NWSL MVPs ink three-year deals with club
PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC today announced that the club has signed midfielders Lindsey Horan and Crystal Dunn to three-year contracts. Dunn and Horan chose to sign with Thorns FC and relinquished their NWSL allocations from U.S. Soccer, but are still contracted players with the U.S. Women’s National Team.
“Having the ability to sign two of the top players in the game to contracts with Thorns FC is an important move for our club that highlights our commitment as well as the growth of the NWSL in the global soccer landscape,” said Gavin Wilkinson, Thorns FC general manager and president of soccer. “Lindsey and Crystal are important individuals when it comes to our short-term goals and for the long-term success of this club.”
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Horan joined Thorns FC ahead of the 2016 season and will begin her sixth season with the club in 2021. The 2018 NWSL MVP, Horan has played in 88 career matches (88 starts) across all competitions for Portland, tallying 28 goals and 11 assists. Among Thorns FC players all-time in regular-season play, Horan ranks third in goals (23), fifth in games started (74) and minutes played (6,555), sixth in games played (74) and tied for eighth in assists (6). She earned NWSL Best XI honors in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and was named the MVP of the 2017 NWSL Championship game, while helping Portland win the NWSL Shield in 2016 and the NWSL Championship in 2017.
The 2021 season will mark Dunn’s first with Thorns FC and her seventh in the NWSL. Portland acquired Dunn in a trade with OL Reign on Oct. 22, 2020. During her NWSL career, Dunn has appeared in 89 regular-season games (81 starts), recording 32 goals and 20 assists. Dunn won the NWSL MVP in 2015 along with the Golden Boot, scoring a league-best 15 goals, earned NWSL Best XI accolades in 2015 and 2018, and NWSL Second XI honors in 2016 and 2019.
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“Lindsey and Crystal are key pillars to our future,” said Thorns FC head coach Mark Parsons. “Their role on and off the field is crucial to our identity and the collective goals of the club. I am inspired by their dedication to the team and our vision to take this important step forward as a club.”
The pair are currently competing with the USWNT at the SheBelieves Cup in Orlando, Fla., and will join the team for preseason training camp upon conclusion of the tournament.
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