2013 Portland Thorns FC season
The 2013 season was the Portland Thorns inaugural season in the newly created National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's professional soccer in the United States. The Thorns ended the 22-game regular season with a 10-6-6 record, qualifying them for the NWSL playoffs. In their semi-final game the team beat FC Kansas City 3-2 in extra time, qualifying them to play Western New York Flash in the championship. The Thorns beat the Flash 2–0, making Portland Thorns FC the NWSL champion.
Background
The league's founding was announced on November 21, 2012, with Portland as a host for one of eight teams. At that time it was announced by Portland Timbers' owner Merritt Paulson that the Timbers would own the team.The chosen team, Portland Thorns FC, was announced on December 13, 2012, accompanied by the unveiling of its logo. Both the name and logo were intended to invoke Portland's nickname of the Rose City.
Cindy Parlow Cone was announced as the first head coach on December 19, 2012.
Club
Executive staff
Coaching staff
Roster
In the National Women's Soccer League's inaugural season, the eight founding clubs filled out their rosters through numerous mechanisms. First, teams are allocated national team players from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Next, teams go through the NWSL College Draft, a free agency period, the NWSL Supplemental Draft, and the signing of Discovery Players.Competitions
Preseason
Regular season
Final round
Results summary
Results by round
Statistics
Team statistics
Statistics accurate as of October 11, 2013Goalkeeper stats
Last updated: October 11, 2013| ' | ' | Player | ||||
| 1 |  | Karina LeBlanc | 1890 | 23 | 1.1 | 92 |
| 23 |  | Adelaide Gay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | | Cris Lewis | 90 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Honors
NWSL Player of the Month| Month | Result | Player | Ref |
| April | Christine Sinclair |
Player Transactions
National Team Player Allocation
On January 11, 2013, the league held its player allocation for the national team players, with Portland receiving seven players: Rachel Buehler, Tobin Heath, Karina LeBlanc, Alex Morgan, Marlene Sandoval, Luz Saucedo, and Christine Sinclair. On January 23, 2013, Heath signed a six-month contract with Paris Saint-Germain and expected to join the Thorns FC once the French club's season is concluded. On March 21, 2013, Sandoval and Saucedo, the two allocated Mexico national team defenders, were removed from the team roster, due to an injury and decision by the Mexican Football Federation, respectively.National Women's Soccer League College Draft
Each team in the NWSL got to pick once per round, with the draft order based on how well each team did in allocation. The Thorns picked eighth in each round.| Date | Player | Pos | Previous Club | Round | Ref |
| January 18, 2013 | Kathryn Williamson | DF | University of Florida | 1 | |
| January 18, 2013 | Nicolette Radovcic | MF | University of Central Florida | 2 | |
| January 18, 2013 | Amber Brooks | MF | University of North Carolina | 3 | |
| January 18, 2013 |  Roxanne Barker | GK | Pepperdine University | 4 |
Supplemental Draft Picks
Any player that wasn’t selected in the NWSL College Draft, and was done with her college eligibility, was eligible for the NWSL Supplemental Draft. The draft lasted six rounds. Again, the Thorns selected eighth in each round.| Date | Player | Pos | Previous Club | Pick | Ref |
| February 7, 2013 | Tina Ellertson | DF | magicJack | 1 | |
| February 7, 2013 | Angie Kerr | MF | Sky Blue FC | 2 | |
| February 7, 2013 | Michele Weissenhofer | FW | Chicago Red Stars | 3 | |
| February 7, 2013 | Marian Dougherty | DF | magicJack | 4 | |
| February 7, 2013 | Jessica Shufelt | FW | Ottawa Fury Women | 5 |