- Team form: Portland Thorns (W) have won four of their last five matches and their last three at home in all competitions.
- Away form: Kansas City Current (W) have lost their two most recent away games in all competitions.
- Head-to-head: Portland Thorns (W) are winless in their last two home games against Kansas City Current (W) in NWSL.
Current set to challenge the Shield favourites
Kansas City Current (W) head into this contest in contrasting form to their hosts, sitting 8th in the NWSL 2026 table with three points from their two matches so far. That leaves them two points behind the hosts, who have made a solid start to the campaign, occupying third place with six points from a possible six.
KC have won two and lost three of their last five, and their recent NWSL 2026 results include a 2-1 home win against Utah Royals (W) and a 2-1 away defeat to Chicago Red Stars (W).
However, a run of two away defeats on the bounce could be a worry for new Kansas City Current (W) coach Chris Armas, who took charge in November 2025 and has instilled a rapid transition game and control of the ball when out of possession, setting the side up to hit on the break at pace.
Portland can play out an attacking chess match
Playing style
Portland have a different playing style to their guests, preferring to control the game from the first whistle in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system. Their ball-dominant style relies on midfielders like Sam Coffey to pivot and the likes of Olivia Moultrie and Jessie Fleming to create overloads in the midfield third before breaking forward late.
Form and odds
Portland have won their only home game in NWSL 2026 so far, against Seattle Reign, and haven’t conceded in that match. Kansas City Current (W) have lost their only away game, against Chicago Red Stars (W), conceding two. The odds for KC to win, at 1.94, are very generous considering the bookmakers have Portland at 3.56.
KC have dominated the H2H record
There is a lot riding on this game for the visitors, who are the current Shield holders, while Portland will want to turn the H2H record around and protect their strong run at Providence Park.
KC are the bookmakers’ choice, but Portland’s form and home advantage should be enough to turn this one around and make it a close contest, although we’re going for a narrow KC win in the exact score market.
- KC have won the last three H2H meetings, including a 3-1 win at home to Portland last year.
- With both teams to score odds almost even, we feel that there will be opportunities for both teams to get on the scoresheet in this one.
- The 2.02 price on over 2.5 goals looks like a great bet considering the recent H2H record and the obvious attacking quality each team possesses.
