III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 869 

Commending and congratulating the Portland Thorns Football Club on 

winning the 2022 National Women’s Soccer League championship. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 13, 2022 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. MERKLEY) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Commending and congratulating the Portland Thorns Football Club on winning the 2022 National Women’s Soccer 

League championship. 

Whereas, on October 29, 2022, the Portland Thorns FC (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘Thorns’’), a professional women’s soccer team, won the 2022 National 

Women’s Soccer League (referred to in this preamble as 

the ‘‘NWSL’’) championship; 

Whereas the Thorns defeated the Kansas City Current by 2 

to 0 in the NWSL championship, which was played in 

Washington, DC; 

Whereas the 2022 championship is the third for the Thorns 

franchise, making the Thorns the first NWSL team with 

3 championships; 


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•SRES 869 ATS 

Whereas the Thorns are the first team in NWSL history to 

qualify for 4 NWSL championship games; 

Whereas the enthusiastic fan support of the Thorns once 

again placed the benchmark franchise among the NWSL 

leaders in attendance; 

Whereas, in 2022, the Thorns scored the most team goals in 

the entire NWSL with 49 goals; 

Whereas Rhian Wilkinson, head coach of the Thorns who was 

also a former player for the Thorns in 2015, led the 

Thorns to the championship in her first year as head 

coach, becoming the second woman head coach to win the 

NWSL championship; 

Whereas Karina LeBlanc, general manager of the Thorns 

who was also a former player for the Thorns during the 

championship season of the Thorns in 2013, became the 

first person to win a NWSL championship as a player 

and general manager; 

Whereas Thorns player Sophia Smith— 

(1) was named NWSL 2022 Most Valuable Player 

(referred to in this preamble as ‘‘MVP’’), making her the 

youngest league MVP winner in NWSL history; 

(2) was named NWSL championship MVP, becoming the first player in NWSL history to win the league 

MVP and championship MVP in the same season; 

(3) became the youngest NWSL championship 

goalscorer and the highest single-season scorer in Thorns 

franchise history by scoring her 15th goal of the season 

in the championship game; and 

(4) became the youngest NWSL player to score 

more than 10 goals in a season; 


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•SRES 869 ATS 

Whereas Thorns player, and former University of Portland 

standout, Christine Sinclair— 

(1) is the first player to win 3 NWSL championships 

with the same club; 

(2) is the most prolific player in the NWSL, charting the most playoff minutes of any player in league history with 1,022 minutes played; and 

(3) is the all-time leader of the Thorns in games 

played and goals scored; 

Whereas Thorns players Bella Bixby, Natalia Kuikka, Kelli 

Hubly, Sam Coffey, Rocky Rodrı ́guez, Hina Sugita, 

Olivia Moultrie, Morgan Weaver, Sophia Smith, Yazmeen 

Ryan, and Janine Beckie made their NWSL championship debut in the game on October 29, 2022; 

Whereas Thorns players Sam Coffey and Sophia Smith were 

named to the NWSL Best XI First Team for the 2022 

season; 

Whereas Thorns players Kelli Hubly and Becky Sauerbrunn 

were named to the NWSL Best XI Second Team for the 

2022 season; 

Whereas, at 17 years old, Olivia Moultrie became the youngest player in NWSL history to play in the championship 

game; 

Whereas the entire Thorns squad should be congratulated for 

its dedication, the resilience of its players in the face of 

hardship, its teamwork, and its impressive display of athletic talent; 

Whereas the ongoing success, camaraderie, sportsmanship, 

and joy demonstrated by the Thorns has inspired young 

women to dedicate themselves to soccer and to pursue 

sports; 


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Whereas the Thorns donated $140,000 of ticket profits from 

the NWSL semifinal game on October 23, 2022, to 4 different charities, including— 

(1) Girls on the Run, which helps young girls learn 

life skills through physical education; 

(2) Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest, which mentors girls and supports lifelong education; 

(3) SHE FLIES, an initiative of the Sport Oregon 

Foundation to connect women and girls to sports in Oregon; and 

(4) Street Soccer USA, which brings soccer to low 

income communities nationwide. 

Whereas the donation by the Thorns was only one example 

of the tradition of philanthropy of the Thorns, which was 

celebrated by the Portland Business Journal as one of 

the top philanthropic businesses in Portland in 2022; 

Whereas the Thorns, in association with the Portland Timbers, have donated more than $550,000 to Oregon charities in 2022; 

Whereas the Thorns, in association with the Portland Timbers, raised more than $600,000 for humanitarian assistance in Ukraine in April of 2022; and 

Whereas the Thorns, its fans, and the Oregon soccer community came together in the wake of a devastating report 

by the NWSL and NWSL Players’ Association condemning former team management and ownership for its 

treatment of allegations of abuse, demonstrating the resilience of the Thorns players, commitment to one another, and dedication to player welfare and safety: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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•SRES 869 ATS 

1 (1) commends and congratulates the Portland 

2 Thorns FC on winning the 2022 National Women’s 

3 Soccer League championship and completing a suc4 cessful 2022 season; 

5 (2) recognizes the achievements of all players, 

6 coaches, and staff who contributed to the success of 

7 the Portland Thorns FC during the 2022 season; 

8 and 

9 (3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of 

10 the Senate transmit an enrolled copy of this resolu11 tion to— 

12 (A) the interim president and general 

13 counsel of the Portland Thorns FC, Heather 

14 Davis; 

15 (B) the general manager of the Portland 

16 Thorns FC, Karina LeBlanc; and 

17 (C) the captain of the Portland Thorns 

18 FC, Christine Sinclair. 

Æ 


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