Portland Thorns FC

The formation of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was announced on November 21, 2012, with Portland selected as a host for one of the eight teams.[1][17][18] At that time it was announced by Portland Timbers' owner Merritt Paulson that the Timbers would own the team.[18] The team name was announced on December 13, 2012 as the Portland Thorns FC. Also, a logo was unveiled.[19][20][21] Both the name and logo were intended to invoke Portland's nickname of the Rose City.[19][22]

Cindy Parlow Cone was announced as the first head coach on December 19, 2012.[23] On January 11, 2013, the league held its player allocation for the national team players, with Portland receiving seven players, including former University of Portland Pilots star Christine Sinclair.[24] The other players assigned to the Thorns were Rachel Buehler, Tobin Heath, Karina LeBlanc, Alex Morgan, Marlene Sandoval, and Luz Saucedo.[24]

"We are thrilled with today's allocation, and I see this group of seven players as a terrific foundation for this club," said Parlow Cone.[25] Seattle Reign FC general manager Amy Carnell reacted to the NWSL allocation and Morgan's placement by saying, "I think generally speaking, I could speak for all the clubs when I say I'm extremely surprised they would place (Christine) Sinclair and (Alex) Morgan in the same city. Two of the best strikers in the world in the same city."[26] Carnell said Seattle Reign FC "were a little surprised" they didn't get Morgan, considering that she had spent the previous spring with the Seattle Sounders Women.[26] This reunited Sinclair and Morgan as club mates since winning the regular season and championship title with the Western New York Flash in Women's Professional Soccer's final season.

Under head coach Cindy Parlow Cone, the Thorns played in the new league's inaugural game on April 13, 2013 against host team FC Kansas City, which ended in a 1–1 draw in which Christine Sinclair scored the club's first goal on a penalty kick.[27][28] The team's first home match on April 21 provided the club its first victory, a 2–1 win over Seattle Reign FC.[29] Beyond setting a new league record, the opening day crowd of 16,479 at Jeld-Wen Field eclipsed any single-game attendance from Women's Professional Soccer.[30] Subsequently, the team's regular-season home finale of 17,619 topped the previous mark of 16,479 and also ranks among the top single-game marks in women's professional soccer history in the United States.[31]

On the road, Thorns FC also were an attendance draw. Portland's road games were witnessed by season-high attendance figures or sellout crowds, including a record-setting crowd at the Maryland SoccerPlex against the Washington Spirit on May 4.[32] A total of 5,011 fans were present, besting the previous record for a women's game at the Soccerplex by more than 300 and about 500 more than normal capacity.[33]

On August 28, 2013, NWSL announced Thorns FC forwards Christine Sinclair, Alex Morgan and defender Rachel Buehler were named to the National Women's Soccer League Best XI Second Team.[34] The club finished in a three-way tie atop the league in the regular season standings, but by virtue of goal differential tiebreaker the club claimed the No. 3 seed in the NWSL playoffs. In the first round of playoffs on August 24, the Thorns beat FC Kansas City 3–2 in extra time. A week later they beat the Western New York Flash 2–0 in the championship game to become the first NWSL Champions.[35]

After the end of the season, Cindy Parlow Cone resigned as head coach on December 5, 2013. She cited personal reasons, particularly the desire of her and her husband, Portland Timbers director of sports science John Cone (who also resigned around the same time), to be together more.[36]

The Thorns kicked off their 2014 season with the announcement of a new head coach, Paul Riley, formerly of the Long Island Fury of the Women's Premier Soccer League.[37] Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc was traded to the Chicago Red Stars and was replaced with 2013 FIFA World Player of the Year recipient Nadine Angerer.[38] A new NWSL attendance record of 19,123 was set at Providence Park on August 3 in a game between Portland and Houston, breaking the previous record of 17,619 set in the same stadium in 2013.[39] The Thorns finished third in the regular season and were knocked out in the playoff semi-final by FC Kansas City.

The Thorns made a number of roster moves in the offseason. In November 2014 the Thorns traded for defender Kat Williamson and midfielder McCall Zerboni.[40] Williamson appeared in 21 matches (20 starts) during the 2014 regular season for the Western New York Flash. Williamson was traded to the Flash on April 5 as part of a move that granted Portland the right to midfielder Vero Boquete. The eighth overall pick by Portland in the first round of the 2013 National Women's Soccer League College (NWSL) Draft from the University of Florida, Williamson made her professional debut with Thorns FC in 2013 and ranked second on the team in minutes (1,944) during her rookie campaign.

As part of the National Team player allocation process, Portland received Canada Women's National Team midfielder Kaylyn Kyle and defender Rhian Wilkinson.[41]

Portland acquired defender Kendall Johnson from Sky Blue FC in exchange for the 25th and 34th overall selections in the 2015 National Women's Soccer League College Draft. A native of Portland and former University of Portland standout, Johnson, 23, appeared in 15 matches (12 starts) for Sky Blue FC during the 2014 regular season, her second season with the team.[42]

Portland acquired forward Jodie Taylor from the Washington Spirit in exchange for a 2015 second-round pick (No. 13 overall) and two-second-round picks in 2016.[43] A standout at Oregon State, Taylor, 28, was one of the top goal scorers in the NWSL in 2014. An England international, Taylor had earned three caps with the England Women's National Team, making her debut in an international friendly against Sweden in August 2014.

Defender Nikki Marshall announced her retirement from professional soccer.[44] Marshall retired after playing four professional seasons, including the last two with the Thorns. In her two seasons with the club, Marshall, 26, appeared in a club-record 46 consecutive regular-season matches, playing 3,943 minutes.

Portland signed international forward Genoveva Añonma.[45] The Equatorial Guinea international was the 10th-ranked goal scorer all-time in Frauen-Bundesliga history and the 2012 African Women Footballer of the Year. Añonman, who goes by Ayo, had played professionally in Germany since 2009. Añonman had appeared in 122 matches in the German league, recording 95 goals during her time with FF USV Jena and 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam.

Portland signed midfielder Sarah Robbins.[46] Robbins appeared in 14 matches, recording three goals and seven assists, for Finnish club Åland United in 2014. The midfielder logged 1,189 minutes for the Naisten Liiga side, and competed in the qualifying round of the 2014–15 UEFA Women's Champions League.

The Thorns finished the 2015 season with 23 points from 20 games and did not reach the playoffs, the first (and to date only) season in which they have failed to do this. At the end of the season, head coach Paul Riley was fired from the position.[47] On September 30, 2021, news reports came out that Riley was relieved from his duties for sexual harassment allegations.[48]

On June 19, 2015, the Thorns made NWSL history when goalkeeper Michelle Betos headed the equalizing goal for 10-woman Portland in the 95th minute against FC Kansas City. This was the first goal scored by a goalkeeper in the league.[49]

On October 5, former Washington Spirit head coach Mark Parsons took over as head coach for 2016.[50]

In Parsons's first season in charge, the Thorns acquired several players including French defensive midfielder Amandine Henry and Danish striker Nadia Nadim. They placed first in the regular season with 41 points, winning the NWSL Shield. In a physical playoff semi-final, they tied Western New York 2–2 during regulation, fell behind 4–2 in overtime, and could score only one more goal to end their season with a 4–3 loss.

A member of the Rose City Riveters supporters' group waves a flag amid smoke after the Thorns score a goal in April 2017.

After a 14–5–5 league record for 47 points and a second-place finish, the Thorns defeated the Orlando Pride 4–1 in a playoff semi-final. In the championship match, Portland faced the NWSL Shield-winning North Carolina Courage, successor to the Western New York Flash team that had beaten them in the final the year before. Portland defeated the Courage at Orlando City Stadium in a physical 1–0 match to win their second NWSL championship.[3] Following the victory, the team held a victory rally in their home stadium.[51]

The Thorns announced that midfielder Amandine Henry and forward Nadia Nadim would not be returning to the team for the 2018 season. The moves were made for financial reasons, as the NWSL has a strict salary cap of $315,000 for each team and the Thorns could not compete with offers made by Lyon and Manchester City.[52] On January 11, 2018, the team announced a trade that would send midfielder Allie Long to the Seattle Reign. Long had been with the team since its inaugural season, and was one of the first players to reach 100 NWSL appearances with one club.[53] With Long's departure, Tobin Heath and Christine Sinclair would be the only remaining players from the first Thorns season. The Thorns would finish with a regular season record of 12–6–6 and match their second-place finish from the previous season.[54] The team would defeat the Seattle Reign 2–1 in the Semi-final round and would face the shield-winning North Carolina Courage in a rematch of the previous seasons final. The Thorns would lose a lopsided 3–0 to the Courage, who became the first team to win the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Playoffs in the same season.

Prior to the start of the season, it was announced that the Thorns would play their first six games on the road due to ongoing renovation at Providence Park.[55] The Thorns would start the season strong, losing only one of their first six games before going on a run that would see them lose once in a nine-game stretch that spanned June and July. This run included the return of several key players who had missed time for the FIFA Women's World Cup, including Lindsey Horan, the reigning NWSL MVP, and team captain Christine Sinclair. The Thorns fine form was encapsulated by a 5–0 rout of the Houston Dash on July 24.[56] Beginning the month of September at the top of the table and contenders for the NWSL Shield, the team entered what would be the worst run of form since Mark Parsons was named head coach. Portland would lose three of their final five games, including an embarrassing 6–0 loss to the North Carolina Courage which would end up as the most lopsided loss in team history.[57] After finishing the season with a scoreless draw against the Washington Spirit, the Thorns finished third in the league, meaning they would not host a playoff game for the first time since 2015. The Thorns would be knocked out of the playoffs after a 1–0 defeat to the Chicago Red Stars.

Four Thorns players who won the Women's World Cup with the U.S. National Team were recognized upon their return to Portland, prior to the July 24 match against the Houston Dash.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 12, 2020 the Thorns canceled their preseason tournament, scheduled for March 29-April 4.[58] On March 20, 2020, the NWSL postponed the start of the league's regular season indefinitely.[59] The Thorns participated in the inaugural NWSL Challenge Cup, defeating the North Carolina Courage in the quarterfinals but losing to the eventual champions Houston Dash in the semifinals.[60] The Thorns also participated in and clinched the 2020 NWSL Fall Series Community Shield with a win on October 11, 2020, over OL Reign.[61]

In late-September, The Athletic published an investigation into North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley, alleging that Riley had sexually coerced and verbally abused players on his teams, including during his two-year tenure as Thorns head coach in 2014 and 2015. More than a dozen players from every team Riley had coached since 2010 spoke to the publication and two named players, both former Thorns, went on the record with allegations against him. In the article, Riley denied the allegations.[62][63] The article also stated that NWSL failed to act on Riley's alleged abuses multiple times, including earlier in 2021 when the league declined to act on an offer from two of Riley's alleged victims to assist in investigating Riley's alleged abuses.[64] Later that day, the Courage announced that Riley had been fired due to "very serious allegations of misconduct".[65][66] The Thorns front office released a statement the same day citing that some of the incidents occurred during Riley's two-year tenure as head coach of the Thorns and discussing their reaction to the incidents at the time.[67]

The subsequent fallout resulted in the resignation of league commissioner Lisa Baird and dismissal of league counsel Lisa Levine.[68] A number of Portland Thorns players also released a statement calling for Thorns general manager Gavin Wilkinson to be suspended.[69] Wilkinson was then put on administrative leave from the Thorns, but remained manager of the MLS Portland Timbers.[70] Wilkinson was reinstated in January 2022 following an internal business review,[71] however, due to ongoing league, union, and federation investigations, no players could be interviewed, and the players association disavowed any connection between the internal review and other investigations.[72]

The US Soccer Federation commissioned a league-wide independent investigation into abusive behavior lead by Sally Yates. The report, published on October 3, 2022, indicates that the club "interfered with our access to relevant witnesses and raised specious legal arguments in an attempt to impede our use of relevant documents."[73] The report further details how both Paulson and Wilkinson advised other clubs to hire Riley after his departure from the Thorns. According to the report, Wilkinson "told the Flash that Riley was 'put in a bad position by the player,' and that Wilkinson would 'hire [Riley] in a heartbeat.'"[73] Paulson congratulated the Flash on hiring Riley in an email to club's President, stating "congrats on the Riley hire. I have a lot of affection for him.”[73] When contacted by NC Courage ownership about hiring Riley, Paulson downplayed the abuse of Portland Thorn's players saying it "basically was [a case of] ‘poor judgment'" and described difficulty managing the roster as the reason for Riley's departure from Portland.[73]

The Thorns competed in and won the West Division of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, advancing from the group stage to host the finals on May 8, 2021, against NJ/NY Gotham FC. After drawing the finals in regulation 1–1, the Thorns defeated Gotham in penalties 6–5 to claim the cup. Morgan Weaver scored the match-winning penalty.[74]

The Thorns qualified for the 2021 Women's International Champions Cup as champions of the 2020 Fall Series, and won the tournament by defeating three-time finalists and defending champions Olympique Lyon 1–0. Morgan Weaver scored the match-winning goal in regulation. Portland also hosted the friendly tournament.[75]

The Thorns clinched their second NWSL Shield on October 17, earning a first-round bye to the 2021 NWSL playoffs,[76] but lost in the semi-finals to the Chicago Red Stars.[77]

Head coach Mark Parsons, who had served since 2016, left the team after the 2021 season to lead the Netherlands women's national football team. His hiring had been announced during the season in May.[78][79]

Thorns players and staff celebrate winning the 2022 NWSL Championship at Audi Field.

The Thorns hired retired former club goalkeeper and Canadian international Karina LeBlanc as Gavin Wilkinson's replacement in the Thorns general manager role on November 2, 2021.[80][81]

Following Mark Parsons's exit, the Thorns hired one of the club's former players from Paul Riley's tenure, Rhian Wilkinson, as his replacement. Wilkinson had also played on the Canadian national team as a teammate of LeBlanc and longtime Thorns FC and Canadian team captain Christine Sinclair. After her playing career, Wilkinson had been an assistant coach for the Canadian and English national teams.[81]

The defending Challenge Cup champion Thorns failed to advance from the group stage of the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup's West Division, finishing second to group winners OL Reign.[82]

On December 1, 2022, Merritt Paulson announced that he was selling the team.[83] The next day, Rhian Wilkinson resigned as coach,[84] after reports that she may have become romantically involved with a player.[85]

The team crest was designed by artist and Timbers Army member Brent Diskin. Its design originally featured the team colors of red, black, and white "with a protective wreath of thorns surrounding a familiar, stylized rose in the center." The design also includes a pair of four-pointed stars, or hypocycloids, that house the letters "F" and "C" and anchor the sides of the badge, and resemble the star prominent on Portland's official city flag.[86][87]

From 2018 onward, the team's primary crest was reduced from four to two colors, typically either with a red or black background and red or white features. The team completed its transition to a two- or one-color crest in 2019, when it revealed new secondary kits that discarded the four-color crest. The original design would not reappear in the team's identity until March 2023, with a "Heritage" designation as part of new secondary kits.[88]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Portland Thorns FC kits.

Portland's first home colors (2013)

The team's colors were announced as red, green, and black.[22] However, the Thorns did not use green in the team's kits until 2023, and from 2019 to 2022 used green in neither its crest nor its kits.[88]

The Thorns unveiled their home and away kits on April 9, 2013. The team's inaugural home kit was rose red with a white stripe, black shorts, and red socks, while the road kit was white with black shorts and socks.[89] Both uniforms featured sponsorships by Providence Health & Services and Parklane Mattresses, and were made by Nike.[89]

In 2019, the Thorns began expanding the use of black as a primary color, with a home kit that had wide black stripe-like blocks.[90] The transition to black as the team's primary color was completed in 2020, with a black shirt printed with gray roses that used a black and red variation on the original crest. The away shirt also used a monochrome black and gray crest and accents.[91] Thorns primary kits since 2020 have all been black with red relegated to an accent color.[92]

The Rose City Riveters supporters' group cheers and deploys smoke after a Thorns goal.

In 2019, the Thorns front office enforced a Major League Soccer rule against fans displaying the Iron Front symbol during matches, sparking a widespread protest against the rule at both Timbers and Thorns matches, which also spread to other teams in the league.[107][108][109] Despite the ban, which had been actively enforced at Timbers matches, stadium staff did not remove an Iron Front banner hung from the stadium's north stands rail during a Thorns match[109] and Thorns player Christine Sinclair wore a shirt bearing the Iron Front symbol when arriving to the stadium.[110] The conflict ceased when Major League Soccer rescinded the rule in September 2019.[111]

Following the initial reports that the Thorns front office and ownership knew about but did not act on reports of alleged abuses by Paul Riley against Thorns, the Riveters called for the removal of general manager Gavin Wilkinson[112] and later also for owner Merritt Paulson to sell both the Thorns and Timbers.[107][113][114] Supporters formed an interest group soliciting commitments toward a fund to purchase a share of the club[115] and protested outside of the stadium, and the Riveters, Timbers Army, and 107IST organized boycotts of team merchandise and concessions.[116]

Since the NWSL's founding, the Thorns' most intense rivalry has been with the Seattle-based Reign. The Thorns' first home match was a 2–1 win over Seattle, qualified for the 2014 playoffs by defeating the Reign in the season's final match week, and didn't win at Seattle's Memorial Stadium until August 2017.[117] The Thorns defeated Seattle in back-to-back home matches in 2018, first in the season's final match week to secure home-pitch advantage, then again in the first round of the playoffs.[118] Matches between Portland and Seattle broke the league's attendance records in April 2013 (16,479),[119] July 2015 (21,144, in Portland) and August 2021 (27,248, in Seattle), and have been staged as double-headers with Major League Soccer's Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC.[120]

Existing rivalries between Portland and Seattle predated predated the league, but other sources of tension added to the rivalry before the league played a match. National federation allocation placed Seattle Sounders Women player Alex Morgan on Portland, and Portland Pilots national championship teammates Christine Sinclair and Megan Rapinoe on opposing sides,[26][121] despite Rapinoe requesting Portland as her first-choice destination.[122]

The traveling Rose City Riveters at Seattle's Memorial Stadium in 2017.

As of 4 May 2023, the Thorns have played more matches against the Reign across the NWSL regular season, playoffs, Challenge Cup, and 2020 Fall Series than any other team in the NWSL, with Portland holding a record of 12–14–8 with a -6 goal differential. The two top goalscorers in the rivalry are Sinclair (10) and Rapinoe (9).[123][124] Neither team has won more than three matches in a row against the other.[125] Matches between the teams quickly earned a reputation for their physicality.[126][127] The rivalry continued even as United States players from the Thorns and Reign were in France at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, during which the NWSL continued play with a match between the teams.[122][128]

Several players have played for both teams, including Allie Long, Michelle Betos, Ifeoma Onumonu, Steph Catley, Jodie Taylor, Adelaide Gay, Amber Brooks, Jessica McDonald, Danielle Foxhoven, Alyssa Kleiner, Kaylyn Kyle,[122] Tobin Heath,[129] and Emily Sonnett.[130]

Build a bonfire, build a bonfire
Put Seattle on the top
Put the Courage in the middle
And we'll burn the ... lot

— Rose City Riveters football chant, The Oregonian, September 22, 2018

On the pitch, some of the league's highest-stakes matches were contested between the Thorns and Western New York Flash, who were relocated in 2017 to become the North Carolina Courage. The Thorns and Flash/Courage have met in more NWSL tournament knockout matches than any other combination of NWSL teams, including the 2013, 2017, and 2018 championship matches, 2016 playoff semi-finals, and 2020 Challenge Cup quarter-finals.[131][132] The August 11, 2019, match between Portland and North Carolina set a league attendance record (25,218).[133][134]

The Flash won the 2013 NWSL Shield by goal-differential tiebreak in a three-team tie for first place that included Portland. The Flash hosted the 2013 championship match, but the Thorns defeated Western New York 2–0. The teams featured rival national team forwards Abby Wambach, the United States player who at the time led all players in international goalscoring playing for the Flash, and Christine Sinclair, the Canadian who would eventually eclipse Wambach's record.[135]

In the 2016 semi-finals, the Thorns were the shield winners and the Flash were the lower seed, and the match was the first home playoff game for Portland. But the Flash — who had hired former Thorns manager Paul Riley at the start of the season — defeated Portland after extra time in a 4–3 match that featured three goals after the 90th minute.[136] Riley was ejected from the match in the first half for arguing with officials after Christine Sinclair scored the first equalizing goal.[137] The Thorns won their revenge in the 2017 championship match, defeating the Courage 1–0 after a match that Thorns defender Meghan Klingenberg called "the ugliest soccer game I have ever played in" and featured tackles on United States national teammates and opposing club players Taylor Smith and Tobin Heath that both attempted to play through[138] but would rule both players out of national team camp in the following weeks.[139]

Jaelene Daniels playing for the North Carolina Courage against the Thorns in the 2017 NWSL championship.

