The Story
We believe the 2005 University of Portland women’s soccer team is the greatest, most influential college soccer team of all-time. And after watching our film, we think everyone will agree with us. Yes, even North Carolina Tar Heels fans from the early 90s.
Why? Because the 2005 Pilots weren’t just great at soccer, though of course they were. Not only did the team dominate their season unlike any other team in history, many of the team’s alumni had incredible professional and international soccer careers.
Success on the Field
Christine Sinclair’s 190 goals are the most in international soccer history – men or women – and she captained team Canada for nearly two decades, culminating with a gold medal win in 2021. Collegiately, she lead University of Portland to two national titles in 2002 and 2005, is the second-leading goal scorer in NCAA history, and owns the single-season goal scoring record with 39. She won five championships professionally, and is the second-leading goal scorer in NWSL history.
Megan Rapinoe became the face of the US women’s national team and was named the 2019 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, leading the USWNT to two World Cup titles and a gold medal. She is the sixth-leading goal scorer in NWSL history, and her number is retired by Seattle Reign FC.
Stephanie Lopez Cox was a regular on the USWNT for many years, starting every game at the 2007 World Cup as the youngest player on the roster, won a gold medal in 2008, and had a long professional career.
Angie Woznuk Kerr and Lindsey Huie both made appearances for the USWNT and played professionally. Cori Alexander Callahan was an All-American and has coached collegiately at UC Berkeley since 2010. Natalie Budge played for the US U-21 national team. The list goes on.
But their impact off the field is perhaps even greater than their brilliance on it.
Global Impact
Megan Rapinoe spearheaded the successful fight for equal pay for US Women’s national team players, has long been a champion for social justice, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the nation's highest civilian honor - in 2022. Christine Sinclair has been a tireless advocate for equality for the Canadian women’s team. Stephanie Lopez Cox – a trailblazer for representation in the women’s game – is considered the greatest Mexican-American player in USWNT history.
And so many players from the 2005 team have made enormous impacts on the communities where they live… as doctors, nurses, counselors, marathon winners, and most of all as coaches – helping shape future generations of soccer players at all levels, from youth to professional.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Igniting a Fandom
The 2005 team broke the collegiate soccer attendance record – for men or women – and kickstarted a stretch of 10 seasons in which UP, one of the smallest NCAA Division I schools in the country, led the nation in attendance and supercharged a culture of supporting women’s soccer in Portland. A culture and fandom that directly impacted the incredible success of the Portland Thorns and the NWSL when they launched in 2013.
The Thorns quickly became the most successful professional women’s team in any sport in history, and served as a model franchise for the NWSL that helped pave the way for successful expansion franchises and a landmark new media rights deal in 2023 that secured the future of professional women’s soccer for many years to come. All of which would not have been possible without the women’s soccer fandom in Portland that was ignited by the 2005 team and built on a foundation created by the legendary Clive Charles and the great UP teams that preceded them.