four teams to battle it out for a spot in the final. Here is a preview of the semifinal matchups.

Well it wouldn’t be the NWSL without some wacky weather causing a bit of a disruption. But by Tuesday night, the final two teams will be set for the NWSL Championship. Before that, there are two semifinal games to be played. Portland will host the Seattle Reign on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET at Providence Park. Then, Providence Park will once again host the second semifinal on Tuesday between North Carolina and Chicago. Originally scheduled for Sunday in Cary, North Carolina, the game was moved Thursday afternoon because of Hurricane Florence. That game will now kick off at 9 p.m. ET.

Cascadia Classic like you’ve never seen it before

When you look at professional soccer in North America, there are few rivalries that come close to that of Portland and Seattle. This weekend, Seattle will travel down to Portland for their fourth meeting of the season. In the previous three meetings, Seattle has come out on top twice. However, in the most recent meeting in the final week of the season, Portland pulled out the 3-1 home victory to clinch home field for the semifinal.

The key matchup to watch in this game will be the goalkeepers. Portland’s Adriana Franch and Seattle’s Lydia Williams are two of the best in the league and both have good cases for goalkeeper of the year. With both teams having strong scorers at forward and in the midfield, it’ll be very important for the goalkeepers and backlines to be strong in their communication in what is no doubt about to be a very loud Providence Park. One simple mistake could spell the end of the season for either side.

Between Chicago and North Carolina, Florence has already won

Whether or not it is the fair move, moving the game out of North Carolina is definitely the right move. Playing in a hurricane is not a smart move and playing after the storm moves through is just too risky. Making Chicago fly into an evacuation zone was bound to cause issues and also taking away resources from those who had no other option. While it does really stink for the Courage that they could not play on their home field, which they very much earned, safety needs to be the top priority.

With the game now set for Tuesday, the two teams can get down to business and prepare. In three matchups this season, North Carolina won one and the other two resulted in draws. North Carolina has not lost away from home this season so it’ll definitely be a tough task for Chicago. The matchup to watch in this game will definitely be the front line of Chicago vs. North Carolina’s stout back line.

Schedule

Saturday, September 15
Portland Thorns vs. Seattle Reign – 3:00 p.m. ET Portland, Oregon

Tuesday, September 18
North Carolina Courage vs. Chicago Red Stars 9:00 p.m. ET Portland, Oregon