NWSL match between Thorns and Reign to set attendance record

PORTLAND

Oregon - The Portland Thorns say their match against rival Seattle on Wednesday night will be the first sellout in team history.

The Thorns sold 21,144 tickets to the match at Providence Park, which will make it the largest crowd ever for a National Women's Soccer League game. Portland also held the previous NWSL record of 19,123, set Aug. 3, 2014, in Portland against the Houston Dash.

The Thorns lead the league in attendance by a wide margin, averaging 13,769 fans a game this season. Wednesday night's match will mark the fourth time the crowd has gone over 16,000 at the downtown stadium, which is also home to Major League Soccer's Portland Timbers.

The record for a professional women's soccer match in the United States was set in 2001, when 34,148 watched the Washington Freedom defeat the Bay Area CyberRays 1-0 at RFK Stadium.