NWSL matchweek seven begins Friday with Racing Louisville against the Portland Thorns, and the availability report leaves both clubs navigating a short list of absences. The Thorns also entered the day with goalkeeper Morgan Messner signed through 2027, a move that underscores how central she has become to the club.
Portland listed Bella Bixby, Julie Dufour, Caiya Hanks and Morgan Weaver out with SEI knee injuries, while Olivia Sekany was also out with an SEI knee injury. Louisville’s Savannah DeMelo was out with illness, Erynn Floyd was out with a hand injury, Marisa DiGrande was out on maternity leave and Ellie Jean was out with illness. There were no questionable players listed and no players listed on international duty.
The timing matters because Friday’s report is the first availability snapshot of matchweek seven, and it gives both teams a clear picture before the weekend schedule unfolds. It also places Messner’s extension in sharper focus. Portland’s all-time leader in clean sheets is now locked in through 2027, giving the club continuity in goal even as the rest of the roster shows the strain of injuries.
What stands out is how clean the report is on one hand and how heavy it is on the other. No one is questionable, which removes uncertainty. But Portland’s injury list is long enough to shape how the Thorns approach this one, and Louisville is missing DeMelo, one of the names that can tilt a match when she is available. That is the reality both sides carry into Friday.
For the Thorns, the extension and the injury report tell the same story from different angles: the club is building around a goalkeeper it trusts, while trying to absorb absences in front of her. For Racing Louisville, the task is simpler to describe and harder to do — show up on Friday, adjust to the missing pieces and find a result in the opening match of matchweek seven.
