Game of Thorns

“It’s just phenomenal,” she says of Portland. “Where else would you want to be?”

The darkest hour was just before Caiya Hanks took the field.

Sometimes following a soccer team sucks. That’s certainly how it felt when the Portland Thorns announced Tuesday that star midfielder Olivia Moultrie will miss the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

“I can cover a lot of meters—what do you use? Miles? Feet?”

Last year’s Portland squad showed flashes, but they couldn’t stop conceding early goals if their lives depended on it. This year, it’s a different story.

Coaches and teammates heap praise on someone who didn’t even realize she had the option of playing professionally until the summer after her freshman year of college.

“I already disliked Seattle. So coming here wasn’t that big of an adjustment for me.”

The Ring logos on Thorns jerseys come right off with a handheld steamer.

The question of who shows up carries just a little more meaning for the Thorns in a year when they have a lot to prove.

The Thorns have had something of a breakout season, especially for a team in a rebuilding year and one not used to being underdogs.