A promising but still unsettled offseason took a discouraging turn for the Portland Thorns on Wednesday as the club announced the departure of captain Sam Coffey, who has been transferred to Manchester City of England’s Women’s Super League (WSL).
The 27-year-old defensive midfielder reportedly sought an opportunity to play in Europe and the club accommodated her request. Thorns president and general manager Jeff Agoos said in a statement that the organization “did everything it could to keep Sam in Portland” but agreed to the deal because “it was important to support her ambitions while we continue building a team capable of competing for championships.”
The terms of Coffey’s transaction were not disclosed, but an ESPN report claimed the Thorns will receive an $875,000 transfer fee for Coffey, a three-time selection to the NWSL’s Best XI who developed into one of the faces of the Portland franchise and arguably its most important player on the field.
Losing Coffey, who has also become a mainstay with the U.S. national team (USWNT) over the last two years and won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, halts the momentum the Thorns built last month when standout forward Sophia Wilson exercised her contract option for the upcoming season after missing all of 2025 on maternity leave.
United States’ Sam Coffey. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)AP
Portland previously parted ways with head coach Rob Gale in November and has yet to fill the vacancy. With the preseason starting Feb. 15, the Thorns must now also find a path forward without a foundational star.
Coffey, who had been signed with Portland through the 2027 season, will join Manchester City in the middle of its season as the WSL campaign runs on a September-May schedule. The club currently sits in first place in the league standings and Coffey will be the only American on the roster.
In her fourth year with Portland following a standout collegiate career at Penn State, Coffey became co-captain with goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold this past season after the retirement of Christine Sinclair, who had been the team’s only captain since its inception in 2013. Coffey was one of two Thorns selected to the 2025 NWSL Best XI along with attacking midfielder Olivia Moultrie.
With a largely young, unproven roster, the Thorns exceeded expectations in 2025 by finishing third in the NWSL standings and advancing to the playoff semifinals with Coffey at the forefront. She led Portland in minutes played (2,221 over 25 starts) while scoring two goals and ranking second on the team with four assists.
Despite the team’s improvement from a sixth-place finish and quarterfinal loss in 2024, Gale was dismissed on Nov. 25 after his only full season at the helm.
Coffey’s absence creates a significant hole to fill, but the Thorns should provide their new coach an opportunity to succeed with a generational striker in Wilson, who led the club in goals in four straight seasons (2021-24). Moultrie re-signed with the team in November through 2029, and key contributors Morgan Weaver and Marie Muller are expected to return after sitting out last season due to injury.
