2020 Portland Thorns FC season
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| 2020 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Merritt Paulson | ||
| Manager | Mark Parsons | ||
| Stadium | Providence Park Portland, Oregon | ||
| 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup | Semi-finals | ||
| 2020 NWSL Fall Series | Champions | ||
| Average home league attendance | 14,391 | ||
|
| |||
The 2020 Portland Thorns FC season was the team's and the league's eighth season of existence. The Thorns played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 12, 2020 the Thorns canceled their preseason tournament, scheduled for March 29-April 4.[1] On March 20, 2020, the NWSL postponed the start of the league's regular season indefinitely.[2]
Coaching staff
Competitions
Transactions
NWSL Draft
Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2020 NWSL College Draft was held on January 16, 2020.
| R | Pick | Nat. | Player | Pos. | College | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |  | Sophia Smith | FW | Stanford | Allocated by the United States Soccer Federation in 2021. | [3][4] |
| 2 | | Morgan Weaver | FW | Washington State | Signed to two-year contract with one-year option. | [4] | |
| 3 | 25 | | Meaghan Nally | DF | Georgetown | Signed to two-year contract with one-year option. | [4] |
Transfers out
| Date | Nat. | Player | Pos. | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 21, 2020 | | Celeste Boureille | MF |  FC Fleury 91 |
Short-term loan. | [5][6][7] |
| September 9, 2020 | | Tobin Heath | MF/FW |  Manchester United W.F.C. |
Out of contract; Thorns retained NWSL playing rights. | [5][8] |
| December 16, 2020 | | Emily Ogle | MF | Houston Dash |
Traded for the 7th- and 37th-overall picks in the 2021 NWSL Draft. | [5][9] |
| Gabby Seiler | MF | ||||
| January 19, 2021 | | Britt Eckerstrom | GK | None | Retired. | [5][10] |
Expansion Draft
The 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft was a special draft held on November 12, 2020, by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) for Racing Louisville FC, an expansion team, to select players from existing teams in the league. The league allowed Louisville to select up to 18 players from lists of unprotected players provided by the existing nine NWSL teams.[11]
Protected players
Racing Louisville FC selected the playing rights of Tobin Heath, which the Thorns retained while she was playing for Manchester United W.F.C. in the Women's Super League.[8][11]
- Bold indicates players selected in the Expansion Draft[11]
- Blue highlights indicate United States federation players
- Italics indicate players who are not under contract but whose NWSL playing rights remain with the team
