Portland Thorns stay hot, strike early, beat Washington Spirit

Rob Gale doesn’t want his Portland Thorns to think too much about soccer over the next couple of days.

Portland’s interim coach might still be new to the sideline, but the 46-year-old Englishman has seen far too much in his life to fail to recognize a job well done. And after an eight-day stretch that saw the Thorns knock off Chicago on April 27, Bay FC on Wednesday and then the Washington Spirit 2-1 on Saturday night at Providence Park, well, Gale is fairly confident in his assessment that his squad has earned a few days of leisure.

“These ladies and everybody involved within the organization have put on a phenomenal shift,” Gale said. “To get nine points in a week in this league is a fantastic achievement.”