PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – The Portland Thorns largest crowd since 2024 packed the stands as Portland took down the Denver Summit and a legendary former player was honored on Saturday.
More than 22,000 fans packed Providence Park for a game day marked first by a special hello and a final goodbye from a Thorns icon who helped establish the club as the premier team in the NWSL.
As a member of the inaugural Thorns squad back in 2013, Tobin Heath helped put Portland on the map, bringing two NWSL championships and two NWSL shields back to Providence Park.
“I became something here not just as a player but as a human,” Heath said. “I don’t know how I ended up in Portland, but it felt a lot like destiny.”
Signing a ceremonial one-day contract, the two-time World Cup champion officially retires as a Thorn after taking one final lap around the place she helped build and leaving it as a champion, an icon and now forever, a part of Thorns history.
“This place has given me a lot… always the future of sports,” Heath said. “This city has held me gently… that have cheered for you.”
Fans had more to cheer for during halftime, with Saturday marking the Lauren Holiday Impact Award Night, with goalkeeper Bella Bixby the Thorns nominee for the annual honor.
As for the match itself, Portland’s Sophia Wilson sent in her team-leading 10th goal of the season in the 44th minute.
That one-nil score would hold through full time.
Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold ending the night with her seventh clean sheet of the season.
The Thorns will be back on the pitch in New Jersey next Friday, trying to take down the top team in the league with a visit to Gotham FC.
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