San Diego Wave FC heads to Portland, Ore., on Wednesday night carrying the league’s best record and its longest winning run in club history into a matchup that has already produced plenty of bruises between these sides. Kickoff against Portland Thorns FC is set for 7:00 p.m. PT at Providence Park, with the match to be shown nationally on CBS Sports Network.
The Wave enter first in the NWSL standings at 5-0-1 and have won five straight, including a 3-2 comeback victory over Denver Summit FC on Saturday, April 25. Down 2-0 in the first half, San Diego answered through Lia Godfrey in the 49th minute, got the equalizer from Kennedy Wesley off Godfrey’s assist in the 57th, and finished the rally in the 65th minute when Dudinha sent in the cross that led to an own goal. It was the club’s third road win in the streak.
Wednesday’s meeting comes only weeks after the teams last played on March 25 at Snapdragon Stadium, when San Diego won 3-1. Dudinha opened that night in the second minute, the fastest goal of the season and the club’s third-fastest goal in Wave history, before Godfrey and Melanie Barcenas added to the scoreline. The clubs also split two draws in the 2025 regular season and met again in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs, where Portland handed San Diego a loss.
Godfrey has been central to the Wave’s rise, with four goals to lead San Diego and a second-place position in the NWSL Golden Boot race. She is also the first American to record five goal contributions in her first six league games in the NWSL since Sofia Huerta in 2015. On the other side, Portland arrives from a 2-1 win over Angel City FC on Sunday, April 27, when Pietra Tordin scored in the 75th minute, Sophia Wilson added one in stoppage time and Prisca Chilufya replied deep into the 98th minute. Tordin has scored in both the previous meeting with San Diego and Portland’s latest match, and she shares the team lead in goals with Olivia Moultrie and Reilyn Turner at three apiece while also pacing the Thorns with three goals and two assists.
The setting gives this game a sharp edge: San Diego is trying to protect a club-record streak and its place on top of the table, while Portland is asking whether recent form at home can slow the league’s hottest side before the gap at the top grows any larger.