Portland Thorns

Morgan Weaver hadn’t made an appearance for the Portland Thorns in over a month after getting injured against the Orlando Pride on July 18. The 23-year-old made her return in fashion and in the form of an 87th minute winner against Lyon.

Weaver was substituted into the game in the 82nd minute and nearly scored with her first touch of the game. She was in on goal against Lyon’s Christiane Endler but ended up hitting her shot over the bar.

15-year-old Portland Thorns phenom Olivia Moultrie scored her first professional goal on Wednesday night to help her side advance to the final of the Women’s International Champions Cup.

Shea Groom had given the Houston Dash a 2-0 halftime advantage to stun Providence Park, but Natalia Kuikka pulled one back for the Thorns in the 51st-minute to set the stage for Moultrie’s equalizer in the 58th.

The Women’s International Champions Cup returns on Wednesday, giving us a rare glimpse of how the best club sides in Europe match-up with the NWSL elite. This year’s tournament boasts the defending UEFA Women’s Champions League winner, Barcelona, and the most recent NWSL champ, the Portland Thorns. 

When you hear her teammates talk about her, Olivia Moultrie isn’t just a 15-year-old gimmick, she’s a contributing member of the Portland Thorns. And now that the NWSL has allowed her to become the youngest player in league history, she’s making an impact on the pitch.

In her first career start, Moultrie provided the game-winning assist, sending in a peach of a cross for Simone Charley to head home as Portland held off Washington 1-0 on Saturday night. 

Olivia Moultrie is finally, officially, a professional footballer — and the youngest NWSL player ever too. 

Moultrie, 15, moved to Portland at the age of 13 from California to begin training with the Portland Thorns of the NWSL, which had a strict age requirement of 18. After suing the National Women’s Soccer League over age restrictions, she’s been given a chance to sign a professional contract with the Thorns, agreeing to a three-year deal, the max allowable in NWSL.

Olivia Moultrie is a 15-year-old soccer phenom who has been training with the Portland Thorns since 2019 after Nike signed her to a nine-year endorsement deal. Moultrie has been denied from signing with a team due to the National Women’s Soccer League’s age rules, but that could soon change.

The Covid-19 pandemic had many sporting casualties in 2020. While nothing compares to the immense (and ongoing) loss of life, U.S. soccer fans were denied the opportunity to pay NFL-level prices to watch preseason friendlies between indifferent European clubs in the International Champions Cup. Similarly, the less-promoted but far-more-interesting Women’s International Champions Cup was canceled in 2020. 

The Portland Thorns showed that they’re the team to beat ahead of the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League season by lifting the Challenge Cup on Saturday afternoon. It shouldn’t have been so dramatic as the Thorns dominated NJ/NY Gotham FC over the course of 90 minutes, but Christine Sinclair’s early effort was all they had to show for it while Carli Lloyd buried Gotham’s only shot on target.

The NWSL Challenge Cup is in full swing and these lady ballers are here to show what makes them the best of the best. They are showing class both on and off the field; from their pre-game outfits to their goals and celebrations, you do not want to miss a single second. 

As NJ/NY Gotham FC leads the East Division and the Portland Thorns hold the No. 1 spot in the West Division, there has been great play and amazing moments during tournament play.