Sam Coffey: Manchester City midfielder speaks out, WSL appeal and friendship with Emma Hayes

Barring an unlikely late-season collapse, the 2025-26 WSL title will be the latest honor for Coffey on a rapidly growing roster.

After winning the 2022 NWSL Championship with the Thorns in her first season as a professional, she helped the United States win the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Olympic gold in Paris in 2024.

Coffey didn’t need to move 4,800 miles and eight time zones east to continue winning, but she felt the move was necessary to satisfy her insatiable appetite for learning and personal growth.

“The girls have been very welcoming, and every day feels like home,” the New York native added.

After growing up in the village of Sleepy Hollow, 28 miles up the Hudson River from Manhattan, Coffey attended Pennsylvania State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

The profession runs in the family – Kofi’s father, Wayne, is a New York Times best-selling author, while his sister Alex is a sports writer.

In 2022, Coffey moved across the country to Oregon to begin her career with the Thorns.

Her eyes sparkle as she compares Manchester to her new home of Portland, but not in a nostalgic, nostalgic way. She was eager to throw herself into a city that prided itself, as the cliche goes, on doing things differently.

“I owe it to where I’m at to integrate and learn what’s important to it and what the city is about,” she said. “I want to continue to immerse myself in the culture and learn as much as I can.”

“I really like the city so far. It reminds me of where I come from; it’s rainy, it’s quaint, it’s unique, it has its own style and character. The city has a clear ethos and value system and I think that’s really cool.”