It was another busy draft day for Mark Parsons and the Portland Thorns. Working remotely from the Providence Park KeyBank Club, the Thorns were once again active in moving pieces around to fulfil their strategy for the 2021 season and beyond.
The 2021 Draft is the second draft this offseason due to the arrival of the NWSL’s newest team, Racing Louisville FC. The subsequent Expansion Draft held back in November saw the Thorns wave goodbye to the jaw-dropping abilities of Tobin Heath as the team continues to give space to players they expect to grow and thrive in the league in the extremely near future (see: Smith, Sophia).
Back to Wednesday’s draft. The Thorns entered the draft with five picks: #7, #12, #22, #32, and #37. The Thorns moved quickly and traded up in the draft to acquire the #6 overall pick from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for the #7 and #32 picks, in addition to a 2021 International slot.
With the #6 pick, the Thorns selected Yazmeen Ryan (Midfielder, Texas Christian University). Coach Parsons indicated from the draft room Ryan was the top player on the Thorns’ draft board and were obviously thrilled to land the senior from TCU from the position they were in.
In the 2019 NCAA season, the 5’6” midfielder notched 7 goals and 9 assists while starting all 22 games for the Horned Frogs. Yazmeen also took home First Team All-Big 12 honors in 2018 and 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ryan has the option to return to TCU for one more season.
With the #12 pick, the Thorns selected Sam Coffey (Midfielder, Penn State University). During the 2019 season, Coffey scored 11 goals, good for second best in the Big 10. In 2018, she was ACC Midfielder of the Year while at Boston College and was also named a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, which is awarded to the top college player of the year.
With the #22 pick, the Thorns selected Amirah Ali (Forward/Midfield, Rutgers University). Ali was named a First Team All-American in 2019, a season in which she scored 9 goals and had 4 assists. Amirah was also named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy.
With the #37 pick, the Thorns selected Hannah Betfort (Defender, Wake Forest University). The 5’11” team captain of the Demon Deacons started all 9 nine games in the abbreviated Fall 2020 season and took home Third Team All-ACC honors.
