Portland Thorns defeat San Diego Wave in NWSL playoff after wild final minute of stoppage time
embattled owner and his mismanagement. Instead, it’ll be known for working moms and what they’re capable of. Merritt Paulson’s power lies with Portland Timbers, Thorns. Now, he’s being pressured to sell
OREGON GOVERNOR CANDIDATES AGREE:Merritt Paulson should sell the Portland Thorns and Timbers
Rodriguez had scored the Thorns’ other goal in the 21st minute, when the ball popped out to her and she needed just one touch to hit a gorgeously placed volley into the top corner. As Dunn left the postgame press conference Sunday, she joked that she was “just trying to be like Rocky.”
“For me (the shot) was just about, you have to get it on frame,” Dunn said of her score. “It’s the worst feeling in the world when you strike a ball and it goes sailing into the stands and you’re like, ‘I didn’t even give my teammates a chance.’”
San Diego struck first on a perfectly lofted ball from Alex Morgan, which Taylor Kornieck nodded in to go up 1-0 in the 8th minute. The teams played mostly even after that, and the game was on the cusp of going to extra time when Dunn, who had subbed in in the 62nd minute, made sure it ended on time — after all, her baby has a schedule to adhere to.
Dunn said Friday there have been times this season when everything got so heavy, it was tough for players to compartmentalize. That’s been particularly true the last three weeks, when ignoring off-field issues was next to impossible following the Oct. 3 release of a report commissioned by U.S. Soccer and led by former Attorney General Sally Yates which revealed wide spread abuse throughout the NWSL.
Portland owner Merritt Paulson was named as one of the worst offenders, and since the report’s publication, fans and numerous players — including Thorns star Becky Sauerbrunn — have called for Paulson to sell.
Paulson fired two front office executives days after the report published, but is still being pressured to leave the game he has long championed. Numerous sponsors have either severed ties or put their relationship with the clubs on pause.
A Thorns spokeswoman said Sunday she was unsure if Paulson attended the semifinal match. He was not visible in his usual seat in the owner’s box.
Fans, who have been vocal on social media about Paulson needing to exit, made their frustration clear on Sunday, too. Minutes before the game kicked off, thousands of fans held up “FOR SALE” signs.
But the story was Dunn, the 5-foot-1 veteran who has taken it upon herself to inject joy and energy into every room she enters, even when she was sidelined before and after giving birth. Dunn was a regular in the Thorns locker room all season, even as her baby belly grew and her due date approached. She found joy in connecting with teammates and “being an athlete, even if I wasn’t competing at the moment.”
“She should be the poster woman for everything,” Wilkinson said of Dunn. “I do think it’s a surprise to many that she’s actually pretty introverted, she’s pretty quiet. She gives what she feels is needed to her teammates and then does her own thing. That is the epitome of a leader — she knows what’s needed and she gives it.”
Sunday, what they needed was an emotional lift and another goal. She gave them both, then celebrated in the best way.
“Stepping off the field and being able to hold my child (right after), is exactly why I did all this,” Dunn said.
And just to clarify — she’s not sure if Marcel, was awake or napping when she sent the Thorns to the NWSL final. But she’s excited to show him the replay as he gets older, and explain why she credits him with an assist.