Portland Thorns Vs North Carolina Courage: 3 things we learned – Britt Eckerstrom the Hero
By Drew Hubbard
2. Courage finishing costs them
When the Courage rewatch this game, they will rue the opportunities missed.
More from MLS Multiplex
- Javier Milei Elected in Argentina: Potential Impacts on MLS and Signings of Argentine Players
- Orlando City and New York City FC in the Battle for Matías Arezo; Grêmio Enters Negotiations! Who Will Come Out on Top?
- USA, Honduras, Panama, and Canada Close in on a Spot in the 2024 Copa America
- De Gea Turns Down Al-Nassr’s Lucrative Offer: Speculation Points to Possible Reunion with Messi at Inter Miami
- Messi’s Magnetic Impact in the United States
The finishing touch just wasn’t there. It started early on, with Lynn Williams missing a chance in the fifth minute, and it continued from there. North Carolina ended the match with a total of 21 shots. Only eight of those were on target. Williams finished with six shots, two on target.
This isn’t a new problem for the Courage. More often than not, North Carolina will take more shots than their opponents. Sometimes they score six, and other times they can’t find the net at all. The Courage get themselves into good positions like no one else. As such, even when the finishing may be off, this team is able to score prolifically, just by virtue of the number of opportunities they create.
Every now and then, however, that clinical touch is missing. And that was the case here. North Carolina missed their fair share of shots. On another day, they may have won this game and advanced to the semi-finals, but a world-class goalkeeping performance and a little bad luck was enough to hand the Thorns the upset.