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Former BYU Cougars star and Utah native Michele Vasconcelos will be making her return to the United States’ top women’s soccer league after some time away, at least for a short time.
On Thursday, the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League announced they have signed Vasconcelos as a national team replacement player.
These contracts are temporary deals that happen when, as the name indicates, a team needs players because others are currently playing with various national teams.
Adding another to the bunch 🌹
Michele Vasconcelos joins us as a National Team Replacement Player:
— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) July 14, 2022
It’s been a pretty wild last few years for Vasconcelos, who was the 11th overall pick of the 2017 NWSL draft out of BYU by the Chicago Red Stars.
She got pregnant before her rookie season began, then had two solid seasons with the Red Stars in 2018 and 2019, even as she tore an ACL in 2019.
In 2020, she was traded to former NWSL club Utah Royals FC upon request (a common occurrence in the NWSL), but that was in the midst of incredible turmoil that saw the franchise be sold by former owner Dell Loy Hansen and relocated to Kansas City.
Last September, Vasconcelos was sent on loan by Kansas City to Sevilla FC in Spain, where she played a season.
Vasconcelos announced this spring that she was leaving Sevilla, and she was waived by Kansas City earlier this month.
A native of Sandy, Utah, Vasconcelos starred at Alta High before going to BYU, where she scored 30 goals during her career and was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2016.
