PORTLAND, Ore. – There won’t be any playoff spots at stake. There won’t be a champion. The race for the NWSL Shield will have to wait until next year. But there are games ahead for Portland Thorns FC and the rest of the National Women’s Soccer League – a Fall Series that will see each team play four games within regional pods.
Within those games, Mark Parsons’ goal is clear. “It's growth,” the Thorns head coach says, when asked how he’ll measure success in the coming Fall Series. “It's a boring answer, but [growth] truly is the driver of us.