OPINION: How Merritt Paulson destroyed the Portland Timbers and Thorns

By Gabe Korngold ‘23

For over a decade, the Portland Timbers and Thorns stood as near-perfect examples of American soccer teams. But in the past year, everything has come crashing down.

Since the Timbers joined Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2011, they have won one MLS Cup and appeared in two other finals, along the way acquiring one of the most loyal fanbases in American sports. The Timbers Army is now an iconic supporters group, leading sellout crowds at Providence Park in chants, displaying creative tifos, and partaking in unique traditions such as igniting smoke and sawing off a wood cookie from a log after scoring.

Even before they were given a spot in the top flight of American soccer, they were an integral part of Portland.

The Thorns, who joined the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2013 have had just as much success as the Timbers commercially, and even more on the field. They just won their third NWSL championship, and have been backed from the start by their own supporters group: the Rose City Riveters. Their popularity and success in the NWSL have been critical in drawing support to the women’s game.

But over the past year, Portland’s image as Soccer City USA has all but vanished. This has nothing to do with the teams, their performance, or their supporters that have given Portland its iconic status.

The collapse of Portland’s soccer prestige is the fault of the front office of both the Timbers and Thorns, which includes figures like Gavin Wilkinson, director of soccer operations, Mike Golub, president of business, and most importantly, owner and CEO Merritt Paulson. To understand their role in all of this, we need to go back to last year.

In October 2021, towards the end of the MLS and NWSL seasons, several NWSL players came forward with sexual assault allegations against a former Thorns coach, Paul Riley.

Riley, at the time, was coaching for another NWSL franchise, the North Carolina Courage. The alleged incidents had been occurring since 2010, including during his time at the Thorns.

In 2015, Thorns player Meleana Shim emailed a complaint to Paulson and his staff regarding Riley’s behavior. The claim was dismissed on the basis that there was no evidence to justify legal action, but Riley’s contract was not renewed by the club later that year.

From the outside, it appeared as though Riley was fired because of the Thorns’ poor performance, but Paulson said in 2021 that Riley’s alleged behavior was a factor in this decision. At the time though, he made no note of this, enabling Riley to seek out new coaching jobs in the NWSL.

Another figure involved in the initial reports of misconduct was Gavin Wilkinson, Director of Soccer Operations for both the Timbers and Thorns. Wilkinson, an already unpopular figure among the Timbers fanbase, bashed Shim for putting Riley in a bad situation, further adding that he would “hire (Riley) in a heartbeat.”

The poor handling of the situation by Paulson and Wilkinson angered both Timbers and Thorns supporters, inspiring a wave of protests against the front office towards the end of the 2021 Timbers season. During games, the Timbers Army booed any mention of Paulson and his inner circle, and led supporters in chanting “You knew.” But so much more was yet to come.

In February 2022, Genessis Alcaron, the wife of Timbers player Andy Polo, came forward with allegations of domestic abuse against her husband, and his contract was promptly terminated.

A month later, the incident report by the Washington County Sheriff's Department revealed that deputies had answered a call to the Polo home on May 23, 2021, regarding a case of domestic abuse. Representatives for the Timbers had been present on the scene, and the front office was made aware of the situation.

Yet, despite the incident, Polo’s contract had been extended in December 2021. Even when the story came to light in February and Polo was kicked off the team, he was paid in full by the Timbers.

Wilkinson, who oversaw all player and coaching staff signings, was again lambasted by Timbers and Thorns supporters, including the 107 Independent Supporters Trust (107IST), the organization behind the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters. As the Timbers started their 2022 MLS campaign, supporters advocated for his removal.

And somehow, the front office continued to make the situation worse. In April, Madison Shanley sang the national anthem at a Timbers Game wearing a shirt displaying the message “You Knew” in light of the recent news about Polo and the ongoing investigation into Riley.
Shanley was a frequent performer of the anthem, and her protest was met with acclaim from Timbers fans. She later revealed that the front office had tried to deter her from wearing the shirt, and the Timbers’ president of business Mike Golub had even called her father to change her decision. This caused even more outrage among fans, who were not only frustrated by the attempts to stop the protest, but also by Golub’s choice to call the father of a 27-year-old woman.

Madison Shanley’s performance in a shirt with “You Knew” written on the front *(image from OregonLive)*

The conditions surrounding Riley’s sexual misconduct, Polo’s domestic abuse, and Shanley’s protest were certainly enough to deter enthusiasm in the Timbers, so it’s no surprise that the stadium was rarely full during the 2022 season. This brings us to earlier this month when the findings of the investigation stemming from the Riley case were released.

The report on Sally Yates’s investigation was devastating for many reasons. It unearthed systematic failures in how NWSL teams and the league handled misconduct and sexual abuse allegations. But it also noted how the abuse of coaches in the NWSL was part of a larger pattern that extended to all divisions of women’s soccer in the U.S.

According to the report, Meritt Paulson was made aware of complaints against Riley as early as 2014, but he took no action. Golub also came under scrutiny for inappropriate workplace comments directed at a female coworker, and Wilkinson for his criticism of Shim and praise for Riley.

The report also noted that the front offices of several teams, including the Thorns, had not cooperated with the investigation. They had prevented investigators from speaking with witnesses and had “raised specious legal arguments in an attempt to impede our use of relevant documents.”

The Yates report proved to be the final straw for many. On October 3, the same day the report was published, 107IST suspended relationships with the Timbers and Thorns, demanding that Paulson, Golub, and Wilkinson leave the management team. High profile sponsors like Alaska Airlines and Tillamook said their partnerships depended on meaningful institutional change within the clubs. Other sponsors suspended their deals entirely.

Paulson slowly abdicated to the mounting pressure. On October 4, he announced that he was removing himself from the Thorns until a joint investigation was released. On October 5, he fired Golub and Wilkinson. Most recently on October 11, he stepped down as CEO of the Timbers and Thorns but made no comment on his standing as an owner.

Paulson has been complicit in nearly every systemic problem of the Timbers and Thorns. He knew about Riley’s behavior earlier than anyone else at the club but chose to ignore it. When players finally came forward, Paulson dismissed Riley quietly, choosing to prevent controversy rather than tell the truth about an alleged abuser. His decision enabled Riley to seek out other coaching opportunities in women's soccer, so this protected no one.

Paulson also knew about Andy Polo’s domestic abuse but chose not to share it with the public. He only took action when Polo’s wife came forward publicly, but even then, all he did was fire Polo, not Gavin Wilkinson who renewed Polo’s contract in December.

Paulson’s uncooperative behavior in the Yates investigation was a choice to protect himself rather than the players he is responsible for. And only when the investigation was published did he take action, but it was too little, too late.

Time and time again, Paulson chose to hide the truth and cover for himself rather than try to correct his failures. When the pressure became too great for him, he did everything to try and save himself But Paulson still owns the Timbers and the Thorns.

Meritt Paulson’s failures as an owner have hurt people time and again, and this has to end. He will never be able to correct his mistakes, but he can at least prevent himself from making them in the future.

Meritt Paulson must sell both the Timbers and the Thorns.