Portland Thorns name Jeff Agoos, U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer, as general manager

The Portland Thorns named Jeff Agoos as the club’s next general manager Tuesday, continuing a rebuild that has included a coaching change and the departure of previous GM Karina LeBlanc.

“I’m honored to be part of such a prestigious club. The Thorns have a renowned legacy, and my focus is to provide the leadership necessary to ensure our on-field success, keeping the team at the top of the league and competing for championships,” Agoos said in a statement.

Agoos, 56, replaces LeBlanc, who left the position at the end of the 2024 season for a new role with investment firm RAJ Sports. LeBlanc served as GM for three years after taking over the role in November 2021 when the club’s previous general manager, Gavin Wilkinson, was placed on administrative leave amidst a team investigation into how it handled a complaint against coach Paul Riley.

Agoos has long been a respected figure in U.S. soccer. Agoos was part of the United States men’s national team squads for the 1998 and 2002 World Cup, after memorably being the final player cut from the 1994 roster that represented the host nation. The defender earned the last of his 134 international caps in 2003. Agoos was also a defensive bedrock for D.C. United as it won three of the first four MLS Cups in 1996, 1997 and 1999. Agoos was inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2009.

Since hanging up his boots in 2005, Agoos has been working in the MLS ecosystem as a sporting executive. His first role after retiring came with the New York Red Bulls, overseeing their sporting department from 2007 until he took a role at MLS headquarters in 2011. With the league, he has taken on multiple roles: first as a technical director and the chair of the disciplinary committee, then as SVP of competition overseeing the implementation of video assistant refereeing (VAR) and the league’s point-person to collaborate with FIFA and IFAB (the sport’s body overseeing the rules of the game).

Of course, all of this experience came solely in the men’s side of the sport. This will be Agoos’ first position within women’s soccer, having left the MLS front office in the summer. Portland fans will hope his gap months have been spent surveying the landscape to identify upgrades to last year’s roster, which tied a franchise low mark by finishing sixth in the NWSL standings. Portland suffered a first-round playoff exit against third-ranked Gotham FC to bring its season to an abrupt end.

The Thorns also announced that former Bay FC general manager Lucy Rushton and Angus McNab will join the club as strategic advisors.