Beckie says ‘perfect storm’ brought her back to NWSL

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Faced with a decision to keep playing her club football in Europe or return closer to home, Janine Beckie says the choice wasn’t easy, but it also wasn’t agonizing.

“I was lucky that I was in a position where I couldn't have really made a bad decision, which is what everybody wants as a player,” the Canadian international told TSN.

Last Friday, Beckie signed a long-term contract with the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League after spending the past four years with Manchester City.

The move marks a return to the NWSL for Beckie, who played her first three years as a professional in the U.S.-based league from 2016 to 2018. She played for two seasons with the Houston Dash after being selected eighth overall by the club in the 2016 NWSL Draft and made 15 appearances for Sky Blue FC (now NJ/NY Gotham FC) in 2018 before making the move to England.

“At this at this point in my career, I think it's a great time for me to come back to the league,” Beckie said. “The league has come a long way since I left, and with the experience that I got in Europe, I think it’s kind of the perfect storm to come back. I'm looking forward to it and I can't wait to get started.”

Beckie, who inked a three-year deal with the Thorns with an option for a fourth season, is set to join the club on April 18, and hopes to make her debut shortly after that. She said the process of signing with the club happened “pretty quickly” after Portland acquired her NWSL rights from Racing Louisville in exchange for $75,000 in allocation money.

The 27-year-old forward said she had a couple of options from other clubs in Europe, but ultimately felt that a return to North America was the right fit at this point in her career.

“I wanted