Two days after the Portland Thorns fell 3-0 to the North Carolina Courage in the 2018 NWSL Championship Game, Mark Parsons returned to the office and turned his focus toward 2019.

The Thorns have consistently been one of the best teams in the NWSL since Parsons took over at the helm in 2016. Portland won the 2016 NWSL Shield and 2017 NWSL Championship title before making a run to the championship game this year. Despite the championship loss, the Thorns can build off of 2018 and won't have to make huge changes in the offseason.

But Portland also has high expectations and will never be satisfied with second best. As the league continues to improve, the Thorns will need to improve with it. Portland has some work to do if it hopes to catch up with North Carolina next season as well. The Courage were the best team in NWSL history in 2018. They set a league-record for points in a single season (57) en route to winning both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship title.

"We got to compare ourselves to our own standards," Parsons said. "At the same time, we lost a championship game and we weren't as good as the opposition. To win the Shield, to win a championship, you have to beat every team. One of them is North Carolina."

The moves that the Thorns make in the offseason could determine whether they will have a shot at catching the Courage in 2019.

The Thorns have already picked up contract options or extended new offers to every player on the roster that wasn't already under contract for 2019, except for Meg Morris, who intends to retire.

But that doesn't mean that all 22 players on Portland's current roster will be returning to the Thorns next season. NWSL teams are incentivized to pick up contract options or extend new offers to maintain the rights of the players. Portland is absolutely not done wheeling and dealing.

"We fell short of the main target this year," Parsons said. "The hunger and desire as an organization, staff and players will be stronger than ever as a result of that."

Over the last two and a half weeks, Parsons and his staff have been working to evaluate the 2018 season and set new goals for 2019.

The Thorns coach said that the club is still making decisions about its offseason goals and declined to talk about specific positional needs that the team feels it will have to address in the offseason. But while the Thorns haven't discussed their positional goals, one area that the club could look at is defensive midfield.

During the first half of 2018, the Thorns sorely missed French midfielder Amandine Henry, who left the club following the 2017 season. Portland brought in Brazilian midfielder Andressinha to fill the role vacated by Henry, hoping that Andressinha and Lindsey Horan could both play alongside each other as box-to-box midfielders in the lineup. But Andressinha made just nine starts (19 appearances) and didn't seem to fit in well in Portland's system. By the end of the year, midfielder Celeste Boureille, who plays more as a defensive midfielder, had claimed a starting spot. While Boureille made tremendous strides in 2018 and forced her way into the lineup, the Thorns could still look to improve in defensive midfield.

The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup could also impact the club's roster decisions in the offseason. Parsons said that the club is still trying to find out how many games its national team players will miss next season around the World Cup. Portland has roughly 10 players on its current roster that could be headed to next year's World Cup.

"We're trying to understand what the different countries will do and what the player availability will be," Parsons said. "I think we've got to prepare for the worst, but we'll probably have that answer soon on how many games they'll be in for and how many they'll miss."

Portland's attack could be decimated during the World Cup if the club doesn't make roster moves in the offseason. Horan, Christine Sinclair, Tobin Heath, Hayley Raso and Caitlin Foord are among the attacking players that are expected to go to the World Cup.

Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic could be headed to the World Cup as well if Switzerland, which is currently in a playoff for a World Cup spot, earns a berth to the tournament. If Switzerland does make the World Cup, the Thorns might have to consider whether it makes sense to keep Crnogorcevic on the roster. At minimum, the club might need to bring in a proven goal scorer that is not expected to miss time due to the World Cup.

Parsons said the Thorns will certainly take the World Cup into consideration as they build their roster, but also said it will be easier to plan for absences that they know are coming.

"You plan for three types of players: Someone who is going to be available all season, someone who is going to be available for a large part of the season and then a short period," Parsons said. "It is about trying to get that balance right."

Despite the challenges of the World Cup, the Thorns remain optimistic and motivated heading into 2019. After losing in this year's championship, Parsons said the club is hungry for another chance to fight for a trophy.

"We want to play tomorrow," Parsons said. "We want to get out there next week. We're missing the group already and we want to close this gap fast."

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg