For seven years, Kelli Hubly embodied being the anchor and soul of the Portland Thorns defense and was recognized as the glue that held the squad together. After 107 matches and two NWSL championships, her time with the Thorns is officially over, which led to an emotional response from her teammates and USWNT standout Sophia Smith.
The organization announced just days before Christmas that Hubly had successfully fulfilled her contractual obligations with the club, officially making her a free agent. The 30-year-old defender can now negotiate with any team interested in her services.
She’s been with the Thorns since the 2017 NWSL College Draft, where she went undrafted. Hubly’s departure marked the end of her contract and a club era. For Smith, the news hit particularly hard, and she went to Instagram to post, “Not my best friend,” followed by a sad-face emoji. A follow-up post added, “I love you forever.”
Smith inked a league-record extension in March 2024 with the club that will keep her on the Thorns past the 2025 season. Due to a contract clause, Smith will have a chance to extend her time with the club past 2026.
Both Hubly and Smith are recognized for their fearless approach to standing up for teammates and women’s athletes around the world. They both went to bat for Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby after she scored a backheel equalizer for the club against Angel City, only to not make the league’s Player of the Week team.
“So a goalkeeper scores a back heel, and we are just gonna act like thats a normal occurrence?” Smith tweeted. Hubly followed up Smith’s comments and wrote, “You dont see Bella do this weekly?,” sticking up for their teammate who was snubbed by the league in favor of OL Reign goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
Hubly worked her way up through the Thorns ranks and by 2021, she was a starting center-back and reliable option for coach Mark Parsons at the time. Since then, the program has gone through three more managers, including current leader Rob Gale, who assumed the role full-time last season.
Hubly started 19 of 20 matches last season and was a consistent presence for the club. Historically, she helped deliver two NWSL championships in 2017 and 2022, a league Shield in 2021, and even international glory with the 2021 Womens International Champions Cup.
Smith is the No. 2 overall top prospect in the USWNT system, behind only USWNT center-back Naomi Girma. The “triple esperesso” trio of Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Mallory Swanson continues to lead the next generation of US national team stars.
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