Portland Thorns FC

Sophia Smith will reportedly be the highest-paid player annually in the National Women's Soccer League after she and the Portland Thorns agreed to a new deal Wednesday.

According to Jeff Kassouf of ESPN, the forward's new contract keeps her in Portland through the 2025 campaign with a 2026 option. While the specific numbers of the deal weren't shared, Smith will be paid more annually than the deals ranging between $2 million and $2.5 million that Mallory Swanson of the Chicago Red Stars, Racheal Kundananji of Bay FC and Barbra Banda of the Orlando Pride signed.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

This deal will keep Smith with the team that selected her with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 NWSL draft and prevent her from becoming a free agent after the 2024 campaign.

Yet more than just familiarity played a role in her decision.

As Kassouf noted, "former Thorns controlling owner Merritt Paulson, under increasing fan pressure in 2022, eventually agreed to sell the team after multiple investigations detailed how he and Thorns management mishandled prior player complaints and enabled alleged abuser Paul Riley to continue working in the league."

For her part, Smith said having the Bhathal family purchase the team "changes everything" because she had "just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more."

Her decision to stay in Portland is welcome news for the team and its fans, as her resume includes a league MVP (2022), a Golden Boot (2023) and 34 regular-season goals. She also led the Thorns to the franchise's third NWSL championship in 2022.

Smith is just 23 years old and has also established herself as one of the faces of the next generation of stars for the United States Women's National Team. She has 16 goals in 44 appearances for the national team and started in the 2023 World Cup.

With the contract situation settled, she and the Thorns will look to turn things around after a slow start to the 2024 season.

They lost their opening two games to the Kansas City Current and NJ/NY Gotham, although Smith already has two goals on the campaign. Next up for Portland is a game against Racing Louisville FC on Saturday.

Portland Thorns owner Merritt Paulson announced Tuesday he's stepping down as the NWSL club's CEO following the release of the findings of Sally Yates' investigation into sexual, emotional and verbal abuse in the league.

"As you know, I removed myself from Thorns decision-making, yet, in order for the organization to move forward and unite, I feel that another step is necessary," Paulson said. "Effective immediately, I am removing myself as CEO of the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers, and announcing a global search for a CEO of the organization."

Last week, he stepped away from the team's day-to-day operations after describing the release of the Yates report as the "darkest day" he's experienced.

"I apologize to our players, the organization and the Portland community for the mistakes we made, including not being publicly transparent about Paul Riley's termination," Paulson said Tuesday. "Our organization's failures and mistakes were ultimately my responsibility, and my responsibility alone. It is devastating to me that my goal of creating the shining example of what a women's sports team could be, has now become synonymous with abhorrent and predatory behavior."

Paulson, who's owned the NWSL franchise since it was founded in 2012, made no mention of plans to put the club up for sale. He also owns the Portland Timbers and has stepped down as CEO of the MLS side.

His future with the Thorns has "yet to be determined," per Paul Tenorio and Meg Linehan of The Athletic.

"His primary objective is to ensure the Thorns are viable, successful and remain in Portland," a team source told The Athletic.

Yates found Paulson "minimized, obscured and failed to tell the whole truth" about allegations against Riley, who was accused of sexual coercion and manipulative behavior during his time as the team's head coach (2014-15), per Tenorio and Linehan.

Paulson also failed to provide information about Riley's tenure and departure during discussions with North Carolina Courage owner Steve Malik, who ultimately hired the coach to lead his franchise from 2017 through 2021, according to the report.

Portland fired President of Soccer Gavin Wilkinson and President of Business Mike Golub last week.

Heather Davis is serving as the Thorns' interim president and interim CEO, while interim COO Sarah Keane will lead the search for a full-time CEO.

"Given the complexities involved on several levels, finalizing the correct path forward will take time," Paulson said. "I love this organization as if it was part of my family, and to me, what is most important is getting it right."

The NWSL hasn't announced any punishments on the heels of the Yates report, but Commissioner Jessica Berman said last week the league remains "committed to implementing reform and disciplinary action."

In the aftermath of allegations against Riley and a number of other coaches in the league initially going public in September 2021, half of the teams in the NWSL parted ways with their head coaches as a result of player complaints about their behavior.

Portland has qualified for the 2022 NWSL playoffs, receiving a bye to the semifinals after finishing second in the regular-season standings. The Thorns' next match will be Oct. 23.

