Hina Sugita

‍Since signing for the Thorns in 2022, Hina Sugita has become a popular fan favorite with her own dedicated fan base known as the “Hina Hive” thanks to her dynamic and exciting ability to stir up trouble against opponent defenses. Her impact was immediate for the Thorns, helping the side in its path to lifting its historic third NWSL Championship in 2022, and has since become a consistent starter in midfield.

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She arrived in Portland after eight seasons with INAC Kobe Leonessa in Japan. While with Leonessa, Sugita helped the squad lift the 2016 and 2017 Empress Cup and was named the league’s Best Young Player in 2016 at 19, a year after making her professional debut.

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At the international level, Sugita has 46 caps, three goals and an assist for the senior Japanese National Team with appearances including the FIFA Women’s World Cup (2019, 2023) and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics as well as SheBelieves Cup (2019, 2020, 2023).

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She’s also led Japan at two different Youth Women’s FIFA World Cups, winning the 2014 U-17 edition and finishing third in the 2016 U-20 tournament. She won FIFA Golden Ball honors for both tournaments, an award given to the best player of the tournament. 

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