Will Merritt Paulson Prune the Thorns?

strong>Merritt strong>Paulsonstrong>strong> is trying to keep his strong>Portlandstrong> soccer dynasty. Paulon is accused of covering up a sexual abuse scandal. He wants to sell the strong>Timbersstrong> and the strong>Thornsstrong>.

Paulson is in talks to sell the Thorns and keep the Timbers. He is trying to keep his ownership of both teams. The Thorn's fans are upset about the sale. The Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters are disappointed. Paulson's father, Hank Paul, is the team's owner. Peregrine Sports LLC is seeking $30 million to $50 million for the club. One prospective buyer is a group of women led by Melanie Strong. She left the sportswear giant to start an investment company with Lance Armstrong.

Merritt Paulson is the Timbers and Thorns owner. He's prickly and has a hard time with people. Paulsen has worked hard to keep the NWSL together. His teams are winners, especially the Thorn's, who won three championships this year. The Thorned's produced more than 300 documents for the investigation. The Riveters' nonprofit says Paulsson's managers thwarted its investigators. Bill Oram wrote that Paulenson will be a disgraced former owner when he's no longer an owner of the team. Onward Rose City has commitments for $9.2 million.

Union Wine Co. has stopped sponsoring the Timbers and Directors Mortgage is ending its sponsorship. Alaska Airlines is redirecting ad funds for this quarter to an emergency fund set up by the NWSL Players Association to help women players. The city owns Providence Park, but politicians can't force a sale. A joint investigation by women's league and NWS Players' Association is expected before year's end. It will involve Paulson's multimillionaire father. He is a former head of both Goldman Sachs and the U.S. Soccer. US Soccer regulates all men, women and children playing the game.

Merritt Paulson is considering selling the Thorns. The team is not bound by the 2010 operating agreement to play at Providence Park. If the city approves the transfer, the team could play anywhere. Six of the 12 National Women's Soccer League teams are affiliated with men's teams.