Over three months after dismissing previous head coach Rob Gale, and just two weeks before the 2026 NWSL season is set to kick off, the Portland Thorns reportedly finally have their new head coach.
Jeff Kassouf of ESPN reported on Saturday that according to sources the Thorns are set to hire Robert Vilahamn as their new head coach. The Swedish head coach was most recently in charge of Tottenham Hotspur's women's side, guiding them to a sixth-place finish in the FAWSL and an FA Cup final appearance in his first season in charge.
SOURCES: Ex-Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn is set to be named the new head coach of the Portland Thorns, who open their new #NWSL season in less than two weeks. The Thorns looked inside the NWSL as well and ultimately went with Vilahamn. www.espn.com/soccer/story...
— Jeff Kassouf (@jeffkassouf.bsky.social) 2026-02-28T23:10:44.655Z
He was dismissed last June after Spurs finished eleventh, after just his second year at the helm.
In addition to his experience in England, Vilahamn had stints in charge of both men's and women's sides in Sweden.
The protracted search for a new head coach, which has taken essentially all offseason, included the Thorns considering names both within NWSL and abroad, according to Kassouf. Vilahamn's name entered the search later in the process, and now he has emerged as the name tasked with guiding the Thorns.
He will face high expectations at the helm. Portland finished third last season despite numerous injuries, absences, and a slew of low expectations from around the league. Coming off of a semifinal appearance, and with the return of Sophia Wilson and other big name players off the injured list, the Thorns will have their sights squarely set on silverware aspirations.
And Vilahamn will have to hit the ground running, and fast: the Thorns kick off their season in less than two weeks on March 13 at Audi Field against the Washington Spirit. It is to be determined if Vilahamn will be the one on the touchline for that game, or if someone like Sarah Lowdon will guide the club in an interim basis.
With little time to implement a system, Portland GM Jeff Agoos and the rest of the Thorns brass have better hope that their bet on getting the hire right over getting it done quick pays off in Vilahamn.
