FC Kansas City Gets Second Win in Four Days
Blues remain undefeated at home against Portland Thorns
KANSAS CITY (August 16, 2024) – FC Kansas City fought back to earn three points as they defeated the Portland Thorns 2-1 in their final showdown of the season. Portland opened up scoring late in the first-half when midfielder Amandine Henry scored on a penalty kick. FCKC fought back and scored two second half goals from Yael Averbuch and Sydney Leroux.
Following a two-hour rain delay, the match finally kicked off at just after 9:00 p.m. CT. Portland dominated possession early and had a series of chances starting in the 10th minute that forced goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart to make several saves.
The Blues’ first chance came in the 17th minute after Portland defender Emily Sonnett missed a clearance, leaving the ball to Leroux who dribbled around the defender and hit a shot to the far left post, but just wide of the mark. A minute later, FCKC earned their first corner kick of the match, but the cross was hit over the crossbar.
After another great sequence, midfielder Desiree Scott intercepted the ball and dribbled it down and crossed it in. After initially missing Erika Tymrak’s head, the ball fell to Lo’eau LaBonta who sent the ball just wide of the right post.
Portland had a couple of good chances that came off back-to-back corner kicks starting in the 27th minute. First, defender Brittany Taylor cleared the ball out for a corner kick and Leroux sent the cross out for another corner kick. Leroux came up big once again, clearing it out before play was stopped for a foul.
Portland broke through in the 44th minute. A shot rebound landed to the feet of forward Christine Sinclair who was fouled inside the box. Thorns midfielder Amandine Henry stepped up and put the PK left as goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart went right.
The second-half started similar to the first with Portland looking in control and gaining momentum. The FCKC defense came up big when, in the 54th minute, Sinclair sent a pass to forward Hayley Raso, but defender Becky Sauerbrunn had a sliding tackle to break up the play.
Kansas City came back and tied the game up 1-1 after defender Becca Moros was fouled right outside the box. Averbuch stepped up and curled the ball into the lower left corner for her first goal of the season.
The Blues then took the lead in the 69th minute when second-half substitute Brittany Ratcliffe dribbled the ball up the left side and crossed it into the box where it found the head of Leroux who put it in the back of the net for her team-leading fourth goal of the season.
Portland had one final chance in the 88th minute when Henry was fouled outside the box, but Horan's shot hit the left post and went out of play. The Blues defense held up until the final whistle to earn their second straight win.
Head coach Vlatko Andonovski sees this game as a confidence-builder as his team hits the final stretch of the regular season. “It’s good that we got the win and the three points, but the biggest thing is for these players to see that we can play with and beat anyone.”
FC Kansas City will travel to Chicago Sunday, August 20th to take on the Red Stars in their second meeting of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. CT and can be streamed at go90.com and on the go90 app which is available for download on iOS and Android devices.
FC Kansas City's next home match will be Saturday, August 26th as they host the Orlando Pride for the Lifetime Game of the Week. Tickets can be purchased for the game here.
NWSL Match Report
Match: FC Kansas City vs Portland Thorns
Date: August 16, 2024
Venue: Swope Soccer Village, Kansas City, MO
Kickoff: 9:10 p.m. CT, 7:10 p.m. PT
Attendance: 428
Weather: 75 degrees, cloudy
Scoring
44’ POR Henry (PK)
65’ FCKC Averbuch
69’ FCKC Leroux (Ratcliffe)
Scoring Summary
Goals 1 2 F
FC Kansas City 0 2 2
Portland Thorns 1 0 1
Lineups:
FC Kansas City: Barnhart, Moros, Averbuch, Sauerbrunn©, Taylor, Gibbons, Scott, Groom, LaBonta (Bowen 62’), Tymrak (Ratcliffe 62’), Groom, Leroux (Kelly 80’)
Substitutes Not Used: Miramontez, Flynn, Parkhill, Newfield
Portland Thorns: Franch, Klingenberg, Sonnett, Menges, Reynolds, Henry, Sinclair, Horan, Brynjasdottir (Nadim 63’), Raso, Sykes (Weber 72’)
Substitutes Not Used: Boureille, Johnson, Cox, Eckerstrom