User:Oznogon/Draft:2021 Portland Thorns FC season

The 2021 Portland Thorns FC season was the team's ninth season as a professional women's soccer team. Thorns FC plays in the National Women's Soccer League, the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.

Background
The Thorns were semi-finalists in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup and champions of the 2020 NWSL Fall Series, which replaced the 2020 NWSL season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stadium and facilities
Thorns FC continued to play and train in Providence Park, their home since the team's inaugural season in 2013. The team held its first preseason training at the Portland Timbers training facilities in Beaverton, Oregon, before resuming training at the stadium.

NWSL Challenge Cup
In 2021, the Thorns competed in the cup's West Division during the group stage.

Championship
Portland Thorns FC won the right to host the final by finishing with the best record across both divisions. NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird wrote a letter to Oregon governor Kate Brown requesting an exemption from a ban on fan attendance due to the "extreme risk" designation for COVID-19 in Multnomah County at the time. Brown denied the request, prompting rumors that the league might seek an alternative venue. However, Brown then downgraded the county's status four days before the match on May 4, 2021, to "high risk", allowing the Thorns to make up to 15 percent of the venue's capacity available.

Matches
{{football box collapsible }}
 * date      = {{startdate|2021|8|7}}
 * team1     = Washington Spirit
 * time      = 19:00 [{Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]
 * score     = 0–1
 * report    = https://www.nwslsoccer.com/game/portland-thorns-fc-vs-portland-thorns-fc-2021-05-02/stats
 * team2     = Portland Thorns FC
 * goals1    =
 * goals2    =
 * stadium   = Segra Field
 * location  = Leesburg, Virginia
 * attendance = 2,889
 * referee   = Katja Koroleva
 * assistantreferees = Ben Pilgrim, Laura Waliski
 * fourthreferee = Jonah Kind
 * result    = W

NWSL Playoffs
In 2021, the NWSL expanded the single-elimination playoff field from four to six teams, and granted the top two teams in the regular-season standings a first-round bye. The Thorns finished first in the league to win the NWSL Shield and hosted the third-seeded Chicago Red Stars in the playoff semi-finals.

NWSL Draft
Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2021 NWSL Draft was held on January 13, 2021.