After a week’s break, the NWSL comes back to action this Friday with two matches. Appropriately, legal Canadian and US sportsbooks have action on both matches, with the 3-way moneylines on the earlier match looking a lot more competitive than the latter.
Still, the later match could present a great opportunity for those looking to bet some goal totals, depending on the odds you can get on those markets. One of the clubs involved in the nightcap has been on a historic tear so far this season.
How to watch, schedule, and the lines for Friday
All times below are Eastern Daylight Savings and bettors can watch both matches on Paramount+. The lines are from FanDuel and valid as of 7 a.m. EDT on Friday.
- Washington Spirit (+190) at North Carolina Courage (+160), 7:30 p.m. (Draw +200)
- Portland Thorns FC (-130) at Racing Louisville FC (+370), 8 p.m. (Draw +250)
Can North Carolina or Washington put losing streaks behind it?
The Courage are unbeaten in their four meetings this season in all competitions against the Spirit including North Carolina’s 2-1 triumph in the Challenge Cup final in May. The four games have averaged a combined 4.0 goals per contest with no game having less than three combined goals scored.
Dating back to last season, North Carolina has lost five consecutive home matches in regular-season play. That is tied for the second-longest home losing streak in NWSL history.
The Spirit’s league winless streak has run up to 12 appearances, though. Washington has failed to win any of its three shutouts this season, making them the only NWSL team without a clean sheet victory in 2022.
Favor Portland to score multiple times Friday
In both all-time meetings between Louisville and Portland, the Thorns delivered shutout victories with a 2-0 road win and 3-0 win at home. This is just the fourth instance of an NWSL club having three or more consecutive multi-goal shutout wins against a single opponent in the league’s history.
Louisville is winless in its last seven matches. Since joining the NWSL in 2021, Racing has been shut out in 13 league tests with only Kansas City (17) having been held scoreless more times over the last two seasons.
Portland has now scored 29 goals in its 12 league matches on the 2022 regular season. That is the most goals ever scored by an NWSL side through its first 12 matches of a season. The Thorns have had five different goalscorers in two matches this season, with Taylor Porter scoring in both games. No other NWSL club has posted a single match, much less two in the same season, with at least five distinct goalscorers since 2019.
