North Carolina Courage Vs Portland Thorns: 3 things we learned

2. Stars don’t miss a beat

While there were some instances in the match that showed the effect of a long offseason, Crystal Dunn, Debinha and Lindsey Horan performed as they always have done. Debinha was the only one to get on the scoresheet, but Dunn and Horan made their mark on the match, too.

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Dunn and Debinha combined with their forwards all game in their attacking midfield role in Carolina’s 4-4-2 box formation. Dunn sent a perfect ball from the defensive half to set up Williams’ skewed effort. It was encouraging to see her perform so well in a more advanced role in contrast to the left-back position she has played before.

While Horan and her side are disappointed with the result, she led Portland from the midfield coming inches away from scoring in the 73rd minute, hitting the post off with a terrific set-piece. Seven minutes later, Horan once again came inches away from scoring with her head her effort deflected off the post and fell kindly to Simone Charley who scored to equalize.

These three players led their sides in 2019 and will be expected to do so again in this shortened competition. While rust was an issue for many players out there, these stars looked back to their best from the off.