Sophia Smith, the season's Most Valuable Player, scored early and the Portland Thorns won their third National Women's Soccer League championship Saturday night with a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Current.
Portland Thorns celebrate - The Canadian PressWASHINGTON — Sophia Smith and the Portland Thorns overcame challenges off the field this season with a championship on it.
A recent report that revealed misconduct across the league impacted the Thorns directly, but the players said it brought them together. Smith nearly had another goal in the 27th minute, but her shot went just wide. Smith is the second MVP recipient to score in the championship game, joining Lynn Williams for North Carolina in 2016. At 22, she's also the youngest player to score in a league final.
“This one hurts," Current coach Matt Potter said. “It’s just a moment, to put it into the bigger picture. Then obviously, we have a lot of reasons to celebrate right now and this year that we can all look back on, maybe tomorrow or the next day, and be very proud of it. I think we’ve talked all along that our best days are ahead of us, not behind us.”
The investigation led by former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates was launched last year after two former players came forward with allegations of harassment and sexual coercion dating back a decade against former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley.
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