User:Oznogon/Draft:2021 Portland Thorns FC season

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Portland Thorns FC
2021 season
OwnerMerritt Paulson
General managerGavin Wilkinson
(suspended Oct. 6, 2021)
Head coachMark Parsons
StadiumProvidence Park
(capacity: 25,218)
NWSL1st (NWSL Shield)
WICCChampions
NWSL PlayoffsSemi-finalists
← 2020
2022 →
All statistics correct as of August 5, 2022.

The 2021 Portland Thorns FC season was the team's ninth season as a professional women's soccer team. Thorns FC plays in the National Women's Soccer League, the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.

Background[edit]

See also: 2020 Portland Thorns FC season and 2020 National Women's Soccer League season

The Thorns were semi-finalists in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup and champions of the 2020 NWSL Fall Series, which replaced the 2020 NWSL season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stadium and facilities[edit]

Thorns FC continued to play and train in Providence Park, their home since the team's inaugural season in 2013. The team held its first preseason training at the Portland Timbers training facilities in Beaverton, Oregon, before resuming training at the stadium.[1]

Team[edit]

Staff[edit]

As of September 25, 2021.[2]
Technical
General manager Gavin Wilkinson
Head coach Mark Parsons
Assistant coach Sophie Clough
Assistant coach Rich Gunney
Goalkeeper coach Nadine Angerer
Medical
Head athletic trainer Pierre Soubrier
Assistant athletic trainer Kelly Strasser
Performance specialist Tom Milroy
Head physician Breanne Brown

Squad[edit]

As of September 25, 2021.[3]
No. Nat. Name Date of birth (age) Since Previous team Notes
Goalkeepers
1 United States Bella Bixby (1995-11-20)November 20, 1995 (aged 25) 2018 United States Oregon State
35 United States Abby Smith (1993-10-04)October 4, 1993 (aged 27) 2021 United States Kansas City Current
43 United States Shelby Hogan (1998-05-10)May 10, 1998 (aged 23) 2021 United States Providence College
Defenders
4 United States Becky Sauerbrunn (1985-06-06)June 6, 1985 (aged 36) 2020 United States Utah Royals FC
5 United States Emily Menges (1992-07-28)July 28, 1992 (aged 29) 2014 United States Georgetown
14 Finland Natalia Kuikka (1995-12-01)December 1, 1995 (aged 25) 2020 Sweden Kopparberg/Göteborg FC INT[a]
15 United States Madison Pogarch (1997-11-05)November 5, 1997 (aged 23) 2019 United States Rutgers
18 United States Christen Westphal (1993-09-02)September 2, 1993 (aged 28) 2020 United States Reign FC
20 United States Kelli Hubly (1994-08-09)August 9, 1994 (aged 27) 2017 United States DePaul
25 United States Meghan Klingenberg (1988-08-02)August 2, 1988 (aged 33) 2015 United States Orlando Pride
39 United States Meaghan Nally (1998-06-30)June 30, 1998 (aged 23) 2020 United States Georgetown Hoyas
41 United States Hannah Betfort (1999-01-04)January 4, 1999 (aged 22) 2021 United States Wake Forest
Midfielders
10 United States Lindsey Horan (1994-05-26)May 26, 1994 (aged 27) 2016 France Paris Saint-Germain
11 Costa Rica Raquel RodrĂ­guez (1993-10-28)October 28, 1993 (aged 27) 2020 United States Sky Blue FC
19 United States Crystal Dunn (1992-07-03)July 3, 1992 (aged 29) 2020 United States North Carolina Courage
(via United States OL Reign)
23 United States Yazmeen Ryan (1999-02-25)February 25, 1999 (aged 22) 2021 United States Texas Christian
30 United States Celeste Boureille (1994-04-20)April 20, 1994 (aged 27) 2016 United States California Golden Bears
36 United States Angela Salem (1988-07-24)July 24, 1988 (aged 33) 2018 United States Boston Breakers
42 United States Olivia Moultrie (2005-09-17)September 17, 2005 (aged 16) 2021
Forwards
7 United States Simone Charley (1995-02-04)February 4, 1995 (aged 26) 2019 United States Vanderbilt
9 United States Sophia Smith (2000-08-10)August 10, 2000 (aged 21) 2020 United States Stanford
12 Canada Christine Sinclair (1983-06-12)June 12, 1983 (aged 38) 2013 United States Western New York Flash
22 United States Morgan Weaver (1997-10-18)October 18, 1997 (aged 23) 2020 United States Washington State
34 United States Tyler Lussi (1995-01-26)January 26, 1995 (aged 26) 2017 United States Princeton
40 United States Marissa Everett (1997-08-29)August 29, 1997 (aged 24) 2019 United States Oregon
  1. ^ INT: International player

Competitions[edit]

NWSL Challenge Cup[edit]

Main article: 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup

In 2021, the Thorns competed in the cup's West Division during the group stage.

Group stage[edit]

April 18, 2022 (2022-04-18) 1 Portland Thorns FC 2–1 Kansas City NWSL Portland, Oregon
19:30 PDT
Report
Stadium: Providence Park
Attendance: 4,646[4]
Referee: Danielle Chesky[5]
Assistant referees: Deleana Quan, Kali Smith
Fourth official: Adorae Monroy
April 25, 2021 (2021-04-25) Chicago Red Stars 0–1 Portland Thorns FC Bridgeview, Illinois
 Report
Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium
April 21, 2021 (2021-04-21) Portland Thorns FC 2–0 OL Reign Portland, Oregon
19:00 PDT
Report
Stadium: Providence Park
Attendance: 5,289[6]
May 2, 2021 (2021-05-02) Houston Dash 1–1 Portland Thorns FC Houston, Texas
18:30 CDT
Report
Stadium: PNC Stadium
Attendance: 3,162
Referee: Elvis Osmanovic

West Division standings[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Portland Thorns FC 4 3 1 0 6 2 +4 10 Qualification for the Championship
2 OL Reign 4 2 1 1 5 5 0 7
3 Houston Dash 4 1 3 0 4 2 +2 6
4 Chicago Red Stars 4 0 2 2 3 5 −2 2
5 Kansas City 4 0 1 3 4 8 −4 1
Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Championship[edit]

Main article: 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship

Portland Thorns FC won the right to host the final by finishing with the best record across both divisions.[7] NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird wrote a letter to Oregon governor Kate Brown requesting an exemption from a ban on fan attendance due to the "extreme risk" designation for COVID-19 in Multnomah County at the time.[8] Brown denied the request, prompting rumors that the league might seek an alternative venue.[7] However, Brown then downgraded the county's status four days before the match on May 4, 2021, to "high risk", allowing the Thorns to make up to 15 percent of the venue's capacity available.[9]

May 8, 2021 (2021-05-08) Finals Portland Thorns FC 1–1
(6–5 p)		 NJ/NY Gotham FC Portland, Oregon
10:00 PDT
Report
Stadium: Providence Park
Referee: Natalie Simon
Assistant referees: Brooke Mayo, Deleana Quan
Assistant referees: Rachel Smith (reserve)
Fourth official: Karen Callado
Penalties

Regular season[edit]

Main article: 2021 National Women's Soccer League season

Matches[edit]

