The Portland Thorns Rising Star: Reilyn Turner

Like many elite athletes, Reilyn Turner says that her dream to play professional soccer dates back as far as she can remember. With an older sister leading the way, Turner found herself on the pitch for the first time at just three years old, eager to follow in her sister’s footsteps.

Now competing on the sport’s biggest stage, what continues to set Turner apart from others is that she doesn’t just want to accumulate trophies, medals, and cups on a shelf. Or have her name etched into the record books to indicate the successes of her professional soccer career — she wants to leave behind a legacy.

A legacy that is exemplified by the ferocity she brings to the game, one that other young women and girls can emulate on the field. And she has the tools to do so now more than ever — as the player next up for Portland Thorns .

Possible player departures, recent and ongoing injuries, and the uncertain future of this club have all presented Turner with the opportunity to make a name for herself in the City of Roses. A challenge she has had yet to shy away from in the sophomore season of her NWSL career.

At the midway point of the season, Turner currently leads this Portland roster with goals scored, having recorded four of her own and assisting on one more of the team’s 19 total.

But, this isn’t the first time Turner has shown a steadfast commitment to success. Some might even say it’s in her blood.

An Orange County, California native, Turner was born and raised into a sports family.

“My mom played soccer. She played in college at UNLV and my dad played football at UNLV, that’s when they met, so I’ve always had a sports family,” said Turner.

“I grew up with my mom and my sister. My sister started playing soccer a year before me and I was just really eager to play. So, I played a year after her, and ever since then, I mean I haven't stopped.”

Although she possessed the talents, it wasn’t until high school that Turner realized she could turn her dream of playing professional soccer into a reality.

“It was really only the later years in high school when I realized what the pipeline was,” said Turner. “Knowing that I could go to college for it [soccer], and then in college learning more about the league and other opportunities overseas. It became more of an ‘okay if I do these things, and I make it with the draft,’ and then it became very realistic for me in my head.”

She spent her collegiate career playing Division 1 soccer at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where it didn’t take her long to shine in the national spotlight as a Bruin.

In September of her freshman year, Turner recorded a hat trick in just the first 36 minutes of a game against Loyola Marymount University. That set the tone for what was to come, and yet, it was still only just the beginning.

After earning herself Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors in 2021, she became the first college athlete to sign a Name, Image and Likeness sponsorship deal with Nike.

Turner had officially ushered in the new era of NIL, and put her stamp on the history of college athletics.

By the time she had rounded out her career at UCLA and declared for the NWSL Draft, Turner had won a National Championship in 2022, and a Pac-12 Forward of the Year award in 2023.

By 2024, Turner, the 6th pick in the NWSL Draft was now facing a cross country move to Louisville, Kentucky.

“It was really different and exciting at the same time,” said Turner. “My family has been very involved with soccer and me my whole life, so being able to share that with them was amazing.”

“Obviously it was a transition moving across the country, but I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I learned a lot of things and I was very grateful to be drafted to a great program,” said Turner.

She had only spent eight months and the first half of her rookie season with Racing Louisville FC before the trade was made that brought her to Portland.

“I think everything happens for a reason. It’s not traditional that a rookie is on two different teams in one season,” said Turner. “Those experiences have shaped me into a different person in a good way, and I would just say that I'm grateful and blessed to have known the people that I've known through my journey.”

And it’s been Turner’s journey that has led her to Portland. Where amidst a tumultuous season, she’s had some pretty big shoes to fill. Shoes that head coach, Rob Gale, says Turner is filling more and more every day.

"I think she’s feeling more confident, more settled, and obviously when you’ve got Sophia Wilson ahead of you as a center forward, as a young player you are kind of looking at that thinking ‘I wonder how many opportunities I’m gonna get?’ Now, missing pieces, next player up, gotta seize those opportunities – I think Reilyn’s starting to do that," said Gale.

Another opportunity Portland has given her — the ability to play for one of the most prominent women’s soccer clubs in the world, alongside their mighty fan base.

“We have something really special here in Portland. Our environment is unlike any other,” said Turner.

“I think our stadium, our fans, they really bring an energy that I haven't experienced anywhere else. Obviously, wherever you play, you're going to be grateful for the support that you have, but when you walk into Providence Park you can feel the energy in the stadium and and you can feel the fans, it's like there's like a giant in the stadium.”

“Even with our Rose tradition, like, I think that is so cool, like Rose City, I don't know any other club that has something similar to that.”

There’s something extremely unique about being a women’s soccer player of Turner’s generation. They’re in the driver’s seat of the movement we’ve come to know as: women’s sports.

It is a type of unwavering support, that is not new to the Thorns organization, but is now being shown across various leagues of women’s sports around the world — something Turner doesn’t see herself ever taking for granted.

“I feel like women's sports as a whole right now is skyrocketing in viewership and support and popularity,” said Turner. “The NWSL is kind of spearheading that. So I am definitely grateful to be in the thick of it, and be able to contribute to this crazy league and this growing game for women.”

Turner has an innate quality to her that makes her the perfect person to be in the driver’s seat of this movement: her fearlessness.

“I feel like my whole life I've considered myself a brave and crazy person and player, I love heading the ball and I love balls in the air. I feel like I've been fearless my whole life, and that shows a lot on the field.”

“The difference between men and women's sports, there is a stigma around what men can do and what female athletes can't do, or get criticized for. I think that this league is growing so much, and we see different personalities on the field and what they are like off the field. And I think that for me, I want to be able to show that it's fun,” said Turner.

Her fearlessness is a quality that her teammate and captain Sam Coffey, both recognizes and applauds.

“I think she’s the type of forward that’s able to score so many different kinds of goals — she’s a poacher, she’s great in the air, she’s dynamic. It’s just been a joy to watch and to play with, I’m really confident we’re going to continue to see more of that — I think she’s just getting started.”

Turner’s journey in Rose City will continue through at least 2026, for the rest of her very first NWSL contract, with impending decisions to be made on both the Thorns and Turner’s behalf about what lays ahead.

While the future is uncertain, one thing isn’t: Turner will continue to trust the process and believe that everything happens for a reason as her NWSL career continues to flourish — all the while scoring goals and creating a home here in Portland.