The Portland Thorns have signed Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, the club announced Wednesday. The club signed Arnold to a contract through the 2026 season with a mutual option for 2027.
Arnold, a finalist for FIFA Best Goalkeeper in 2023, will join the Thorns following the completion of her time with Australian National Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
“Mackenize is someone we identified earlier this year as a player that could help elevate our goalkeeper group,” Thorns general manager and president of soccer operations Karina LeBlanc said in a statement. “We believe her addition will make our goalkeeper unit stronger.”
Arnold, 30, was the starting goalkeeper for Australia in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, helping her team to their first-ever semifinal berth. She led the entire World’s World Cup with four clean sheets throughout the tournament. She has appeared in 49 matches for the Matildas.
The Thorns enter a two-week break for the Olympics before resuming play in the 2024 NWSL Summer Cup tournament with a game against Club Tijuana on Sunday, July 21 at Providence Park.