And just like that, soccer fans witnessed the emphatic conclusion of the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League. The 13th season of this domestic American women’s soccer tournament was filled with ups and downs. While some prevailed, others endured the worst. But despite the outcome, they keep their chins up and move forward to what’s next for them. And even though there is still time to think about the 2026 NWSL edition, it looks like the Portland Thorns aren’t wasting any time!

It was just this Saturday that the NWSL Championship final concluded, but the Oregon side is making power moves like no other. On Tuesday, the club confirmed that they have sacked head coach Rob Gale with immediate effect. “We are grateful to Rob for his dedication to the Thorns and the positive influence he has had on our players and staff,” said Thorns General Manager Jeff Agoos. “We thank Rob for his contributions and wish him the best in his next endeavor.”

The club confirmed that Gale’s assistant coach, Sarah Lowdon, will be serving as interim head coach until the time being. She has been a part of the Thorns’ staff since 2023, working as an assistant coach and helping with player growth, game planning, and overall technical strategy. Before joining Portland, she coached with the Houston Dash and various U.S. Youth National Teams, and she also holds coaching licenses through U.S. Soccer.

As much as her resume sounds amazing, one has to know that she won’t be getting a permanent job. That’s because the Thorns confirmed that “A comprehensive search for the next permanent head coach will begin immediately.” Any hint on the potential leads hasn’t been unveiled, but who knows, if Lowdon does her job well, she might carry forward the tradition of being yet another assistant turning into a full-time.

Notably, Rob Gale isn’t alone, as first assistant coach Adam Day is also departing the Portland Thorns. Quite obvious, considering Gale himself joined the NWSL side midway through the 2023 season as an assistant coach before eventually taking over the main coaching role in 2024. Under the 48-year-old’s leadership, Portland managed to achieve a record of 28 wins, 21 losses, and 10 defeats.

He even led the club to back-to-back playoff appearances, where the 2023 edition saw the Thorns initially finish as the second seed with a tally of 35 points, two less from having become the NWSL Shield winners that San Diego won instead. In the playoffs, they directly qualified for the semifinals, which they lost narrowly against Gotham FC.

The 2024 season saw them finish as the sixth seed with a tally of just 34 points. Though it was enough for them to make the quarterfinal playoffs, they endured yet another 2-1 defeat to Gotham FC. This year was no exception, having made a third-place finish with 40 points in hand. Though they managed to break their curse by securing a win in the playoffs’ first round against San Diego Wave 1-0, the semifinal saw them succumb to the Washington Spirit 0-2.

It seems this season was no less than a last straw for the Portland Thorns, who decided to move on for the best. While there’s no word on their replacement hunt for now, the question remains: Did they make the right call?

Portland Thorns aren’t settling for less!

To be fair, not all the blame can go on Rob Gale alone. Portland Thorns’ 2025 NWSL season was a mix of a lot of ups and downs, coupled with tough injury setbacks to several players who were their regular starters. Not to mention, the absence of star forward Sophia Wilson due to maternity leave.

Then again, the attitude of the team suggested that they were calling out for a change, not directly on the coaching front, but in their own dynamics. Like after their semifinal crash out on November 15, captain Sam Coffey urged her teammates to lock up and show more consistency moving forward.

“I think the word that comes to mind immediately is consistency,” Coffey said. “We are so capable of being electric, especially at home. I think we could be a little bit more durable on the road,” a quality which the USWNT midfielder insisted was shown by the team in all ways.

“We have too much talent to not be more consistent with our performances, and I mean that just top to bottom as an organization. I think we can do better to be committed to just showing up every day, being consistent in our details, in the way we perform, the way we train.

So it looks like the Portland Thorns have found all the missing pieces. What remains to be seen is how they manage to pick them up and solve the puzzle.