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Portland Thorns star forward Sophia Wilson’s suspension for pulling an opponent’s hair was extended to a second match.
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The NWSL announced Thursday that Wilson must sit against Bay FC on Oct. 18 and the North Carolina Courage on Oct. 23.
The first match was an automatic suspension following her red card against the Boston Legacy on Oct. 3. The additional match came after a league review upgraded the penalty to a major game misconduct.
Wilson, 26, was sent off after pulling the hair of Legacy defender Lais Araujo in the 22nd minute of Boston’s 4-2 victory.
“I spoke to (Wilson) and I think their player was pulling her shirt and then she tried to pull back and obviously reached her hair,” Thorns coach Robert Vilahamn said, per USA Today.
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“The rule is tough but that’s the rule. All credit for them, they got Sophia out of the moment in that situation and she apologized afterwards and takes accountability and she’ll learn from this.”
Wilson ranks third in the league with 13 goals to go along with five assists in 27 matches (24 starts) this season.
Wilson (nee Smith) was the NWSL Most Valuable Player in 2022 and made the league’s Best XI in 2022, 2023 and 2024. She led the Thorns to the NWSL championship in 2022.
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The U.S. Women’s National Team standout won a Summer Games gold medal in 2024.
–Field Level Media
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This story was originally published October 9, 2026 at 9:18 AM.