Another top United States Women’s National Team star is close to departing the NWSL.
According to a report from The Guardian’s Tom Wilson, the Portland Thorns midfielder and captain, Sam Coffey, has been granted permission to travel to England to finalize a deal to join the WSL’s top-seeded club, Manchester City.
Coffey has played for the Portland Thorns her entire professional career since 2022, and signed a three-year contract extension in 2024, to stay with the Pacific Northwest club through the 2027
season.
The 27-year-old midfielder was the captain of the Thorns in 2025, and has become a mainstay in the USWNT midfield. Her strong play across the pitch is highlighted with a strong attacking ability, consistent accurate passing and dangerous presence on defense that can stop opposing attacks dead in their tracks.
Coffey would join one of many USWNT players in recent years who have left the United States to join a WSL team with marquee players like Alyssa Thompson and Naomi Girma who left the NWSL in 2025 to join Chelsea.
The midfielder was surprisingly not named to the USWNT January camp roster today, but her exclusion makes much more sense now as only players in the NWSL were named to the roster. The only player not connected to an NWSL team was Trinity Rodman, who is currently listed as unattached. Rodman has still not officially re-signed a contract with the Spirit, but reportedly remains in talks with the club and league itself to stay in the United States.
The departure also comes amid a contentious moment between the NWSL and its player’s association which opposes the league’s implementation of the “High Impact Player,” rule. The HIP, or Rodman rule as it has been colloquially been named, would allow teams to spend an allocated amount of funds over the salary cap on certain players that meet certain criteria.
Coffey would be one of around 102 players to qualify for the criteria which includes factors such as inclusion on various independent media rankings, NWSL end-0f-season awards, marketability lists and top-USWNT minutes.
