The Portland Thorns have become the first team to win three NWSL Championships, beating the Kansas City Current 2-0 on Saturday night in the final at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. League MVP Sophia Smith opened the scoring in the fourth minute of play when her movement on a fast break saw her in a one-on-one with goalkeeper Adrianna Franch. The keeper didn't pose a challenge for Smith, who also won the game's MVP, as she scored what would be the winner with a slick cut to the left and a low finish. The Thorns kept the pressure up as Kansas City held up defensively until the second half when an Addisyn Merrick own goal doubled the score. Yazmeen Ryan created the danger by looking for Smith in the box and Merrick hit the cross past Franch to double Portland's lead and cement the title for the favorites.
Here's the winning goal:
From start to finish, Portland's experience in the championship showed as they played like a team that had been here before. Not allowing Kansas City to have a shot on goal, Bella Bixby could've sat in a chair for parts of the match as the Thorns' defense came to play. Relentless in their pressing, the Current midfield was never allowed time to get into a rhythm. On top of that, the attack created too many chances for Kansas City's defense to contain.
Here are a few takeaways from the match:
Spectacular Smith
Shredding defenders and doing it with a smile, that's what Smith does as she became the youngest player to score in an NWSL final with her opening goal pacing the Thorns to victory. Also being named the final MVP to go along with her league MVP award, Smith has had quite the season. What's scary is that while she got into space with ease and also was able to help force an own goal for Portland's insurance goal, there's so much room for Smith to grow.
She's learning from good company in Cristine Sinclair who has the most international goals of any player with 190 for Canada, but there are more accolades in Smith's future. During the match, she only misplaced three passes, put two of her four shots on target, and she completed three dribbles as her presence gave Kansas City fits on the night. It's only up from here, and it's already way up.
The Current can hold their heads high
While it was disappointing for the Current to not register a shot on target as they looked out of their depth in the match, it's a good time to compare the teams. Not only do the Thorns have two players who have been on a roster in every single one of the 10 NWSL seasons so far in Becky Sauerbrunn and Sinclair, but they also have plenty of players who have won NWSL Championships in the past. A team can only get experience in big matches by playing in them and that's what the Current can take from the night. In only their second season of existence, the Current went from the bottom of the league to the final, got a name and logo, and received significant investments into their facilities and roster.
This is a team that is trending up and this final will be the first of many for the Current. Making more additions to have a deeper bench and just having another year together should see the Current improve by leaps and bounds next season.
Past, present, and future
The Thorns have the deepest roster in the league and they're excellent at transitioning from club legends to future players who will carry the torch. While we've already covered Smith and Sinclair, Olivia Moultrie will also be able to build on her season. At 17, Moultrie became the youngest player to ever appear in an NWSL championship after scoring three goals and assisting three more during the season. With the world at her feet, Moultrie is going to continue to push for playing time as the future is in good hands.
