After making just four starts and struggling to even get minimal minutes during 2014, Portland Thorns midfielder Mana Shim arrived at her end of the season meeting with a plan.

Shim told Portland Thorns coach Paul Riley that she wanted to earn back her spot in the starting 11 and become a difference maker in the attack for the Thorns in 2015. With the right preparation and fitness, she was confident that she could get back on the field.

"I think that I had some time to kind of reflect on what I had done for preparation and used it as motivation," Shim said. "Obviously, any time you're not on the field, you want to be out there. So, I started looking at the other girls and what they were doing...I think that helped me a lot."

After dedicating herself to her training and preparation in the offseason, Shim has made a statement in her return to the starting 11 this year. In just three games, she has recorded two goals and two assists, including the equalizer to help the Thorns earn a draw on the road against the Chicago Red Stars on April 25.

"She's just an extremely hard worker," Thorns captain Kat Williamson said. "She's a tricky player. She brings a lot to our team, her personality, her work rate, and I think she just definitely lifts us up."

Shim has grown used to working hard and fighting for her spot on the field over the last three years.

After making the Thorns through an open tryout in 2013, Shim went on to become a starter and a fan favorite during her rookie season. She scored five goals during the year as Portland won the inaugural NWSL title.

Things changed in 2014. Riley, who became the Thorns head coach ahead of the 2014 season, had never previously coached Shim and didn't think the midfielder was fit enough at the start of preseason.

After spending the majority of 2014 relegated to the bench, Shim had numerous conversations with Riley and made the decision to arrive in Portland early in January to begin preparing for the 2015 season with a few other teammates. For two months before preseason training camp officially began, Shim would spend four to five days a week intensely training at Providence Park.

"I wouldn't say (my preparation) was better or worse this year," Shim said. "I just think it was different. I got in earlier with the players that I was going to be playing with. There were five of us training out here since January, so I think that made a big difference. A lot more fitness I would say. Running, lots of running."

In March, when Shim arrived at preseason training camp, she was already brimming with confidence and immediately took a leadership role on the field.

"She just works harder than anybody else, on and off the field," Thorns defender Emily Menges said. "She's the grittiest player. If she loses the ball, she'll get it right back. You know that she's going to do her job... I think everybody just has a huge trust in her and she just brings a spark to the game."

As he watched Shim compete in preseason training camp, Riley felt like he was looking at a new player. He immediately recognized that the 23-year-old could be critical in the attack this season.

"In practice she's just unbelievable," Riley said. "She's a really good player. Having seen her play last year, I wouldn't have known what I know now. Now, she's a completely different player for me. Maybe it was my inability to see that last year, I don't know, but I think this year she's a cracking player."

While Shim is happy to be back on the field this season, she's certainly not satisfied.

She has continued to meet with Riley each week to talk about her performance and what she can do to improve. Her goal is to become a top playmaker like Veronica Boquete, who led the Thorns with four goals and six assists in just 15 games in 2014. Shim, who was called up to the U.S. U-23 Women's National Team in 2014, still hopes to one day get a shot with the senior U.S. Women's National Team as well.

"My goal is mostly to keep progressing," Shim said. "To not focus so much on scoring goals or assists or anything like that, but to look at my performances overall and evaluate myself after the games and after every training."

While Shim has done well early in the season, her role will become even more critical as Portland's depth is tested in the coming weeks.

The Thorns will lose eight players to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, most of whom have already left Portland to join their respective national teams ahead of the renowned international tournament. When the Thorns face the Washington Spirit Saturday at 7 p.m. at Providence Park, goalkeeper Nadine Angerer will be the only player set to compete in the World Cup still with Portland.

Shim, along with the core group of players that remain in Portland, will be called upon to lead the Thorns over the next few months.

And the midfielder is ready to embrace the responsibility.

"I feel very comfortable on the field," Shim said. "I'm also having a ton of fun."

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg