The Portland Thorns feature prominently in the story line that has continued to overshadow NWSL’s on-field product. But lest anyone forget that the Thorns players are second to none when it comes to NWSL royalty.
Portland became the league’s first three-time champion Saturday night, beating the Kansas City Current 2-0 in the league’s title match in front of over 17,000 fans at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. League MVP—and final MVP—Sophia Smith took no time at all to make her mark, scoring the eventual winner at the four-minute mark, as KC’s worst-to-first quest came up one win short.
Portland’s triumph comes amid everything swirling around the club. Top executives have at last been ushered out following the re-established and new revelations in Sally Q. Yates’s investigation into systemic sexual and emotional abuse of players across the league. Portland owner Merritt Paulson has stepped away from duties as CEO as fan pressure reaches a breaking point, but he still actively owns the club despite an outcry for him to sell. He was not present at Audi Field for the final, with club brass instead represented by interim CEO Heather Davis, interim COO Sarah Keane and general manager Karina LeBlanc.
