The NWSL Portland Thorns will play for the franchise's second league championship on Saturday when they face off in Orlando against the N.C. Courage, and the team has "dominated the league at the gate" so much that its total '17 attendance -- 212,130 -- "accounts for more than one-third of the entire league," according to Erik Siemers of the PORTLAND BUSINESS JOURNAL. It is nearly triple that of the second most-attended club, Orlando Pride, which drew 74,243 fans this year." The Thorns can "only be successful if they play in a league that's healthy," and it is "clear by looking at these attendance numbers that not all NWSL clubs are on solid footing." Two-time champion FC K.C. "drew just 21,456 fans this year -- just 4,000 more than the Thorns' per-game average." Four clubs "share ownership and stadia with professional men's clubs" while the remaining six are "independently owned franchises." The top four clubs in attendance are "part of the former group: three of them (the Thorns, Pride and the Houston Dash) share owners" with a MLS club, while the Courage is "affiliated" with a NASL team. That implies that those clubs "benefit from sharing the previously established organizational resources ... of its sibling soccer club." Thorns and Timbers Owner Merritt Paulson said, "There are couple markets and owners that can use help, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for independents in the league" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/12).
NICE FIRST IMPRESSION: In Raleigh, Luke DeCock notes the Courage are playing for their second straight title, and the club in its inaugural season in North Carolina has "actually outdrawn" their male counterparts at NCFC. More than 10,000 fans "came out to watch the Courage’s semifinal victory over the Chicago Red Stars" last weekend. This is an area that has "always supported women’s soccer" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 10/13).
