Caiya Hanks: The Heartbreak
Hermann Trophy finalist. ACL tear. The comeback is on.
Caiya Hanks tore her ACL on June 15, 2025, against the Washington Spirit and was placed on the Season-Ending Injury list. She returned on August 15, 2026against Orlando Pride and has 8 appearances (3 starts), 1 goal this season. Before the injury she had put together a rookie year that produced 2 goals and an assist in 11 games. That is the cruel part of sports: fourteen months where the most talented player in the room couldn't be on the field because a knee gave out at the wrong moment.
The Wake Forest Season That Changed Everything
Hanks' 2024 season at Wake Forest was the kind that gets you drafted and discussed in the same sentence as the best to ever play college soccer. Eleven goals. Twelve assists. Thirty-four points. MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, the award given to the best player in college soccer. She led Wake Forest to their first-ever NCAA Championship Final. The Demon Deacons had never been there before. Hanks took them. At 20 years old, she was the most exciting prospect in the draft class.
The Rookie Year
Portland signed her in March 2025 to a four-year contract with a club option. Two goals and an assist in 11 games. The transition from college to professional is always an adjustment: faster, more physical, less forgiving. Hanks was finding her footing. She was getting minutes. The trajectory was pointing up.
June 15, 2025
Washington Spirit. A moment. A pop. An ACL tear. The kind of injury that ends seasons and changes careers. Hanks went down and didn't get back up. She was placed on the Season-Ending Injury list, and the first half of 2026 happened without her.
ACL recovery in women's soccer is long and uncertain. The science is better than it used to be. The rehab protocols are more sophisticated. But there's no shortcut through 9-12 months of rebuilding trust in a knee. Hanks is still young. She has time. She has a four-year contract. The Thorns believe in her enough to wait. She came back on August 15, 2026. Something to prove and nothing to lose. That's a dangerous combination.
Career Highlights
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Caiya Hanks injured?
Not anymore. Hanks tore her ACL on June 15, 2025 against the Washington Spirit and returned on August 15, 2026 against Orlando Pride. She has 8 appearances (3 starts), 1 goal in 2026.
Where did Caiya Hanks play in college?
Wake Forest. She was a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist in 2024 and led the Demon Deacons to their first NCAA Championship Final. She finished 2024 with 11 goals, 12 assists, and 34 points.
What is Caiya Hanks' contract with the Portland Thorns?
Hanks signed a four-year contract with a club option in March 2025. She is under contract through 2028.