On Saturday, October 5, 2022, the Portland Thorns FC and the Kansas City Current will play for the NWSL Championship. Neither team will have a home-field advantage when Portland and Kansas City play each other in Washington, D.C.’s Audi Field. Both clubs are fighting for a chance to play in the NWSL Finals and win the title.
Time zone aficionados can tune in to CBS at 8 p.m. ET, while those needing a streaming option can tune on Paramount+ (Premium). Pregame coverage with Kate Abdo, Midge Purce, and Jenny Chiu airs on Paramount+ at 6:30 p.m. ET. After the trophy presentation, Angel City defender Ali Riley will be a special guest on the postgame edition of The Attacking Third, a podcast dedicated to giving you all you need to know about women’s soccer, broadcast live on YouTube and the CBS Sports App.
Follow these steps to keep up with the action:
Viewing info
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 29 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Audi Field — Washington D.C.
- TV: CBS
- Stream: Paramount+ (Premium)
- Caesars Sportsbook odds: Thorns +100; Draw +250; Current +225
Wish there was more media attention paid to women’s soccer. You can listen to the latest episode of Attacking Third, a CBS Soccer podcast covering the NWSL and international soccer, below.
TV Shows That Air During a Season
Portland has won four of their six total matches against Kansas City, including the Challenge Cup last year (D2-L0). Both teams have played twice this season, with Portland beating the Current 3-0 in Portland in April and playing to a 1-1 tie in Kansas in September.
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What brought them here
There has never been a team with more NWSL Championship appearances than the Portland Thorns FC. They were able to make it to the finals after a 2-1 semifinal victory over San Diego Wave FC. Crystal Dunn, a midfielder for the Thorns, scored the game-winning goal in sudden death.
As a result of her game-winning goal, Dunn is currently equal with Samantha Mewis and Amy Rodriguez for the most goals scored in the NWSL playoffs with four goals each. Five other players in the NWSL have scored in two NWSL Championship games, but if Dunn scores in all three, she will be the first player to do so in the league’s history.
During the regular season, the club scored 49 times in 22 games for an average of 2.23 goals per game, good for second-best in NWSL history. Overall, Portland has a 2-1 record in championship games, with both victories coming in off-site locations (2013 at Western New York and 2017 vs. North Carolina in Orlando). Only Christine Sinclair, captain of the Thorns, has appeared in all three of Portland’s NWSL finals.
After finishing last in their first season in 2021, the Kansas City Current turned things around under new head coach Matt Potter and an unbeaten summer stretch that saw them go 13 games without losing. After a strong start to the season, the team battled down the stretch, going 1-2-1 in their final four games to finish the year in fifth place and advance to the quarterfinals.
After eliminating the NWSL Shield champions, OL Reign, 2-1 in the quarterfinals, Kansas City advanced to the NWSL finals and defeated Houston Dash, 3-2. Rookie Alex Loera scored the game’s first goal for the Current in the fourth minute, setting the tone for a 2-0 victory over the Reign.
After a 4–1–1 start to the regular season, Kansas City has won 17 of their last 19 games (W12, D5, including playoffs). The Current became the first team to win the NWSL title after starting the season with fewer than six points. Their 22 goals this season have been scored by Kristen Hamilton (7), CeCe Kizer (7), and Lo’eau LaBonta (5), demonstrating that the key to the match will be Portland’s ability to deal with the Current’s balanced attack (8).
Prediction for Portland vs. Kansas City
Both squads are brimming with young talent and fresh faces, which might be the difference in winning the championship. Thorns FC’s first-year head coach Rhian Wilkinson experimented with several different lineups this season, and the club’s depth and adaptability may prove fruitful in the long run. Kansas City Shock 1, Portland Thorns FC One that is now occurring 1.
