Mackenzie Arnold on joining the Portland Thorns and preparing for Paris 2024
The Portland Thorns announced on Thursday that CommBank Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold had signed for the NWSL team through to 2026.
The 30-year-old said she is excited to join a team that has previously been home to teammates such as Hayley Raso, Ellie Carpenter, Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley.
“I’ve spent the last four years now in the WSL at West Ham, and I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a player and a person,” Arnold began.
“I felt like it was time for a new challenge and environment. I had the first call with Portland and they really excited me with their ambition. I know Jordan Franken [Portland Thorns and Australian U23 Women’s goalkeeping coach] as well – I’ve worked closely with him over the last couple of years.
“Everything about Portland was really attractive to me. They’re obviously a really successful team and you really want to be a part of it.”
She explained that while she didn’t consult her Thorns alumni teammates when making the decision, hearing their experiences certainly played a part.
“Being able to talk to them about it, I got a gist of what Portland is like and what it was like playing there, which was really nice,” she explained.
“I definitely found comfort in the fact that they had been over there and they had a lot of information to give me. I spoke to Caitlin [Foord] about it and Ellie [Carpenter]. Everything they said was great and very inviting.”
The Thorns have a famously passionate fan base. Their average attendance last season was 18,918, the third most in the NWSL. Arnold said that the atmosphere was part of the attraction of the move to Portland.
“I actually went over there after the couple of weeks in Australia [post-season],” she recalled. “I watched their game against Kansas.
“It wasn’t the ideal result [Portland lost 4-1] but I got to see the atmosphere. I think there were over 20,000 fans at the match and everyone was getting around the team, winning or losing – it’s something special.”
Arnold is currently in Spain with the CommBank Matildas, preparing to take on Canada in a practice match before heading to France for Paris 2024™.
It was announced earlier in the week that captain Steph Catley and defender Kaitlyn Torpey would miss the International B Fixture against Canada due to injury.
“Obviously, it is not ideal to have Steph and Torpey out for our last game before [Olympic] group stages, but I think it gives a chance to show our depth in the team and give some players that might not get many minutes some game time before heading in,” she explained.
“At the World Cup [in 2023] we were also without Sammy [Kerr] for a bit. We proved our depth then and I think we’re going to do it again this Olympics.
“It will be a really good game against Canada. They have a few similarities to the teams that we’re playing in the group stages, especially Germany and the US, so it is something for us to get used to. We always have a decent battle against Canada – it should be interesting.”
MATCH DETAILS
Australia v Canada
Date: Saturday, 13 July 2024 (local) / Sunday, 14 July 2024 (AEST)
Time: 9:00pm (local) / 5.00am (AEST)
Venue: Marbella, Spain
Broadcast: Paramount+
AUSTRALIA | MATCH SCHEDULE | PARIS 2024™ OLYMPIC GAMES
Germany v Australia
Date: 25 July 2024 (local) / 26 July 2024 (AEST)
Kick-off: 7.00pm (local) / 3.00am AEST
Venue: Stade de Marseille, Marseille, France
Australia v Zambia
Date: 28 July 2024 (local) / 29 July 2024 (AEST)
Kick-off: 7.00pm (local) / 3.00am AEST
Venue: Stade de Nice, Nice, France
Australia v United States
Date: 31 July 2024 (local) / 1 August 2024 (AEST)
Kick-off: 7.00pm (local) / 3.00am AEST
Venue: Stade de Marseille, Marseille, France