The Utah Royals want to stay alive in the playoff hunt against the Portland Thorns

HERRIMAN, Utah (Thursday, October 3, 2024) – Utah Royals FC (4-14-3, 15 points) travel to Oregon to face Portland Thorns FC (8-10-4, 28 points) on Saturday, October 5 at 8:00 p.m. MT.

Utah defeated Racing Louisville FC 1-0 at home in front of 9,002 fans, ending a three-game losing streak. The win was thanks to the NWSL Goal of the Week scored by the midfielder Ana Tejeda In the 78th minute he shot the ball from 28 meters away directly past the 1.90 meter tall Racing keeper into the bottom right corner. Tejada's goal was her second of the season as a midfield partner and fellow Spanish woman Claudia Zornoza scored her second assist of the year. The Spanish duo was a crucial figure for Utah in the second half of the season, starting at the base of the midfield in every game since August 23, with the exception of the game against Gotham FC on September 22 due to Tejada's yellow card suspension.

The Royals' last meeting with Portland was at home in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup in July and ended 3-1 with three different scorers: Hannah Bethfort, Ally SentnorAnd Michele Vasconcelos. The 3-1 win is in sharp contrast to the two sides' previous meeting, which ended in a 0-0 draw, although the Royals finished with a 1.8 xG. Both teams will try to get onto the pitch first as both teams have a good track record when it comes to scoring first goals. Utah Royals FC is 5-0-1 while Portland Thorns FC is 8-1-0 when scoring first. Neither team could win a game when they conceded the first goal.

WATCH LIVE on ION with Maura Sheridan and Jordan Angeli :: Utah Royals FC vs Portland Thorns | Providence Park | 8:00 p.m. MT

LISTEN on KSL Sports Radio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) starting at 7:30 p.m. MT

The Portland Thorns have been winless in this game for six straight regular season games. The last win in the league came on July 5, when Portland defeated the San Diego Wave 1-0 at Providence Park. The Thorns relied heavily on USWNT forward and global superstar Sophia Smith, whose team scored 11 goals, 7 more than the second-most on their team. Newly appointed permanent head coach Rob Gale has yet to record a regular season win since the interim title was removed and his team is currently just three points above the playoff line. Portland will look to carry the momentum from a 2-1 win over Santa Fe FC in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup into Tuesday's game against Utah.