Two-time World Cup champion Becky Sauerbrunn has joined the Portland Thorns as a technical consultant through the rest of the 2026 NWSL season, the club announced on Thursday.
Sauerbrunn retired from professional soccer in 2024 after four years with the Thorns, where she won an NWSL Championship and an NWSL Shield. She will return to the club for the coming months to “bring meaningful defensive expertise and veteran mentorship” to the team, the Thorns said in a statement. She will also be part of the team’s video analysis process.
“I’m excited to be joining the Thorns for the remainder of the season,” Sauerbrunn said in a statement. “As a player, I loved watching film, talking tactics and details, working with a backline, and this opportunity affords me all those things with a lot less running. I had the privilege of a long career in this league, and I hope to be a resource for the players and staff as they work towards a championship season.”
Sauerbrunn joins Portland and head coach Robert Vilahamn’s staff with the team in fifth place with eight matches to play. The Thorns (11-5-6, 38 pts.) are seven points off Gotham FC for the NWSL Shield and seven points clear of Seattle Reign FC in the final playoff spot.
Portland has conceded 30 goals in 22 games this season.
Sauerbrunn won her first two NWSL Championships with FC Kansas City in 2014 and 2015. She was named NWSL Defender of the Year four times prior to joining Portland as a player in 2020.
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Sauerbrunn was widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the world after her breakout 2015 World Cup and NWSL season.
“Becky is a massive addition to our technical staff,” Portland Thorns president and general manager of soccer operations Jeff Agoos said in a statement. “She will bring an excellent combination of valuable knowledge and experience that will benefit the development of our athletes and help push us to be in a position to compete for titles.”
Sauerbrunn made 219 appearances for the United States women‘s national team, playing in three World Cups and three Olympics. She missed out on a fourth World Cup in 2023 due to a foot injury in the buildup to the tournament.
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Sauerbrunn wore the captain’s armband in multiple stints during her USWNT career. She anchored the USWNT’s 2015 defense that logged a 540-minute shutout streak in the tournament, tying Germany’s 2007 mark.
Since retiring, Sauerbrunn has worked in podcasting and broadcasting covering the USWNT and women’s soccer. She gave birth to her first child in October 2025.
