Exclusive: Portland Thorns President & General Manager Jeff Agoos discusses Hina Sugita trade to Angel City FC, acquiring M.A. Vignola, and more

Today, the Portland Thorns announced that they have acquired M.A. Vignola and $600,000 in intraleague transfer funds from Angel City FC for star midfielder Hina Sugita.

I had a chance to speak with Thorns President and General Manager of Soccer Operations Jeff Agoos to discuss the trade, why it was important to find the right situation for Hina Sugita, her impact on the city and club, and M.A. Vignola's role with Portland Thorns moving forward.

Phuoc Nguyen/Stumptown Footy: The club just announced a massive trade involving Hina Sugita today. As you know, she is a fan-favorite and loved by her teammates and coaches as well. What did she mean to this city and club? Why was it the right time to make this move and how difficult was it to do so?

Jeff Agoos: I think when a player like that leaves a city, it's obviously a void, and we certainly understand the challenges it brings. And we know that that fans have come to know and love her. And look, we always think of Hina as a Thorn. She will always be a Thorn for us. So we really appreciated all the efforts and the contributions she made, not only to the team, but to the city. And, a lot of the thinking was done in mind.
I don't know if there's any right time to make a trade with somebody like Hina, who's beloved here in Portland. She's been really a tremendous player and a person for this club. She's been a champion here. She's been a fan favorite and really somebody who embraced Portland from the first day. So it was a very, very difficult decision to do, but we thought it was best for the club, and importantly, what was best for Hina. We made significant efforts to try to work toward an agreement, and at a point where we felt there was an impasse and we couldn't get to an agreement. We felt it was important to find a solution that supported Hina's career, and Hina's pathway and her arc, and the club's both short and long term goals. And we think in this deal, we found both.

Phuoc Nguyen/Stumptown Footy: How crucial was it to move her to Angel City FC where she has national team colleagues and 'reunite' with Mark Parsons who helped bring her to Portland Thorns. Can you talk to us about the importance of giving her a situation where she can continue to thrive and be surrounded by folks who will appreciate her as much as Portland did?

Jeff Agoos: I think it's really important, given what Hina has given to the club, to the City of Portland, and the fans that we respected her wishes to look at other options. That option was with a team and with an individual that she knows well. So, we wanted to make sure that this wasn't just a deal where we seek the highest bidder. We wanted to make sure she was comfortable, that she was well taken care of, and that this fits the the model that she wants going forward. So we really wanted to make sure this fit her request and her needs, as well as the club's.

Phuoc Nguyen/Stumptown Footy: In the trade, the club will receive M.A. (Mary Alice) Vignola and $600,000 in intraleague transfer funds which matches the Ally Sentnor trade. Can you talk to us about the value of this trade and why it was this was the right deal for the club?

Jeff Agoos: We understood with M.A. coming in, Mary Alice coming in, would really help us in our backline. She's been a consistent starter. She's been somebody who's tough and incredibly versatile. We wanted to make sure we had more balance in the backline, and she'll be competing for a starting spot with with a number of other defenders that we have. So we thought that she was the right profile. She was a no nonsense, type of defender, competitive, physical, willing to do the hard work. There's a lot of things that she does that you just don't see on a stat sheet, and we really valued the work that and the profile that she had. It's important to think about how she would position us for the playoffs and the playoff push. We just thought at this time, with where we really needed more balance in the backline. And the addition of M.A. and the funds, I think, was really something that we couldn't turn down.

Phuoc Nguyen/Stumptown Footy: Rob Gale has mentioned he really wanted to add a natural left-footed fullback. With M.A. fitting that mold, she's also played a ton of winger this year. At her ceiling, she is a US Women's National Team fullback as well. How vital was it to bring her into a team where she could fill potentially multiple needs this season and future seasons?

Jeff Agoos: I think the versatility really gives us a bonus. Versatility in this type of league is such a huge commodity, and the fact that she can play in multiple positions - is an attacking left back really makes it important in terms of how we want to play tactically. She really fits in well to the game model that we that we have. We think that the given the competitive nature that she has and all the things she brings, it's a good, match for us. And I think we're really looking forward to M.A.'s contributions here in Portland.

Phuoc Nguyen/Stumptown Footy: Do you and Rob Gale envision her as a winger or will it primarily be as a left-back?

Jeff Agoos: I think she would slot in well in the backline, and that's primarily where we think she'll play. But to your point, she can play in other positions, should we need that. We've obviously been decimated with injuries. If you look at the roster that's not playing, it's a really good, good roster. To be able to make up for some of the talent that's not there right now, I think is really important and M.A. really helps us in terms of that area.

Phuoc Nguyen/Stumptown Footy: Marie Müller, Reyna Reyes, and M.A. look like they could all play left back, right back. Is that the profile you're looking for moving forward?

Jeff Agoos: Marie and Reyna are naturally right footed, and so this gives them the opportunity to play either on the left or on the right. You know, Mallie's also been playing there, Torpey has also been playing there. And so it gives us just more options at either the left or the right side. This is another reason in terms of the versatility that we were really seeking and searching for.

Phuoc Nguyen/Stumptown Footy: Can you talk to us about the midfield picture moving forward? Does this club want to continue to build around Olivia Moultrie, Jessie Fleming, and Sam Coffey as well as provide minutes to Laila Harbert?

Jeff Agoos: I mean, part of this was the fact that if we did lose Hina, we needed players to fill that position. With Jessie, Liv, and Sam, who I think are probably some of the three best midfielders in this league, we felt confident that we could do that. You know, Laila coming on and getting her first few minutes against Gotham, I think was significant. But you know, our midfield, I think, is one of our strengths in terms of this team, and we continue to focus on that strength moving forward for the playoff push.

Phuoc Nguyen/Stumptown Footy: With the team shorthanded, unfortunately due to the unforeseen injuries, could you picture making another move before the roster freeze with the intraleague funds from this trade?

Jeff Agoos: I'd say never, say never, but it's unlikely, given the timing. We're what? nine days, 10 days out. It does start to heat up as you get closer to the deadline. We don't anticipate any moves. But again, we're open to looking at anything that would improve the team and make the team better, but we also want to make sure that we have a strong dressing room, we have a strong culture, and that we've got a team that can really make a strong push into the playoffs.