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Portland Thorns FC

2023 season
Thorns at home vs. Chicago on May 21
Owner	Merritt Paulson
General manager	Karina LeBlanc
Head coach	Mike Norris
Stadium	Providence Park (capacity: 25,218)
League	2nd
Challenge Cup	Group stage
Playoffs	Semifinals
Top goalscorer	Sophia Smith (10 goals)
Highest home attendance	25,218 (September 16 vs. OLR)
Lowest home attendance	14,972 (Apr 22 vs. LOU)
Average home league attendance	18,815
Biggest win	4–0 (Mar 26 vs. ORL) (May 21 vs. CHI)
Biggest defeat	1–3 (Jun 11 vs. ORL)
Home colors Away colors
← 20222024 →
All statistics correct as of July 21, 2023.

The 2023 Portland Thorns FC season was the team's eleventh season as a professional women's soccer team. Thorns FC played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.

Background

Thorns FC are the league's defending champions after defeating the Kansas City Current 2–0 in the 2022 NWSL championship match. The championship was the club's third.

League discipline

In December 2022, first-year head coach Rhian Wilkinson resigned. The joint NWSL/NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) report on league-wide abuse allegations revealed that Wilkinson allegedly self-reported having exchanged messages expressing mutual romantic feelings with Thorns FC player Emily Menges, who also served as treasurer of the NWSLPA. Wilkinson and Menges had previously been teammates when Wilkinson played for the Thorns in 2015. Wilkinson's resignation came in spite of the report also stating that Wilkinson did not violate league policies and did not suggest ending her employment.

In January 2023, following the release of the joint NWSL and NWSLPA report and subsequent allegations of league policy violations in the club's actions around Paul Riley, the NWSL fined Thorns FC $1 million, retroactively satisfied by a previous $1 million pledge by owner Merritt Paulson toward establishing an NWSL player safety office. Paulson also announced his intent to sell the Thorns. An early investment group led by former Nike executive Melanie Strong reportedly valued the Thorns at $60 million in a formal bid for a majority stake in the team.

The same investigation also alleged that Thorns FC head athletic trainer Pierre Soubrier inappropriately distributed medication containing codeine to players during the 2022 semifinals, and that assistant coach Sophie Clough inappropriately kissed a player's neck during the team's championship celebrations. The club terminated both employees' employment following the report's release.

Hirings

On January 10, 2023, Thorns FC announced the hiring of Mike Norris, an assistant on Wilkinson's Thorns FC staff and former Canadian women's national soccer team assistant and goalkeeper coach, as her replacement.

On March 23, Thorns FC announced the hiring of Rob Gale and Katie Quinlan as assistant coaches. Gale was formerly head coach and general manager of Canadian Premier League team Valour FC and a youth coach for the Canadian women's national team, and Quinlan was director of player development for Texas club Gulf Coast SC and head coach and technical director for Blackburn Rovers L.F.C.

Summary

March/April

Thorns FC acquired Canadian forward Adriana Leon on a short-term loan from Manchester United on April 13.

In the April 29 match against Angel City FC, Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby scored a backheel goal in the final minutes of stoppage time to secure a 3–3 draw. The goal was the second in league history scored by a goalkeeper with both being equalizing goals scored in Providence Park by Thorns goalkeepers off stoppage-time corners in regular-season draws, following Michelle Betos's goal in a 1–1 draw against FC Kansas City on June 19, 2015.

Portland went undefeated in league play during April, winning three matches and drawing two to finish the month at the top of the table with 11 points, but lost its first Challenge Cup match of the season against San Diego Wave FC 0–1 on April 19.

May

On May 6 on the road against North Carolina Courage, the Thorns finished with a second consecutive 3–3 draw. Former Courage player Crystal Dunn scored a brace, with Olivia Moultrie's 83rd-minute equalizer salvaging the point. The Thorns then suffered their first loss of the regular season against Houston Dash, taking an early lead on a Raquel Rodríguez goal but conceding to Joelle Anderson and Ebony Salmon in Houston.

