USWNT midfielder is the fourth Portland Thorn to win the award
For immediate release
PORTLAND, Oregon (July 31) -- Portland Thorns midfielder Lindsey Horan’s run of accolades from the 2018 season is not quite over.
Horan, who captured the 2018 National Women’s Soccer League MVP, was tabbed the 2018-2019 Harry Glickman Female Professional Athlete of the Year award winner by the Oregon Sports Awards voting panel in June.
Sport Oregon and NBC Sports Northwest presented Horan with her award at Providence Park following her return from the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. An interview clip with Horan was played during Wednesday’s edition of NBC Sports Northwest’s talk show “The Bridge.”
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard won the Harry Glickman Male Professional Athlete of the Year award for the second straight year and called into the show on Wednesday.
Click here to watch Horan and Lillard’s interviews and to view a recap of the 2019 Oregon Sports Awards.
Horan is the fourth Thorn to receive the award since the club was founded in 2012. Alex Morgan, who currently plays for the Orlando Pride, won the award in 2013 while current Thorns Tobin Heath and Adrianna Franch received the honor in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Horan is also the third Thorn to win an Oregon Sports Award in the last 12 months. Head coach Mark Parsons was one of two Slats Gill Sportsperson of the Year award winners in 2018.
Fellow United States Women’s National Team member Megan Rapinoe and Bowerman Track Club distance runner Shelby Houlihan joined Horan as finalists. Franch and Thorns forward Christine Sinclair were also nominated for the award.
Award criteria and past winners
Horan was named to the NWSL Best XI and won Golden Boot and Team MVP awards in 2018 as well. She was one of five nominees U.S. Soccer’s Female Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive year.
She scored 13 goals, had 69 clearances and tallied 2 assists to help the Thorns advance to their third NWSL Championship appearance in September. Portland closed the regular season with a 7-1-1 record (22 points) and earned the No. 2 seed in the NWSL Playoffs after being tied for sixth place entering July.
The Thorns finished the 2018 season 12-6-6 (42 points).
Horan enjoyed a breakthrough year on the international stage as well. Horan slid into a permanent starting and/or rotational role for USWNT last year. She earned 19 caps for USWNT, making 16 starts and recording three goals and eight assists.
Horan, 25, appeared in her first FIFA Women’s World Cup in June and July and helped USWNT capture its fourth gold medal. She started in six-of-seven games and recorded 2 goals and 2 assists. Horan assisted on Morgan’s decisive first-half goal in the United States’ 2-1 semifinal win over England.
She has played in two matches for the Thorns since returning to the United States and four total in 2019. Horan will again be called up for international duty on Saturday when USWNT begins a five-game World Cup victory tour in an international friendly against Ireland in Los Angeles.
Sport Oregon, which manages the Oregon Sports Awards, and NBC Sports Northwest partnered to announce all awards on live television throughout July. Award announcements began on July 8 and concluded on Wednesday.
An awards banquet will return in 2020 after a one-year hiatus. Providence Park, home of the Thorns and Portland Timbers, will host the event.
Presenting sponsor: HP
State Champion Sponsors: NBC Sports Northwest Nike Pamplin Media Group Portland Thorns Portland Timbers Portland Trail Blazers Providence Heath and Services Washington Trust Bank
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Sport Oregon’s mission is to drive economic growth and enhance Oregon’s quality of life through sports. Our non-profit organization has served as the state’s sports economic development arm for more than two decades, injecting more than $350 million into Oregon’s economy through sports tourism.
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