The Portland Thorns let an opportunity to solidify their playoff positioning get away Friday, dropping a 3-0 decision to Gotham FC in Harrison, New Jersey.
Portland (8-7-7, 31 points) had a chance to jump into third place in the NWSL standings ahead of Gotham (9-6-7, 34 points). Instead, Gotham extended its unbeaten run to six games by handing the Thorns their largest defeat of the season. Portland has one win in its last seven games, with four losses in that stretch.
The Thorns are still in fourth place for the moment, but could fall to as low as sixth depending on other results this weekend. The top eight teams make the postseason, with the four best hosting quarterfinal matches. With four games left, the Thorns could reasonably host a playoff game or miss the postseason entirely as