May 16, 2021 (2021-05-16) Portland Thorns FC 5–0 Chicago Red Stars Portland, Oregon
16:00 PDT Report Stadium: Providence Park
Referee: Katja Koroleva
May 23, 2021 (2021-05-23) Portland Thorns FC 1–2 OL Reign Portland, Oregon
15:00 PDT Report Stadium: Providence Park
Referee: Karen Callado
May 26, 2021 (2021-05-26) Orlando Pride 2–1 Portland Thorns FC Orlando, Florida
19:00 EDT Report Stadium: Exploria Stadium
Attendance: 3,407
Referee: Laura Rodriguez
May 30, 2021 (2021-05-30) NJ/NY Gotham FC 0–1 Portland Thorns FC Harrison, New Jersey
15:00 EDT Report Stadium: Red Bull Arena
Referee: Karen Abt
June 5, 2021 (2021-06-05) Portland Thorns FC 3–0 Racing Louisville FC Portland, Oregon
19:30 PDT Report Stadium: Providence Park
Referee: Samantha Martinez
June 20, 2021 (2021-06-20) Portland Thorns FC 1–0 Kansas City NWSL Portland, Oregon
13:00 PDT Report Stadium: Providence Park
Referee: Adorae Monroy
June 26, 2021 (2021-06-26) North Carolina Courage 2–0 Portland Thorns FC Cary, North Carolina
19:00 EDT Report Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park
Referee: Natalie Simon
July 3, 2021 (2021-07-03) Racing Louisville FC 0–2 Portland Thorns FC Louisville, Kentucky
19:30 EDT Report Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium
Attendance: 6,822
Referee: Karen Callado
July 11, 2021 (2021-07-11) Portland Thorns FC 0–0 NJ/NY Gotham FC Portland, Oregon
12:00 PDT Report Stadium: Providence Park
Attendance: 14,731
Referee: Tori Penso
July 18, 2021 (2021-07-18) Portland Thorns FC 2–1 Orlando Pride Portland, Oregon
19:30 PDT Report Stadium: Providence Park
Attendance: 14,985
Referee: Laura Rodriguez
July 24, 2021 (2021-07-24) Houston Dash 0–1 Portland Thorns FC Houston, Texas
19:30 CDT Report Stadium: PNC Park
Attendance: 1,929
Referee: Luis Guardia
August 1, 2021 (2021-08-01) Portland Thorns FC 2–0 Kansas City NWSL Portland, Oregon
12:00 PDT Report Stadium: Providence Park
Attendance: 16,246
Referee: Samantha Martinez
August 7, 2021 (2021-08-07) Washington Spirit 0–1 Portland Thorns FC Leesburg, Virginia
19:00 [{Eastern Time Zone Report Stadium: Segra Field
Attendance: 2,889
Referee: Katja Koroleva
Assistant referees: Ben Pilgrim, Laura Waliski
August 14, 2021 (2021-08-14) Orlando Pride 1–1 Portland Thorns FC Orlando, Florida
19:00 EDT Report Stadium: Exploria Stadium
Attendance: 4,209
Referee: Matthew Franz
August 25, 2021 (2021-08-25) Portland Thorns FC 2–1 NJ/NY Gotham FC Portland, Oregon
19:30 PDT Report Stadium: Providence Park
Attendance: 14,299
Referee: Mark Allatin
August 29, 2021 (2021-08-29) OL Reign 1–2 Portland Thorns FC Seattle, Washington
16:00 PDT Report Stadium: Lumen Field
Attendance: 27,278
Referee: Jon Freemon
Note: Doubleheader with Seattle Sounders FC. As of the date played, this was the largest reported attendance to any NWSL match.
September 4, 2021 (2021-09-04) Portland Thorns FC 3–0 Washington Spirit Portland, Oregon
Report Stadium: Providence Park
Attendance: N/A
Note: After being initially postponed due to the Spirit being unable to field a full roster due to four players tested positive for COVID-19,[10] the NWSL declared this match a forfeit by Washington Spirit on Sept. 16, citing alleged violations of the league's COVID-19 protocols.[11]
September 12, 2021 (2021-09-12) North Carolina Courage 1–0 Portland Thorns FC Portland, Oregon
15:00 EDT Report Stadium: Providence Park
Attendance: 5,161
Referee: Matthew Franz
September 25, 2021 (2021-09-25) Chicago Red Stars 2–1 Portland Thorns FC Bridgeview, Illinois
19:00 CDT Report Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium
Attendance: 3,527
Referee: Katja Koroleva
October 6, 2021 (2021-10-06) Portland Thorns FC 2–3 Houston Dash Portland, Oregon
19:00 PDT Report Stadium: Providence Park
Attendance: 11,139
Referee: Natalie Simon
October 10, 2021 (2021-10-10) Kansas City NWSL 0–0 Portland Thorns FC Kansas City, Kansas
16:00 CDT Report Stadium: Legends Field
Attendance: 5,438
Referee: Alyssa Nichols
October 13, 2021 (2021-10-13) Portland Thorns FC 1–1 OL Reign Portland, Oregon
19:30 PDT Report Stadium: Providence Park
Attendance: 11,754
Referee: Tori Penso
October 17, 2021 (2021-10-17) Houston Dash 0–1 Portland Thorns FC Houston, Texas
18:00 CDT Report Stadium: PNC Park
Attendance: 4,792
Referee: Luis Guardia
October 30, 2021 (2021-10-30) Portland Thorns FC 0–0 North Carolina Courage Portland, Oregon
19:00 PDT Report Stadium: Providence Park
Attendance: 17,584
Referee: Greg Dopka

Regular season standings[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Portland Thorns FC 24 13 5 6 33 17 +16 44 NWSL Shield
2 OL Reign 24 13 3 8 37 24 +13 42 Playoffs – Semi-finals
3 Washington Spirit (C) 24 11 6 7 29 26 +3 39 Playoffs – First round
4 Chicago Red Stars 24 11 5 8 28 28 0 38
5 NJ/NY Gotham FC 24 8 11 5 29 21 +8 35
6 North Carolina Courage 24 9 6 9 28 23 +5 33
7 Houston Dash 24 9 5 10 31 31 0 32
8 Orlando Pride 24 7 7 10 27 32 −5 28
9 Racing Louisville FC 24 5 7 12 21 40 −19 22
10 Kansas City 24 3 7 14 15 36 −21 16
Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(C) Champions

Results summary[edit]

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
24 13 5 6 33 17  +16 44 7 3 2 22 8  +14 6 2 4 11 9  +2

Last updated: November 14, 2021.
Source: NWSLsoccer.com

Results by matchday[edit]

Matchday12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
GroundHHAAHHAAHHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHH
ResultWLLWWWLWDWWWWDWLWWLLDDWDL
Position1573223231111111111111111
Updated to match(es) played on November 14, 2021. Source: NWSL
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

NWSL Playoffs[edit]

Main article: 2021 National Women's Soccer League season § Playoffs

In 2021, the NWSL expanded the single-elimination playoff field from four to six teams, and granted the top two teams in the regular-season standings a first-round bye. The Thorns finished first in the league to win the NWSL Shield and hosted the third-seeded Chicago Red Stars in the playoff semi-finals.[12]

November 14, 2021 (2021-11-14) Portland Thorns FC 0–2 Chicago Red Stars Portland, Oregon
14:30 PDT
Report
Stadium: Providence Park
Attendance: 15,832
Referee: Katja Koroleva
Assistant referees: Deleana Quan, Meghan Mullen

Awards[edit]

NWSL annual awards[edit]

See also: NWSL awards § 2021

Best XI[edit]

Pos. Ntn. Player
MF United States Angela Salem

Second XI[edit]

Pos. Ntn. Player
GK United States Bella Bixby
DF United States Emily Menges
United States Meghan Klingenberg
MF United States Lindsey Horan

NWSL monthly awards[edit]

Team of the Month[edit]

See also: NWSL Team of the Month § 2021
Month Pos. Ntn. Player
May MF United States Crystal Dunn
July GK United States Bella Bixby
DF United States Emily Menges
United States Meghan Klingenberg
August DF United States Emily Menges
MF United States Angela Salem
September MF United States Angela Salem
October MF United States Angela Salem

NWSL weekly awards[edit]

Player of the Week[edit]

See also: NWSL Player of the Week § 2021
Week Nat. Player Ref.
4 United States Lindsey Horan

Save of the Week[edit]

See also: NWSL Save of the Week § 2021
Week Nat. Player Won Ref.
11 United States Bella Bixby Won [13]
12 United States Christen Westphal Won [14]
13 United States Bella Bixby Nom. [15]
17 United States Bella Bixby Won [16]

Transactions[edit]

NWSL Draft[edit]

Main article: 2021 NWSL Draft

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2021 NWSL Draft was held on January 13, 2021.

