We all knew it was coming but now it is official: the Portland Thorns have named Mark Parson as the club's head coach for the 2016 season.

The turnaround has been a quick one for the Thorns. The team parted ways with Paul Riley two weeks ago and Parsons left his position as the head coach and general manager of the Washington Spirit just last week.

With rumors of offseason changes on the way, the addition of Parsons gives the Thorns a head coach who has experience rebuilding a team into a playoff contender. Parsons took over the Spirit in 2013 late in the club's inaugural season as they put together just three wins; the following year, under Parsons' guidance, the Spirit won ten games on the way to their first of two consecutive appearances in the NWSL playoffs.

Parsons inherits a Thorns side heavily shaped by Riley that includes a number of players from Riley's time as head coach of the Philadelphia Independence. Despite a reputation as a pragmatic coach who will fit his system to his players rather than the other way around, expect Parsons to have free reign to go after players to build that team that he wants.

The Thorns press release: