MOM’S GOT
GAME
Karina LeBlanc, the new general manager of the Portland Thorns, talks professional women’s soccer, motherhood and returning to the Rose City. BY TIFFANY HILL
Karina LeBlanc is once again a Portlander. After nearly a decade away, the retired soccer player has returned to the Rose City with a new position, a young daughter and lots of career experience. “My journey, this game has changed my life,” she says from her office at Providence Park. “It helps me be the woman that I am today.” LeBlanc made headlines locally and nationally in November after it was announced that the 41-year-old would become the next general manager of the Thorns. But for many Thorns fans, LeBlanc needed no introduction. She was the goalkeeper for the team’s inaugural 2013-2014 season, and a fan favorite. That season, the Thorns, under the newly minted National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), went on to win the NWSL championship. LeBlanc then played in Chicago before retiring in 2015. During her 18 years as a player, she participated in five FIFA World Cups and won an Olympic bronze medal.
Karina LeBlanc with her daughter, Paris during Paris’ first visit to
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June/July 2022
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pdxparent.com
KARINA LEBLANC
Providence Park.
