Vote for your favorite Portland Thorns player: Readers Choice Awards

The

Portland Thorns

started this year down several top players, but the team has managed to battle its way through and now finds itself right in the middle of the NWSL standings.

Regardless of the Thorns’ performance, interest in the team — and

women’s sports in Portland

— is still high.

We asked our readers to nominate the best Portland Thorns player of all time, and the suggestions came in hot.

Which one is the greatest of all time? Well, that is up to you and your vote. We have listed the finalists below in alphabetical order.

You can vote once a day at


this link


or at the bottom of this post until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, June 17.

We’ll reveal the results Friday, June 20, at

oregonlive.com/readers-choice

.

Sam Coffey

Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Sam Coffey came to Portland in 2022 and quickly made her mark. She was

one of the five candidates for NWSL MVP in 2023

. That year, she led NWSL with eight assists and remained a stalwart presence for the Thorns in defensive midfield in just her second professional season. She earned the captain’s armband in the process and established herself as one of the leaders in a locker room filled with veteran voices. One reader appreciates that Coffey is “all in every game,” while another lists “vision, passing accuracy, complex dribbling, great shots and crosses” as the reason for the nomination.

Lindsey Heaps (Horan)

Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Lindsey Heaps started with Portland in 2016, was named the

NWSL Championship MVP

in 2017 and regular season

NWSL MVP

in 2018. One reader went on to say, “The Great Horan was the best midfielder among many great midfielders.”

Tobin Heath

Adam Lapierre, Special to The Oregonian

Adam Lapierre, Special to The Oregonian

Tobin Heath was one of the original Portland Thorns starting in 2013. Heath helped lead the Thorns to championships in 2013 and 2017, earning MVP honors in the 2013 title game. Why did one reader nominate her? “She’s Tobin Heath. Her footwork, her energy, her everything makes her the best!” Another said, “My answer doesn’t need an explanation.” Her passion for Portland was cited many times.

Alex Morgan

Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

Alex Morgan was also part of that 2013 NWSL Championship team. She spent two seasons with the Thorns before being traded for the first pick in the 2016 NWSL draft. One reader noted her exceptional speed and accuracy.

Becky Sauerbrunn

Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Becky Sauerbrunn is a three-time NWSL champion and a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner. She was traded to the Thorns in 2020 and helped the club win the 2022 NWSL championship. One reader appreciated her dedication to the team and the city, while another expects her to end up in the Hall of Fame when all is said and done.

Christine Sinclair

Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Christine Sinclair played at the University of Portland before moving on to the Thorns in 2013. When

Sinc retired in 2024

, she ended her career with three NWSL championships. She’s the NWSL’s third all-time leading scorer in regular season play and will finish her career as one of three players in league history to play all 12 seasons with the same club. If there was one word to sum up the reasons she was nominated, it would be “GOAT.” “Need you ask?” one reader added. “Class, quality, longevity, genuinely awesome human being.”

Hina Sugita

Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Hina Sugita arrived in Portland in 2022 and was part of the 2022 NWSL championship team earning

NWSL Player of the Week

along the way. One reader loves “her technical skill and level of excitement she brings to matches.”

Sophia Wilson (Smith)

Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Portland drafted Sophia Wilson with the first pick in the 2020 NWSL draft. She was named the

2022 MVP

and became the

NWSL’s highest-paid player

with her new contract in 2024. “She’s just one of the most prolific young strikers in the world,” one reader said, “and on pure talent, she is the most talented we’ve ever seen here.”

Ryan Clarke, Joel Odom, Jamie Goldberg and Geoffrey C. Arnold contributed to this story.

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