Portland 4, Racing Louisville 0. Our first reaction episode: we watched it live, then broke it down with fresh eyes. The Thorns roll the last-place team, jump to 2nd in the NWSL, and we look ahead to a Cascadia derby at Seattle. Adults only — bring a drink. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:14 Cold open — Dank Coast IPA & Midnight Runts 02:51 The Game — Thorns 4-0 Louisville, and how it could've gone sideways 06:22 Emma Sears & "we told you" — the Louisville winger's trade request (Ep 1 callback) 13:02 Around the League — Rodman's brace, KC's turnaround, Utah's streak snapped 18:15 Standings — Portland climbs to 2nd, one point behind San Diego 19:08 The Window & What's Next — transfer window opens in a week; the six they still need 21:35 Next week: Seattle — the Cascadia derby, and the "not my Seattle" of it all What we were drinking: "Dank Coast IPA," a home-brew (the AI named it), the first decent beer in ten years. Plus "Midnight Runts" on the smoke side. Takeaways: - Portland 4-0 Racing Louisville at Providence Park — revenge for the 3-1 loss earlier this season, against the same last-place side. - Perry, a center back, opened the scoring off a Moultrie free kick, three minutes after a yellow — right as the club chases a center back. Started over Reyes and looked the part. - Tordin: a goal and two assists. Wilson capped it in the 82nd; McKenzie Arnold kept the clean sheet — the POTM debate was Tordin vs Arnold. - Portland looked like the best team in the league — clinical in the final third while Louisville lumped long balls in with nothing to show. - The 4-0 plus Utah's first loss in nine pushes Portland to 2nd, 27 pts, one behind San Diego. - Transfer window opens in about a week. The take: keep the core (Wilson, Moultrie, Turner, Tordin, Müller) and buy a real defensive six. - Next up: Seattle Reign, who just lost 3-1 to North Carolina. Jess Fishlock is out injured and retiring this year. Around the league (Round 11): Washington 2-1 Houston, KC 3-0 Denver, Angel City 2-0 Orlando, NC 3-1 Seattle, San Diego 2-0 Gotham, Chicago 3-2 Utah, Boston 2-2 Bay. Next match: Portland at Seattle Reign, Sun Jul 12, Lumen Field, on ESPN. New episodes weekly. Listen wherever you get podcasts.