R Pick Nat. Player Pos. College Status Ref.
1 6 United States Yazmeen Ryan MF TCU Signed a three-year contract with one-year option.[17]
2 12 United States Sam Coffey MF Penn State Returned to Penn State; signed a two-year contract in 2022.[18]
3 22 United States Amirah Ali FW Rutgers Returned to Rutgers; rights traded to San Diego Wave FC.[19]
4 37 United States Hannah Betfort DF Wake Forest Signed a one-year contract with one-year option.[17]

Transfers in[edit]

Date Nat. Player Pos. Previous club Fee/Notes Ref.
October 22, 2020 United States Crystal Dunn MF United States North Carolina Courage
(via United States OL Reign in a three-way trade) 		Acquired in exchange for the Thorns' natural first-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, a 2021 international slot, and $250,000 in allocation money. [20]
October 29, 2020 Finland Natalia Kuikka DF Sweden Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC Signed a two-year contract. [20][21][22][23]

Transfers out[edit]

Date Nat. Player Pos. Destination club Fee/Notes Ref.
December 16, 2020 United States Emily Ogle MF United States Houston Dash Traded for the 7th- and 37th-overall picks in the 2021 NWSL Draft. [20][24]
United States Gabby Seiler MF
January 19, 2021 United States Britt Eckerstrom GK None Retired. [20][25]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Farley, Richard (January 31, 2021). "Thorns FC assemble at Timbers Training Center ahead of 2021 NWSL preseason" (Press release). Portland Timbers. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  2. ^ "Technical Staff". Portland Timbers. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "Portland Thorns FC". Portland Timbers. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021.
  4. ^ "Portland Thorns FC vs. Kansas City Current - Football Match Summary". ESPN. April 18, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  5. ^ "2021 NWSL Challenge Cup Assignments: Week 1" (Press release). Professional Referee Organization. May 8, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  6. ^ "Portland Thorns FC vs. OL Reign - Football Match Summary". ESPN. April 21, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Tannenwald, Jonathan (May 4, 2021). "Union offer to host NWSL Challenge Cup final at Subaru Park if game has to be moved from Portland". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  8. ^ Peterson, Anne M. (May 2, 2021). "NWSL commissioner appeals to Oregon Gov. Kate Brown for exemption so fans can attend Challenge Cup final in Portland". The Oregonian. Associated Press. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  9. ^ Murray, Caitlin (May 9, 2021). "Portland Thorns win NWSL Challenge Cup title over Gotham FC in thrilling PK shootout". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  10. ^ Melnick, Kyle; Hensley-Clancy, Molly (September 4, 2021). "Spirit-Thorns match postponed after four Washington players test positive". Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  11. ^ "Postponed match between Portland Thorns, Washington Spirit ruled a forfeit". KGW. September 16, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  12. ^ Herrera, Sandra (November 20, 2021). "NWSL playoff bracket, results, schedule: Washington Spirit come back, down Chicago Red Stars, win championship". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  13. ^ Verizon Save of the Week: Bella Bixby, Portland Thorns FC. Week 11. National Women's Soccer League. August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Verizon Save of the Week: Christen Westphal, Portland Thorns FC. Week 12. National Women's Soccer League. August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ Verizon Save of the Week Nominees | Week 13. National Women's Soccer League. August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (September 15, 2021). "Bella's Big Week 😎" (Tweet). Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ a b Little, Grant (June 5, 2021). "Portland Thorns sign Yazmeen Ryan and Hannah Betfort". Stumptown Footy. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  18. ^ Freeman, Joe (January 7, 2022). "Portland Thorns sign Sam Coffey to 2-year contract". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  19. ^ Odom, Joel (December 16, 2021). "Portland Thorns trade Christen Westphal, Amirah Ali to San Diego Wave FC for allocation money". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d "2020-21 NWSL Transactions Tracker". The Equalizer. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  21. ^ von Wendt, Jonas (October 30, 2020). "Natalia Kuikka byter Göteborg mot Portland" (in Finnish). Hufvudstadsbladet. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  22. ^ RÀnkeskog, Gustaf; Thorén, Petra (October 27, 2020). "Uppgifter: Landslagsbacken lÀmnar" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  23. ^ Odom, Joel (October 29, 2020). "Portland Thorns sign defender Natalia Kuikka to 2-year deal". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  24. ^ Swanson, Mike (December 16, 2020). "Portland Thorns trade Emily Ogle, Gabby Seiler to Houston Dash for two NWSL draft picks". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  25. ^ Young, Ashley (January 19, 2021). "Thorns GK Britt Eckerstrom announces retirement". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
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