Shutout Western NY Flash In Final
Tobin Heath didn’t start the season with the Portland Thorns FC as she finished out her obligations with her French club, Paris Saint Germain.
However, the former UNC midfielder was there when it counted. Her[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’] free kick in the National Women’s Soccer League championship game broke the ice for the opening goal, and Christine Sinclaire added the second as the Thorns topped the Western New York Flash 2-0 for the title.
Western New York lost only four times in 22 regular season and had finished 10-4-8, good for 38 points. FC Kansas City and Portland were both 11-6-5, also with 38 points. Kansas City had the #2 seed in the playoffs on goal differential over the Thorns who were #3.
Sky Blue FC finished in fourth by two points, while the Boston Breakers and Chicago Red Stars tied for fifth with 30 points each. The Seattle Reign FC with a 5-14-3 record finished seventh and the Washington Spirit at #8 with only three wins, 14 losses and five draws.
If the target for attendance was 3,000, according to league information Portland, Kansas City, Western New York and Washington were above that threshold. Thorns FC averaged an amazing 13,320 for 11 home games.
Kansas City was 4,628, a couple of hundred more than the Flash, and a thousand more a game than the Spirit.
The Chicago Red Stars averaged 1,713, while Sky Blue FC was the poorest draw at 1,677, only 34% of stadium capacity.
By contrast, the Boston Breakers’ 2,427 was 89% of its stadium capacity.
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