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SANDY — Welcome back, Christen Press.
And the rest of the World Cup internationals in the NWSL, as well.
Just two weeks after helping the United State women’s national team win their fourth World Cup title, and less than two days after a welcome-back press conference she was forced to skip with illness, Press provided fireworks for Utah Royals FC faithful.
The U.S. forward scored the first equalizer, and Scotland captain Rachel Corsie added a second as Utah drew visiting Portland, 2-2 in front of an announced crowd of 15,931 fans Friday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.
“It was an amazing feeling to be back in the stadium,” Press said. “We had a great group of Americans who traveled (to France), but it’s nothing like playing in front of your crowd.”
Canadian international Christine Sinclair gave Portland a 1-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the match, striking a half-volley with her right foot that sailed bent inside the top left corner to give the Thorns the early advantage.
But the Royals edged Portland (6-2-5, 23 points) with four shots to three in the first half, and the difference was Press’ goal just before first-half stoppage time.
That’s when Gunny Jonsdottir found Press on the break, and the Los Angeles-born striker did the rest. After nutmegging Portland defender Elizabeth Ball, Press slid home a shot inside the near post that skidded past Thorns goalkeeper Adrianna Franch — her teammate on the national team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France — and struck the far-side netting.
The play started with Jonsdottir’s perfect pass to switch the field, and Press did the rest for the team that out-shot the Thorns 13-4.
“I was going to hit it as hard as I can, and I knew she’d get there,” Jonsdottir said of Press. “She’s fast. She’s technical. She’s in great form, and she finished that immediately.”
Lindsey Horan scored with just three minutes left in regulation, as the Thorns looked for a smash-and-grab win at Utah. But Corsie finished a long assist from Kelley O’Hara in the 90th minute to equalize again and help the Royals secure a point.
“We felt the goal we lost just before that was really harsh, and you could see by the reaction that we knew we had give minutes to get something,” said Corsie, who celebrated the goal with an epic knee slide at the corner flag, followed by a ceremonial dogpile from her teammates. “Set pieces are a big opportunity for us to get forward and put bigger players in the box. I just gambled; Kelley’s ball was great, and I tried to get something on it. When you score late on, it’s those moments that you can remember at the end of the season.”
The draw helped Utah (5-4-3, 18 points) snap a two-match losing skid, including last week’s stoppage-time defeat at league-worst Sky Blue FC, 1-0 in New Jersey.
Whether it’s a point gained or two points lost at home, the draw also helps the Royals keep pace in the playoff race. Combine it with a 0-0 draw at Portland in the two sides’ last meeting, and it feels less like a lost opportunity — and more like a team rounding into position for a push for the playoffs.
“We’re obviously disappointed to not take all three. It is two points dropped,” Corsie said. “But obviously, the nature of the game, it feels like a big boost to get something out of that.”
All four goals were scored by World Cup internationals, and when adding the likes of Becky Sauerbrunn, Tobin Heath and Emily Sonnett — all World Cup champs — to the mix, it’s easy to see how the NWSL got better by simply allowing for the return of several players from the sport’s highest point of the past 60 days.
Hang on to your hats; the second half of the season is going to be wild.
“We sort of had to hold down the fort during the World Cup ... and now we have so much left to play for in such a short space of time,” Utah coach Laura Harvey said. “We needed to get back on the right track, and tonight was some really good, positive things."
Earning one point at home is "getting back on track," Harvey said. "But we still have work to do.”
Next up
The Royals stay home to prepare for next Saturday’s clash with the North Carolina Courage, which sits just one point behind the Thorns in the standings. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MDT on KSL.com and the Yahoo Sports app.
