Getty Adrianna Franch and the Kansas City Current take on the Portland Thorns in the 2022 NWSL Championship.
The Portland Thorns will square off against the Kansas City Current on Saturday, October 29 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C with the NWSL Championship on the line.
The match (9 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on CBS, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on Amazon Prime, Paramount+, FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which all come with a free trial.
Here’s a full guide on the different ways to watch Portland Thorns vs Kansas City streaming live online:
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Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime subscribers (Prime comes with a 30-day free trial) can watch a live stream of their local CBS station via the Prime Paramount+ channel (“Premium” plan). You can try both Amazon Prime and the Paramount+ Channel at no cost with a free trial right here:
Once you’re signed up for the Prime Paramount+ Channel, you can watch Portland Thorns vs Kansas City live on the Amazon Video app or Amazon website.
Compatible devices for the Amazon Video app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, various smart TV’s, Xiaomi, Echo Show or Echo Spot, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Paramount+
This is ultimately the same as the Amazon Prime option above, only you’ll watch on Paramount’s digital platforms instead of Amazon’s. You can watch your local CBS channel live via Paramount+ (“Premium” plan), which comes with a free trial:
Once signed up for Paramount+, you can watch Portland Thorns vs Kansas City live on the Paramount+ app or Paramount+ website.
Compatible devices for the Paramount+ app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Samsung Smart TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of CBS (live in most markets) and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Portland Thorns vs Kansas City live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” CBS (live in most markets) is included in every one, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch Portland Thorns vs Kansas City live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of CBS (live in most markets) and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+ at no added cost:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch Portland Thorns vs Kansas City live on the Hulu app or Hulu website.
Compatible devices for the Hulu app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Portland Thorns vs Kansas City Preview
Kansas City got here by taking out the Houston Dash in the quarterfinals and the OL Reign in the semis, and keeper Adrianna Franch was a big reason her team advanced. Franch made seven saves against the Reign and finished second in the league in saves (77 in 22 games).
The Current have come a long way since last year’s worst-place finish, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
“The journey we’ve been on — we’ve had our ups and downs, but we find ourselves here because of the work we’ve done,” Current head coach Matt Potter said. “And that credit goes to the players, they’re the ones doing it every day. We’re proud of them to get to this point and hopefully there’s one more to come.”
Portland has had just one losing season in its 10 years (back in 2015), and that success gives this matchup a real David vs. Goliath feel.
“There’s an expectation in Portland that we’re going to make the playoffs every year and compete for a championship,” goalkeeper Bella Bixby said heading into this matchup, per Oregon Live. “This is a really special group, this is a really special year, and we’ve been through a lot. Being able to make the championship has been everything to us, and we’re ready to get after it and bring home some hardware.”
This series has been somewhat lopsided over the years. The Current are still looking for their first win over the Thorns, going 0-4-2 all-time. Players to watch for Kansas City include Franch, forwards CeCe Kizer and Kristen Hamilton and midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta.
Players to watch for Portland include forward Sophia Smith, midfielder/defender Crystal Dunn, midfielder Rocky Rodriguez and forwards Morgan Weaver and Christine Sinclair.
“You have to come together to be a championship team,” said Franch, via The Athletic. “You have to have some type of togetherness and everybody on the same page and moving to where we want to go and wanting to get better every single day and wanting to achieve the things that we were achieving. And that’s every single person on the team, staff included, putting in the time and the effort to be here.”