Portland Thorns FC

Team information

Inaugural season: 2013

Home field: Providence Park (Portland, Oregon)

Owner: Peregrine Sports, LLC

Team colors: Red and white

Overview

The Portland Thorns FC is a professional soccer team that plays in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The Thorns are one of the most successful franchises in the history of the NWSL, making a record seven playoff appearances and winning two championships since the league’s formation in 2013. Portland also has the most enthusiastic fanbase in the league, turning out to see the team in record numbers. The Thorns have led the NWSL in attendance in each season, often doubling the figures of the second-place club. The team is associated with the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer (MLS).

History

In 1999, the United States hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the most prestigious event in women’s soccer. The US women’s team also won the event, defeating China in an exciting final decided by a series of penalty kicks. The victory brought new attention to women’s soccer and led to the formation of the first professional women’s soccer league in 2001. However, the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) lasted just three seasons and was forced to dissolve after posting about $100 million in losses. In 2009, another league, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), attempted to find success, but that league also folded after three seasons.

After two high-profile failures, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the governing body of US soccer, devised a new salary structure to be used in the formation of a new soccer league—the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The NWSL began play in 2013 with franchises in eight cities: Buffalo, New York; Kansas City, Missouri; New York City, Chicago; Boston; Seattle; Washington, DC; and Portland, Oregon.

Portland has been granted an MLS franchise, the Timbers, that began play in 2011. Timbers ownership, Peregrine Sports and its CEO Merritt Paulson, announced that it would own the new Portland NWSL franchise as well. At the time, Portland was the only NWSL franchises associated with an MLS team. The name “Thorns” was chosen for the new team as a refence to Portland’s nickname, the “Rose City.” The team’s original color palette was green, red, and black. Its logo was a green-outlined circle with a red rose at the center surrounded by a wreath of thorns. The word “Portland” was printed across the top and “Thorns” across the bottom, with two small diamonds containing the letters “F” and “C” to the sides. After the team won its first NWSL title in 2013, a red star was added atop the logo. In 2018, after Portland won its second title, another star was added. The color palette was also changed to red and white.

The NWSL began its inaugural season in 2013, with the Thorns posting a record of 11 wins, 5 ties, and 6 losses. The mark was good enough to make the playoffs as a third seed. Portland outlasted Kansas City in the semifinals and defeated the Western New York Flash, 2–0, to win the first NWSL title. The Thorns made the playoffs again in 2014, but lost in the semifinals. After missing out on the postseason in 2015—the only time the Thorns have failed to make the playoffs—Portland was back in the playoffs in 2016, posting a 12–5–3 mark and winning the NWSL Shield for the league’s best record. They again lost in the semifinals. A year later, the Thorns posted the league’s second-best record and advanced to the NWSL championship game. There, they defeated the North Carolina Courage, 1–0, to claim their second title. Portland made two more postseason appearances in 2018 and 2019, but lost in the 2018 league championship game and fell in the 2019 semifinals.

The Thorns, and the rest of the NWSL, were set to begin the 2020 season when the league was forced to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The NWSL regular season was slated to begin in April, but it was suspended and eventually cancelled. In lieu of a playoff system, the NWSL decided to institute the NWSL Challenge Cup, a twenty-three-game tournament featuring eight of the league’s nine teams. The Orlando Pride was forced to withdraw from the event when some of their players tested positive for COVID-19. Portland made the semifinals of the tournament before being eliminated. After the tournament, the league announced that the NWSL Challenge Cup would become a permanent fixture on its schedule. In the 2021 version, Portland defeated NJ/NY Gotham FC on penalty kicks to win its first Challenge Cup. That same season, the Thorns finished with a league-best 13–5–6 record, earning another NWSL Shield. However, Portland fell to Chicago in the playoff semifinals.

From the start, the Portland Thorns were far and away the most popular team in the NWSL. The Thorns averaged 13,320 fans per game in their first season, while the second-place finisher, FC Kansas City, averaged 4,626. Portland was the only NWSL club to turn a profit in 2012 and agreed to share some of their revenue with the other NWSL teams. The team has led the league in attendance each season, reaching a peak average of 20,098 per game in 2019—a figure that rivals some MLS teams. In contrast, Utah’s NWSL team averaged 10,774 in 2019. Portland also owns the two highest single-game attendance records in NWSL history. In August 2019, 25,218 fans turned out for a game against North Carolina. Two months later, a crowd of 24,521 attended a match against the Washington Spirit. In 2021, the Thorns were also part of the all-time NSWL attendance record, when a crowd of 27,278 attended an MLS-NWSL doubleheader in Seattle. The Thorns faced off against Seattle’s OL Reign, while the Portland Timbers played the Seattle Sounders FC.

Notable players

The most accomplished player in Thorns’ history is Canadian forward Christine Sinclair, an original member of the team who remained with Portland as of 2021. Sinclair’s name is peppered throughout the team and NWSL record books, but she has made an equally large imprint for her home nation. In her time with the Canadian National Women’s Team, Sinclair has scored 188 goals, the most in international soccer competition, among both men and women. Sinclair has led the Thorns in scoring three times, and her 58 career goals are the most in team history as of 2021. They also place her second on the all-time scoring list.

In 2013, Sinclair shared the team lead in regular-season goals scored with American forward Alex Morgan. Morgan, who would go on to achieve fame as a member of the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cup-winning teams, played in Portland from 2013 through 2015. As of 2021, Morgan was fourth on the Thorns’ all-time scoring list with 15 goals scored, and third in assists with 12. From 2013 through 2017, American midfielder Allie Long scored 30 goals with Portland, second-most in team history. Long is also second in assists, with 13.

American forward/midfielder Lindsey Horan joined Portland in 2016 and remained with the team as of 2021. Horan scored the only goal in the Thorns’ 1–0 victory in the 2017 NSWL championship game and led the team in scoring with 13 goals in 2018. Horan was also named the NWSL Most Valuable Player that season. She was third on the team’s all-time scoring list with 29 goals scored as of 2021. American winger/forward Tobin Heath was part of the inaugural Thorns’ team and played there until 2020. She left as the team’s all-time assist leader with 14, and was tied for fourth in goals scored with 15. Striker Nadia Nadim, a Danish player of Afghani origin who played in Portland in 2016 and 2017, also has 15 goals. She led the Thorns in goals scored, with 9 in 2016. American Emily Sonnett was a quality defender for the Thorns from 2016 to 2019. She was among the finalists for NWSL Defender of the Year in 2018. Although defenders typically do not concentrate on scoring, Sonnett chipped in 5 goals in her time with Portland.

American Michelle Betos played in goal for Portland from 2014 through 2016 and was named the NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year in 2015. When Betos left the team, she was replaced by American Adrianna Franch, who stayed in Portland until 2021. Franch was in goal for the Thorns’ 2017 championship game victory and was named Goalkeeper of the Year in both 2017 and 2018.

Bibliography

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Goldberg, Jamie. “Portland Thorns.” Oregon Encyclopedia, 24 Feb. 2020, www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/portland-thorns/#.YaUyTtDMJPZ. Accessed 29 Nov. 2021.

Herrera, Sandra. “NWSL Opening Weekend Takeaways: Alex Morgan Is Back, the Thorns Are Rolling and More.” CBS Sports, 27 May, 2021, www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/nwsl-opening-weekend-takeaways-alex-morgan-is-back-the-thorns-are-rolling-and-more/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2021.

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Schaerlaeckens, Leander. “How the NWSL Made American Women’s Pro Soccer History.” Yahoo Sports, 16 Apr. 2016, www.yahoo.com/entertainment/nwsl-makes-history-with-fourth-season-054334254.html. Accessed 29 Nov. 2021.

Toney, Kayleigh. “How the Portland Thorns Became the Best NWSL Team.” Girls Soccer Network, 7 June 2021, girlssoccernetwork.com/portland-thorns-profile/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2021.