In a new special series, I’ll be ranking each major professional sports franchise (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, etc.) in each of the states with at least two teams.
The teams will be ranked by the amount of success they’ve had in their current market, not accounting for previous locations of the franchise. However, if the team played in a different league but still played in its current home state, those records will contribute to the rankings.
Any playoff or tournament appearances, wild card berths, division titles, conference/league titles, major championships, and the franchise’s single-season wins/points records are accounted for, as well as the overall success of the team and certain eras of its history.
Next up, is the state of Oregon, home of the NBA’s Trail Blazers, NWSL’s Thorns, and MLS side Portland Timbers.
No. 1 — Thorns (est. 2013)
- 7 playoff appearances
- 2 NWSL Shields
- 2020 NWSL Fall Series Community Shield
- 3 NWSL finals
- 2 NWSL championships
- 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup winners
If you want to root for a team that wins, look no further than the women’s professional soccer franchise Portland Thorns. Not only do they win, but they have star power as well, with players like Alex Morgan, Lindsey Horan, and Christine Sinclair all having sported the club’s crest.
An inaugural season member of the National Women’s Soccer League, the Thorns have won every piece of silverware the league has had to offer in its nine full years of existence.
They won the first NWSL championship in 2013, won their first NWSL Shield (best regular-season record) in 2016, and won a second NWSL title in 2017.
Since 2020, they have won three more trophies and are one of the league’s best teams in 2022 as they look to win both a third NWSL Shield and league title.
No. 2 — Trail Blazers (est. 1970)
- 37 playoff appearances
- 6 division titles (4 Pacific, 2 Northwest)
- 3 West titles
- 1977 NBA champions
- Franchise-best record – 63-19 in 1990-91
An NBA expansion franchise founded in 1970, the Blazers struggled during their first few seasons in the league before becoming a consistent playoff team.
After six years of no postseason basketball, the Blazers reached the playoffs for the first time in 1977 and made the most of their opportunity. Led by Finals MVP Bill Walton, the team won the NBA championship, to date the only one in the franchise’s history.
After four more trips to the postseason, Portland missed the playoffs in 1981-82 before beginning a 21-year playoff streak that lasted from 1983-2003. During the over two-decade run, the Blazers won a pair of Western Conference titles (1990, 1992), winning three division titles and a franchise-record 63 games during the 1990-91 season.
After a few subpar years, the Blazers made the playoffs three times in a row from 2009-11, led by Brandon Roy. While Roy’s injuries forced him into early retirement and the team into an unexpected rebuild, just two seasons of non-playoff basketball followed.
Then during the second season of Damian Lillard’s career, the Blazers returned to the postseason. The team then reached the playoffs in eight straight seasons from 2014-21, winning two division titles while reaching the conference finals in 2019.
No. 3 — Timbers (est. 2011)
- 7 playoff appearances
- 3 CONCACAF Champions League berths
- 3 West titles
- 2015 MLS Cup champions
- 2020 MLS Is Back Tournament champions
Taking just two years to reach the playoffs after joining MLS in 2011, the Timbers have become one of the league’s better teams.
After reaching the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time in 2014, the Timbers won the MLS Cup title in 2015 and then missed the playoffs the following season.
Since 2017, the Timbers have reached the postseason five straight times, appearing in two more MLS Cup finals while winning the 2020 MLS Is Back Tournament championship.
