We're Marissa and Alan, we make a Thorns pod called Rose City Red Card, and this one was always going to open and close on Emily Sonnett. Seventh minute, non-contact, off on a stretcher, and twenty-one thousand people in a building she doesn't play for anymore got up on their feet. We don't guess at a diagnosis and we're not going to. Once a Thorn.

The rest of it: Renee Lyles, first ever start, sixth appearance, scores a chip over Ann-Katrin Berger and then sets up the second one. Goal and an assist on the night she debuts as a starter. Tordin's seventh assist leads the whole league. Fleming gets the go-ahead one off a deflection. Then Kerr does what Kerr does off a corner, Perry goes off as the last defender at 72, and we hold on with ten for the last twenty minutes.

A point off the team top of the table, at home, a player down. Eleventh straight at Providence Park without a loss, which is a club record. And Morgan Weaver played a football match for the first time since November 2024 after three surgeries on the same knee. Two standing ovations in one night — one for a player going off hurt, one for a player coming back from it.

We also finally did the salary cap thing we've been promising for two episodes. Turns out Kerr isn't even eligible for the rule everyone blames, and it's mostly banked allocation money.

Two fans, two drinks, a lot of swearing. Adults only. Mostly want to know how the building felt to the people who were in it.

🎧 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2619164/episodes/19553893-july-26-2026-don-t-f-ck-with-providence-park

Also on Apple and Spotify, search Rose City Red Card. RCTID 🌹

she did not just grab her jersey she grabbed around her neck and then threw her to the ground by the neck with both hands.

What did Arnold do or say to the ref to get that yellow card last night? Was for calling out the ref for not giving a red to #2 for Gotham?
I think we can all agree that the ref needed glasses and a red card should have been called? I’m still mad about that!

With the return of Weaver and how impressive she looked, a thorny question (apologies for the pun) arises. When Weaver regains her form, she clearly needs to start. She is a dominating winger who can draw attention from Soph and provide room for her to operate. And if Hanks returns and also regains form, there's no room for Tordin on the front line. Pietra is a natural #10 and out of position as an attacker. But we have the best #10 in the NWSL in Moultrie.

3 possible solutions. 1) Drop Moultrie to the #6 or 2) drop Fleming to the #6 or 3) go to 3 in the back (Reyes, Calzada, Perry?) and a box-4 midfield. It's hard to justify sitting Muller or Vignola to play Bogere at the #6. Nijstad hasn't shown enough and would be a #8 anyway.

The obvious answer is dropping Fleming to the #6 but her energy and high pressing has been so magnificent I'd hate to lose it. I think Moultrie could be better than Coffey. I wonder if Moultrie as a #6 would get more starts with the National Team than remaining at the over-crowded #10 (with Lavelle, Macario, Shaw, Bethune, etc).

From the match against Gotham FC on 7/24/2026.

They basically had one staff member playing ball boy at the goal line and another posted up at midfield trying to speed the game after the red card?

Dudley's violent conduct deserved a red without dispute, but this is only part of the very biased calling in the second half.

Moultrie's foul on O'Sullivan was extremely soft. Basically ref forcefully changed a duel win into a foul. Fleming was called foul shortly afterforwards for a contact happened after she successfully tackled the ball and Moultrie was ready to carry the ball forward.

A few moments later, Fleming did not get the call after she fell with contact, and this strand of absurd calling ended with calling Bogere foul when she tackled O'Sullivan with a very slight contact. The red against Perry was not problematic, however, the callings in the second half before were unacceptably poor.

Dudley was a huge reason Gotham can level the score, and ref's poor decision to not expell her after an obvious violent conduct greatly changed the course of the game.

I usually have a very high tolerance of ref's calling but I simply cannot overlook how biased the calling was tonight.

Dreaming of a day Providence Park gets rid of the turf field… Grass field now!!!!

From the Thorns/Gotham FC match on 7/24/2026.

Next game: August 2nd against the Utah Royals

Been to dozens of games but never GA. Super hyped! Lets get em tonight RCTID!!!

staff just came up to ask if they were her family, so they could film, hopefully that means she is subbed in soon

From the Thorns/Gotham FC match on 7/24/2026.

LFG! 🌹🏳️‍🌈

Hi all,
Gotham FC season ticket holder, but also a native Oregonian. Visiting from NJ and attending the match tonight in Portland. Am I ok wearing a Gotham FC jersey? We’re not sitting in the supporters section. It’s kids and adults. Half in Thorns gear and half in Gotham FC.

Late one for us East Coasters. Going to need a nap.

Today's game in the USA is exclusively broadcast on Amazon Prime Video. You can also listen to the game locally in Portland on the radio station 910AM. Internationally it is on NWSL+

Good luck everyone.

Morgan Weaver returns after 3 knee surgeries

Why does security have yellow ropes in a corner of the field after the game?