Photo Credits: Howard Lao

 

Portland Thorns FC II’s Unbeaten Season Fuels Developmental Pipeline

Written By: Jennifer Ellis

 

Portland Thorns FC II began its second season in the Women’s Premier Soccer League facing Vancouver Victory FC, securing a 2-0 win to kick off its undefeated run in the Pac Northwest Conference. This game, and the seven that followed, would set the stage for not only the team’s individual success on the pitch, but the larger Thorns organization's goals to promote a competitive pathway for top players to compete at a high level, gain valuable experience, and develop within an elite environment.
 

 

Born out of the Portland Thorns Academy, Thorns II aims to contribute to the overall charge to elevate the women’s game in the region and prepare athletes for the next stage of their soccer careers.The latter of its mission—preparing players to continue their soccer careers, whether toward professional, semi-pro, or collegiate aspirations.

 

With backing and resources stemming from the organization's professional NWSL side, the Portland Thorns FC, academy players are offered opportunities others may not be, such as training on the team’s home ground, Providence Park, and having direct ties to the NWSL side’s development plan.

 

| Photo by: Howard Lao |

 

The benefits of these resources were on full display during the regular season as the team was able to keep a perfect 8-0-0 record, collectively scoring 21 goals and only conceding two in their final two matches. Led by the Portland Thorns Academy Director and Head Coach of Thorns II, Tracy Nelson, the team enjoyed a highly successful training and game-day environment.

Nelson, who has eight years of coaching with the academy and a lifetime of playing experience, was a more than qualified candidate to lead the team into its second summer with the WPSL. Nelson played as a starter for the University of Portland from 1991 to 1995, earning multiple accolades such as ‘Most Inspirational Player’ in 1994 and finishing her collegiate career fifth overall in goals and assists.

Nelson then continued her soccer aspirations, playing for Umea IK in 1996, a women's professional association football club in Sweden, before going on to compete for Millwall FC in 1997, a professional football club in London, who most notably were the 1996-97 FA Women's Cup Champions.

This depth and level of experience can be rare among coaching staff for academy players, with Nelson noting the perspective it gives her to provide players with inspiration to make their own soccer journeys.

“I think it definitely helps to be relatable to these players because I've gone through it and played on a high level,” Nelson said. “But for me, I coach to give back to the game because I had so many amazing mentors and teachers. To help players reach their goals and dreams that they have, and if we can be part of that journey and be one of those steps along the way, then that's why we do it at the end of the day. It's all about just giving back to the game that brought so much to me as a person and a player.”

This desire to not only provide young women with the opportunity to play at a high level but also develop as athletes and people is pivotal in the academy’s long-term goals. Conversely, in the short term, the team had other goals, such as ironing out kinks illuminated in its first year in the league in 2024.

Executive Director Gabe Tatz explained the revised approach the team took this season, including building player diversity and depth.

“I think we had massive learning curves for what we learned after our first season about the commitment levels of what the league took and the travel in our conference and the expectations that we had of the players that we bring on to the roster,” Tatz said.. “In year one, we really only had the current academy players and alumnae that we utilized on the team. In year two, we kind of opened it up to open tryouts. We were able to integrate in some non-academy alumnae and academy players, so just kind of the best available players.”

| Photo by: Howard Lao |

The adjustment allowed the Thorns II team to expand its resources and create an even more competitive roster, one that will continue to be expanded in future seasons. This line-up included players ranging in age from teenagers to women in their early to mid-twenties, with the youngest player to earn minutes entering her freshman year of high school.

Although this year's team was on the younger side, what they lacked in years of experience was not apparent in their talent—yet another result of the academy's development program and goals of identifying top talent for their professional side.

“With no longer having the NWSL collegiate draft it changes it [being associated with an NWSL team] substantially,” Tatz said. “Now you can really start to utilize it as identifying talent or potentially players that you want to bring into the first team and play for the Thorns in the NWSL, so not only do we get to do that with players now from all across the globe and in the country, but we also get to pair those players with some of our young, up-and-coming talent to see how they compare at younger ages against some of the best players across the country.”

This environment, where professional and amateur worlds collide, provides a critical testing ground for aspiring players—and a glimpse into what lies ahead.

“They're in the same locker room setups that a professional athlete would have,” Tatz said . “Their training sessions are being run by the first team head coach and tech staff and the sporting director of the club. The way we travel and offering a coach bus or we're flying—we want them to take away those experiences to know that it is possible to become a professional athlete. This is an avenue that can get you there and it will give you a look and a glimpse of what that's going to be like so when it does happen you know exactly what to expect.”

From Nike partnerships to custom uniforms and warmups, every detail reinforces the academy's mission: to show players that this path is real—even if not every one of them will end up on a professional roster.

“We hope that really, at the end of the day, is gonna be the coolest part for these players,” Tatz said. “And they're not all gonna go pro, but to have that experience to know what it feels like and act like to be a professional athlete.”

The academy’s culture of opportunity, support, and high performance extends far beyond the pitch. In fact, its roots grew deeper in the face of uncertainty.

“The reality is you don't get the same opportunities as men's football, right? You have to scratch and claw for every opportunity, especially at the youth level,” Tatz said . 

Tatz also referenced past public occurrences with the Thorns that brought attention to the organization for all the wrong reasons and raised difficult questions.

“There were a couple of years there where we weren't really sure where women's football was going and where the NWSL was heading and should they be participating in this organization?” he said. “What we found was we had really, really quality leadership that came in. And they've made the Thorns the premier destination in women's football. And they've invested in their youth. And those that stuck around have benefited immensely.”

Despite the uncertainty of previous years, the program’s resilience development began to yield visible results this past year.

“Even being able to put games on like last season with a mix of our Academy and Thorns team players—we played at the Wrexham women's team last summer, and we were able to have ten thousand-plus people in attendance for that game, which was the highest-attended youth female game in the country,” Tatz said. “It just shows that we're in a market where the community and the supporters care about women's football. We sent twenty-two players on college scholarships last year. Most people don't even carry twenty-two players on a roster. And to be able to get them all into college was massive.”

That sense of purpose and long-view mentality is what keeps the program—and the people and players within it—committed, focused, and competitive.

“The goal of this academy was to build an elite platform for top players where they can play at the highest level. And every year we've grown,” Nelson said. “We’ve added more things to our programming, we’ve added more teams, we’re getting our first team more involved. We're always trying to push the envelope on what more we can do to help our players get to their highest potential, to the highest level that is possible for them.”

Beyond scholarships or NWSL contracts, the true goal is developing well-rounded young women ready for the world.

“I mean there's so many life lessons through sport,” Nelson said. “And I want every single one of these girls to become strong, confident women who can go out and conquer whatever it is they set their mind to. And I think having a platform like the Thorns Academy and being affiliated with a professional organization is giving them a lot of learning opportunities and a lot of tools that's just going to help shape who they are as people and shape their character.”