Mackenzie Arnold confirms next club after West Ham departure

Former West Ham United goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold has completed a move to NWSL side Portland Thorns.

The 30-year-old shot-stopper spent four years in east London with the Hammers, making 90 appearances across all competitions. She captained the side in the 2023/24 season and is the club’s third all-time record appearance holder behind Kate Longhurst and Gilly Flaherty.

West Ham confirmed the Australia international’s departure following the expiration of her contract at the end of June and Arnold is now set to move across the pond to the United States. The Thorns announced the signing of Arnold on a deal that runs until the 2026 season, with the option to extend by a further year.

"Since the beginning, this club has prioritised competition across all our positions, aiming to create teams that can compete each and every year at the highest level and win championships," said the Thorns’ general manager Karina LeBlanc said

"Mackenzie is someone we identified earlier this year as a player that could help elevate our goalkeeper group. She is a highly decorated international goalkeeper, with experience on the world’s biggest stages. We believe her addition will make our goalkeeper unit stronger, our team better and help us achieve our championship winning goals."

Arnold will join up with her new teammates following the completion of Australia’s involvement in the 2024 Olympic games in France. The goalkeeper has been named in Tony Gustavsson’s 18-player squad for the games, which kicks off later this month on July 25.

While Arnold has spent the majority of her senior career in her homeland Australia and in England in the WSL, she did have a brief spell in the NWSL with Chicago Red Stars. She joined the club in July 2019 and didn’t make a single appearance for the team before she signed for West Ham 12 months later.

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