In this edition of Oppo Research, Hudson River Blue spoke with Taylor Vincent of The Equalizer to learn more about Portland Thorns, Gotham FC‘s opponent in the semifinals of the 2023 NWSL Playoffs this Sunday. Here is your Gotham FC vs Portland Thorns preview.
1. Frustration with inconsistency
Hudson River Blue: The Portland Thorns were one of the best teams in the league all year, but they won just two of their last five games (one of which was a 1-0 win over Gotham). Portland’s 5-1 loss to Angel City on Decision Day delivered the NWSL Shield to San Diego. What’s the vibe at Providence Park these days?
Taylor Vincent: Coming off of the loss to Angel City, the vibes were frustration about the consistency of play. The players spoke about feeling the pain, coming together and focusing on the upcoming semifinal. Like all semifinal teams, they’ll have players coming back from the FIFA break and trying to seamlessly fit back into the squad, who won’t have played a match in three weeks.
