Off to their worst start ever, the Portland Thorns did not wait long to make a coaching change.
The Thorns moved head coach Mike Norris into a technical director role and made assistant coach Rob Gale interim coach while they search for a new head coach.
Norris was promoted to head coach following the resignation of Rhian Wilkinson just weeks after she led the Thorns to the 2022 NWSL championship. Gale was then hired as Norris’ assistant. Like Norris, Gale is English and had been coaching in Canada for many years before joining the Thorns.
In 2023, Portland finished second in the NWSL with a 10-7-5 record in the regular season. It is last in the 14-team league this season with one point in four games.
The Bhathal family purchased the Thorns from original owner Merritt Paulson in January.
Wow–brutal. NWSL seems much more responsive to performance deficiencies than MLS.