Portland Thorns Extend Sophia Smith

Taylor Vincent
Taylor Vincent, Resident NWSL ExpertMarch 27, 2024
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Photo courtesy of Taylor Vincent

The Portland Thorns today announced that forward Sophia Smith had signed an extension with the club through 2025 with a player option for 2026. This is huge for the Thorns as Smith was going to be a free agent at the end of the season without the extension in place. It is also the first time that a contract option has been announced as a player option and not a club or mutual option. 

Smith is the youngest MVP in NWSL history as well as the reigning Golden Boot champion. In a team release Smith stated, “I’m excited to call Portland home and extend my time with the Thorns.” Last year she accounted for over 25 % of all of the Thorns regular season goals as well as assisting in an additional 12%.

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world class talent and one that we are excited to have contributed to the team’s continued success,” said Head Coach Mike Norris in a team release. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

As the Thorns top offensive contributors and the current face of the franchise, it was important for the Thorns to lock down Smith into a longer contract to avoid the potential bidding war of free agency or the allure of Smith playing abroad in Europe. The player option for 2026 does definitely leave the door open for Smith to head across the pond in the future.


#nwsl #portland thorns #sophia smith #extension
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