The Washington Spirit announced on Wednesday the departure of head coach Mark Parsons, and the Guardian understands he is in line to take over at the Portland Thorns.
The Thorns have not made the hire yet, but the front office has all but settled on Parsons with an announcement expected as early as next week, said a source, who declined to speak on the record because the announcement is pending.
“Mark has done a lot in DC, and Portland thinks he has a lot of upside,” the source said. “He’s young, tactically smart and the players respect him. There’s a much bigger spotlight in Portland, but he is very ambitious.”
A Thorns spokeswoman told the Guardian: “The club will not be providing any updates on its head coaching search at this time. The team expects to provide an update next week.”
After missing the NWSL playoffs for the first time, the Thorns opted not to renew coach Paul Riley’s contract earlier this month. Riley amassed a 16-17-11 record in two seasons at the helm in Portland and earned criticism for failing twice to land in the championship, despite the Thorns being perhaps the best-supported team in the league.
The Thorns, which are backed by the well-resourced Timbers organization, were reportedly interested in former US women’s national team coach Pia Sundhage, but she has publicly announced her intention to stay with the Swedish national team until her contract ends in 2016. Tom Sermanni, also a former US national team coach who is now a consultant for Canada’s national team, was said to be interested in the Portland job, but the Thorns pursued Parsons.
Parsons, an Englishman who spent six years in various coaching positions with Chelsea Ladies before moving stateside, led the Spirit to back-to-back semi-finals in the past two National Women’s Soccer League seasons. He took over in 2013 when last-place Spirit fired then-coach Mike Jorden midseason.
“On behalf of the Spirit organization, we’d like to thank Mark for his tremendous efforts to build a championship team from the pros to the academy,” said Ashlee Comber, vice president of operations, in a statement. “It has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside Mark. He is an amazing human being, and we wish him and his family all the best.”
The Thorns were looking for a coach with experience in working with NWSL players and a proven track record, according to a source. The Thorns roster was plagued with injuries this year, which exacerbated gaps caused by the Women’s World Cup, something their next coach will need to address with the Olympics looming ahead next season.
“There will probably be a fair amount of player activity in this offseason,” the source said. “The Thorns are a talented team, but there are some chemistry issues.”
After the Guardian broke news that Orlando City SC will join the NWSL next year as an expansion team, rumors and speculation began immediately that star Thorns striker Alex Morgan could make a move to Orlando, where her husband, Servando Carrasco, plays. A source said that any trades will be up to Parsons once he’s in place, but Morgan is a highly valued player in Portland and the club is not currently looking at a transfer.
The source indicated the Thorns will wait until after the NWSL championship to make the new head coach announcement. Portland will host the NWSL final on Thursday between FC Kansas City and Seattle Reign, to be broadcast at 9.30pm ET on Fox Sports 1.
