Sunday night, at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J., Portland Thorns FC celebrated what once felt like a distant dream: they had just won the NWSL shield, awarded to the league's best regular-season team.
In their excitement, some of the players began singing a song familiar to fans of the Portland Timbers: “Build a Bonfire.”
These celebrations were the culmination of a long season of hard work, perseverance, and sheer of force of will that Thorns FC head coach Mark Parsons says were well-deserved.
“[The players] care for each other and they care for this club and I think that's what it comes down to: a team that can do it over 20 games, the team that puts the most into it and sacrifices the most and puts their team first,” Parsons said after the match.