The Portland Thorns put an exclamation point on the NWSL season

The Portland Thorns defeated the Kansas City Current to win ​​their third National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) title on Saturday night, the most by any team in the league’s 10 years of existence.

But that’s not why this win is so memorable. The Thorns’ championship comes after a tumultuous year-long period, during which the team’s management became the center of a league-wide scandal over the sexual abuse and harassment of players by a now-former head coach.

📝 Background: An independent investigation published earlier this month, prompted by a 2021 report from The Athletic, found sexual misconduct, verbal abuse, and emotional abuse have "become systemic" across the league, especially within the Thorns organization. In response, Thorns owner Merritt Paulson resigned from his role as CEO – and the US Soccer Federation committed to implementing the recommendations included within the report, including forming a safety task force consisting of at least one-third membership of athletes.

• The NWSL and its players’ association are also conducting an ongoing investigation, with results expected by the end of the year.

⚽ Now, back to the team: The Thorns were led all season by 22-year-old striker Sophia Smith, who scored a club record 14 goals in 18 games on her way to becoming the youngest MVP in league history. She also scored the winning goal in Saturday’s championship game.

+In the know: The Thorns are one of the most popular and commercially successful women’s franchises in the world, averaging ~20,000 fans per home game pre-pandemic – higher than many NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS teams.