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Jeff Agoos isn’t here to be the new face of the Portland Thorns.
“My hope is to not be seen, not be heard,” he said in a January interview with the club’s media team, “and put the best possible team that we can on the field.”
The Portland Thorns announced in early January that the five-time MLS champion and former U.S. men’s national team player would be taking on the role of club general manager. He seems to be stepping into the job with enthusiasm. Agoos has taped a slip of paper below the name plate outside his office reading, “WE GET TO DO THIS!”
The rookie has his work cut out for him.
He’s taking over the club after a historically poor season for Portland, followed by an offseason of key player injuries, retirements and pregnancy announcements (joining Sophia Wilson on maternity leave, Olivia Wade-Katoa recently shared that she, too, is expecting). The Thorns also lost goalkeeper coach Jordan Franken to a Chinese women’s national team offer and assistant coach Stephen Hart to “family health issues,” per head coach Rob Gale.
With Portland understaffed and without a number of the club’s key contributors in recent years, Agoos had little more than two months to try to build a coherent roster before the Thorns kicked off their 2025 campaign.
So, it’s not shocking that the results haven’t been there: After three matches, Portland sits at a loss and two draws. Against the North Carolina Courage last night, the evening air was crisp, the North End was a-chant, and the Thorns pulled out a second frustrating draw—but this time, a draw that felt like they had something to build on. Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold pulled out a penalty-kick save for her first clean sheet as a Thorn (on the night Portland honored legendary defender Becky Sauerbrunn, no less) and the team generated the kinds of looks that they should be able to finish off later in the season.
But let’s be real: Early season results really aren’t how we should be judging Agoos—or the Thorns—this year.
Agoos has passed his first test: His signings ahead of the 2025 season have made sense. This one’s an incredibly low bar, but I feel like it needs to be a bar for Portland after the past couple years.
The Thorns were never going to replace the quality of a Sophia Wilson or a Morgan Weaver or a Marie Müller—especially on such short notice. But Agoos has tried to fill those positional needs.
For instance: With Müller and Nicole Payne out for the season and Mallie McKenzie—who Gale has teased as another wide defensive option for Portland—working her way back from a preseason injury, Agoos brought on Kaitlyn Torpey, a fullback with NWSL experience who was ready to step in immediately. The club also signed Moira Kelley to a short-term contract to provide additional depth at both outside- and center-back.
It’s far from an ideal situation for the Thorns, but if Agoos can hold on to Müller and Payne into 2026, Portland should be poised for a solid fullback depth chart—featuring young players with significant minutes—next year.
Agoos has also been trying to build infrastructure to support his young squad. The Thorns have recently brought on Jordan Felgate as a goalkeeper coach, and Gale said the club should have a third assistant coach ahead of their next game against the Utah Royals, pending their background check. After Saturday’s game, Gale said it’s the first time he’s had a full coaching staff.
“We’re here to compete day in and day out,” Agoos said in a press conference ahead of the Thorns home opener. “We think we have a team; whether it’s with the injuries or without, they can compete to get into the playoffs, and that’s going to be the goal for the season.”
Stephen Duncan has followed the Thorns for a decade as a fan. He tells me that the next test for Agoos is whether he can improve the team in the middle of the season. Midseason trades are like repairing an e-scooter while crossing the Broadway Bridge: You have to know what you’re doing and still keep the contraption on course.
Duncan wonders if, given the injuries and roster turnover, Agoos and the Thorns management will declare the season a wash and focus on letting the young players get minutes ahead of 2026. “Or will they be trying to match a high standard and continue to improve even within the season?” Duncan asks. The NWSL transfer window opens at the beginning of July, which gives the club plenty of time to target new signings and fill out their bare-bones roster before the playoffs hit in November.
Here’s the scary part: It has often taken NWSL teams three years to rebuild. “That’s what we may be in for in Portland as well,” Duncan says, “but I think the Thorns standard is to not be rebuilding for that long.”
Thorns fans know how to ride the highs and lows of a season—and how to support the players through front office abuse and championship titles alike. But they’ve always rooted for a contender—a franchise that sits at the forefront of growth in women’s soccer.
Now it’s on Agoos to continue that tradition. Or he’ll be testing the fan base’s patience in a whole new way.