The Portland Timbers and Thorns FC fired president of soccer Gavin Wilkinson and president of business Mike Golub on Wednesday amid the ongoing fallout from an investigation that found widespread misconduct throughout women's soccer.

An investigation conducted by former U.S. deputy attorney general Sally Yates found Wilkinson gave a positive recommendation to former Thorns coach Paul Riley despite Riley being accused of sexual misconduct and abusive behavior toward players. The report alleged Riley engaged in sexual relationships with players and suggested players kiss one another to get out of drills in practice.

Wilkinson did not disclose any of Riley's behavior when recommending him for a job with the Western New York Flash (now the North Carolina Courage).

"In an email to [former U.S. Soccer president] Sunil Gulati, [former U.S. Soccer CEO] Dan Flynn, and [NWSL general counsel] Lisa Levine, [former NWSL commissioner] Jeff Plush conveyed his understanding that Gavin Wilkinson told the Flash that Riley was 'put in a bad position by the player,' and that Wilkinson would 'hire [Riley] in a heartbeat,'" the report read.

Golub is accused of making lewd comments in the report, including asking former coach Cindy Parlow Cone, "What's on your bucket list besides sleeping with me?"

Thorns owner Merritt Paulson is accused of knowing about the rampant inappropriate behavior in the organization but failing to take action. As noted by Sam Stejskal, Paul Tenorio and Meg Linehan of The Athletic, Wilkinson signed a contract extension earlier this year despite Yates' investigation being well underway. However, a club spokesperson told The Athletic that Wilkinson's extension was effective Jan. 1, 2023, because the Thorns were "cognizant that new information may be discovered in the course of these investigations, and ensured that it could address those concerns prior to the extension taking effect."

Paulson has stepped away from the team amid the fallout of the investigation. He maintains ownership control but is not handling any day-to-day operations.

Heather Davis has been interim president of Peregrine Sports, the company that operates both teams.

Portland Thorns owner and CEO Merritt Paulson announced he will remove himself from all team-related decisions amid an investigation by the National Women's Soccer League:

https://twitter.com/itsmeglinehan/status/1577376167807565856

General manager Gavin Wilkinson and team president Mike Golub have also stepped away from their roles, leaving the organization in the hands of general counsel Heather Davis.

A year-long investigation led by former U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates was released Monday, accusing both Wilkinson and Paulson of enabling former Thorns coach Paul Riley despite allegations of abuse and misconduct.

"I cannot apologize enough for our role in a gross systemic failure to protect player safety and the missteps we made in 2015," Paulson said in Tuesday's statement. "I am truly sorry."

A 2021 report by Meg Linehan of The Athletic first detailed accusations of emotional abuse and sexual coercion against Riley that took place in 2014. After leaving the Thorns in 2015, he spent five years with the North Carolina Courage.

Wilkinson, who was allegedly alerted of Riley's actions, was also placed on administrative leave at the time following the results of an investigation.

The latest report by Yates revealed that the Thorns front office was notified multiple times about potential abuse by Riley, including an anonymous player survey by the NWSL and feedback given to national team head coach Jill Ellis. Not only did they not take action at the time, Paulson even vouched for the coach when he received another job opportunity in women's professional soccer.

Golub was also recently accused by two dozen former employees of creating a toxic work environment, per Ryan Clarke of the Oregonian.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown has called for "systemic change" after the latest investigation.

Despite the conduct from the front office, the Thorns have thrived on the field. They sit in second place in the 2022 NWSL standings behind only OL Reign after finishing in first place during the regular season last year.

Numerous players have accused ex-North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley of sexual coercion dating back to 2010, but those allegations didn't come to light until a report from Meg Linehan and Katie Strang of The Athletic was published in Oct. 2021.

However, numerous people in power were reportedly aware of the allegations against Riley between 2010 and 2021 to the point where Riley's effort to become the United States women's national soccer team head coach in 2019 was quietly squashed for fear of those claims coming to light.

That report is per ESPN's Jeff Carlisle, who wrote that Portland Thorns owner Merritt Paulson worked behind the scenes to prevent Riley from getting the USWNT job.

The Thorns fired Riley in 2015 for cause after then-Thorns player Mana Shim accused him of sexual harassment and coercion. Those allegations were also made in The Athletic article, which highlighted numerous accusations from multiple players across different teams against Riley.

However, the accusations were hidden from the public to the point where the decision for the Thorns to part ways was painted by the team as being based on the Thorns' disappointing performance and the coach's desire to return to the East, where his wife lived in Long Island, New York.

Riley moved onto the Western New York Flash in 2016. The team moved to North Carolina in 2017, and he stayed as the manager until 2021, when he was removed as coach after The Athletic report dropped.

Riley threw his name in for consideration to be the USWNT manager in 2019, but Paulson called Courage owner Steve Malik and said it would be a "a good idea" for his ex-coach to withdraw his name. Paulson reportedly told Malik that Riley was fired for cause, and the hope was to squash the potential of the allegations against the coach from coming to light.

The U.S. Soccer Federation was apparently aware of the details as well.

"According to one source with knowledge of the situation, this came after the U.S. Soccer Federation was warned that details of Riley's firing would become public if he was named USWNT manager, at which point it informed Paulson of this development," Carlisle wrote.

Those allegations did come to light, and it has led to numerous investigations into the mishandling of the situation, including one from the independent law firm DLA Piper into the Thorns' actions.

The Thorns were contacted for comment, per Carlisle, and a spokesperson provided the following response: "Out of respect to the ongoing NWSL investigations, which we are actively cooperating with, we will withhold comment until a more appropriate time."

USWNT and San Diego Wave FC star Alex Morgan provided comment after the ESPN article dropped.

We(the players of the NWSL, especially players in Portland) deserve so much better than a boys club protecting their own. Also, that statement in response by @ThornsFC is just pathetic. https://t.co/rLU1Z8lWqZ

— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) September 2, 2022

The conversation between Malik and Paulson was reportedly discovered by DLA Piper and revealed to over 150 employees of the Portland Timbers and Thorns organizations in a presentation regarding the investigation, per Carlisle.

Riley withdrew his name from USWNT consideration on Aug. 20, 2019, claiming that he "was not interested in the job at this time."

Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie became the youngest goalscorer in NWSL history during Sunday's match against the Houston Dash.

The 16-year-old put Portland ahead 3-0 in the 74th minute when she collected a pass from teammate Sophia Smith and shot from close range.

Writing her name in the history books ✏️@olivia_moultrie | #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/s6yuZOfkig

— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) June 13, 2022

Moultrie returned the favor in the 82nd minute, providing an assist for Smith as the Thorns added to their advantage.

The Oregon native broke new ground in the NWSL when she signed with the team in 2021. She was only 15 at the time, well below what had been the league's minimum age (18). She and the NWSL eventually reached a settlement in July 2021 that allowed her to suit up for the Thorns.

Moultrie made nine appearances for Portland during the 2021 season and played in four games, making one start, to open 2022.

The Portland Thorns announced they placed general manager Gavin Wilkinson on administrative leave pending the results of a new independent investigation.

Wilkinson was cited in a report by The Athletic's Meg Linehan about allegations of sexual coercion and abusive behavior by former Thorns coach Paul Riley. He was among the team officials alerted to potential violations of club policy by Riley, who was subsequently dismissed.

The move comes after Thorns star Lindsey Horan shared a statement on behalf of her and her teammates calling for Wilkinson to step away during the course of the investigation:

It’s time 🌹 pic.twitter.com/Iixfc3Ow4r

— Lindsey Horan (@LindseyHoran) October 7, 2021

The Thorns came under scrutiny because though they parted ways with the 58-year-old in 2015, they didn't publicly disclose the circumstances behind his departure. He also returned to the NWSL with the Western New York Flash in 2016 and followed the franchise to North Carolina when it relocated.

Team owner Merritt Paulson wrote an open letter Monday saying the club had "shared everything we learned in the investigation with the NWSL."

However, he apologized and said the Thorns "could have done more, which is particularly hard to say as the team that we have held as the highest standard in women’s professional soccer in the world."

Sinead Farrelly told Linehan that Riley had gone out of his way to forge a relationship with her that crossed the line between coach and player. At one point, she felt coerced into having sex with him.

Shim, meanwhile, said Riley once invited her to a "film session" in his hotel room, and he was wearing only a pair of underwear when she arrived. He had also invited her on a date, the idea of which left her "feeling very uncomfortable."

Farrelly and Shim said while they were teammates on the Thorns, Riley "pressured them to kiss each other as he watched."

Riley denied having sex with Farrelly or having invited players to his hotel room to watch film.

Beyond having worked as Portland's general manager during Riley's tenure, Wilkinson was criticized for comments he allegedly made to Shim.

According to Linehan, he told her prior to the 2014 season that she should refrain from speaking as much about social issues and her sexuality (Shim came out the previous season).

Wilkinson was quoted in The Athletic report as saying it was "bulls--t" that he would've said what Shim was alleging. He issued a second statement on the matter:

https://twitter.com/itsmeglinehan/status/1443667911491661824

While Wilkinson is on leave from his duties with the Thorns, he will continue to fulfill his duties as general manager of the Portland Timbers.

Olivia Moultrie, a 15-year-old rising star in the NWSL's Portland Thorns youth academy, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league for an age restriction that prevents her from playing in competitive first-team matches.

Maxine Bernstein of The Oregonian reported Tuesday that Moultrie and her father, K.C. Moultrie, are seeking a temporary injunction that would allow the standout midfielder to play in the league's 2021 season, which starts May 15, until the case is settled.

"Ms. Moultrie does not seek an order from this Court awarding her a contract or a roster slot," her lawyers wrote in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Portland. "Rather, she seeks removal of an unlawful barrier to her participation."

Moultrie has already been taking part in Thorns practices and preseason fixtures, but she isn't eligible to sign an NWSL contract that would allow her to play in official games until she turns 18.

ESPN's Jeff Carlisle provided a statement from the league, which argued the age limit should be settled as part of the ongoing talks with the Players Association about a collective bargaining agreement, not in a federal lawsuit:

"The league is engaged in collective bargaining with the NWSL Players Association, which is the appropriate place according to Federal labor law for issues regarding terms and conditions of employment to play out. Age requirements are a common feature of many men's and women's professional leagues in the U.S. and abroad.

"The rules that govern league operations are in place to support players and team operators and ensure the NWSL remains the premier women's soccer league in the world. We will vigorously defend our league against this litigation because it seeks to change a long-standing rule and interferes with the collective bargaining process."

Moultrie's lawsuit notes the MLS, the top-level men's professional league in the United States, doesn't have an age requirement, nor do most of the professional leagues around the world, per Bernstein.

"Ms. Moultrie would be eligible to play in MLS if she were male, would be able to play in France if she were French, etc., stretching throughout most of the international soccer world," her attorneys wrote. "Ms. Moultrie is in the wrong country, and the wrong gender, to take advantage of her soccer precocity. And illegally so."

Moultrie, who signed an endorsement contract with Nike at the age of 13, has received support from members of the U.S. women's national team:

Just to be clear, Olivia is a pro in all but matchdays. She should be able to play in the @NWSL and we should be nurturing young talent—allowing them to develop by playing against the best. Let her play. https://t.co/61poKXp7an

— Becky Sauerbrunn (@beckysauerbrunn) April 14, 2021

If you’re good enough, you’re old enough. Situations like this would not only benefit Olivia but women’s soccer in this country. https://t.co/0KHZ8xXCmt

— Lindsey Horan (@LindseyHoran) April 16, 2021

"It's always been a dream of mine to play professionally in the U.S.," she said in a statement provided by her lawyers to The Athletic. "I know girls my age are competing around the world and I just want to get on the field and officially compete."

Along with monetary damages, the lawsuit states the age rule is preventing the California native from playing professionally, which would help her chances of featuring for the USWNT in major events like this summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Moultrie has featured for the U.S. at the youth international level, but she hasn't played for the senior national team.

With the Portland Thorns defeating the Western New York Flash 2-0 in the NWSL final on Saturday night, the inaugural season of the National Women’s Soccer League is done and dusted. After 22 regular-season games and three playoff matches, here are six thoughts.

Congratulations to the Portland Thorns

A lot of credit has to be extended to the Portland Thorns. Not only were they excellent all season long, but to win the league, they had to beat the league's two best teams in FC Kansas City and the Western New York Flash on the road in the playoffs. To make it even more impressive, they did it missing two of their best players in Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath for stretches of both matches.

Morgan missed the entire semifinal match and was only a second-half substitute in the final. Heath was withdrawn early from both the semifinal and final matches.

Oh yeah, they also played the last 40 minutes of the final down a man after Kat Williamson was ejected in the 56th minute.

Could Becky Sauerbrunn Play as a Holding Midfielder for the USWNT?

While most of the attention from the U.S.’ success in the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympics focused on the U.S.’ offensive stars in Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd, one of the unsung heroes for the United States in both tournaments was holding midfielder Shannon Boxx.

Boxx, sitting in front of the U.S.’ center-backs, has always been the one doing the dirty work for the team, breaking up opponent’s attacks, getting possession started out of the back and contributing with the odd set-piece goal.

Now 36, battling lupus and only starting one game in this year’s NWSL season, Boxx looks to be near the end of her career. Losing Boxx with leave a giant-sized hole in the U.S. midfield, and with Carli Lloyd and Lauren Cheney—who were the midfield combination for much of the 2012 Olympics—proving this season they are much more valuable as attackers, the U.S. needs to be looking for some cover at the holding midfield position.

Yael Averbuch may be able to do it and has looked promising during some of the U.S.’ recent friendlies, but Becky Sauerbrunn, the 2013 NWSL Defender of the Year, may be another option that hasn’t been looked at.

Sauerbrunn faces intense competition for playing time as a center-back with Christie Rampone, Rachel Buehler and Whitney Engen all firmly in the mix. Sauerbrunn also lacks elite-level speed, something very valuable for center-backs in the women’s game, and tends to struggle against teams with pacey forwards.

However, Sauerbrunn is excellent in possession of the ball (her bad giveaway in the NWSL semifinals notwithstanding), tactically smart and good in the air, three keys to being a top-class holding midfielder.

At the very least, it’s worth a look.

Alex Morgan Didn’t Get the Joke

If you missed the Twitter explosion last weekend between soccer writer Beau Dure and Alex Morgan and a host of USWNT fans last weekend, you really missed something.

During the Portland-Kansas City NWSL semifinal game, Tobin Heath was taken out on a tackle. Morgan, injured and on the sideline for Portland, could be seen and heard on the television broadcast screaming at the center official.

Dure, attempting to make light of the impression that USWNT players receive special protection by the NWSL’s referees, posted the following tweet:

Many fans, not getting that the tweet was in jest, set off on a series of overreactions and Morgan herself tweeted that Dure was an idiot:

To be fair to Morgan, Heath was injured on the play and had to leave the game. Heath recovered in time to play in the NWSL final and score the game-winning goal. Morgan, apparently, is still unaware that Dure was kidding as her tweet is still online.

Will the USWNT Stars Support the League Enough for It to Survive?

Last week, it was reported that Megan Rapinoe will be returning to Lyon for the 2013-14 season and will miss the first half of the 2014 Seattle Reign FC season once again.

Numerous other players like Tobin Heath, Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris, Whitney Engen, Yael Averbuch, Christen Press, Lindsey Horan and Meghan Klingenberg have played or are currently playing overseas, but Rapinoe’s absence for the first half of the 2013 season hurt both Seattle and the league.

She is one of the most recognizable and marketable players and, like it or not, the average fan comes out to see the stars and their favorite players. With Rapinoe not playing, the league loses money. For Seattle, missing Rapinoe contributed to the Reign ending up with one of the worst records in the league, They finished with a meager 18 points, half of what was needed to make the playoffs.

You can’t really blame Rapinoe, who simply wants to play at the highest level possible, but if the top USWNT players don’t support the league, it has no chance of surviving.

Why Does Karina LeBlanc Not Start for the Canadian National Team? 

As a USWNT fan, I’ll admit that the only time I watch the Canadian team is when they are playing the U.S. So, maybe LeBlanc has been given her chance and not taken it, but based on club form, LeBlanc seems to be clearly better than Erin McLeod, the usual starter for Canada.

Besides the subjective evidence that LeBlanc simply looks like a better goalie, the objective evidence backs that up. McLeod finished the season with 28 goals against her in 16 games for a 1.75 goals-against average. LeBlanc finished with 23 goals against her in 21 games for a 1.09 goals-against average.

One might argue that LeBlanc had a better team in front of her, but a closer look at the statistics points to the fact that LeBlanc is what made her team better. LeBlanc finished with 92 saves, or 4.38 saves per game, compared to 64 saves, or 4.00 saves per game for McLeod.

Erika Tymrak is One to Keep an Eye On

2013 NWSL Rookie of the Year Erika Tymrak is a player the casual fan has yet to be introduced to, but is set to be a future star. Tymrak finished the season with six goals and four assists and has a lethal combination of dribbling skills, goalscoring ability and is a strong passing skills.

Many of the NWSL games this season were only available on gritty webstreams with few closeups, but even so, this short highlight clip will give you an idea of Tymrak’s skills.

Tymrak recently received her first USWNT call-up and will be part of the U.S. team facing Mexico on Tuesday, Sept. 3, in Washington, D.C.

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