Thorns FC sign midfielder Rocky Rodriguez to contract extension through 2025 season

PORTLAND, OR – AUGUST 17: Portland Thorns FC midfielder Rocky Rodriguez (11) controls the ball during the Womens International Champions Cup match between the Portland Thorns and C.F. Monterrey on August 17, 2022 at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon (Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

THORNS FC SIGN MIDFIELDER ROCKY RODRÍGUEZ TO NEW CONTRACT

Costa Rica international signs new contract through 2025 season

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC today announced that midfielder Rocky Rodríguez has signed a new contract with the club through the 2025 season.

“Entering her eighth season in the league, Rocky has a wealth of experience and a proven ability to rise in big occasions,” said Karina LeBlanc, Thorns FC general manager. “She’s the type of player that brings passion on the field and a brightness off it, uplifting any environment she’s in. We are thrilled to secure Rocky’s role within the team for several more years.”

The 2023 season will mark Rodríguez’s fourth season in Portland after she arrived at the club via trade with Sky Blue FC on Jan 8, 2020. In 2022, Rodríguez helped Portland capture the NWSL Championship, scoring her first career playoff goal in the semifinal round against the San Diego Wave FC on Oct. 23. During the regular season, the Costa Rica international appeared in 17 matches (13 starts), tallying two goals. During her time with Thorns FC, Rodríguez has played in 65 matches across all competitions, making 53 starts with seven goals and three assists, helping the team win the 2020 NWSL Community Shield, 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, 2021 Women’s International Champions Cup and 2021 NWSL Shield.

Rodríguez played her first four seasons (2016-19) in the NWSL with Sky Blue FC after being selected No. 2 overall in the 2016 NWSL College Draft out of Penn State University. In 2016, Rodríguez was named NWSL Rookie of the Year, tallying one goal and one assist in 18 appearances. In four seasons with Sky Blue FC, Rodríguez appeared in 76 games (66 starts), recording eight goals and five assists.

“Rocky is such a popular player with her teammates as well as with the fans. She brings such incredible energy and lightness to her game,” said Thorns FC head coach Rhian Wilkinson. “Rocky epitomizes the joy we speak about as a team, and you can see this through how she plays and what she tries to do on the field. She had a great season with us and I’m so glad she will be in Portland longer.”

At the international level, Rodríguez has earned 81 caps and scored 45 goals for the Costa Rica Women’s National Team. At the 2022 Concacaf W Championship, she helped Costa Rica qualify for the World Cup for the second time in the team’s history. In 2015, Costa Rica secure its first trip to the World Cup, Rodríguez appeared in all three group stage matches. Notably, she scored the first Women’s World Cup goal for Costa Rica in its opening group stage match against Spain.