The last time the Portland Thorns defeated OL Reign in Seattle, the Thorns had two fewer stars above their crest.

Portland’s 2-0 shutout win at Lumen Field on Saturday was the Thorns’ first NWSL regular season win against the Reign since 2018 and first road win at a Reign stadium since 2017. Since then, the Thorns have added two NWSL championship titles (2017, 2022) and another NWSL Shield (2021) — all while defeating their Pacific Northwest rivals remained a challenge.

“Every time we play them it’s a battle,” said Thorns defender Emily Menges. “The messaging before the game from (head coach) Mike (Norris) was, ‘Yep, come for the battle, but don’t make it a street fight, make it a boxing match.’ … I think we rose to that occasion and I think that’s what we did.”

Sophia Smith opened scoring for the Thorns in the 17th minute, curling the ball inside the right post. It was Smith’s fifth goal of the NWSL season (tying her for first in the Golden Boot race), but first since she recorded a hat trick against the Kansas City Current on April 1.

“I’ve been staying level-headed and not overthinking not scoring a goal,” Smith said of her scoring drought. “At the end of the day, I feel like I’ve still impacted the game in a lot of different ways. But obviously as a nine, as a goal-scorer, I take a lot of pride in helping my team score goals. So my not doing that for a little bit obviously was hard and it was something I had to deal with internally because I didn’t want to negatively affect the team when we were playing well. But to just get a goal in a big game like this, it lights a new fire in me and make me feel like I’m back to being Soph.”

Christine Sinclair closed it out for the Thorns with an 87th minute goal — a nice bookend to the Canadian legend’s decision at the end of last season to continue playing with the Thorns. In a speech announcing her free agency decision, Sinclair received an ovation from Thorns’ fans when she shouted, “F— Seattle.”

Saturday’s game was part of a doubleheader, following an MLS match between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders. Still, there was some disappointment that many of the 42,054 fans who filled Lumen Field for the first game, which ended in a 0-0 draw, didn’t stick around to watch the second.

The dwindling crowd also resulted in some confusion over a longstanding attendance record. Ahead of Saturday’s game, the best-attended women’s club soccer game in the United States was the opening game of the WUSA in April 2001, when 34,148 fans packed into Robert F. Kennedy Stadium to watch the Mia Hamm’s Washington Freedom defeat Brandi Chastain’s Bay Area CyberRays. The NWSL record is 32,000, set during San Diego FC’s first ever game at Snapdragon Stadium in September 2022.

Despite the asterisk on the attendance figure, OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey, who became the first NWSL coach to coach 200 regular season games on Saturday, was impressed by the showing.

“You look out today, I don’t know how many fans stayed around, but to be able to play in this stadium in front of lots of people, we couldn’t probably have dreamed of that in year one,” she said.

Christine Sinclair and Lynn Williams both scored their 60th career NWSL goals on Saturday to remain tied for second most goals in NWSL history. Only Sam Kerr — who played in the NWSL from 2013-19 — has more (77).

Sinclair’s 60th goal came just two minutes into the Portland Thorns’ 2-0 win over Racing Louisville. Sinclair, who has played with the Thorns since the NWSL launched in 2013, reached the 60-goal mark in her 160th career match.

More than 2,400 miles away — and following a two-hour lightning delay — Williams equaled Sinclair’s mark by scoring in the 80th minute of Gotham’s 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage. Williams, who was drafted into the NWSL in 2015 and was traded to Gotham ahead of the 2023 NWSL season, scored off a pass from Yazmeen Ryan.

San Diego Wave coach Casey Stoney took issue with the packed NWSL schedule in the wake of her team’s 1-0 loss to OL Reign on Saturday.

This weekend, the league returned from an international break. On Wednesday, the Challenge Cup will kick off, with 10 teams playing their first games of the tournament. And next weekend will bring another round of regular-season matches.

While Stoney would like to make adjustments with her squad, the quick turnaround will make that difficult.

“We ain’t got a lot of time to work on anything in practice this week because the league, joyfully, off the back of an international window, put three games week in, which is ridiculous,” Stoney said sarcastically.

The Wave will face the Portland Thorns at 10 p.m. ET Wednesday, followed by in-state rivals Angel City FC at 8 p.m. ET Sunday.

Coaches of all three teams — San Diego, Portland and Angel City — also discussed the importance and the difficulty of load management coming off the international window and heading into the NWSL schedule crunch.

Canada women’s national team captain Christine Sinclair ended up missing the Thorns’ match Friday against the Houston Dash, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Delayed flights scrambled Sinclair’s travel back from her national team duties, and she arrived in Portland on Thursday evening, coach Mike Norris said.

Norris called the situation “very unfortunate, but frustrating as well.” Still, Sinclair’s health came first in the decision to rest her for the match.

“I think if you look at player safety, it was the right thing to do,” he said. “Could we have dressed her? Could we have used her? Maybe? But yeah, we took the decision what we felt was right, her safety and what’s coming ahead.”

Angel City rookie Alyssa Thompson played a full 90 minutes last Tuesday for the U.S. women’s national team, which came as a surprise to her NWSL coach Freya Coombe. Thompson had joined the USWNT as a late addition in the international window after an injury to Mallory Swanson.

“Obviously she had a mini adventure previously in the week, which was fantastic for her. We’re very supportive of that,” Coombe said. “It was important for us to manage her minutes coming back in because she had a journey and played the 90-plus minutes for the USWNT. She’s always looking dangerous when she comes in.”

NWSL Challenge Cup schedule: April 19

  • Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage, 7 p.m. ET
  • Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit, 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Houston Dash vs. Kansas City Current, 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Angel City FC vs. OL Reign, 10 p.m. ET
  • San Diego Wave vs. Portland Thorns, 10 p.m. ET
  • BYE: Chicago Red Stars, Racing Louisville

Members of the Canada women’s national soccer team testified in front of members of Canadian parliament Thursday, revealing details of their ongoing negotiations toward a new collective bargaining agreement.

The women’s and men’s nationals team have been embroiled in a very public labor dispute with their federation. Ahead of Thursday’s testimonies, Canada Soccer released details of its proposed CBA to the public but did not give any notice to players.

Canada Soccer general secretary Earl Cochrane said the federation has been “negotiating in good faith” with the national teams, but players said the surprise release runs contrary to that statement.

“We feel quite disrespected by the way they conducted their business today,” Janine Beckie said. “We believe it should have stayed between the players association and the CSA. There were terms in their release that haven’t been shown to us.”

Canada captain Christine Sinclair spoke of the “culture of secrecy and obstruction” in the federation under former president Nick Bontis, who resigned in February. She also said she has “never been more insulted” than she was by Bontis.

“We met with him to discuss our concerns,” Sinclair said. “I was tasked with outlining our compensation ask on behalf of the Women’s National Team. The president of Canada Soccer listened to what I had to say and then later in the meeting referred back to it as, quote, ‘What was it Christine was b—-ing about?’”

She also added that pay equity is just “a little piece of the puzzle” in the wider fight between the women’s national team and Canada Soccer.

“I’m not sure honestly where we go from here,” she said. “There’s a few simple things that need to be addressed by the CSA.”

Janine Beckie and Christine Sinclair are calling attention to the pay disparities between the Canada women’s and men’s national teams.

In 2021, the men’s team was given over $11 million for expenses, while the women received just shy of $5.1 million. Both marked increases from 2020, though the men’s team’s budget jumped from $3.08 million while the women’s sat at $2.8 million in 2020.

That means that the gap between the two teams’ funding grew from roughly $267,000 to nearly $6 million.

“Numbers don’t lie,” wrote Beckie.

The Canada women’s national team has since gone on strike and has said that it will miss the SheBelieves Cup in protest, which is set to begin next Thursday.

Other players have also called out Canada Soccer’s lack of equality despite previous claims that they would do more to ensure that the women were paid equally. Beckie also tweeted out a video on Friday, in which Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis goes on the record prioritizing equal pay.

“The other right thing to do is to make sure whatever we pay the men, we pay the women. Because that’s the right thing to do,” he says.

Other Canadian stars like Desiree Scott joined in the public protest against Canada Soccer.

“We have been beyond successful as a program and is players have given our all to this team!” she wrote. “We are simply asking for what we deserve! Enough. Is. Enough! It’s time!

A professional women’s soccer league is coming to Canada, with former Canada women’s national team player Diana Matheson and current captain Christine Sinclair leading the way.

The unnamed league is expected to begin play in April 2025, according to CBC, with each team featuring at least one women’s national team player.

Matheson and business partner Thomas Gilbert will launch the league under their venture Project 8 Sports Inc., and they have has founding partners in bank CIBC and Air Canada. Two clubs have been confirmed: Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Calgary Foothills.

Sinclair, Canada’s all-time international scoring leader, is on board as an advisor. Sinclair plays with the NWSL’s Portland Thorns and recently re-signed with the club on a one-year contract.

The league is looking for eight teams. Expected buy-in for clubs is between $8 and $10 million, and salaries are expected to be competitive with other professional leagues. The goal is to bring home roughly half of the more than 100 Canadians playing abroad.

Stephanie Labbé, former Canada WNT star and current Whitecaps FC general manager of women’s soccer, spoke with CBC about the club becoming one of the first teams in the league.

“Whitecaps FC are thrilled to be one of the first teams to sign on to a professional women’s soccer league in Canada,” Labbé said. “The creation of this league is something we have been advocating for over many years, and to be part of seeing it come to fruition is truly exciting.”

For Sinclair, who captained the national team to an Olympic gold medal in 2021, the league has been a long time coming.

“I really thought that 2012 was going to be a turning point for this country in bringing professional soccer home,” she said. “But it never happened. And there’s still no pathways within this country.

“We’ve inspired Canadians on the podium. Now it’s time to actually make an impactful difference here in Canada.”

For Matheson, having the right owners involved will be key.

“One of the things is having more diversity to begin with — more women, diverse voices to begin with, more players voices to begin with. And that’s top to bottom. I want women owners, women in the executive, women’s player voices as part of this,” Matheson said.

Sinclair alluded to the abuse issues in the NWSL, which have roiled that league over the last two seasons.

“[It’s] unfortunate just how women are treated and taken advantage of,” Sinclair said. “That’s why we need women owners. We need female executives.”

The league will also look to ensure protection for players, particularly in the wake of reports of abuse and sexual misconduct in the NWSL.

“It’s training, it’s vetting, it’s independent reporting systems,” Matheson said. “And for us, that’s going to mean working with those groups that are really good at doing those things.”

Portland Thorns captain Christine Sinclair thanked embattled owner Merritt Paulson for his leadership hours after Paulson announced his plans to sell his stake in the team.

Paulson has led the Thorns since the founding of the team and the league, and Sinclair has played for the Portland club since the inaugural NWSL season in 2013. But Paulson and the the Thorns’ front office were at the center of the NWSL abuse scandal in the wake of the Sally Yates report released in October.

“For 10 years I have proudly represented the Portland Thorns. Merritt, thank you for taking the chance on women’s soccer 10 years ago that so few were willing to make,” Sinclair wrote in a message posted on Twitter. “With your leadership, Portland has shown what is possible when our game is invested in.”

Paulson stepped down as CEO of the Thorns and his MLS club, the Portland Timbers, in October, after the U.S. Soccer-commissioned report implicated him in perpetuating a culture of abuse in the league.

Amid the turmoil, the Thorns won their third NWSL championship. During the playoffs, when asked if Paulson should sell the Thorns, Sinclair gave an oblique response.

“I’ve been part of this team proudly for 10 years,” she said at the time, noting that over the past year she’s seen “significant changes” that were “for the better.”

Her comments came in contrast to those of teammate Becky Sauerbrunn, who has repeatedly called for owners and executives who helped to cover up abuses to exit the NWSL.

“It is my opinion that every owner and executive and U.S. Soccer official who has repeatedly failed the players and failed to protect the players, who have hidden behind legalities and have not participated fully in these investigations, should be gone,” she said.

Crystal Dunn and Lindsey Horan have noted that it is hard to find pride in playing for the club in light of the report.

Sinclair, though, wrote Thursday that Paulson will be “missed greatly.”

“I can only hope, that as you step aside, the next in line will continue to raise the bar for this organization, community and league,” she continued. “I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for women’s soccer and I wish you all the success in the future.”

Thorns teammate Emily Menges, who has played for the club since she was drafted in 2014, also took to Twitter to thank Paulson.

“I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for the Portland Thorns,” she wrote, adding that she has felt “nothing but support” from Paulson for the entirety of her Thorns career.

Menges, a member of the NWSLPA, has played a large part in pushing for players to have a role in the investigations into systemic abuse around the league.

Christine Sinclair is returning to the NWSL champion Portland Thorns on a one-year contract, making 2023 her 11th season in the league, all with the Thorns.

The veteran announced her return at Portland’s championship parade on Tuesday night, three days after the club won a record third NWSL championship with a 2-0 win over the Kansas City Current and on the same day that her memoir, “Playing the Long Game,” was released. The Thorns later confirmed that Sinclair’s option has been exercised for the 2023 season.

“So, I’m announcing it here: I’ll be back next year!” Sinclair said to a chorus of cheers from the Thorns fans in attendance.

“To win a fourth one of those,” she added, pointing to the NWSL trophy. “And f–k Seattle.” (OL Reign, previously the Seattle Reign as one of the NWSL’s original clubs, are longstanding rivals of the Thorns.)

Sinclair, 39, has been a part of all three of the Thorns’ championship teams, starting her career with the club for the NWSL’s inaugural season in 2013. This season, the captain scored five goals across 12 starts and 14 appearances for Portland, which led the league in overall goals scored with 49.

Despite not starting in Portland’s semifinal win over the San Diego Wave on Oct. 23, Sinclair re-entered the starting lineup for the championship game and helped establish the Thorns’ attack, which had 18 shots to Kansas City’s nine.

Sinclair was one of the 22 NWSL players to be granted free-agency status when an independent arbitrator ruled in favor of the NWSL Players Association earlier this month. The NWSL and NWSLPA had disputed the interpretation of a clause in the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, with the league arguing that any player with a pending year option on their contract was not eligible for free agency unless their team declined that option. The NWSLPA made the case that all players with at least six years of service and an expiring contract were eligible.

As a result of the ruling, Sinclair joined NWSL stars Tobin Heath, Debinha and others in the free agency pool.

Now locked up for at least one more year, Sinclair will compete for another NWSL championship as well as a 2023 World Cup title with Canada. The all-time leading goal-scorer in international soccer history helped Canada win its first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Portland’s record third championship was built on the backs of veterans.

While a plethora of young talent in stars like Sophia Smith and Sam Coffey, the veteran presence of Becky Sauerbrunn and Christine Sinclair has not gone unnoticed as the team has navigated the season.

Sinclair has been part of the club since 2020 while Sinclair has been a member of the Thorns since the NWSL’s inception in 2013.

“It’s been a journey, had ups and downs, but I’m just so proud of this group,” said Sinclair postgame. “We stuck together. This was the goal at the start of the year. It’s been a while since we’ve brought this trophy back to Portland and, yeah, this is pretty special.”

First-year head coach Rhian Wilkinson said Sauerbrunn and Sinclair have been instrumental to the team’s success, calling the pair “icons of the game.”

“This is a leader-full team and we have incredible icons of the game on the field,” said Wilkinson. “And a Becky Sauerbrun, Christine [Sinclair], there’s no other word for them. You just see them show up and play different roles.”

Sauerbrunn’s leadership in helping players like Kelli Hubly navigate the Kansas City Current’s transition game was instrumental in the team’s defense being able to shut down the attack.

“This one’s special personally,” Sinclair said of the Thorns’ third championship. “It’s been a rough year and obviously everything that’s been happening around the club to be able to bring this championship back to Portland, to our organization, to the fans, this one means a lot.”

Christine Sinclair is putting the pressure on Canada Soccer.

Earlier this week, the sport’s governing body in Canada reached a licensing agreement with men’s national team star Alphonso Davies, TSN’s Rick Westhead reported. As a result, Davies will receive royalties for the sale of his jersey.

No other men’s or women’s national team player has such an agreement, but a source told Westhead that Davies’ deal could have positive implications for other players.

“The federation today is all about equality and equity,” the source said. “Christine Sinclair has carried this program for more than a decade and not made a cent off of jersey sales. Both national teams have overperformed and Canada Soccer really has no choice but to offer the same deal Alphonso got to all other national team players, so that’s good news for everyone.”

But Sinclair has yet to hear from Canada Soccer regarding licensing rights, she said in response to the report.

“I’m waiting to hear from the CSA…” she tweeted.

The 39-year-old serves as the captain for both Canada and for the NWSL’s Portland Thorns, who will compete in the NWSL championship match at 8 p.m. ET Saturday against the Kansas City Current. She spoke recently with Just Women’s Sports about the push for equality at the national team level.

“It’s just been a struggle to get from Canada Soccer what we as successful women’s players think we deserve,” she said.

According to Canada Soccer general secretary Earl Cochrane, the women’s team has a sponsorship agreement related to name, image and likeness that uses the “global standard.” Under that contract, additional compensation is not required “if you use an image of four or more athletes in a group image.”

Both the men’s and women’s national teams are embroiled in contract negotiations with Canada Soccer, and the women’s team is continuing to push for equal pay in the vein of the landmark collective bargaining agreements reached by the U.S. men’s and women’s national team earlier this year.

“The Women’s National Team will not accept an agreement that does not offer equal pay,” the Canadian women’s national team said in June.

Back in September, Canada Soccer had made a new offer to the men’s and women’s players, Sportsnet reported. So far, though, no agreements have been reached on either side.

“The veterans on the national team said that one of our goals is to leave the program in a better place,” Sinclair told Just Women’s Sports. “Hopefully this is one fight that our young players on the national team won’t have to have again, and that once there’s equal pay and equal compensation structures in place, there’s no going back from that.”