Ryanne Brown, Maddie Mercado lead Seattle Reign to 2-0 win over Thorns
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 12: Cassie Miller #38 of Seattle Reign FC makes a save during the NWSL match between Seattle Reign and Portland Thorns FC at Lumen Field on July 12, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Soobum Im / NWSL / Getty Images)
Ryanne Brown scored her first NWSL goal, and midfielder Maddie Mercado added another as the Seattle Reign beat rival Portland 2-0 in Seattle.
Brown opened the scoring in the seventh minute, running onto a ball played behind Portland’s defense and beating goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold. It was Brown’s first start of the season after returning from an ACL injury last year.
Energy dipped heading into halftime, but midfielder Sam Meza changed the pace with consecutive tackles before regaining possession and lofting a cross toward Mercado, who headed home the second goal in the 44th.
The Reign (5-6-2) held the Thorns (8-4-3) scoreless and secured their first win in five matches. Goalkeeper Cassie Miller made a career-high nine saves in the shutout, just eight days after the 31-year-old goalkeeper made her Reign debut in the 3-1 loss against the North Carolina Courage.
Few fixtures in the league carry more intensity than the Seattle-Portland series, with the clubs inheriting the Cascadia rivalry forged by the Sounders and Timbers in Major League Soccer decades before the NWSL’s founding in 2013.
The Source: Information in this story came from The Associated Press.
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