2017 Portland Thorns FC season

The 2017 Portland Thorns FC season was the team's and the league's fifth season of existence. The Thorns played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top division of women's soccer in the United States. The Thorns had finished in first place in the 2016 season, but failed to advance from the semifinals in the 2016 NWSL playoffs. With a slogan of "Unfinished Business", they qualified for the NWSL playoffs as the 2nd ranked team in the 2017 regular season. In the playoffs, they defeated the Orlando Pride and then the North Carolina Courage to become 2017 NWSL Champions. It was their second championship, following the first in 2013.

Portland Thorns FC

2017 season
President	Merritt Paulson
Head coach	Mark Parsons
Stadium	Providence Park Portland, Oregon (Capacity: 21,144)
National Women's Soccer League	2nd
NWSL Playoffs	Champions
Top goalscorer	Christine Sinclair (8 goals)
Highest home attendance	21,444 (September 30 vs. Chicago Red Stars)
Lowest home attendance	14,471 (April 29 vs. Chicago Red Stars)
Average home league attendance	17,653
Biggest win	4–0 (September 2 vs. Washington Spirit)
Biggest defeat	1–3 (June 17 vs. Sky Blue FC)
Home colors Away colors
← 2016 2018 →
All statistics correct as of July 8, 2017.

This page covers from the day after the 2016 NWSL final to the day of the 2017 NWSL final.

Background

See also: 2016 Portland Thorns FC season

Season review

Off-season

On October 17, 2016, defender Kat Williamson announced her retirement from soccer.

On October 19, 2016, Portland Thorns FC exercised contract options on goalkeeper Adrianna Franch; defenders Meg Morris and Katherine Reynolds; midfielders Celeste Boureille, Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, Amandine Henry, and Kendall Johnson; and forwards Nadia Nadim, Hayley Raso, and Mallory Weber. Goalkeeper Michelle Betos, defender Emily Menges, and midfielder Meleana Shim went out of contract and were extended new contract offers. Michelle Betos would later confirm on her Twitter account that she did not accept the offer, while Menges and Shim did.

On October 27, 2016, Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan, Allie Long, Meghan Klingenberg and goalkeeper Adrianna Franch were called up for USA for two friendly matches against Romania.

On November 2, 2016, Emily Menges received her first USA call up due to Meghan Klingenberg suffering from a back injury.

On November 8, 2016, Portland Thorns FC head coach Mark Parsons signed a long-term contract extension. Director of goalkeeping Nadine Angerer also signed a contract extension.

On December 13, 2016, Tobin Heath was named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.

On December 15, 2016, Christine Sinclair was named Canadian Player of the Year.

On January 4, 2017, Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan and Allie Long, Emily Sonnett and goalkeeper Adrianna Franch were called up by USA for an evaluation period for the upcoming SheBelieves Cup.

On January 12, 2017, Portland Thorns FC selected midfielders Rachel Hill and Caroline Flynn and forwards Savannah Jordan and Tyler Lussi from the 2017 NWSL College Draft.

On January 18, 2017, Portland Thorns FC acquired Orlando Pride's first-round and fourth-round 2018 NWSL College Draft picks for the rights to forward Rachel Hill, who was chosen by Portland in the 2017 NWSL College Draft.

On January 27, 2017, Amandine Henry was sent on a short-term loan to French side Paris Saint-Germain.

On February 8, 2017, Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan and Allie Long, and defenders Meghan Klingenberg and Emily Sonnett were called up to the USA training camp ahead of the SheBelieves Cup.

On February 22, 2017, Portland Thorns FC re-signed defender Emily Menges and midfielder Meleana Shim.

On March 8, 2017, Portland Thorns FC traded two fourth round picks in the 2018 NWSL College Draft to the North Carolina Courage for goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom.

Preseason

On March 13, 2017, Portland Thorns FC announced their 2017 preseason roster, which included 5 non-roster invites.

On March 26, 2017, Portland Thorns FC began their preseason tournament against the Chicago Red Stars. There would be no cards and a single goal from Nadia Nadim in the 26th minute from a converted penalty. Portland would go on to win their first preseason match 1–0.

On April 14, 2017, the Thorns signed defender Meghan Cox, who was an undrafted non-roster invitee to preseason camp.

April

On April 15, 2017, Portland Thorns FC hosted the Orlando Pride for the start of the 2017 NWSL campaign. In the 32nd minute, Nadia Nadim successfully converted a penalty kick after an Orlando handball in the box. In the 67th minute, Allie Long sent a cross to Christine Sinclair, who scored to put the Thorns up another goal. After the 2–0 win, they were tied for first place with Houston Dash and FC Kansas City.

Vs. Orlando Pride on April 15, 2017

On April 22, 2017, Portland Thorns FC went on the road for the first time to take on the North Carolina Courage, formerly the Western New York Flash, relocated and rebranded in the offseason. North Carolina won 1–0 on a late goal from Debinha in the 81st minute.

On April 29, 2017, the Thorns returned home to defeat the Chicago Red Stars 1–0 on a Nadia Nadim penalty kick after a Christen Press handball in the box.

Position at the end of April

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
3	Portland Thorns FC	3	2	0	1	3	1	+2	6

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

May

Thorns FC opened May by hosting their rivals Seattle Reign FC. In the 1st minute, Seattle's Jess Fishlock scored a long-range shot from 24 yards out. In the 37th minute, Fishlock scored again but instead this time in Seattle's own net, equalizing Portland 1–1. Shortly after in the 29th minute,^{[clarification needed]} Merritt Mathias, with an assist from Rebekah Stott, put Seattle back up, 2–1, at the end of the first half. Portland equalized again with a goal from Allie Long, assisted by Meghan Klingenberg, in the 82nd minute. Both teams settled with a point from a final score of 2–2.

Position as of May 6

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
2	Portland Thorns FC	4	2	1	1	5	3	+2	7

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Competitions

Competition	Record								Started round	First match	Last match	Final position
	G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
NWSL	24	14	5	5	37	20	+17	058.33	1	April 15, 2017	September 30, 2017	Second place
NWSL Playoffs	2	2	0	0	5	1	+4	100.00	1	October 7, 2017	October 14, 2017	Winners
Total	26	16	5	5	42	21	+21	061.54

Updated to match played Jan. 15, 2018
Source: Competitions

NWSL

Preseason

Providence Park Preseason Tournament
  Win   Draw   Loss   Upcoming fixture

Portland Thorns FC v Chicago Red Stars

March 26, 2017 1	Portland Thorns FC	1–0	Chicago Red Stars	Portland, Oregon
17:00 (PST)	Nadim 26' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 6,802

Portland Thorns FC v U.S. U-23s WNT

March 29, 2017 2	Portland Thorns FC	1–2	U.S. U-23s WNT	Portland, Oregon
19:30 (PST)	Weber 8' (Sinclair, Herndon)	Report	Xiao 66' Smith 90'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 6,129

Portland Thorns FC v Houston Dash

April 1, 2017 3	Portland Thorns FC	1–1	Houston Dash	Portland, Oregon
19:30 (PST)	Shim 17' Nadim  43'	Report	Daly  28', 76'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 7,252

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Houston Dash (C)	3	1	1	1	4	4	0	4
2	Portland Thorns FC	3	1	1	1	3	3	0	4
2	U.S. U-23s WNT	3	1	1	1	3	3	0	4
3	Chicago Red Stars	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
(C) Champions

Regular season

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	North Carolina Courage	24	16	1	7	38	22	+16	49	NWSL Shield
2	Portland Thorns FC (C)	24	14	5	5	37	20	+17	47	NWSL Playoffs
3	Orlando Pride	24	11	7	6	45	31	+14	40
4	Chicago Red Stars	24	11	6	7	33	30	+3	39
5	Seattle Reign FC	24	9	7	8	43	37	+6	34
6	Sky Blue FC	24	10	3	11	42	51	−9	33
7	FC Kansas City	24	8	7	9	29	31	−2	31
8	Houston Dash	24	7	3	14	23	39	−16	24
9	Boston Breakers	24	4	7	13	24	35	−11	19
10	Washington Spirit	24	5	4	15	30	48	−18	19

Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(C) Champions

Matches

  Win   Draw   Loss   Upcoming fixture

Home team v Away team

Date Round	Home team	Score	Away team	Location
Time				Stadium: Stadium Attendance: Attendance Referee: Referee

Portland Thorns FC v Orlando Pride

April 15, 2017 1	Portland Thorns FC	2–0	Orlando Pride	Portland, Oregon
12:00 (PST)	Nadim 32' (pen.) Sinclair 67' (Long)	Report		Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 16,145 Referee: Danielle Chesky

North Carolina Courage v Portland Thorns FC

April 23, 2016 2	North Carolina Courage	1–0	Portland Thorns FC	Cary, North Carolina
16:30 (PST)	Kawamura  27' Mewis  76' Debinha 81' (McDonald)	Report		Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 6,298 Referee: Victor Rivas

Portland Thorns FC v Chicago Red Stars

April 29, 2017 3	Portland Thorns FC	1–0	Chicago Red Stars	Portland, Oregon
13:00 (PST)	Nadim 27' (pen.) Sonnett  51' Boureille  67'	Report	Ertz  64' Press  90+1'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 14,471 Referee: Ramy Touchan

Portland Thorns FC v Seattle Reign FC

May 6, 2017 4	Portland Thorns FC	2–2	Seattle Reign FC	Portland, Oregon
19:00 (PST)	Fishlock 37' (o.g.) Henry  73' Long 82' (Klingenberg) Horan  90+1'	Report	Fishlock 1' (Utsugi) Mathias 39' (Stott) Rapinoe  57' Fishlock  66'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 16,160 Referee: Christina Unkel

FC Kansas City v Portland Thorns FC

May 13, 2017 5	FC Kansas City	0–0	Portland Thorns FC	Kansas City, Missouri
19:00 (PST)	Moros  74'	Report		Stadium: Swope Soccer Village Attendance: 1,796 Referee: Karen Abt

Boston Breakers v Portland Thorns

May 19, 2017 6	Boston Breakers	2–2	Portland Thorns	Boston, Massachusetts
16:00 (PST)	Dowie 38' (Leon) White 48' (Dowie) Salem  90'	Report	Nadim 57' (pen.) Weber  65' Cox  68' Nadim 83' (Raso)	Stadium: Jordan Field Attendance: 3,321 Referee: Farhad Dadkho

Portland Thorns FC v Boston Breakers

May 27, 2017 7	Portland Thorns FC	2–0	Boston Breakers	Portland, Oregon
19:00 (PST)	King 1' (o.g.) Henry 5' Nadim  49'	Report	Haavi  24' Westphal  71' Chapman  90+1'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 18,637 Referee: Katja Koroleva

Sky Blue FC v Portland Thorns FC

June 3, 2017 8	Sky Blue FC	0–2	Portland Thorns FC	Piscataway, New Jersey
16:00 (PST)	Mills  20' O'Hara  89'	Report	Horan 20' (Nadim), 42' (Klingenberg),  59' Cox  77'	Stadium: Yurcak Field Attendance: 2,418 Referee: Marco Vega Assistant referees: Amanda Ross, Tom Felice Fourth official: Lorant Varga

Portland Thorns FC v Sky Blue FC

June 17, 2017 9	Portland Thorns FC	1–3	Sky Blue FC	Portland, Oregon
19:00 (PST)	Henry  90+1' Sinclair 90+5' (penalty)	Report	Rodriguez 1' (Kerr) O'Hara  74' Kerr 70' (Hayes), 88' (Tiernan) Stanton  90'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 16,736 Referee: Timothy Ford Assistant referees: Deleana Quan, JJ Blodgett Fourth official: Cephas Quartson

Washington Spirit v Portland Thorns FC

June 24, 2017 10	Washington Spirit	1–0	Portland Thorns FC	Boyds, Maryland
16:00 (PST)	Ordega 19'	Report		Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 4,319 Referee: Danielle Chesky Assistant referees: Cory Richardson, Jeffrey Skinker Fourth official: Jorge Ramirez

Portland Thorns FC v FC Kansas City

June 28, 2017 11	Portland Thorns FC	3–0	FC Kansas City	Portland, Oregon
19:00 (PST)	Sinclair 15', 75' (Raso),  71' Raso 32' (Horan),  66' Horan  52'	Report	Newfield  54' Ratcliffe  83' Kelly  90+2'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 16,199 Referee: Chipalo Street Assistant referees: Adrienne McDonald, Cephas Quartson Fourth official: Kelsey Harms

Seattle Reign FC v Portland Thorns FC

July 1, 2017 12	Seattle Reign FC	2–0	Portland Thorns FC	Seattle, Washington
19:00 (PST)	Rapinoe 45+1', 81' (Nairn) McNabb  77'	Report	Sinclair  64' Brynjarsdottir  72' Raso  90+1'	Stadium: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 4,270 Referee: Jon Freemon Assistant referees: Joshua Haimes, TJ Zablocki Fourth official: Cephas Quartson

Houston Dash v Portland Thorns FC

July 8, 2017 13	Houston Dash	1–1	Portland Thorns FC	Houston, Texas
19:00 (PST)	Beckie 8' (Daly) Benites  82' Daly  90' Lloyd  90+1'	Report	Horan  45+2', 90+1'	Stadium: BBVA Compass Stadium Attendance: 3,869 Referee: Christina Unkel Assistant referees: Deleana Quan, Brooke Mayo Fourth official: Estefania Estrada
Note: Kickoff was delayed from 17:30 Pacific due to severe weather.

Portland Thorns FC v North Carolina Courage

July 15, 2017 14	Portland Thorns FC	1–0	North Carolina Courage	Portland, Oregon
12:50 (PST)	Raso  62', 70' (Klingenberg)	Report	Smith  58'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 16,804

Portland Thorns FC v Washington Spirit

July 22, 2017 15	Portland Thorns FC	2–1	Washington Spirit	Portland Oregon
19:00 (PST)	Long 62' (Lussi) Weber 80' (Sykes) Sykes  30'	Report	Solaun 58' Ship  12'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 18,478

Portland Thorns FC v Houston Dash

August 5, 2017 16	Portland Thorns FC	2–1	Houston Dash	Portland, Oregon
12:50 (PST)	Sonnett 12' Lussi 39'	Report	Heap  22' Lloyd 33' (pen.)  40'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 18,243 Referee: Karen Abt

Chicago Red Stars v Portland Thorns FC

August 12, 2017 17	Chicago Red Stars	2–3	Portland Thorns FC	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:00 (PST)	Press 16' Huerta 38' Gilliland  54'	Report	Raso 3' Sinclair 9' Sonnett 55'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 4,934 Referee: Greg Dopka

FC Kansas City v Portland Thorns FC

August 16, 2017 18	FC Kansas City	2–1	Portland Thorns FC	Kansas City, Missouri
19:00 (PST)	Averbuch 65' Leroux 69'	Report	Henry 44' (pen.)	Stadium: Swope Soccer Village Attendance: 428 Referee: Marco Vega

Portland Thorns FC v Houston Dash

August 19, 2017 19	Portland Thorns FC	2–0	Houston Dash	Portland, Oregon
19:00 (PST)	Horan 14' Brynjarsdóttir  32' Henry 48' Sinclair  70' Sonnett  79'	Report	Beckie  60' Daly  73'  79' Roccaro  74' Levin  76'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 19,672 Referee: Christina Unkel

Seattle Reign FC v Portland Thorns FC

August 26, 2017 20	Seattle Reign FC	1–2	Portland Thorns FC	Seattle, Washington
13:00 (PST)	McNabb  60' Barnes  68' Fishlock 90' (pen.)	Summary	Raso 49' 85'  90+3' Brynjarsdóttir  77' Klingenberg  90'	Stadium: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 6,041 Referee: Farhad Dadkho

Portland Thorns FC v Washington Spirit

September 2, 2017 21	Portland Thorns FC	4–0	Washington Spirit	Portland, Oregon
13:00 (PST)	Nadim 22' Sinclair 25' (Nadim), 81' (Sonnett) Reynolds  36' Sonnett 40' (Klingenberg)	Report	Haracic  21'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 19,141

Boston Breakers v Portland Thorns FC

September 10, 2017 22	Boston Breakers	0–1	Portland Thorns FC	Boston, Massachusetts
15:00 (PST)	Oyster  82'	Report	Sinclair 72' (Raso)	Stadium: Jordan Field

Orlando Pride v Portland Thorns FC

September 23, 2017 23	Orlando Pride	0–0	Portland Thorns FC	Orlando, Florida
12:50 (PST)		Report		Stadium: Orlando City Stadium

Portland Thorns FC v Chicago Red Stars

September 30, 2017 24	Portland Thorns FC	3–1	Chicago Red Stars	Portland, Oregon
12:50 (PDT)	Raso 2' Sykes 13' Nadim 83' (pen.)	Report	Huerta 71'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 21,144 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic

Portland Thorns FC v Orlando Pride

October 7, 2017 Playoff	Portland Thorns FC	4–1	Orlando Pride	Portland, Oregon
12:30 (PDT)	Henry 12'  36' Sonnett 14' Raso 71' Sinclair 83'	Report	Alanna Kennedy 23'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 18,193 Referee: Timothy Ford

North Carolina Courage v Portland Thorns FC

October 14, 2017 Final	North Carolina Courage	0–1	Portland Thorns FC	Orlando, Florida
16:30 (EDT)		Report	Heath  41' Raso  45+1' Horan 49' Brynjarsdottir  72'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 8,124 Referee: Danielle Chesky

The 2017 NWSL Regular Season schedule was released on March 1, 2017.^[1] On June 12, the league changed kickoff times for several matches to accommodate hydration breaks during television broadcasts and implemented new guidelines for playing in extreme heat, and also allowed teams to reschedule backup games for television to later kickoff times.^[2][3][4]

Results by round

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Stadium	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H
Result	W	L	W	D	D	D	W	W	L	L	W	L	D	W	W	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	D	W
Position[a]	3	6	3	2	3	5	5	3	4	4	3	5	5	4	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2

Updated to match(es) played on September 29, 2017. Source: Schedule
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

1. Position is based on where the Portland Thorns FC are at the end of that match week, not after the match itself.

Home/away results

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
24	14	5	5	37	20	+17	47	10	1	1	25	8	+17	4	4	4	12	12	0

Last updated: September 29, 2017.
Source: Match reports

NWSL Playoffs

Further information: NWSL Playoffs

  Win   Draw   Loss   Upcoming fixture

Semifinal:

Portland Thorns FC v Orlando Pride

October 7, 2017 1	Portland Thorns FC	4–1	Orlando Pride	Portland, Oregon
12:00 (PDT)	Henry 12' Sonnett 15' Raso 71' Sinclair 83'	Report	Kennedy 23'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 18,193 Referee: Timothy Ford

Final:

North Carolina Courage v Portland Thorns FC

October 14, 2017 2	North Carolina Courage	0–1	Portland Thorns FC	Orlando, Florida
13:00 (PST)		Report	Horan 50'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 8,124 Referee: Danielle Chesky

Following the win in the Final, the Thorns were crowned 2017 NWSL Champions.^[5]

Club

Executive staff

Owner and Chief Executive Officer	Merritt Paulson
President of Business	Mike Golub
General Manager/President of Soccer	Gavin Wilkinson

