Emily Menges re-signs with Portland Thorns FC

Portland Thorns FC announced on Thursday that they have re-signed defender Emily Menges to a three-year contract.

Menges was drafted by the Thorns back in 2014 and will be entering her eighth season with the club in 2021. She is second all-time in club history in games played (117), games started (116), and minutes played (10,334) and is one of only two players to with more than 100 games played an 10,000 minutes logged with the club. She also holds the club record for consecutive minutes played (3,683), spanning from April 2016 to Sept. 2017.

Menges has earned numerous accolades during her time in Portland. The 28-year-old defender attained NWSL Best XI honors in 2016 and Second XI honors in 2017 and 2018. She helped take the Thorns to an NWSL Championship in 2017 and also helped them win the NWSL Shield in 2016.

In Portland’s 10 matches in 2020, Menges appeared in nine of them and started eight times. It was the only year where Menges didn’t play 15 matches or more for Portland.

For the full press release, click here.

Quotes:

Gavin Wilkinson, Portland Thorns FC general manager and president of soccer...

“We are pleased to re-sign Emily. She exemplifies what it means to be a Thorns player with her professionalism, abilities and overall contributions both on and off the field. Her commitment to the organization helps drive the culture within the club. She is a quality player, who brings many elements that are extremely important to our overall success.”

Mark Parsons, Portland Thorns FC head coach...

“Emily continues to evolve as a center back, exhibiting consistent quality in possession and a commitment to shutting down every team we play. She is a caring person, exceptional teammate and selfless leader who has been key to our success and will play a critical role in our future.”