Reign Fall in Cascadia Rivalry Despite Two Thorns Ejections

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Seattle Reign forward Nerilia “Coco” Mondesir dribbles the ball against the Portland Thorns on Friday, March 20, 2026 at Providence Park in Portland, Ore. (Jane Gershovich / Reign FC Communications) [/caption]

PORTLAND, Ore. — It was about as eventful of a Cascadia Clash as you can have.

Friday night saw the Seattle Reign head down I-5 to take on their fierce NWSL rival in the Portland Thorns for their home opener — which pulled in over 21,000 fans in a record-setting and raucous atmosphere at Providence Park.

After two red cards and the return one of the biggest stars in the sport to her home pitch in USWNT star Sophia Wilson, Portland came out on top 2-0 by dropping their entire squad into the box and making Seattle beat them without transition chances.

Evidently, the Reign’s service wasn’t up to the challenge as Seattle’s offense stalled without any chance to attack against a defense that wasn't set.

After a 4-2 loss in Portland on a blazing day last August, it was quite the frustrating feeling for veteran midfielder Jess Fishlock and company.

"Not for a while," Fishlock said when asked if she's can remember a loss as demoralizing as Friday's. "This one, this one sucks really bad right now."

The loss dropped the Reign to 1-1-0 on the season as the team readies for three straight games in Spokane before their Seattle opener on April 26.

A Groggy Reign Squad

Before understanding what happened on Friday night, understanding Monday and Tuesday is pivotal in putting the full picture together for the Reign this week.

Seattle wrapped up a nightmarish weekend in Orlando with a 2-1 win over the Pride on Sunday before trying to get a plane back to the Pacific Northwest. But with the government shutdown and weather canceling flights, Seattle had trouble leaving on Monday as planned.

The Reign waited around at the airport, trying to rebook into the wee hours of the night, as they didn't get a hotel and get to sleep until well after midnight. After securing a charter for Tuesday, the Reign had to wait until 3:30 p.m. to leave Florida, sleeping a grand total of 15 hours over three days by head coach Laura Harvey's estimation.

Fishlock, who scored a goal in Orlando, put the experience up there with any travel blunder she's experienced over her 13 NWSL campaigns.

After Seattle got back, it had one day of irregular and abbreviated training in Tukwila to prepare for one of the most hostile environments in the NWSL lacking striker Mia Fishel and USWNT defender Jordyn Bugg. Fishel suffered an injury in the Pride win while Bugg continues to recover from a knock she picked up with the national team before the season.

After Friday’s loss, Fishlock answered with an emphatic "no" when asked if fatigue from the lengthy travel factored into the game.

Harvey saw it a different way as the Reign struggled to manage inspired service all night.

"I knew that we would be fatigued, because I don't think anyone came into this game feeling the way they should… because of the week we've had," Harvey said. "I think it showed in their brains."

Reign's Dribbling Wears Out Thorns Early

While the ritual chants of "Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put Seattle on the top!" rang out early in Goose Hollow, the Reign were the ones cooking with the ball.

Fishlock, who should be the most worn out by an experience like the previous weekend introduced, came out on the front foot for Seattle in the opening stanza.

First Fishlock delivered a solid ball down the left side for a sprinting Maddie Dahlien before dribbling away from Portland's press to deliver another special ball to Nerilia "Coco" Mondesir for a dribble into the box which ended in a Portland tackle.

The Thorns struggled to keep up with Seattle in space, and Fishlock made it hurt in the eighth minute. She shook herself free of 20-year-old midfielder Cassandra Bogere before being tackled by Bogere in a challenge the referee saw as worthy of a yellow.

Just a minute later, Mondesir worked on Bogere and was pulled down by the arm in a challenge that had little to do with the ball. A second yellow and accompanying red card came out to deafening boos as Seattle gained an early advantage.

Or so it seemed.

Thorns Shine After Multiple Reds

It's notoriously difficult to navigate beating an opponent that has just gone down a player, but the Reign didn't do themselves any favors in trying to reverse that narrative.

