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Thorns Acquire 2018 Draft Picks, lose Rachel Hill in new Orlando Trade

The Portland Thorns acquired natural first-round and fourth-round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft from the Orlando Pride in return to rights to newly drafted forward Rachel Hill

By Elisabeth Fillmore
Match Gallery: Portland Thorns vs. Western New York Flash

In a surprising turn of events, the Portland Thorns traded away their rights to UConn’s star forward Rachel Hill, who they acquired in the second round of the 2018 NWSL draft with the No. 14 pick. General Manager Gavin Wilkinson noted that they were presented with this trade option immediately after drafting Hill, and as a result drafted a “similar quality player” in Tyler Lussi.

As noted in our Post-Draft analysis, Parsons believed that Hill could bring out the best in Webber and Raso’s game with her speed and versatility, but clearly he feels that Lussi can bring the same type of intensity to the pitch.

This investment in the future and believing in the strength of his current team is consistent with Parsons’ overall strategy in this pre-season, and I for one have faith that this trade, much like the 2015 Orlando/Thorns trade, will end up in Portland’s favor.

The Thorns press release:

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