Michael Norris named an assistant coach of Thorns FC

Portland Thorns FC announced today that the club has added Michael Norris to the coaching staff as an assistant coach.

“I am excited to be a part of Rhian’s staff and I look forward to bringing my experiences and successes to the Portland Thorns,” said Norris. “This is an incredible opportunity and a huge honor to help continue the great work that has already been done at this club.”

Norris has eight years of coaching experience at Canada Soccer. He most recently served as the set play and goalkeeping coach for the Canada Women’s National Team from 2019 to 2021. He was part of the coaching staff that helped lead Canada to the team’s first Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. During the tournament, he worked with the goalkeepers and served as the lead on set-pieces and penalty kicks.

“We are excited to add Mike to our coaching staff, and we welcome him to Portland,” said Karina LeBlanc, Thorns FC general manager. “Mike’s extensive background at the international level, helping lead Canada to an Olympic gold medal and his time within the youth national team system make him an excellent addition to our technical staff.”

Norris worked in Canada Soccer’s youth levels before making the jump to the senior team. He previously worked as an assistant coach with the women’s U-17s and as the goalkeeping coach and interim head coach with the women’s U-20s. Norris also worked as the head goalkeeping coach for the U-14 and U-15 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Boys Residency Teams from 2014 to 2016.

“Mike is an experienced coach with a wealth of knowledge in the women’s game, who is respected by all that know him,” said Thorns head coach Rhian Wilkinson. “He is hard-working, diligent and thorough in his planning, a strong on-field coach with a deep understanding of the game and a great person away from the field.”

The club’s full release can be found here.