Portland Thorns coach Mark Parsons had hoped that his club could pick up where they left off last season when they opened preseason training camp in March ahead of their 2017 NWSL campaign.

But injuries have made that nearly impossible.

Ten of Portland's 20 rostered players entered preseason coming off injuries or have dealt with injuries in the first month of the season. And three key players - Tobin Heath (back injury), Katherine Reynolds (groin injury) and Dagny Brynjarsdottir (back injury) - have yet to make an appearance this year due to injuries.

"It has been a challenge," Parsons said. "We've been focused on trying to keep positive and moving forward. We really haven't had everyone available since the start of preseason."

The Thorns are coming off a successful 2016 NWSL season where they won the NWSL Shield before being upset by the then-Western New York Flash in the semifinals of the NWSL Playoffs.

But Portland hasn't looked nearly as dominant this season. With the early season injuries, the Thorns have clearly lost some firepower in the attack - they've scored just twice from the run of play so far - and the club has also been forced to make some significant changes to their backline in the first four games of the 2017 season.

Celeste Boureille, who went undrafted last year and joined the Thorns on trial before signing with the club in April 2016, has been filling in for Reynolds at outside back, while undrafted rookie Meghan Cox has made three appearances for Portland this year in place of Meghan Klingenberg, who had been dealing with a hamstring injury.

Still, Portland (2-1-1, 7 points) has managed for the most part to find results early in the year even as the club has dealt with the injuries. The Thorns currently sit in second place in the standings and, despite the inconsistency on the backline, Portland has earned two clean sheets and conceded just three goals in four games. And after a poor first half against the Seattle Reign at home last week, the Thorns had arguably their best performance of the season in the second half, dominating the Reign as they fought back to earn a 2-2 draw.

"I think we have done great considering (the injuries)," Parsons said. "It has been tough not having everyone, but it has also given us a chance to work with the others. It has been great to see people step up."

But things aren't getting any easier for the Thorns.

Injuries remain an issue for Portland as the club prepares to head on the road for back-to-back games. Heath, Reynolds, Brynjarsdottir and midfielder Mana Shim all remain out and Parsons said he doesn't expect any of the players to be back for at least the next 2-3 weeks.

But even though the Thorns remain short-handed, Parsons is confident that the group can continue to take steps forward and find results.

"While they're not back, we're going to keep trying to get the job done," Parsons said. "We got to be urgent from the first second. Urgent with the ball, urgent without the ball. That leads to us being dominant and playing the soccer that we want."

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg