How to Watch Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave FC

San Diego Wave FC will head up to Providence Park for the second time in 2022, when they face the Portland Thorns in NWSL regular season play on Saturday night.

Wave FC are coming off a big win last weekend, a 3-1 defeat of the Houston Dash to close out their tenure at Torero Stadium. While red-hot Ebony Salmon gave Houston an early lead, credit to San Diego for getting in gear and coming back for the win. Alex Morgan scored her 50th NWSL regular season goal, Amirah Ali had the winner, and Sofia Jakobsson notched her debut goal in the league to wrap up the three points.

San Diego will face a Portland side on short rest, having lost 3-1 to the North Carolina Courage in North Carolina on Wednesday. That loss snapped the Thorns’ 12-game unbeaten streak, obviously the longest in the league this year. It also gives San Diego some hope that Portland can be caught, since they’ve passed Wave FC in the standings, but Thorns head coach Rhian Wilkinson did some rotation in Wednesday’s game and I expect a stronger XI to be in place for this game.

These teams are level on points atop the standings, and while Portland have a game in hand, this is a vital six-pointer in the race for the Shield this season. In many ways, it’s a great litmus test for San Diego, both to see their growth since the Challenge Cup against a repeat opponent, and a tune-up for a possible playoff clash later to come this year. This is a big one! Let’s get it, Wave FC!

Injuries/absences:

Wave FC:

• None

Thorns:

• Crystal Dunn (maternity leave) — OUT

How to Watch:

Saturday’s match between San Diego Wave FC and the Portland Thorns will be streamed in the United States on Paramount+ and in the rest of the world on Twitch. The broadcast is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm PT, with kickoff to come shortly after.

Come chat about the game with us in the comment section below!