The Thorns snuffed out weaker and rushed possessions from Seattle after the ejection, jumping out to a 78% possession rate by the 15th minute. By the 21st, stars like Olivia Moultrie heated up for Portland by working in space.

Portland's other star winger, Reilyn Turner, earned one of Portland's four corners on the night in the 28th minute, which Moultrie delivered. It was an in-swinger that glanced off striker Pietra Tordin for an unsavable ball for Reign star keeper Claudia Dickey to the right side. 1-0 Portland.

Somehow, Seattle was on the back foot playing 11-on-10.

"Honestly we were fine until the sending-off … we kind of just changed what we were doing and stopped what we were doing and didn't play the game for what it was right in front of us," Fishlock said.

Eight minutes later, the Thorns were back on the front foot after a Seattle turnover. A strong lead pass from Moultrie to Tordin led to an even better through pass from Tordin to Turner running the left side. Turner scored easily as Dickey had no chance to stop the sudden change chance.

Moments like these, which were centered on reserve center back Emily Mason playing too high, accentuated the absence of Seattle's defensive star in Bugg.

"We just needed to make it more difficult for them to get any transition opportunities, because when you're playing 10 players … that tends to be the only way they're going to get any opportunities," Harvey said.

Seattle wouldn't generate a quality chance until late in the first half as a cross reached striker Maddie Mercado, in for Fishel, in the box. On awkward angle from the near post, Mercado took a shot to the bottom left pocket of the net.

Keeper Morgan Messner was forced to make her biggest save of the night sinking and diving to her right to keep it away.

After the halftime break, the physical game continued as Thorns defender Reyna Reyes took on Seattle’s Madison Curry. In the 54th, Reyes got a hold of Curry's hair after a contest, and gave a tug that may or may not have been intentional.

After a multi-minute VAR check, the referee made up his mind on that thought experiment, sending off Reyes with a straight red.

2-0 POR | 59'

Meanwhile, Sophia Wilson checks in for the first time in Portland since 2024 after maternity leave last year.

The reception from the #Thorns faithful as the USWNT star checks in with POR down two players in Goose Hollow.#ReignFC #NWSL pic.twitter.com/Ghec3KJonL— Qasim Ali (@qasimasports) March 21, 2026

Thorns manager Robert Vilahamn chose that moment to put USWNT star Sophia Wilson in the game, as the star forward back from a year-long maternity leave received a deafening ovation to rally the team.

Thorns Settle in Down Two Players

It became a ritual.

The Reign would spent around a minute working for an opening in the attacking third before Messner would snare a weak cross or the Thorns would clear the ball back to Seattle as if to say, "try again."

"Credit to Portland, they were working really, really hard to kill the spaces that we were planning our crosses. But all of them, (the) keeper collected a lot of them, so that means that they weren't really super effective crosses," Fishlock said.

Seattle struggled to put dangerous balls into the box, but as the second half worn on with the Thorns stacking eight in the final third, there was just no chance for Seattle to get through in final 36 minutes.

Aside from the occasional fun individual moments of brilliance from Wilson to work through multiple defenders in transition by herself, there was no offense to speak of for Portland as it simply focused on protecting a 2-0 lead.

Despite seven minutes of stoppage time and 1.0 expected goal (per FotMob) thanks to a wealth of small chances, Seattle failed to find the net or truly threaten Portland by the end of the contest. There wasn’t much to learn from for Harvey, other than to settle down and trust the process when Seattle has the numbers advantage going forward.

That, and just having more quality on the ball.

“We didn’t (execute technically) tonight, and when you don’t and you’re playing against a lesser amount of people, it can give them a boost every time you give the ball back to them,” Harvey said.

Regardless of how hard the Reign try to forget it, the repetitive cheers from the Thorns faithful every time their team cleared a ball, 57 times (per FotMob), to be exact, will linger in their heads.

Up Next

The Reign will look to put this one behind them in Spokane as the tough Kansas City Current, Racing Louisville and expansion Denver Summit visit in the three-game “home” stand. Harvey said she’s “not sure" Bugg will be ready for any of those fixtures.

For now, Harvey, by her own accounts, is going to get some sleep as the Reign try to flush a tough week of circumstances topped by rivalry loss.