Friendlies can provide an interesting glimpse into the future of the United States Women’s National Team, offering the opportunity for several young players to compete. A few of those talents could even force their way into the upcoming World Cup and Olympic rosters. Reilyn Turner made her senior international debut with an exclamation point in January, netting the first goal in the 6-0 romp over Paraguay. The 23-year-old Portland Thorns forward is taking the next step this season and could hit double-digit production.
Born in Lakewood, California, and the daughter of a retired NFL tight end, Turner competed with Laguna Beach High School and was named Orange Coast League Most Valuable Player as well as picking up All-American and All-CIF honors. At the club level, she played with SoCal Blues and, alongside Trinity Rodman, led the attack for the four-time national champions. TopDrawerSoccer listed her as a four-star recruit and the 11th-best prospect in the class of 2020.
Turner then matriculated at the University of California at Los Angeles and enjoyed a fantastic start to her collegiate career with 11 goals and five assists in 17 matches, earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, First-Team All-Pac-12, Second-Team All-Pacific Region, and TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI. Her sophomore season saw her contribute 10 goals and one assist in 20 fixtures, again being named Second-Team All-Pacific Region and All-Pac-12. In addition to her 11 goals and three assists, she took a leading role during the College Cup-winning campaign in 2022, scoring the game-winner in the semifinal against Alabama and the tying tally in the final with UNC, receiving Most Outstanding Offensive Player alongside First-Team All-Pacific Region and All-Pac-12. Her time in Westwood ended with 10 goals and six assists in 19 appearances, meriting Second-Team All-America, Pac-12 Forward of the Year, and First-Team All-Pacific Region and All-Pac-12.
Entering the professional ranks, Turner was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft by Racing Louisville. She was in the starting lineup on opening day and registered an assist in a 2-2 draw with Orlando Pride; her first finish came in a 5-1 romp over Utah Royals in April. Despite impressing with her early confidence and contributing four goals and two assists, her nascent career experienced a rapid shift.
In August, Turner headed west to Portland Thorns FC, the opposite side of a trade featuring Canada international Janine Sonis. She quickly entered the rotation and registered two finishes in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and another in the playoff quarterfinal defeat to NJ/NY Gotham FC. The unique experience of a rookie-year trade “shaped [her] into a different person in a good way.”
Last season, a “more confident” Turner took advantage of a gap in the depth chart (with Portland missing Sophia Wilson and Morgan Weaver) and quickly ascended to a spot in the starting lineup, contributing six goals and one assist in 27 total appearances. Her 94th-minute finish helped secure a 1-0 victory over San Diego Wave in the quarterfinal of the playoffs before falling to the Washington Spirit in the semifinal. Having “really elevated her game to another level” and “proven to be a difference-maker in big moments,” the club signed her to a contract extension through 2028 with an option for 2029.
“Losing those players who have very, very large presences on the field in their attacking ability and their goal-scoring ability is tough right before [the] season,” Turner shared with Willamette Week. “But that just opens opportunities for so many other players to show what they can do. My goal, no matter what my role on the team, no matter what team I’m on, is to make a difference and make an impact and score as many goals as I can … I’m very tenacious in front of goal, no matter where that is. When the ball is going down the field and I know we’re in a goal-scoring opportunity, I come alive.”
This season, Turner is off to a hot start and continues to produce. Cited as “one of the best aerial threats in the NWSL,” she has four goals in nine appearances and should easily hit double digits. Her versatility has been an asset, having “shuffled in different roles out of necessity” and “improved her decision-making and chemistry.”
At the international level, Turner (whose mother is Mexican-American) was a frequent inclusion for the United States in the youth ranks and scored two goals on the way to the title at the 2018 CONCACAF U-17 Championship. After participating in Futures Camp and several Under-23 gatherings, she received her first senior call-up in January, starting and scoring the opening goal in the 6-0 victory over Paraguay with a quick cutback and “a low shot into the lower-left corner of the goal”; her “key pass” also set up the opponent’s own goal. The attacker was forced to decline a recent Under-23 invitation after sustaining an injury.
“Today has been a dream come true, honestly,” Turner said after the Paraguay match. “This has been my dream since I was maybe three years old. As soon as I knew what it was, I wanted to be here. The team has a really nice foundation of being welcoming and answering questions. I’ve had a lot of questions this week, and we’ve had to figure it out really quickly, and I feel like everyone’s been very helpful. The foundation of this team is really strong and that has definitely helped us.”
Standing at five feet, nine inches tall, Turner is a physical forward who wins her duels in the air and on the ground and looks to beat opponents off the dribble, capable of “playing out wide or through the middle.” She “constantly puts herself in positions to create opportunities on goal” and is “effective on both sides of the ball” with an unending motor and superior athleticism. Teammates praise her dynamism and ability to score in various ways, whether swooping in from the outside or soaring above the defenders for a header.
With a goal in her debut, Turner has officially entered into the USWNT picture and provides another potential option on the front line, as every program is always looking for reliable scorers. She has the athleticism and the ability to be a top forward in the NWSL and an impact player for the next decade. The ongoing season indicates increased production that should vault her up Emma Hayes’ depth chart.
