Genoveva Anonma

Striker Genoveva Anonma has joined the Portland Thorns.

(Thomas Rodenbuecher / flickr)

The Portland Thorns have officially announced the signing of Equatorial Guinea striker Genoveva Anonma.

The Oregonian/OregonLive first reported the news Tuesday morning.

The international striker will be added to the roster pending the receipt of her P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC). The Thorns did not disclose the terms of her contract.

Anonma currently plays for German Frauen Bundesliga club Turbine Potsdam and captains the Equatorial Guinea Women's National Team. She is the 10th-ranked goal scorer all-time in the Frauen Bundesliga.

Anonma, who goes by "Ayo," will join the Thorns in May after the conclusion of her season in Germany. Since Equatorial Guinea did not qualify for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Anonma will be one of the few Thorns strikers that will not miss time this season for the World Cup.

"Ayo has a tremendous pedigree in front of goal and her goal scoring record is second to none in Europe," said Thorns head coach Paul Riley in a prepared statement. "She is bright on the ball, runs intelligently and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. She is highly motivated to play in this country and her work ethic will be embraced by the Thorns faithful."

Anonma signed with German Bundesliga side USV Jena in 2009 and led the club in scoring for two straight seasons. In 2011, she joined Turbine Potsdam and became the first foreigner to lead the league in scoring when she netted 22 goals in the 2011-12 season. She is currently tied for fourth in the Bundesliga in scoring with eight goals this season for Turbine Potsdam.

The 25-year-old striker has won two African Women's Championships with Equatorial Guinea in 2008 and 2012. She competed in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, scoring Equatorial Guinea's only two goals in the tournament. In 2012, she was named African Women Footballer of the Year.

Anonma is a massive signing for the Thorns, especially since she will not miss time this summer to compete in the World Cup.

The Thorns' offense will be highly depleted during the World Cup with forwards Alex Morgan, Christine Sinclair and Jodie Taylor and midfielders Tobin Heath, Veronica Boquete and Kaylyn Kyle all expected to miss games while they represent their countries.

As an experienced professional and proven striker, Anonma will likely be called upon to lead Portland's offense while many of the Thorns other top strikers are with their national teams.

"Together Ayo, Alex, Christine and Jodie give our front line some depth and talent with ability to keep our forwards fresh, hungry and firing on all cylinders," Riley said. "Ayo is an exciting addition and we look forward to seeing her further develop in our training environment."

Riley had previously indicated that the Thorns were aiming to sign a top striker and the club traded Rebecca Moros to FC Kansas City earlier this year in order to acquire the international roster spot necessary to sign Anonma.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg