2015 Portland Thorns FC season

Portland Thorns FC
2015 season
President Merritt Paulson
Head Coach Mark Parsons
Stadium Providence Park
Portland, Oregon
(Capacity: 21,144)
Top goalscorer League: Allie Long (10)
All: Allie Long (12)
Highest home attendance 21,144
(July 22nd vs. Seattle Reign)
(August 30th vs. Washington Spirit)
Lowest home attendance 12,223
(July 3 vs. Sky Blue)
Average home league attendance 15,639
Home colors
Away colors
← 2014 2016 →

The 2015 season is the Portland Thorns FC's third season of existence in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.

After a disappointing end to the 2014 season that saw the team knocked out of the 2014 NWSL Championship Playoffs by eventual league champions FC Kansas City, head coach Paul Riley sought to make changes that would bolster the team's roster to account for the players who would be called up to their respective national teams during the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.[1] After stellar performances in 2014, goalkeeper Nadine Angerer and midfielder Verónica Boquete were both named to the ten player shortlist of the 2014 FIFA World Player of the Year[2] and Boquete was named to the NWSL Best XI[3] as well as being named 2014 Supporters' Player of the Year.[4]

The team made a number of signings before the 2015 season including Genoveva Añonma who captains the Equatorial Guinea women's national football team,[5] a 2015 NWSL College Draft day trade of the Thorns' 2014 season leading scorer Jessica McDonald for Jodie Taylor of the England women's national football team and leading scorer of the Washington Spirit,[6] and defender Kat Williamson, former Thorns player who had been traded away during the 2014 season.[7]

Several players were loaned out in the offseason including defender Rachel Van Hollebeke to Iga Football Club Kunoichi of the Japanese Nadeshiko League,[8] and goalkeeper Nadine Angerer and defender Stephanie Catley to the Melbourne Victory of the W-League.[9]

Midfielder Verónica Boquete chose to sign with 1. FFC Frankfurt rather than remain with the Thorns for the 2015 season,[10] and three players retired in the offseason, including defender Nikki Marshall,[11] midfielder Sarah Huffman,[12] and midfielder Angie Kerr.[13]

On April 6, 2015, the Thorns unveiled their 2015 kits that were the first custom designs by Nike in the league.[14]

Due to the national team player callups for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, the league announced that they would be taking a two-week break and shortening the season from 24 to 20 games.[15]

Club

Coaching Staff

Position Staff
Head Coach Paul Riley
Assistant Coach Skip Thorpe
Goalkeeper Coach Scott Vallow
Fitness Coach Garga Caserta
Athletic Trainer Katie Donnelley
Equipment Manager Megan Lovich

Last updated: April 21, 2015
Source: Portland Thorns

Roster

* – denotes amateur call-ups

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Germany GK Nadine Angerer
2 United States DF Emily Menges
4 Australia DF Stephanie Catley
5 United States DF Kat Williamson
6 United States MF Meleana Shim
7 United States MF Sinead Farrelly
8 Equatorial Guinea FW Genoveva Añonma
10 United States MF Allie Long
11 Canada DF Kaylyn Kyle
12 Canada FW Christine Sinclair
13 United States FW Alex Morgan
14 England FW Jodie Taylor
14 United States DF Kendall Johnson
No. Position Player
16 United States DF Rachel Van Hollebeke
17 United States MF Tobin Heath
18 United States GK Michelle Betos
20 United States FW Sarah Jackson*
21 Canada DF Sarah Robbins
22 Canada DF Rhian Wilkinson
25 United States DF Courtney Niemiec
26 United States DF Taylor Comeau*
28 Sweden FW Hanna Terry
29 United States FW Kelsey Haycook*
30 United States DF Alyssa Kleiner*
77 United States MF McCall Zerboni

Match results

Key

      Win       Tie       Loss

Pre-season

Regular season

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Seattle Reign FC 20 13 4 3 41 21 +20 43 NWSL Shield
2 Chicago Red Stars 20 8 9 3 31 22 +9 33 NWSL Playoffs
3 FC Kansas City (C) 20 9 5 6 32 20 +12 32
4 Washington Spirit 20 8 6 6 31 28 +3 30
5 Houston Dash 20 6 6 8 21 26 −5 24
6 Portland Thorns FC 20 6 5 9 27 29 −2 23
7 Western New York Flash 20 6 5 9 24 34 −10 23
8 Sky Blue FC 20 5 7 8 22 28 −6 22
9 Boston Breakers 20 4 3 13 22 43 −21 15
Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(C) Champion.
Results summary
OverallHomeAway
PldPtsWL TGFGAGDWL TGFGAGDWL TGFGAGD
20 23 6 9 5 27 29  −2 5 2 3 20 13  +7 1 7 2 7 16  −9

Last updated: September 5, 2015
Source: National Women's Soccer League
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Results by round
Round1234567891011121314151617181920
GroundHHAHAHAAHHAHAAHHAAHA
Result W W D D L L L D D W L L L W W W L L D L

Last updated: September 5, 2015.
Source: National Women's Soccer League
Ground: A = Away; H = Home. Result: D = Draw; L = Loss; W = Win; P = Postponed.

Squad statistics

Source: NWSL

Key to positions: FW – Forward, MF – Midfielder, DF – Defender, GK – Goalkeeper

NPosPlayerGPGSMinGAWGShotSOGCroCKOffFoulFSYCRC
8 FW Genoveva Añonma 12 8 759 1 1 0 32 11 1 0 14 16 3 1 0
23[n 1]23 MF Kate Bennett 1 1 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0
4 DF Stephanie Catley 3 2 179 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
26 DF Taylor Comeau 9 5 377 0 0 0 5 2 0 0 3 1 2 0 0
24 MF Sinead Farrelly 19 19 1652 2 2 1 18 8 1 0 9 32 27 2 0
29 FW Kelsey Haycook 4 1 81 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0
17 MF Tobin Heath 12 12 1062 1 1 0 22 5 0 12 3 12 15 0 0
20 FW Sarah Jackson 7 2 201 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 5 1 1 1 0
15 DF Kendall Johnson 17 12 1218 0 1 0 10 5 4 0 0 18 20 2 0
30 DF Alyssa Kleiner 8 4 418 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0
11 DF Kaylyn Kyle 12 6 587 0 0 0 4 1 0 1 4 12 7 1 0
10 MF Allie Long 20 20 1793 10 4 2 53 27 0 66 24 22 32 3 0
21 DF Emily Menges 17 17 1529 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 6 9 1 0
13 FW Alex Morgan 4 3 285 1 2 0 15 7 0 0 5 0 4 1 0
25 DF Courtney Niemiec 4 3 273 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0
9 DF Clare Polkinghorne 9 9 779 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 0
21[n 2]21 MF Sarah Robbins 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
23 FW Lianne Sanderson 5 2 275 0 1 0 4 1 0 0 0 2 5 0 0
6 MF Meleana Shim 18 13 1127 4 4 1 21 13 4 9 0 7 6 0 0
12 FW Christine Sinclair 9 8 735 2 2 1 15 8 0 0 7 6 4 0 0
14 FW Jodie Taylor 7 5 385 3 0 0 17 6 0 1 10 1 2 0 0
28 FW Hanna Terry 6 0 130 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 2 2 1 0
16 DF Rachel Van Hollebeke 13 10 879 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 2 1 0
22 DF Rhian Wilkinson 1 0 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
5 DF Kat Williamson 20 20 1705 0 1 0 3 1 0 0 1 4 8 4 0
77 MF McCall Zerboni 18 18 1459 2 0 1 7 4 0 0 2 28 18 2 1
  1. ↑ Number 23 was later assigned to Lianne Sanderson
  2. ↑ Number 21 was later assigned to Emily Menges
NPosGoal keeperGPGSMinWLTShotSOGSavGAGA/GPenPKFSO
1 GK Nadine Angerer 6 6 540 1 2 3 77 34 23 11 1.833 0 0 1
18 GK Michelle Betos 14 14 1260 5 7 2 130 63 45 18 1.286 1 2 2

Player Transactions

National Team Player Allocation

On January 14, 2015, the league held its NWSL Player Allocation with Portland receiving six players: returning United States women's national soccer team players Alex Morgan, Rachel Van Hollebeke, and Tobin Heath, returning Canada women's national soccer team player Christine Sinclair, and new Canadian internationals Kaylyn Kyle, and Rhian Wilkinson.[17]

National Women's Soccer League College Draft

The Thorns did not have a pick in the 2015 NWSL College Draft, but through a series of draft day trades they acquired forward and England women's national football team player Jodie Taylor from the Washington Spirit.[18]

Transfers In

Date Player Pos Previous Club Notes Ref
November 6, 2014 United States Kat Williamson DF United States Western New York Flash Part of trade for Amber Brooks. [19]
November 6, 2014 United States McCall Zerboni MF United States Western New York Flash Part of trade for Amber Brooks. [19]
January 14, 2015 United States Kendall Johnson DF Australia Western Sydney Wanderers Rights traded from Sky Blue FC for the 25th and 34th overall selections in the 2015 NWSL College Draft. [20]
January 14, 2015 Canada Kaylyn Kyle MF United States Houston Dash NWSL Player Allocation [21]
January 14, 2015 Canada Rhian Wilkinson DF Canada Laval Comets NWSL Player Allocation [21]
January 16, 2015 England Jodie Taylor FW United States Washington Spirit Traded for the 13th pick in the 2015 NWSL College Draft and two second-round picks in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. [18]
February 24, 2015 Equatorial Guinea Genoveva Añonma FW Germany 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam [22]
February 26, 2015 Canada Sarah Robbins MF Finland Åland United [23]
April 10, 2015 United States Taylor Comeau DF United States California Amateur call-up [24]
April 10, 2015 United States Kelsey Haycook FW United States La Salle Amateur call-up [24]
April 10, 2015 United States Sarah Jackson FW United States Santa Clara Amateur call-up [24]
April 17, 2015 United States Alyssa Kleiner DF United States Santa Clara Amateur call-up [25]

Transfers Out

Date Player Pos Destination Club Notes Ref
August 25, 2014 Spain Verónica Boquete MF Germany 1. FFC Frankfurt [26]
September 10, 2014 United States Angie Kerr MF None Player waived. [27]
November 6, 2014 United States Amber Brooks MF United States Western New York Flash Trade to acquire Kat Williamson and McCall Zerboni. [28]
November 18, 2014 United States Sarah Huffman DF None Player retired. [29]
January 14, 2015 Mexico Jackie Acevedo FW None Player not reallocated in the 2015 NWSL Player Allocation. [21]
January 16, 2015 United States Jessica McDonald FW United States Houston Dash Traded to acquire the 13th pick in the 2015 NWSL College Draft and a second-round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. [30]
January 20, 2015 United States Rebecca Moros DF United States FC Kansas City Traded to acquire an international roster spot. [31]
February 5, 2015 United States Nikki Marshall DF None Player retired. [32]

National team participation

Several Thorns players have been selected to play for their national teams in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Vancouver, Canada.

Team Players
 Australia Stephanie Catley
 Canada Christine Sinclair (captain), Kaylyn Kyle, Rhian Wilkinson
 England Jodie Taylor
 Germany Nadine Angerer (captain)
 United States Tobin Heath, Alex Morgan

References

  1. ↑ http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2014/08/portland_thorns_coach_paul_ril_30.html
  2. ↑ http://www.fifa.com/ballon-dor/news/y=2014/m=10/news=women-s-shortlists-for-fifa-ballon-d-or-2014-revealed-2461275.html
  3. ↑ http://www.nwslsoccer.com/News/833112.html
  4. ↑ http://www.timbers.com/thornsfc/2014/09/thorns-fc-announce-2014-club-awards
  5. ↑ http://www.stumptownfooty.com/2015/2/24/8105207/thorns-sign-genoveva
  6. ↑ http://equalizersoccer.com/2015/01/16/washington-spirit-trade-jodie-taylor-portland-thorns/
  7. ↑ http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2014/04/portland_thorns_trade_defender.html
  8. ↑ http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2014/10/portland_thorns_defender_rache_9.html
  9. ↑ http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2014/09/portland_thorns_loan_out_goalk.html
  10. ↑ http://www.nwslsoccer.com/News/832100.html
  11. ↑ http://equalizersoccer.com/2015/02/09/nikki-marshall-portland-thorns-retires-nwsl/
  12. ↑ http://equalizersoccer.com/2014/11/19/sarah-huffman-retires-portland-thorns/
  13. ↑ http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2014/10/portland_thorns_midfielder_ang_4.html
  14. ↑ http://www.stumptownfooty.com/2015/4/6/8354447/the-portland-thorns-new-kits-have-dropped
  15. ↑ http://www.nwslsoccer.com/News/832700.html
  16. ↑ "BREAKERS WIN 1–0 THRILLER OVER THORNS FC; Kristie Mewis scores game-winner in 93rd minute". nwslsoccer.com.
  17. ↑ http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2015/01/kaylyn_kyle_and_rhian_wilkinso.html
  18. 1 2 http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2015/01/portland_thorns_acquire_forwar_1.html
  19. 1 2 http://www.stumptownfooty.com/2014/11/6/7170715/portland-thorns-bring-back-kat-williamson-welcome-mccall-zerboni
  20. ↑ http://www.timbers.com/thornsfc/2015/01/thorns-fc-acquire-defender-kendall-johnson-sky-blue-fc-exchange-third-fourth-round-draf
  21. 1 2 3 http://www.nwslsoccer.com/News/856454.html
  22. ↑ http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2015/02/portland_thorns_sign_decorated.html
  23. ↑ http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2015/02/portland_thorns_sign_midfielde_2.html
  24. 1 2 3 http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2015/04/thorns_call_up_three_amateur_p.html
  25. ↑ http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2015/04/portland_thorns_call_up_amateu.html
  26. ↑ http://www.timbers.com/thornsfc/2014/08/thorns-fc-midfielder-vero-boquete-signs-ffc-frankfurt
  27. ↑ http://www.timbers.com/thornsfc/2014/09/thorns-fc-waive-midfielder-angie-kerr
  28. ↑ http://www.timbers.com/thornsfc/2014/11/thorns-fc-acquire-defender-kat-williamson-midfielder-mccall-zerboni-western-new-york-fl
  29. ↑ http://www.timbers.com/thornsfc/2014/11/thorns-fc-defender-sarah-huffman-announces-retirement
  30. ↑ http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-thorns/2015/01/portland_thorns_trade_jessica.html
  31. ↑ http://www.stumptownfooty.com/portland-women/2015/1/20/7861595/thorns-acquire-international-spot-for-becca-moros
  32. ↑ http://www.timbers.com/thornsfc/2015/02/thorns-fc-defender-nikki-marshall-announces-retirement

External links

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See also

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