The Portland Thorns have already lost five key players to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but the club will be welcoming back one star to lineup Saturday.

Center back Emily Menges, who has been dealing with a foot injury since preseason, is expected to make her season debut Saturday when the Thorns (1-0-2, 5 points) travel to take on the Orlando Pride (0-4-1, 1 point). Having Menges back in the lineup could be huge for Portland.

“She’s so important to our team,” Thorns coach Mark Parsons said. “Having her as a leader, having her as a player, having her play the way she does for us on and off the ball, makes us a better team. It’s great to have her back.”

The Thorns were the best defensive team in the NWSL in 2016 and 2017, but the club has struggled at times on defense early in each of the last two seasons. Those struggles have come in years where Menges has been in and out of the lineup due to injury.

In games against the Chicago Red Stars on April 20 and Sky Blue FC on April 28, the Thorns made key defensive mistakes that cost them goals. Thorns defender Emily Sonnett allowed Sky Blue forward Sam Kerr to steal the ball from her in a bad spot in the 20th minute of Portland’s game against Chicago. Kerr scored and the two teams ultimately played to a 4-4 draw. Thorns midfielder Celeste Boureille made a poor pass back to Sonnett in the 18th minute of Portland’s match against Sky Blue. Sky Blue star Carli Lloyd took advantage of the mistake, pouncing on the ball and scoring to give Sky Blue an early 2-0 lead. Portland fought back to earn a 2-2 draw.

“We had a good reflection week last week,” Parsons said. “We wanted to fix some things. We had a plan going into Sky Blue and I think we learned throughout the game that some of the plan, I could have got better. Also, we didn’t execute some of the rest of the plan and we got caught.”

While the return of Menges won’t solve Portland’s problems on defense, it will certainly give the Thorns a boost on the backline as the club strives to cut out errors and put in more consistent defensive performances.

Menges has developed into Portland’s most consistent defender since joining the Thorns in 2014. Her speed, athleticism and intelligence on the field have allowed her to excel in the NWSL. She was named the Thorns’ Co-Defender of the Year and named to the NWSL Second XI in 2018. She made 15 starts during the season, averaging 5.7 clearances and 7.03 recoveries per 90 minutes and committing just one foul.

But at the same time that the Thorns are getting back a key defender in Menges, they are losing five important players to the World Cup. U.S. Women’s National Team players Adrianna Franch, Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan and Sonnett, along with Canadian Women’s National Team captain Christine Sinclair, have all joined their national teams ahead of next month’s World Cup and won’t return to Portland until after the conclusion of the tournament.

While the loss of Sonnett could impact the Thorns defensively, the call-ups will hit the Thorns much harder in the attack. Portland has scored an impressive eight goals in just three games this season and has consistently looked dangerous in the final third. Heath and Sinclair have combined for five of those eight goals.

Still, Portland still has some other weapons in the attack. Hayley Raso, who recently rejoined the Thorns after finally receiving her work visa, could make her season debut for the club in Orlando Saturday before joining Australia ahead of the World Cup. The Thorns have additional attacking weapons in Ana Crnogorcevic, Caitlin Foord, Tyler Lussi and Midge Purce, among others. Midfielders Andressinha and Angela Salem have also both returned to the club and could feature in Saturday’s game.

“It’s tough to lose the talent and experience, but -- Hayley Raso, Midge Purce, Ana (Crnogorcevic), Tyler Lussi, Caitlin Foord -- no matter how we start this game and how we finish this game, we’re going to have quality, we’re going to have pace, we’re going to have players that know what their strengths are.”

Parsons said he is hopeful that his club will continue to grow as a team, both defensively and offensively, in the coming weeks, even as the group loses key players to the World Cup. Getting a leader, like Menges, back on the field, will only help push the club forward.

“With every single team having world-class players, you have to learn fast, you have to learn quick, but you also have to appreciate that you’re going to be learning," Parsons said.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg

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