Updated to match played October 2, 2017
Source: Portland Timbers

Coaching staff

Position	Staff
Head Coach	Mark Parsons
Assistant Coach	Rich Gunney
Assistant Coach/Equipment Manager	Sophie Clough
Assistant Coach/Community Youth Development Coach	Carly Copplestone
Goalkeeper Coach	Nadine Angerer
Fitness Coach	Garga Caserta
Head Athletic Trainer	Beckie Kruse

Last updated: October 2, 2017
Source: Portland Timbers

Stadiums

Ground (capacity and dimensions)	Providence Park (21,144 / 110x75 yards)
Training Ground	Providence Park

Source: Providence Park

Kits

Primary kit

The Thorns primarily wear red Nike Vapor match kit with gray shoulders, red shorts, and red socks. Providence Health & Services remains their kit sponsor as in past seasons. The Lifetime logo is printed in a white circle on the right sleeve, and the league logo is printed on the left sleeve. A 5th-anniversary logo is printed above the shirt's lower-left hemline.^[6]

Secondary kit

The Thorns' alternate kit are white Nike Laser shirts with black sleeve cuffs, white shorts, and white socks. This is unchanged from 2016, with the exception of the Lifetime logo printed in a red circle on the right sleeve and the 5th-anniversary logo.^[7]

Squad information

First team squad

Last updated: September 2, 2017^[8]

No.	Name	Nationality	Positions	Date of birth (age)	Signed from	Year with club (year signed)
Goalkeepers
24	Adrianna Franch		GK	(1990-11-12) November 12, 1990 (age 34)	Avaldsnes IL	2 (2016)
33	Britt Eckerstrom		GK	(1993-05-28) May 28, 1993 (age 31)	North Carolina Courage	1 (2017)
Defenders
2	Katherine Reynolds		RB	(1987-09-14) September 14, 1987 (age 37)	Washington Spirit	2 (2016)
4	Emily Menges		CB	(1992-07-28) July 28, 1992 (age 32)	2014 NWSL College Draft	4 (2014)
16	Emily Sonnett (FP)		CB	(1993-11-25) November 25, 1993 (age 31)	2016 NWSL College Draft	2 (2016)
25	Meghan Klingenberg (FP)		LB	(1988-08-02) August 2, 1988 (age 36)	Houston Dash	2 (2016)
32	Meg Morris		LB / FW	(1992-05-11) May 11, 1992 (age 32)	Sky Blue FC	2 (2016)
Midfielders
7	Lindsey Horan (FP)		CM	(1994-05-26) May 26, 1994 (age 30)	Paris Saint-Germain	2 (2016)
10	Allie Long (FP)		LW / CM	(1987-08-13) August 13, 1987 (age 37)	New York Fury	5 (2013)
11	Dagný Brynjarsdóttir		MF	(1991-08-10) August 10, 1991 (age 33)	UMF Selfoss	2 (2016)
15	Kendall Johnson		MF / DF	(1991-04-24) April 24, 1991 (age 33)	Sky Blue FC	3 (2015)
17	Tobin Heath (FP)		LW	(1988-05-29) May 29, 1988 (age 36)	Paris Saint-Germain	5 (2013)
28	Amandine Henry		CM	(1989-09-28) September 28, 1989 (age 35)	Olympique Lyonnais	2 (2016)
30	Celeste Boureille		MF	(1994-04-20) April 20, 1994 (age 30)	UMF Selfoss	2 (2016)
Forwards
9	Nadia Nadim		CF / RW	(1988-01-02) January 2, 1988 (age 36)	Sky Blue FC	2 (2016)
12	Christine Sinclair		CF	(1983-06-12) June 12, 1983 (age 41)	Western New York Flash	5 (2013)
14	Ashleigh Sykes		FW	(1991-12-15) December 15, 1991 (age 33)	Canberra United FC	1 (2017)
21	Hayley Raso		FW / RW	(1994-09-05) September 5, 1994 (age 30)	Washington Spirit	2 (2016)
26	Mallory Weber		FW / CB	(1994-04-04) April 4, 1994 (age 30)	2016 NWSL College Draft	2 (2016)
34	Tyler Lussi		FW	(1995-01-26) January 26, 1995 (age 29)	2017 NWSL College Draft	1 (2017)
13	Savannah Jordan		FW	(1995-01-24) January 24, 1995 (age 29)	2017 NWSL College Draft	1 (2017)

• (HG) = homegrown player
• (FP) = Federation player
• (Loan) = on loan
• (AP) = amateur player

Player transactions

National Team/Federation player allocation

Date	Player	Positions played	New/returning	Notes	Ref.
April 5, 2017	Tobin Heath	LW	Returning	2017 U.S. Women's National Team allocation process	[9]
April 5, 2017	Lindsey Horan	CM	Returning	2017 U.S. Women's National Team allocation process	[9]
April 5, 2017	Meghan Klingenberg	LB	Returning	2017 U.S. Women's National Team allocation process	[9]
April 5, 2017	Emily Sonnett	CB	Returning	2017 U.S. Women's National Team allocation process	[9]
April 5, 2017	Allie Long	LW / CM	Newly allocated	2017 U.S. Women's National Team allocation process	[9]

Transfers in

Date	Player	Positions played	Previous club	Fee/notes	Ref.
March 7, 2017	Ashleigh Sykes	FW	Canberra United	Sykes was added to the roster on June 13.	[10][11]
March 8, 2017	Britt Eckerstrom	GK	North Carolina Courage		[12]
April 14, 2017	Meghan Cox	DF			[13]

Loans in

Date	Player	Positions played	Previous club	Fee/notes	Ref.

Loans out

Date	Player	Positions played	Destination club	Fee/notes	Ref.
October 20, 2016	Hayley Raso	FW	Canberra United	Returned for the start of the 2017 season.	[14]
October 20, 2016	Celeste Boureille	MF	Canberra United	Returned for the start of the 2017 season.	[14]
January 27, 2017	Amandine Henry	MF	Paris Saint-Germain	Returned for the start of the 2017 season.	[15]

Transfers out

Date	Player	Positions played	Destination club	Fee/notes	Ref.
October 17, 2016	Kat Williamson	LB	N/A	Retired from soccer.	[16]
October 19, 2016	Jen Skogerboe	DF	Suwon FMC	Option declined.	[17]
October 19, 2016	Michelle Betos	GK	Vålerenga	Out of contract. Offered extended contract but declined.	[18]

Contract extensions

Date	Player	Positions played	Year with club (year signed)	Notes	Ref.
October 19, 2016	Emily Menges	DF	4 (2014)		[17]
October 19, 2016	Meleana Shim	MF	5 (2013)		[17]

Player's rights purchased

Player's rights sold

Date	Player	Positions	To	Notes	Ref
January 18, 2017	Rachel Hill	FW	Orlando Pride	Traded rights for first-round and fourth-round picks in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.	[19]

National Women's Soccer League College Draft

Round (overall pick)	Player	Positions played	Previous club	Notes	Ref.
2 (14)	Rachel Hill	MF / FW	UConn Huskies		[20]
2 (18)	Savannah Jordan	FW	Florida Gators	Portland Thorns FC traded up to acquire the No. 18 overall selection from the North Carolina Courage, who picked up the No. 20 and No. 27 picks in exchange.	[20]
3 (21)	Tyler Lussi	FW	Princeton Tigers	Portland Thorns FC traded up to acquire the No. 18 overall selection from the North Carolina Courage, who picked up the No. 20 and No. 27 picks in exchange.	[20]
4 (40)	Caroline Flynn	MF	Nebraska Cornhuskers		[20]

The draft was held on January 12, 2017.

Staff in

Date	Name	Position	Previous club	Notes	Ref.
May 25, 2017	Tobin Heath	Assistant Youth Technical Director	Portland Thorns FC (Current Player)	Not playing due to lingering back injury, no timeline for when she will play again.	[21]

Staff contract extensions

Date	Name	Position	Notes	Ref.
November 8, 2016	Mark Parsons	Head Coach	Re-signed long-term contract.	[22]
November 8, 2016	Nadine Angerer	Director of goalkeeping	Re-signed contract extension as Director of goalkeeping.	[22]

Staff out

Date	Name	Position	Destination club	Notes	Ref.

National team participation

Seven Thorns players have been called up to play for their national teams during this season.

Team	Players	Positions	# of call-ups	Ref.
United States	Lindsey Horan	MF	5	[23][24][25][26][27]
United States	Allie Long	MF	5	[23][24][25][26][27]
United States	Meghan Klingenberg	DF	4	[23][25][26][27]
United States	Tobin Heath	MF	4	[23][24][25][26]
United States	Adrianna Franch	GK	2	[23][24]
United States	Emily Sonnett	DF	2	[24][25]
United States	Emily Menges	DF	1	[28]

Honors and awards

NWSL Player of the Month

Month	Result	Player	Ref.

NWSL Weekly Awards

NWSL Player of the Week

Week	Result	Player	Ref
8	Won	Lindsey Horan	[29]
18	Won	Hayley Raso	NWSL 2017 Weekly Awards

NWSL Goal of the Week

Week	Result	Player	Ref.
1	Nominated	Christine Sinclair	[30]
4	Nominated	Allie Long	[31]
8	Won	Lindsey Horan	[32]
11	Nominated	Hayley Raso	[33]
12	Won	Hayley Raso	[34]
20	Won	Christine Sinclair	NWSL 2017 Weekly Awards

NWSL Save of the Week

Week	Result	Player	Ref.
3	Won	Adrianna Franch	[35]
4	Nominated	Adrianna Franch	[36]
5	Nominated	Adrianna Franch	[37]
8	Won	Adrianna Franch	[38]
15	Won	Adrianna Franch	NWSL 2017 Weekly Awards
16	Won	Adrianna Franch	NWSL 2017 Weekly Awards

Other awards

Award	Player	Result	Ref.
CONCACAF Female Goalkeeper of the Year	Adrianna Franch	Won	[39]
CONCACAF Best XI	Lindsey Horan, Allie Long, Emily Menges	Team Member	[39]
NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year	Adrianna Franch	Won	[39]
NWSL Best XI	Adrianna Franch	Team Member	[39]
NWSL Second XI	Lindsey Horan, Emily Menges	Team Member	[39]

Statistics

Appearances

No.	Pos.	Name	NWSL				NWSL Playoffs				Total
			Apps	Goals			Apps	Goals			Apps	Goals
2	DF	Katherine Reynolds	10	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	12	0	1	0
4	DF	Emily Menges	23	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	25	0	0	0
6	MF	Meleana Shim	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	0	0
7	MF	Lindsey Horan	24	4	4	0	2	1	0	0	26	5	4	0
9	FW	Nadia Nadim	16	6	1	0	2	0	0	0	18	6	1	0
10	MF	Allie Long	21	2	1	0	2	0	0	0	23	2	1	0
11	MF	Dagný Brynjarsdóttir	11	0	4	0	2	0	1	0	13	0	5	0
12	FW	Christine Sinclair	24	8	3	0	2	1	0	0	26	9	3	0
13	FW	Savannah Jordan	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
14	FW	Ashleigh Sykes	15	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	17	1	1	0
15	MF	Kendall Johnson	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0
16	DF	Emily Sonnett	24	3	2	0	2	1	0	0	26	4	2	0
17	MF	Tobin Heath	2	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	4	0	1	0
19	MF	Ashley Herndon	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
20	DF	Kelli Hubly	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
21	FW	Hayley Raso	22	6	6	0	2	1	1	0	24	7	7	0
24	GK	Adrianna Franch	24	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	26	0	0	0
25	DF	Meghan Klingenberg	23	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	25	0	1	0
26	FW	Mallory Weber	15	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	15	1	1	0
27	DF	Meghan Cox	10	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	10	2	2	0
28	MF	Amandine Henry	21	3	4	0	2	1	1	0	23	4	5	0
30	MF	Celeste Boureille	15	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	15	0	1	0
32	MF	Meg Morris	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
33	GK	Britt Eckerstrom	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
34	FW	Tyler Lussi	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1	0	0
Players who were transferred/waived from the club during active season or on loan

Last updated: 25 May 2018.
Source: NWSL statistics

Goalkeeper stats

No.	Player	NWSL				NWSL Playoffs				Total
		Min	GA	GAA	SV	Min	GA	GAA	SV	Min	GA	GAA	SV
24	Adrianna Franch	2160	20	0.83	80	180	1	0.50	5	2340	21	0.81	85
33	Britt Eckerstrom	0	0	n/a	0	0	0	n/a	0	0	0	n/a	0
	TOTALS	2160	20	0.83	80	180	1	0.50	5	2340	21	0.81	85

Last updated: 25 May 2018.
Source: NWSL statistics

Top scorers

Rank	Pos	No.	Player	NWSL	NWSL Playoffs	Total
1	FW	12	Christine Sinclair	8	1	9
2	FW	21	Hayley Raso	6	1	7
3	FW	9	Nadia Nadim	6	0	6
4	MF	7	Lindsey Horan	4	1	5
5	DF	16	Emily Sonnett	3	1	4
	MF	28	Amandine Henry	3	1	4
7	MF	10	Allie Long	2	0	2
Other Thorns with 1 goal each				3	0	3
Own goals by other teams				2	0	2
Total				37	5	42

Last updated: 25 May 2018.
Source: NWSL statistics

Top assists

Rank	Pos	No.	Player	NWSL	NWSL Playoffs	Total
1	DF	24	Meghan Klingenberg	6	1	7
2	FW	9	Nadia Nadim	3	1	4
3	FW	21	Hayley Raso	3	0	3
	MF	7	Lindsey Horan	2	1	3
5	FW	7	Tyler Lussi	2	0	2
6	Others with 1 assist each			4	0	4
Total				20	3	23

Last updated: 25 May 2018.
Source: NWSL statistics

Clean sheets

Rnk	No.	Player	NWSL	NWSL Playoffs	Total
1	24	Adrianna Franch	11	1	12
Total			11	1	12

Last updated: 25 May 2018.
Source: NWSL statistics on Franch

Summary

All statistics are for National Women's Soccer League games.

Games played	26
Games won	16
Games drawn	5
Games lost	5
Goals scored	42
Goals conceded	21
Goal difference	+21
Clean sheets	12
Yellow cards	33
Red cards	0
Most appearances	26 (4 players)
Top scorer	Christine Sinclair (9 goals)
Top assister	Meghan Klingenberg (7 assists)
Top goalkeeper	Adrianna Franch (0.81 goals-against average)
Winning percentage	61.5% (16/26)

Last updated: 25 May 2018.
Source: NWSL statistics

See also

• 2017 National Women's Soccer League season

References

1. "Thorns FC announce schedule for 2017 NWSL season". March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
2. "NWSL announces new kickoff times for 2017 season". National Women's Soccer League. June 12, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
3. Goldberg, Jamie (June 12, 2017). "NWSL announces new kickoff times for 23 games in effort to ensure player safety". The Oregonian. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
4. "Reign FC Announce Time Change for July 1st Match Against Thorns FC". The Bold (Seattle Reign FC). June 5, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
5. NWSL Soccer (October 14, 2017). "North Carolina Courage vs. Portland Thorns FC". www.nwslsoccer.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
6. "The 2017 Thorns FC Primary Kit". Portland Timbers. April 12, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
7. "Portland Thorns FC Nike 2017 Women's Replica Secondary Custom Jersey – White". Portland Thorns FC Official Online Store. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
8. "Portland Thorns FC Roster". Timbers.com. May 1, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
9. "Heath, Horan, Klingenberg, Sonnett return to Thorns FC as federation players; Allie Long named allocated U.S. federation player for 2017". Portland Thorns. April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
10. "Thorns FC sign forward Ashleigh Sykes". March 7, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
11. Goldberg, Jamie (June 13, 2017). "Ashleigh Sykes, Tyler Lussi participate in Portland Thorns training". The Oregonian. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
12. "Thorns FC acquire goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom from North Carolina Courage". March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
13. "Thorns FC sign defender Meghan Cox". April 14, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
14. "Thorns FC loan forward Hayley Raso, midfielder Celeste Boureille to Australian club Canberra United". October 20, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
15. "Thorns FC midfielder Amandine Henry to join Paris Saint-Germain on short-term loan". January 27, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
16. "Thorns FC defender Kat Williamson announces retirement". Timbers.com. October 17, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
17. "Thorns FC exercise 2017 contract options on 10 players". Timbers.com. October 19, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
18. "Michelle Betos on Twitter". Twitter.com. February 10, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
19. "Thorns FC acquire 2018 first-round, fourth-round picks in 2018 NWSL College Draft from Orlando Pride". Timbers.com. January 18, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
20. "Complete 2017 NWSL College Draft Results". NWSLSoccer. January 12, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
21. "Tobin Heath named Assistant Youth Technical Director for Thorns FC Development Academy". Portland Timbers. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
22. "Thorns FC sign head coach Mark Parsons to long-term contract extension". Timbers.com. November 8, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
23. "Five Thorns FC players named to U.S. Women's National Team roster for November friendly matches against Romania". Timbers.com. October 27, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
24. "Five Thorns FC players named to U.S. Women's National Team roster for January training camp". Timbers.com. January 4, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
25. "Thorns FC's Heath, Horan, Klingenberg, Long, Sonnett named to U.S. Women's National Team roster for training camp". Timbers.com. February 8, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
26. "Four Thorns FC players named to U.S. Women's National Team training camp roster for April Friendlies". Timbers.com. March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
27. "Thorns FC's Lindsey Horan, Allie Long and Meghan Klingenberg named to U.S. Women's National Team roster for European friendlies". Timbers.com. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
28. "Thorns FC defender Emily Menges added to U.S. Women's National Team roster for friendly matches against Romania". Timbers.com. November 2, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
29. Goldberg, Jamie (June 7, 2017). "Portland Thorns midfielder Lindsey Horan named NWSL Player of the Week". OregonLive.com. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
30. "@NWSL: Vote for the #NWSL Goal of the Week! Who had Week 1's top save?". Twitter.com. NWSL. April 18, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
31. "@NWSL: Vote for the #NWSL Goal of the Week! Who had Week 4's top goal?". Twitter.com. NWSL. May 8, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
32. "LINDSEY HORAN – WEEK 8 – GOAL OF THE WEEK WINNER". NWSL. June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
33. Purdy, Jacqueline (July 3, 2017). "Vote: Goal of the Week". www.nwslsoccer.com. National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
34. Jackson-Gibson, Adele (July 11, 2017). "Sam Kerr, Lindsey Horan and Aubrey Bledsoe receive NWSL Week 12 honors". Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
35. "@NWSL: Week 3 #NWSL Save of the Week winner: @ADizzle23 of @ThornsFC!". Twitter.com. NWSL. May 2, 2017.
36. "@NWSL: Vote for the #NWSL Save of the Week! Who had Week 4's best save?". Twitter.com. NWSL. May 8, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
37. "@NWSL: Vote for the #NWSL Save of the Week! Who had Week 5's best save?". Twitter.com. NWSL. May 15, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
38. "ADRIANNA FRANCH – WEEK 8 – SAVE OF THE WEEK WINNER". NWSL. June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
39. "Adrianna Franch named 2017 CONCACAF Female Goalkeeper of the Year, three other players earn additional awards". Portland Timbers. December 19, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2018.

External links

• Official website