Allie Long Named NWSL Player of the Week

Portland Thorns midfielder Allie Long has been named NWSL Player of the Week for Week 19, the final week of the NWSL Regular Season.

Long is the second Thorn to win the award this season, after Tobin Heath won it in Week 6.

Long scored two goal for the Thorns in the regular season finale, a 3-1 victory over Sky Blue FC on Sunday, finishing the season with 6 goals over the last five matches, leading the Thorns to their first NWSL Shield for finishing with the league's best record for the regular season.

Long also added two assists over 15 matches.  Her 6 goals this season gave her 28 goals in 4 NWSL seasons, ranking her in the top three in league history, and she finished tied for 9th, her third straight Top 10 finish (5th in 2015, 4th in 2014).

The Portland Thorns will host the Western New York Flash on Sunday, October 2nd at 2:00pm at Providence Park in their first ever home playoff match.

Portland Thorns Press Release

THORNS FC MIDFIELDER ALLIE LONG NAMED NWSL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC midfielder Allie Long was named the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Player of the Week for Week 19, it was announced today.

In the 2016 regular-season finale, Long tallied two goals on the way to helping Thorns FC capture their first NWSL Shield in a 3-1 victory over Sky Blue FC on Sept. 25 at Yurcak Field. Long finished the regular season with six goals and two assists – with all six goals coming over the final five games of the season. With her two-goal performance, Long now has 28 career regular-season goals, which ranks in the top three all-time in the NWSL.

This marks the first time Long has received Player of the Week honors and the 10th time a member of the Thorns has earned the award in four seasons in the NWSL.

The NWSL Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by the NWSL Media Association, a collection of media members that cover the league on a consistent basis. For more information on the NWSL Media Association, follow them on Twitter.

With the regular season complete, Portland will play host to the Western New York Flash in the Thorns FC 2016 Playoffs presented by Tillamook Ice Cream on Sunday, Oct. 2, at Providence Park. Set to kickoff at 2 p.m. (Pacific), the semifinal match will be broadcast live on FS1. Tickets are available for purchase online via ThornsFC.com, by phone at (888) 736-6849, or at the Providence Park box office.