Fleming comes to the Rose City following a four-year stint in England with the historic Chelsea FC
PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC have acquired Canadian international midfielder Jessie Fleming via transfer from Chelsea FC for an undisclosed fee, through the 2026 season, pending the receipt of her P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC).
“I am very excited to be joining the Portland Thorns. More than anything, I am looking forward to being a part of the incredible community surrounding the team that is so often talked about with Portland,” Fleming said. “I feel honored to represent these people and this city, and cannot wait to get started.”
Fleming comes to the Rose City following a four-year stint in England with the historic Chelsea FC, where she won three-consecutive Women’s Super Leagues and three-consecutive Women’s FA Cups. In her first season with Chelsea, she also won the FA Women’s League Cup and the Women’s FA Community Shield, while finishing as the runners-up in the 2020/21 UEFA Women’s Champions League, ultimately falling to FC Barcelona.
In four seasons with Chelsea, Fleming appeared in 65 league games, recording 10 goals and three assists, with an additional goal and assist in 21 matches across UEFA Women’s Champions League play. In November of 2021, Fleming was named the FA Women’s Super League Player of the Month, one of only four players to receive such an award throughout her four seasons with Chelsea.
“As we continue to pursue championships, it is important for us to bring in players with championship mindsets, which Jessie has, both with club and country,” General Manager Karina LeBlanc said. “After speaking with Jessie it became very clear that the Thorns are an organization she has admired from afar, she understands how uniquely rare and special this community, fan base and team is.”
Fleming made her Canada Women’s National Team debut in December of 2013 at 15 years old, at the time becoming the second-youngest ever to appear for the Canucks. Since then she has gone on to play in 123 games, scoring 19 goals, while assisting an additional six goals. Fleming is the reigning Canada Women’s Player of the Year, an award she recently won for the third-consecutive year, as well as a three-time U-20 Canada Women’s Player of the Year (2015, 2016, 2017) and the 2014 U-17 Canada Women’s Player of the Year.
Her contributions on the field have helped Canada secure the country’s first ever Gold Medal at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, as well as the 2016 London Summer Olympic Bronze Medal. At the 2020 games Fleming scored the game-tying goal in the final against Sweden which pushed the match into penalties, of which the squad would go on to win 3-2, giving Canada its first major tournament win in its history. She also scored the lone goal against the United States in the semifinal match to earn a berth in the finals.
Joining Janine Beckie and Christine Sinclair, Fleming becomes the third Canadian to be on this year’s Portland Thorns roster, all three of whom have an extensive history with the Canada National Team.
“Adding a player of Jessie’s caliber is a big step for us as we continue to build the roster for 2024 and beyond,” Head Coach Mike Norris said. “Jessie has great ability to connect and create in midfield, which makes her a very dynamic option for us in the middle of the field. Her eye for a final pass will be a great asset for our front line. Add in her physical capabilities to go box-to-box, we feel that we have acquired a very complete world class midfielder.”
Fleming previously played collegiately at UCLA where she was a two-time MAC Hermann Trophy finalist and three-time All-American, recording 25 goals and 22 assists in 75 matches for the Bruins.
Portland Thorns FC fans can currently purchase Annual Memberships for the 2024 season by visiting thornsfc.com/tickets or calling 503.553.5555. The Thorns are slated to begin the season on March 16 against Kansas City Current at CPKC Stadium (10am PT, ABC) before returning to Providence Park on March 24 for the home opener against NJ/NY Gotham FC (4pm PT, ESPN2).
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