Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson returned to soccer for the first time since 2024 with relatively little fanfare. She entered Portland’s March 8th preseason friendly against CF Monterrey as a 75th-minute substitute — after the Thorns scored five first-half goals.
With a 4-1 Portland scoreline, Wilson didn’t have much to do, but her presence felt significant. The Olympic gold medalist is getting back into form after having her daughter Gigi last September, after which she immediately began plotting her return to the pitch. During the NWSL offseason, fans could see Wilson getting in touches on social media — a clear statement of intent for an imminent comeback.
“Obviously I’m being very patient with myself,” Wilson said ahead of Friday’s 2026 NWSL kickoff. “I’ve just been so eager to get my first game minutes, so I feel like I checked that box. I feel good.”
Portland’s season opener against Washington shoves Wilson into an even brighter spotlight. The Thorns are eager to have Wilson back, as the club evolves under new ownership and significant personnel changes. But to find success in 2026, Portland needs their superstar — and not a moment too soon.
Wilson Ushers in a New Era for Player-Parents
Speaking with media in January, Wilson recalled feeling both excited and nervous to tell USWNT manager Emma Hayes about her pregnancy.
“It’s like telling your boss that you can’t work for a year,” 25-year-old laughed. “But she was so happy for me… I can’t say enough good things about Emma and the support that she’s given me.”
She credits Hayes’s relationship with her own son Harry — a beloved national team mainstay — in the USWNT player pool’s growing confidence around family planning. Wilson’s Triple Espresso teammate Mallory Swanson also got pregnant last year, having her daughter Josie in November. And the two young moms have been happily swapping notes.
“Going through that with someone you’re so close with is so special, because it’s such a unique experience,” Wilson said. “There’s few people in our world that know what we do and have gone through that at the same time.”
Wilson and Swanson also benefit from the pregnancy protections written into both the NWSL and USWNT collective bargaining agreements, gains the generation before them fought to achieve.
In the NWSL, players receive 100% of their salary while on pregnancy leave, in addition to full health insurance coverage. The USWNT’s 2022 CBA states that pregnant players qualify for up to $8,333 over as many as six months. And upon their return, they receive a minimum of two senior team camp invitations (though not necessarily for major tournaments). Rather than fearing retaliation from club or country, players can make informed decisions for themselves, forever changing player health dynamics.
“My appreciation for the past moms just grows,” Swanson said of the player-parents that forged the path she walks today. “I’m just so thankful for all that they fought for.”
“Them coming back from pregnancy is amazing in itself, and how good Soph is looking already on the field after having her baby. I’m in awe of all the moms,” said third Triple Espresso member Trinity Rodman. “It’s already insane without a kid.”
Wilson also credits motherhood with a change in perspective. And while her mom teammates told her that would happen, she had to experience for herself.
“I’m the same person, but I am different now,” she said. “I’m a mom, and I think that’s my most important title. Practice can go either way, but when you go home to your child, it’s like nothing else matters.”
Without professional soccer consuming her entire world, Wilson has space to rekindle the athletic artistry she’s always been known for. “I think that perspective helps me on the field, because it just allows me to be more free,” she continued. “I play my best soccer when I’m having fun.”
Stepping Back into the NWSL Spotlight
Wilson’s world no longer revolves solely around the beautiful game. But the world can’t forget just how good she is with the ball at her feet.
Throughout her absence, Wilson’s impact on the USWNT has loomed over international play, as Hayes continues to craft her roster ahead of the 2027 World Cup. Not ready to rejoin the team at March’s SheBelieves Cup, Wilson — and Hayes — might have to settle for an April return as the US readies for a three-friendly series against Japan.
But those following Wilson’s career from the start know that her US success has always been rooted in the NWSL. It’s there that she’s stockpiled individual and team accolades since getting drafted by the Thorns in 2020. In just five seasons, Wilson is already an NWSL MVP, final MVP, league champion, Shield winner, and Golden Boot winner.
Of course, her teammates haven’t forgotten. “When you think of the Thorns, you think of Sophia,” said Portland forward Reilyn Turner. “Obviously she’s a big part of the heart and soul of the Thorns, and we have definitely missed her this past year.”
“I just want people to be scared to play us,” midfielder Olivia Moultrie added. “I want me and Sophia to be a duo that teams just do not want to have to deal with.”
Wilson’s timing couldn’t be better. The Thorns were in constant flux this offseason, from USWNT midfielder Sam Coffey’s high-profile overseas transfer to former Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn’s last-minute addition as head coach this month.
So it came as no surprise when Portland exercised its star’s one-year option for a reported $1 million. But even then, the team only secured her services for one more season. And for a club struggling to figure out its new identity, that kind of uncertainty could pose existential problems.
But with Wilson on their bench, the Thorns don’t appear too rattled.
“We’ve had maybe 30 new faces in and out of the team in the last few months,” Wilson said this week. “And that’s really hard to keep a high level, to keep a high standard when you have so many new faces. I just give credit to every single person who’s come into this environment and put their head down and got to work.”
Adapting in Her Absence: How the Thorns Evolved
Despite the chaos, there are reasons to think Portland might have actually benefitted from Wilson’s leave, honing its attack to better match her upon her return.
The Thorns offense saw additional losses in 2025, after winger Morgan Weaver and young forward Caiya Hanks suffered season-ending injuries. Then Portland traded attacker Hina Sugita to Angel City, further thinning the team’s attacking ranks.
Suddenly without some of their biggest offensive weapons, Turner and Moultrie had to adapt — and they pulled it off in style. The Thorns went on to finish third in the NWSL standings with the fourth-most goals scored over the course of the 2025 season.
“At first, I could only play one position, but as you know, people drop out, injuries happen, and people leave,” Turner said. “To be as successful as we were, we had to move players around. I’ve become very versatile.”
“We definitely had to face adversity in a lot of different ways,” she continued. “I’m excited to get [Wilson] back, and hopefully we can get in the groove of things.”
After experiencing similar growing pains, Moultrie can’t wait to send backlines running, finding the space to set both herself and Wilson free on goal.
“I felt like I really came into myself in a way that I was comfortable with at the end of last year,” she reflected. “And now I have someone who’s really going to take the line back. The defense is going to be worried.”
No matter how many goals Portland concedes this season, the team will lean on its offense to keep the results flowing and the crowd fired up. And while she’ll continue being patient, Wilson can’t wait to remind the world exactly who she’s always been.
“I spent a year off and learned a lot about myself, who I am when I’m not playing. I think that was good for me,” she said.
“But I’m excited to be back, because I am a soccer player and it’s what I love to do.”
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