Adding to the rivalry was Courage defender Jaelene Daniels's 2018 appearance on The 700 Club about refusing to wear LGBT pride-themed uniforms for the United States national team and being excused from its roster citing "personal reasons",[140] and the relocation of a Courage 2018 playoff match to Portland from Cary, North Carolina due to Hurricane Florence.[141]

Daniels's segment preceded a match against the Thorns in Portland on May 30, 2018. The Riveters were already renowned for supporting LGBTQ causes in Portland, and reported that many of its members were LGBTQ.[142] During the match, the Portland crowd booed Daniels when she was announced during the starting lineups, and again each time she touched the ball.[141][143] Members of the Riveters designed a rainbow-lettered banner reading "personal reasons" and displayed it at the match.[144] The booing and "personal reasons" banners spread to every road venue where Daniels and the Courage played,[145] and during the Courage's semi-finals match against Chicago Red Stars relocated to Portland days prior due to Hurricane Florence.[141][146]

The Courage responded by defeating Portland 4–1 in the May 30 match, then 3–0 in the 2018 championship match against — and hosted by — Portland. Jessica McDonald, who had been the Thorns' leading goalscorer in 2014 and had defended Daniels' comments and Christian faith post-match comments on May 30,[147] scored a goal against Portland during the championship match, then removed her jersey to display an undershirt with "Jesus Paid It All" written on it.[148]

As of match played October 29, 2022.

Note: Bold indicates the player is rostered by the Thorns as of the 2023 season.

Total appearances per player, by competition

#	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Career	NWSL	Playoffs	Cup	Other	Total
1	FW		Christine Sinclair	2013–	140	11	14	4	169
2	DF		Emily Menges	2014–	141	7	7	4	159
3	DF		Meghan Klingenberg	2016–	84	8	16	3	111
4	MF		Allie Long	2013–2017	100	5	0	0	105
5	MF		Lindsey Horan	2016–	75	5	7	4	91
6	MF		Raquel Rodríguez	2020–	61	3	15	4	83
7	MF		Mana Shim	2013–2017	76	3	0	0	79
8	DF		Kelli Hubly	2017–	56	2	16	4	78
9	MF		Celeste Boureille	2016–2021	56	2	8	0	66
10	MF		Tobin Heath	2013–2019	57	8	0	0	65

Total goals scored per player, by competition

#	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Career	NWSL	Playoffs	Cup	Other	Total
1	FW		Christine Sinclair	2013–	59	3	3	6	71
2	MF		Lindsey Horan	2016–	25	3	2	1	31
3	MF		Allie Long	2013–2017	30	0	—	—	30
4	FW		Sophia Smith	2020–	21	1	3	1	26
5	MF		Tobin Heath	2013–2020	12	3	—	—	15
	FW		Alex Morgan	2013–2015	15	0	—	—	15
	FW		Nadia Nadim	2016–2017	15	0	—	—	15
8	FW		Hayley Raso	2016–2019	12	1	—	—	13
9	FW		Jessica McDonald	2014	11	0	—	—	11
	FW		Morgan Weaver	2020–	8	0	3	0	11

As of April 13, 2023.[159]

No.	Pos.	Player	Nation
1	GK	Bella Bixby	United States
2	DF	Reyna Reyes	Mexico
4	DF	Becky Sauerbrunn	United States
5	DF	Emily Menges	United States
8	MF	Hina Sugita	Japan
9	FW	Sophia Smith	United States
11	MF	Raquel Rodríguez	Costa Rica
12	MF	Christine Sinclair	Canada
13	MF	Olivia Moultrie	United States
14	DF	Natalia Kuikka	Finland
16	FW	Janine Beckie	Canada
17	MF	Sam Coffey	United States
18	GK	Shelby Hogan	United States
19	MF	Crystal Dunn	United States
20	DF	Kelli Hubly	United States
21	FW	Adriana Leon (on loan from Manchester United until June 30, 2023[160])	Canada
22	FW	Morgan Weaver	United States
24	FW	Izzy D'Aquila	United States
25	DF	Meghan Klingenberg	United States
29	DF	Tegan McGrady	United States
37	FW	Michele Vasconcelos	United States
39	DF	Meaghan Nally	United States
41	FW	Hannah Betfort	United States
44	DF	Gabby Provenzano	United States
45	DF	Natalie Beckman	United States
46	MF	Taylor Porter	United States

For details of former players, see Category:Portland Thorns FC players and List of Portland Thorns FC players.