The Portland Thorns faced off against first year head coach Seb Hines & the Orlando Pride in their 2023 NWSL season opener at Providence Park. With Hina Sugita being moved to right winger, many fans were curious to see who would line up at as the two midfielders with Sam Coffey. Head Coach Mike Norris opted for Christine Sinclair and Crystal Dunn, leaving Rocky Rodriguez on the bench. After having a resurgent and career year in 2022, Rocky being on the bench shows how deep the Portland Thorns are in midfield.
If there was a David vs Goliath matchup in the NWSL, this would be it.