Rhian Wilkinson: New Wales boss looking to move on from Portland 'trauma'

Wales women's new manager Rhian Wilkinson says she is looking to "get going again" after the "trauma" of her departure from Portland Thorns.

The 41-year old led Portland to the 2022 NWSL Championship but resigned following an investigation into an alleged relationship with a player.

Wilkinson was cleared of any wrongdoing and says she is aiming to take Wales to a first major tournament.

The former Canada international was in attendance in Dublin as Wales won 2-0 in a friendly against Republic of Ireland on Tuesday, a day after her appointment was announced.

"US soccer, football in general across world has had challenging times and Portland was the same, a lot of trauma there," Wilkinson told Match of the Day Wales.

"[It was] obviously a difficult end to that coaching appointment, but I am really looking forward to getting going again here and getting out with this phenomenal team and hopefully getting them to the Euros."

Wilkinson replaced Gemma Grainger who left Wales in January to become manager of Norway, with Wilkinson selected 47 days after Grainger's departure following "three or four" interviews.

A former England and Team GB assistant coach, Wilkinson enjoyed tremendous success in leading Portland to the 2022 NWSL Championship in her first season as head coach.

However, she was subsequently investigated by the NWSL and National Women's Soccer League Player Association (NWSLPA) for an alleged relationship with a Portland player, with a letter from the Portland players to NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman leading to the investigation.

Though she was cleared of any wrongdoing after the three-week investigation, Wilkinson resigned from her post in December 2022 citing the fact she had "lost the locker room".

After the investigation Thorns' players said in a letter that they felt Wilkinson had "broken the trust of the locker room," and that an "ethical standard had been breached."

Football Association of Wales [FAW] chief football officer David Adams told BBC Sport Wales that the FAW were happy to appoint Wilkinson as she had been exonerated of wrongdoing by the investigation.

"When she applied in the initial stages, we went through that process very early on with safeguarding, and player welfare is really important to us in the Welsh FA," he said.

"We followed all the right steps and she was exonerated by the NWSL, so from our side of things we followed all the right steps and we want Rhian to have a successful time in Wales."

Wilkinson, who spent 18 months in Wales as a child and who has a Welsh mother, says she feels Wales have the talent to reach a first major tournament.

You can see that they're a team that is brimming with talent and I can't wait to get them to a major tournament, they are obviously right there," she said.

It's [Wales] been my second team and now first. This is the land of my fathers as they say, I've always been following Wales, I'm proud to be here.

"This team has not only incredible talent coming through, but a leadership group bettering players. This is their dream, their ambition and they've been shaping and changing the game in Wales, and to put them in a position to do that for the country is a very special moment.

"I hope to be able to steward them there, but this is their rocket, I'll just be helping to support them through it. They are right on the edge."

Wilkinson has a glittering CV as a player and manager.

Before joining the Thorns, Wilkinson was the head coach for Canada's under-17 and under-20 teams and was an assistant for England, Team GB at the 2021 Olympics and Canada at the 2019 World Cup.

As a player she won 183 caps for Canada and two Olympic bronze medals, representing her country at four World Cups and three Olympic Games.

Wales midfielder Hannah Cain, who is currently sidelined after knee surgery following a second ACL injury, says she is excited to work with Wilkinson.

"I can't not be excited, what a CV and she is still so young as a manager," she said on Match of the Day Wales.

"As a manager and as a player, to have achieved the things she's achieved speaks volumes of the person she is and the character we are about to have in the set-up.

"I am so excited to work with her."