Nina Nijstad: The Eindhoven Signing
A 23-year-old Dutch international who just won PSV's first league title, signed in Portland through 2029. This is what a club looks like when it buys for the next four years instead of the next four games.
The Thorns announced Nina Nijstad on July 7, 2026, a transfer from PSV Eindhoven Vrouwen for an undisclosed fee, signed through 2029 pending a P-1 visa and international transfer clearance. Four years is not a rental. It is a bet.
She earned it in Eindhoven. Across three seasons she made 76 appearances in all competitions with 14 goals and 17 assists, a return that says creator more than finisher, and she was a real contributor in the season PSV won the first league title in the club's history along with a second straight Eredivisie Cup. She has also played UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying and the inaugural UEFA Women's Europa Cup, so the step up in tempo will not be new to her.
Internationally she has four senior caps and two goals for the Netherlands, debuting on October 25, 2024. That is early-career, which is the point: Portland is buying the next several years of a 23-year-old rather than the last few of someone else's peak.
She wears number 20 and joins a midfield that already has Jessie Fleming wearing the armband and Olivia Moultrie creating from deep. Minutes will have to be taken, not handed over.