Portland Thorns Part Ways With Rob Gale

Update: The news has now been confirmed by the Portland Thorns.

It looks like head coach Rob Gale has left Portland Thorns.

The news comes after the gaffer’s first full season in charge of the Portland Thorns, who finished a third place finish before bowing out to Washington Spirit in the NWSL semi-final. That was an improvement on when the club finished sixth place after he took over head coach duties just four games into the 2024 NWSL season.

“We are grateful to Rob for his dedication to the Thorns and the positive influence he has had on our players and staff,” says Portland Thorns GM Jeff Agoos. “We thank Rob for his contributions and wish him the best in his next endeavor.”

Gale had previously been the Thorns’ assistant coach after having worked with the New York City FC Academy and, before that, spending two-and-a-half years as the head coach of now-defunct CPL side Valour FC.

The Portland went ninety minutes from the NWSL Final despite star forward Sophia Wilson being absent for the season through maternity leave, along with a trio of season-ending injuries to the squad that all took place before the 2025 NWSL season has kicked off. By season’s end, the players out for the campaign had risen to seven.

The side kept a near-identical goalscoring pace to last season and finished as the third-highest goalscorers in the league, though they did concede a few more than they did in 2024. While third place was quite a strong finish, one concern for the team will ahve been away form, with just four wins coming from road trips this season.

While the dust only recently settled on the NWSL season, Rob Gale had been quite vocal about events north of the border following the folding of Valour FC. He said the CPL side had become an inconvenience for the owners, while also revealing that he believes the city of Winnipeg still had the capacity to host a professional men’s soccer club and a Northern Super League side, too.

Gale’s exit from Portland makes him a high-profile head coach on both sides of the border. With a unique profile of youth, men’s, and women’s top flight football, one imagines there are many sides who would be attracted to his services.

Canadian Premier League side Halifax Wanderers is currently without a head coach, while the Tides are currently helmed by former Thorns assistant coach Stephen Hart on an interim basis. On the Canadian west coast, Vancouver FC hasn’t confirmed Martin Nash will be staying put in his interim post, though we believe his position there is solid.

Header Image Photo Credit: Portland Thorns