Mad props to my beloved Portland Thorns FC: NWSL Champions!

[Lizzie Poppet]

Down to 10 players, on the road against the superb Western New York Flash (who very, very seldom lose at home), the Thorns not only hang on to their one-goal lead, they actually add to it early in stoppage time! So proud...

Highlights: http://www.portlandtimbers.com/video/2013/08/31/thorns-nwsl-championship-highlights-wny-0-portland-2

[BlueCollar]

1. It's good to see the women's game is

being strongly supported.

I hope the league does well and continues to grow.

Some very attractive football being played in the women's game these days.

[Lizzie Poppet]

2. The league did pretty well in its first season.

I don't know what the overall average attendance was, but I'm given to understand the league did pretty well, overall. It's poised to grow, with the overall uptick in interest the (men's) World Cup will bring next year, then the women's World Cup the year after. Good times...

We're a bit of an aberration here in Portland: the Thorns' average attendance of a little over 13,000 not only dwarfs the rest of the league, it is also higher than several MLS teams, three La Liga teams, some Serie A teams, etc. Heck, we had several hundred people show up at the airport yesterday when the Thorns' plane got in.

I agree about how good the women's game has become to watch. There's never going to be the speed and power you see at the top of the men's game...biology is inflexible that way. But players like Megan Rapinoe and Tobin Heath have skillsets as good as anyone playing. And when a team really comes together as a team, and "the beautiful game" unfolds, gender doesn't really matter.