![\"Fans](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DBQX6R44Z5HGZA3O55UV5LL5KE.jpg\")
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Fans fill Moda Center during a WNBA basketball game between the Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Or., Saturday May 30, 2026.<\/p>\n
Anne M. Peterson \/ AP<\/p>\n
The teams hyped Saturday\u2019s matches, selling a ticket package to both events for $80. T-shirts were sold that exclaimed \u201cPortland Loves Women\u2019s Sports.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the Thorns played to a 2-2 draw with the Royals<\/a>, midfielder Olivia Moultrie was headed straight to the Fire game, where she was hoping to exchange jerseys with Clark. But she ultimately wanted a Fire win, too. <\/p>\n \u201cObviously, this city and women\u2019s sports, like, that\u2019s a match made in heaven,\u201d Moultrie said. \u201cHonestly, I think it\u2019s just really cool to be able to support our own team now, with the fire, awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n The Fire gave Moultrie her wish with a 100-84 victory.<\/p>\n The Thorns and the Fire share the same owners, Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, who operate the teams under the entity Raj Sports. <\/p>\n \u201cJust seeing the support that they show for both of our organizations, it means a lot. I think as just as a woman, you want that support. And just seeing where women\u2019s basketball is going and growing and being able to know that the city\u2019s behind us, it\u2019s really cool,\u201d Fire guard Sarah Ashlee Barker said.<\/p>\n Fans display a banner at an NWSL soccer match between the Portland Thorns and the Utah Royals at Providence Park in Portland, Ore., Saturday, May 30, 2026.<\/p>\n Anne M. Peterson \/ AP<\/p>\n The Thorns, who have played in Portland since 2013 as one of the founding teams of the NWSL, drew 20,053 fans. The Fire announced a sellout crowd of 19,347 at the Moda Center. <\/p>\n The two teams will soon share the nation\u2019s first performance center shared by pair of professional women\u2019s teams<\/a> in different sports. The $150 million center, a repurposed former Nike facility on 12 acres west of Portland, is set to open Aug. 22. <\/p>\n \u201cI hope in the future that we are always going to feel like we are one city and make sure we have two teams with one organization and one community with that,\u201d Thorns coach Robert Vilahamn said. \u201cSo I\u2019m very much looking forward to the collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n![\"Fans](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5QR5QFBYH5CWTABFL3JQXO7ATE.jpg\")
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