FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PORTLAND THORNS FC ENTERS WPSL SIDE FOR 2024 SEASON

PORTLAND, ORE. (March 19, 2024) – The Women’s Premier Soccer League announced today that Portland Thorns II will officially compete this summer. With the announcement, the league confirms that Portland Thorns II is the pinnacle team of the Portland Thorns Academy – the developmental academy for the three-time NWSL champions, Portland Thorns FC.
 

 

 

“We are immensely proud to be part of such a prestigious league and look forward to providing additional opportunities for females to play at an elite level as a member of the WPSL,” Tracy Nelson, Portland Thorns Academy director of coaching, said.
 

 

 

Since its founding in 2014, the Portland Thorns Academy has nurtured female athletes into both skilled soccer players and individuals of strong character while preparing them for opportunities at the youth national, collegiate, and professional levels. This year, 19 Portland Thorns Academy players committed to play college soccer.
 

 

 

Portland Thorns II provides a holistic approach that emphasizes a growth mindset, character, integrity, and team-first values, while closely integrating with Portland Thorns FC to provide unique opportunities and exposure. The Thorns organization is part of a growing number of National Women’s Soccer League clubs utilizing the WPSL as a proving ground for its young and upcoming players, carrying over heated rivalries from the NWSL into WPSL competition.
 

 

 

Thorns FC players who’ve competed in the WPSL include 2018 WPSL Champion Morgan Weaver (Seattle Sounders Women), current USWNT midfielder Sam Coffey (New York SC Elite), Mexico Women’s National Team standout Reyna Reyes (FC Dallas), and 2024 draft pick, Kate Asman (Chicago Red Stars Reserves).

 

 

Thorns II will play an eight-game home-and-away schedule in the Northwest Conference with the winner hosting the West Region playoffs. Admission will be free for all Thorns II games.

 

 

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For more information on Portland Thorns II, visit the club's official website, or follow its social channels: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X.

 

 

For more information on the WPSL, visit wpslsoccer.com. 

 

 

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About the Women’s Premier Soccer League

The WPSL returns for its 26th season of play as the longest-active women’s soccer league in the United States. Boasting more than 140 clubs nationwide while occupying 32 states coast-to-coast, the WPSL solidifies itself as the largest women’s soccer league in the world. Team rosters feature elite collegiate, post-collegiate, international, and standout prep student-athletes. Many of the United States’ most accomplished women’s national team players have played in the WPSL since its inception in 1998, including household names such as Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Abby Wambach, and Brandi Chastain.