Portland's Woes Continue In Brutal 1-2 Defeat To Utah

What started as a rough homestand for the Portland Thorns managed to get even worse on Friday against one of the teams at the bottom of the league.

The Thorns fell in a 2-1 defeat to the visiting Utah Royals, losing consecutive matches for the first time in the 2025 regular season.

Portland entered Friday's match looking to bounce back after a 0-2 defeat to Kansas City in its last game. The Current ended the Thorns' 10-game undefeated streak at Providence Park.

The home side hadn't lost back-to-back games in league play this season, one of two teams in the NWSL without any losing streaks heading into the match. Portland won three matches and drew one of the last five matchups against the Royals at home prior to Friday.

Thorns With Opportunity In First Five (0-0)

A shot attempt by Reilyn Turner in the second minute ignited what was a series of opportunities for Portland early.

"First 15 minutes, really good. We had three shots," Gale said. "Their keeper made a couple of worldly saves. We were on the front foot, doing everything we asked of them."

The Thorns earned three corners in the first five minutes. After Royals goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn swatted away Turner's attempt, Deyna Castellanos came up with what was another close call for Utah.

Between McGlynn's deflections and a pair of skied shots, Portland came up empty in the opening 10 minutes despite keeping possession in its attacking half.

Milestone Minutes

Olivia Moultrie earned the starting nod once again for the Thorns in the midfield. She became the youngest player in NWSL history to reach 5,000 minutes.

"She's probably like a 10-goal-plus contribution player in this league. But you've got also to remember, she's only 19," Gale said. "So, as much as we now expect everything from her, and we're putting more and more responsibility, she does all the right things off the field. She watches the video, she does the work. She takes care of her body. She knows what's happened, what she needs to do, she is like the most professional player."

Moultrie entered the match needing just 17 minutes to reach the milestone. She also made history a couple of weeks ago by tying Jaedyn Shaw for the most regular goals by a teenager in league history with 13.

'22 Royals Find The Back Of The Net (0-1)

Utah scored first in just its second shot of the match. Captain Paige Monaghan flicked it past the defender and sent it to the right of keeper Mackenzie Arnold.

The Royals hadn't scored a single goal since Aug. 3 heading into the match.

45+2' Final First Half Efforts For Portland (0-1)

The Thorns were able to return to the final third later in the half. With three minutes of stoppage time, a pair of shots came from Castellanos and Turner once again.

McGlynn denied Portland the opportunity to score on both attempts, which were angled toward the left post.

48' Thorns Come Out Of Halftime Hot (0-1)

Portland started the second half like it started the first. Turner forced McGlynn to send the ball away again to earn a corner.

The Thorns accumulated an additional corner in the 56th minute off a similar attempt from Moultrie. McGlynn got her fingertips on it to swat it away for the frame, but Portland couldn't make anything of the corner.

The 16,066 fans at Providence Park rallied behind their team as the opportunities grew and time wound down.

Gale To Face Suspension

Tempers began to flare after the hour mark. The fans became increasingly dismayed by the referee's whistle throughout the match.

In the 67th minute, Hina Sugita picked up a yellow card for a challenge outside the Thorns' 18-yard box. As the Providence Park crowd expressed its displeasure, Gale also accumulated a yellow from the sideline.

"We've not been protected across the field ... It's something I'm trying to deal with behind the scenes and try and get protection of players, because it's an obvious mandate, and it's clear," Gale said about the physicality of the match. "And it's happening time and time again, and the only one who can stand up and protect them is our bench, and then we certainly get punished."

Gale was booked with a yellow card on Aug. 3 against the Washington Spirit. His latest card means he'll miss the next match against Racing Louisville due to card accumulation.

"When I asked the league official at the end, he didn't understand it," Gale said. "So we weren't alone in that. But yeah, Adam (Day) will be in charge in the next game."

'85 Utah Strikes Again (0-2)

The Thorns fought to equalize, but the Royals returned to their attacking third and made the most of their opportunities.

Arnold stopped a couple of attempts by Utah in the 85th minute. After scrambling to deflect the follow-up shots, the ball eventually trickled past the goal line.

It was the 16-year-old Kherrington Ream who was credited with the goal four minutes after subbing in.

90+7' Thorns Put One Back

Newly acquired midfielder Julie Dufour scored Portland's first goal in two weeks.

Dufour made her Thorns debut last week after spending less than 48 hours with the team. She subbed on in the 79th minute and made an immediate impact. The ball ricocheted in her direction inside the area, and she smashed it into the back of the net.

"You saw how much passion she had straight away. And I think that's just being part of this team. You feel that as soon as you get in here," Arnold said. "Obviously, the fans help so much, and being in Providence Park is always so special. So I think, to be honest, her passion just shows what this team is capable of in terms of culture and how much we believe in each other."

Full Time: 1-2

Although the Thorns regained a bit of confidence in stoppage time with Dufour's score, the franchise continues to skid in its return from the break.

Portland has now allowed multiple goals in four of its last five matches. Utah hadn't scored in three games before Friday and got two goals against the Thorns. The Royals also were without a road win prior to the match.

Portland falls to sixth in the NWSL standings as it continues to fight for not just a playoff spot, but an opportunity to host in the postseason.

The Thorns hit the road next week. They'll face Racing Louisville next Friday, Sept. 5, at 5 p.m. PT.

"I wouldn't say it's a case of turning things around. I think we know what we're capable of," Arnold said. "We believe in each other. We know what kind of team we can be. I think we've just lost a little bit of momentum at the moment."