The Thorns responded at home on May 21 by scoring three goals in the first 16 minutes and adding a fourth in the second half in a shutout win against Chicago Red Stars. The match featured the second career goal of center back Kelli Hubly. The match marked the third consecutive season that the Thorns had scored three goals on a team in the opening 16 minutes of a match, and the second time in three seasons that the Thorns had done so to Chicago.

The May 21 match drew an attendance of 20,402, the team's largest home attendance to a regular-season match since the 2019 season.

On May 26, the Thorns managed another late draw on the road, this time against San Diego Wave FC. Portland required a 90th-minute goal from rookie defender Reyna Reyes, her first professional score, from a Sam Coffey corner to equalize in the 1–1 tie.

June

The Thorns opened June with their first-ever win at Lumen Field by defeating Cascadian rivals OL Reign 2–0. The result was also the Thorns' first win against the Reign since the 2020 NWSL Fall Series. Sophia Smith broke a seven-match goalscoring drought, the longest such drought of her career, with her 17th-minute goal, and Christine Sinclair scored the Thorns' second tally in the 87th minute. Sinclair's goal marked the 60th match in all competitions in which she had scored, setting an NWSL record. The match was the second of a doubleheader with the Seattle Sounders FC and Timbers, who played to a scoreless draw; the combined event sold more than 42,000 tickets. Combined with a NJ/NY Gotham FC loss to San Diego Wave FC the following day, the result returned the Thorns to the top of the table.

On June 22, 2023, the Thorns permanently transferred midfielder Lindsey Horan to Olympique Lyonnais, where she had been on loan since January 2022. Lyon paid a transfer fee of €250,000 (US$274,000) with a conditional bonus of an additional €50,000 (US$54,750).

Stadium and facilities

Thorns FC continued to play and train in Providence Park, their home since the team's inaugural season in 2013.

Player criticism

In an interview with ESPN on July 13, 2023, midfielder Lindsey Horan — who transferred from the Thorns to Olympique Lyon midseason while still on loan — cited the team's lack of a dedicated training facility compared to the Timbers, and lack of grass pitches for training and playing, in her decision to remain in France. Active Thorns players Meghan Klingenberg and Bella Bixby added public criticism of the Providence Park surface and Thorns's lack of training facility to The Oregonian on July 20.

Broadcasting

Local Fox Broadcasting Company affiliate station KPTV agreed to stream eight regular season Thorns FC matches locally via FOX 12 PLUS. These were in addition to the league's national broadcast and streaming agreements with CBS and Paramount+ in the United States, and with The Sports Network in Canada.

Team

Staff

As of April 1, 2023.

Technical
General manager President of Thorns FC operations	Karina LeBlanc
Head coach	Mike Norris
Assistant coach	Rob Gale
Assistant coach	Katie Quinlan
Assistant coach	Vytautas Andriuškevičius
Goalkeeper coach	Nadine Angerer
Medical
Assistant athletic trainer	Kelly Strasser
Performance specialist	Tom Milroy
Director of scouting and recruiting Youth sporting director	Mike Smith
Head physician	Breanne Brown

Squad

As of July 20, 2023.

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Date of birth (age)	Since	Previous team	Notes
1	GK	USA	Bella Bixby	(1995-11-20)November 20, 1995 (aged 27)	2018	Oregon State
18	GK	USA	Shelby Hogan	(1998-05-10)May 10, 1998 (aged 24)	2021	Providence College
29	GK	USA	Lauren Kozal	(2000-07-11)July 11, 2000 (aged 22)	2023	Michigan State
51	GK	USA	Lindsey Harris	(1993-11-19)November 19, 1993 (aged 29)	2023	S.F. Damaiense	GKR
48	DF	USA	Kayla Morrison	(1996-08-05)August 5, 1996 (aged 26)	2023	Melbourne Victory FC	NTRP
2	DF	MEX	Reyna Reyes	(2001-02-16)February 16, 2001 (aged 22)	2023	Alabama
4	DF	USA	Becky Sauerbrunn	(1985-06-06)June 6, 1985 (aged 37)	2020	Utah Royals FC
5	DF	USA	Emily Menges	(1992-07-28)July 28, 1992 (aged 30)	2014	Georgetown
14	DF	FIN	Natalia Kuikka	(1995-12-01)December 1, 1995 (aged 27)	2020	Kopparberg/Göteborg FC	INT
20	DF	USA	Kelli Hubly	(1994-08-09)August 9, 1994 (aged 28)	2017	DePaul
25	DF	USA	Meghan Klingenberg	(1988-08-02)August 2, 1988 (aged 34)	2015	Orlando Pride
29	DF	USA	Tegan McGrady	(1997-10-11)October 11, 1997 (aged 25)	2022	San Diego Wave FC
39	DF	USA	Meaghan Nally	(1998-06-30)June 30, 1998 (aged 24)	2020	Georgetown
45	DF	USA	Natalie Beckman	(2000-03-25)March 25, 2000 (aged 23)	2022	Denver
8	MF	JPN	Hina Sugita	(1997-01-31)January 31, 1997 (aged 26)	2022	INAC Kobe Leonessa	INT
11	MF	CRC	Raquel Rodríguez	(1993-10-28)October 28, 1993 (aged 29)	2020	Sky Blue FC
13	MF	USA	Olivia Moultrie	(2005-09-17)September 17, 2005 (aged 17)	2021	Beach FC
17	MF	USA	Sam Coffey	(1998-12-31)December 31, 1998 (aged 24)	2021	Penn State
19	MF	USA	Crystal Dunn	(1992-07-03)July 3, 1992 (aged 30)	2020	North Carolina Courage
44	MF	USA	Gabby Provenzano	(1999-08-07)August 7, 1999 (aged 23)	2022	Rutgers
46	MF	USA	Taylor Porter	(1997-09-29)September 29, 1997 (aged 25)	2021	UDG Tenerife
50	MF	COL	Isabel Dehakiz	(2000-07-19)July 19, 2000 (aged 22)	2023	Deportivo Cali	NTRP
9	FW	USA	Sophia Smith	(2000-08-10)August 10, 2000 (aged 22)	2020	Stanford
12	FW	CAN	Christine Sinclair	(1983-06-12)June 12, 1983 (aged 39)	2013	Western New York Flash
15	FW	USA	Michele Vasconcelos	(1994-05-11)May 11, 1994 (aged 28)	2022	Kansas City Current
16	FW	CAN	Janine Beckie	(1994-08-20)August 20, 1994 (aged 28)	2022	Manchester City W.F.C.	SEI
22	FW	USA	Morgan Weaver	(1997-10-18)October 18, 1997 (aged 25)	2020	Washington State
24	FW	USA	Izzy D'Aquila	(2001-09-08)September 8, 2001 (aged 21)	2023	Santa Clara
33	FW	USA	Hannah Betfort	(1999-01-04)January 4, 1999 (aged 24)	2021	Wake Forest
49	FW	USA	Alyssa Walker	(1997-11-30)November 30, 1997 (aged 25)	2023	SK Brann	LOAN

1. GKR: Goalkeeper Replacement signing
2. ^ NTRP: Short-term National Team Replacement Player signing
3. ^ INT: International player
4. Rights acquired via OL Reign.
5. Rights acquired following loan to Sevilla FC.
6. SEI: Season-ending injury
7. Signed to a short-term loan until September 1, 2023.

Competitions

NWSL Challenge Cup

Portland finished second in the West Division during the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup and did not advance. Thorns FC returned to the West Division in the 2023 tournament.

Group stage

West Division standings

Results by matchday

Regular season

Matches

Regular season standings

Results summary

Last updated: October 15, 2023.
Source: NWSLsoccer.com

Results by matchday

Playoffs

Statistics

As of matches played July 21, 2023.

Goalscorers per competition

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	NWSL	Cup	Playoffs	Total
9	FW	USA	Sophia Smith	10	0	0	10
22	FW	USA	Morgan Weaver	4	2	0	6
19	MF	USA	Crystal Dunn	5	0	0	5
33	FW	USA	Hannah Betfort	1	2	0	3
12	FW	CAN	Christine Sinclair	3	0	0	3
8	MF	JPN	Hina Sugita	3	0	0	3
13	MF	USA	Olivia Moultrie	2	0	0	2
2	DF	MEX	Reyna Reyes	1	1	0	2
15	FW	USA	Michele Vasconcelos	1	1	0	2
1	GK	USA	Bella Bixby	1	0	0	1
24	FW	USA	Izzy D'Aquila	0	1	0	1
20	DF	USA	Kelli Hubly	1	0	0	1
14	DF	FIN	Natalia Kuikka	1	0	0	1
11	MF	CRC	Raquel Rodríguez	1	0	0	1
Total				30	7	0	37

Assists credited by player, per competition

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	NWSL	Cup	Playoffs	Total
17	MF	USA	Sam Coffey	6	0	0	6
25	DF	USA	Meghan Klingenberg	3	2	0	5
15	FW	USA	Sophia Smith	5	0	0	5
13	MF	USA	Olivia Moultrie	2	1	0	3
8	MF	JPN	Hina Sugita	3	0	0	3
22	FW	USA	Morgan Weaver	3	0	0	3
19	MF	USA	Crystal Dunn	2	0	0	2
14	DF	FIN	Natalia Kuikka	2	0	0	2
12	FW	CAN	Christine Sinclair	1	1	0	2
33	FW	USA	Hannah Betfort	0	1	0	1
24	FW	USA	Izzy D'Aquila	0	1	0	1
Total				27	6	0	33

Clean sheets per competition

No.	Pos.	Ntn.	Name	NWSL	Cup	Playoffs	Total
1	GK	USA	Bella Bixby	4	0	0	4
Total				4	0	0	4

Disciplinary cards per competition

Player				NWSL		Cup		Playoffs		Total
No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name
20	DF	USA	Kelli Hubly	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
14	DF	FIN	Natalia Kuikka	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
39	DF	USA	Meaghan Nally	1	0	2	0	0	0	3	0
1	GK	USA	Bella Bixby	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
9	FW	USA	Sophia Smith	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
8	MF	JPN	Hina Sugita	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
17	MF	USA	Sam Coffey	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
25	DF	USA	Meghan Klingenberg	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
46	MF	USA	Taylor Porter	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
15	FW	USA	Michele Vasconcelos	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
22	FW	USA	Morgan Weaver	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Total				17	0	4	0	0	0	21	0

Awards

As of July 5, 2023.

NWSL monthly awards

Thorns FC players named to the Best XI of the Month

Month	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Ref.
March/April	DF	USA	Becky Sauerbrunn
	MF	USA	Crystal Dunn
	FW	USA	Sophia Smith
May	MF	USA	Crystal Dunn (2)
June	MF	USA	Sam Coffey
	FW	USA	Sophia Smith (2)

Thorns FC players named NWSL Player of the Month

Month	Player of the Month			Statline	Ref.
	Pos.	Nat.	Name
March/April	FW	USA	Sophia Smith	Hat-trick vs. KC; 4 goals, 4 assists
June	FW	USA	Sophia Smith (2)	Hat-trick vs. WAS; 6 goals

NWSL weekly awards

Thorns FC players named NWSL Player of the Week

Wk.	Player of the Week				Ref.
	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Won
1	FW	USA	Sophia Smith	Nom.
2	FW	USA	Sophia Smith	Won
6	MF	USA	Crystal Dunn	Won
8	MF	USA	Sam Coffey	Nom.
10	FW	USA	Morgan Weaver	2nd
13	FW	USA	Sophia Smith (2)	Won

Thorns FC players awarded NWSL Save of the Week

Wk.	Save of the Week				Ref.
	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Won
4	GK	USA	Bella Bixby	Nom.
6
9
10
13	GK	USA	Shelby Hogan	Nom.

Transactions

2023 NWSL Draft

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2023 NWSL Draft was held on January 12, 2023, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

R	P	Pos.	Nat.	Player	College	Status	Ref.
1	5	DF	MEX	Reyna Reyes	University of Alabama	Signed through 2024 with an option for 2025 on March 25, 2023.
	12	FW	USA	Izzy D'Aquila	Santa Clara University	Signed through 2025 with an option for 2026 on March 15, 2023.
2	24	FW	USA	Lauren DeBeau	Michigan State University	Not signed, rights released.
3	32	GK	USA	Lauren Kozal	Michigan State University	Signed through 2023 with an option for 2024 on March 15, 2023.

Contract options

Date	Pos.	Nat.	Player	Notes	Ref.
November 1, 2022	FW	CAN	Christine Sinclair	Option exercised.
November 15, 2022	DF	USA	Natalie Beckman	Option exercised.
	MF	USA	Taylor Porter
	MF	USA	Gabby Provenzano
	FW	USA	Marissa Everett	Option declined; player retired.

Re-signings

Date	Pos.	Nat.	Player	Notes	Ref.
September 30, 2022	DF	USA	Becky Sauerbrunn	Free agent re-signed through 2023.
November 8, 2022	MF	CRC	Raquel Rodríguez	Re-signed through 2025.
November 10, 2022	MF	USA	Sam Coffey	Signed a contract extension through 2025.
November 15, 2022	MF	USA	Morgan Weaver	Signed a contract extension through 2024 with an option for 2025.
January 27, 2023	DF	USA	Tegan McGrady	Re-signed through 2023 with an option for 2024.
	FW	USA	Michele Vasconcelos	Free agent re-signed through 2023 with an option for 2024.
	FW	USA	Hannah Betfort	Re-signed through 2024 with an option for 2025.
	DF	USA	Meaghan Nally	Re-signed through 2024 with an option for 2025.
	GK	USA	Shelby Hogan	Re-signed through 2025 with an option for 2026.

Loans in

Date	Pos.	Nat.	Player	Previous club	Fee/notes	Ref.
April 13, 2023	FW	CAN	Adriana Leon	Manchester United	Signed for a short-term loan through June 30, 2023.
July 20, 2023	FW	USA	Alyssa Walker	SK Brann Kvinner	Signed for a short-term loan with fee until September 1, 2023.

Loans out

Date	Pos.	Nat.	Player	Destination club	Fee/notes	Ref.
June 30, 2023	MF	USA	Lindsey Horan	Olympique Lyonnais Féminin	Loaned until June 30, 2023.

Transfers in

Date	Pos.	Nat.	Player	Previous club	Fee/notes	Ref.
June 29, 2023	DF	USA	Kayla Morrison	Melbourne Victory FC	Signed to a short-term National Team Replacement Player contract.
July 6, 2023	MF	COL	Isabel Dehakiz	Deportivo Cali	Signed to a short-term National Team Replacement Player contract.
July 20, 2023	GK	USA	Lindsey Harris	S.F. Damaiense	Signed to a short-term Goalkeeper Replacement contract due to a knee injury to Lauren Kozal.
September 20, 2023	DF	DEN	Rikke Sevecke	Everton	Signed for remainder of 2023 with a team option for the 2024 season.

Transfers out

Date	Pos.	Nat.	Player	Destination club	Fee/notes	Ref.
November 28, 2022	GK	USA	Abby Smith	NJ/NY Gotham FC	Unrestricted free agent signing.
January 5, 2023	MF	USA	Yazmeen Ryan	NJ/NY Gotham FC	Traded to Angel City FC in exchange for the fifth-overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, a second-round pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft, and $200,000 in allocation money. As part of the transaction, Ryan was traded by Angel City to Gotham FC with $250,000 in allocation money in exchange for the first-overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft.
June 22, 2023	MF	USA	Lindsey Horan	Olympique Lyon	Transferred for a transfer fee of €250,000 with a conditional €50,000 bonus.

Retirements

Date	Pos.	Nat.	Player	Ref.
November 28, 2022	FW	USA	Marissa Everett

1. Rights acquired via Angel City FC.

References

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44. National Women's Soccer League (June 26, 2023). "No shortage of AMAZING @budlight POTW contenders!" (Tweet). Retrieved June 30, 2023 – via Twitter.
45. National Women's Soccer League (April 25, 2023). "Save of the week is back! Cast your vote ✅" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
46. National Women's Soccer League (May 9, 2023). "We're back with another Save of the Week!" (Tweet). Retrieved May 21, 2023 – via Twitter.
47. National Women's Soccer League (May 31, 2023). "We've got some record breakers and game savers on the ballot for this week's @DeloitteUS Impact Save of the Week!" (Tweet). Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Twitter.
48. National Women's Soccer League (June 7, 2023). "Unbelievable stops" (Tweet). Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via Twitter.
49. National Women's Soccer League (June 28, 2023). "Four epic saves last week!" (Tweet). Retrieved June 30, 2023 – via Twitter.
50. "Thorns FC sign defender Reyna Reyes" (Press release). Portland Timbers. March 25, 2023. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
51. ^ "NWSL Transfer Tracker: 2022–23 Offseason". Equalizer Soccer. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
52. ^ "Thorns FC sign forward Izzy D'Aquila, goalkeeper Lauren Kozal" (Press release). Portland Timbers. March 15, 2023. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
53. "Thorns FC's roster ahead the 2023 opening match on March 26" (Press release). Portland Timbers. March 20, 2023. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
54. Svilar, Sam (September 30, 2022). "Becky Sauerbrunn re-signs with Portland Thorns for 2023 season". Stumptown Footy. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
55. Clarke, Ryan (November 8, 2022). "Rocky Rodríguez signs new contract with Portland Thorns". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
56. Clarke, Ryan (November 10, 2022). "Sam Coffey signs contract extension with Portland Thorns after standout rookie season". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
57. Clarke, Ryan (November 15, 2022). "Portland Thorns sign forward Morgan Weaver to contract extension". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
58. Isom, Wilder (January 27, 2023). "The Thorns re-sign five players". Stumptown Footy. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
59. ^ Clarke, Ryan (July 20, 2023). "Portland Thorns sign two additional replacement players for World Cup break". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
60. Clarke, Ryan (May 23, 2023). "Lyon manager: Lindsey Horan, on loan from Portland Thorns, to stay at Lyon". The Oregonian. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
61. Clarke, Ryan (June 29, 2023). "Portland Thorns sign defender Kayla Morrison as national team replacement player". The Oregonian. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
62. "Thorns FC sign Isabel Dehakiz as National Team Replacement Player" (Press release). Portland Timbers. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
63. "Thorns FC sign defender Rikke Sevecke". Portland Timbers FC. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
64. Tonelli, Jenna (November 28, 2022). "Gotham FC Gets a New Keeper, Signs Free Agent Abby Smith". Nets Republic. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
65. Clarke, Ryan (January 5, 2023). "Portland Thorns trade midfielder Yazmeen Ryan, acquire draft picks and allocation money". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
66. "Marissa Everett's next challenge: nursing school" (Press release). Portland Timbers. November 28, 2022. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.

• Portland Thorns FC seasons
• 2023 National Women's Soccer League season
• 2023 in Portland, Oregon
• American soccer clubs 2023 season
• 2023 in sports in Oregon