There is much to celebrate about Mark Parsons' six seasons as the head coach of the Portland Thorns.

The record book will forever show that under Parsons Portland won six trophies, including a 2017 National Women's Soccer League championship. Three of those trophies were won in 2021: a NWSL Challenge Cup, International Champions Cup and the NWSL Shield as the team with the best regular-season record.

After Sunday's 2-0 semifinal loss at to the Chicago Red Stars, history won't record a fourth 2021 trophy for the club — an accomplishment Parsons said isn't likely to ever happen.

"I felt that we were going to do it," Parsons said. "And if we had done it, I just don't think it would be possible again."

Parsons, who is moving on to coach the Netherlands women's national team, felt that the stars aligned to give Portland a real chance to lift that fourth trophy in 2021.

Except that on Nov. 14, nothing aligned for the Thorns.

In hindsight, it was clear the Thorns had used up all of their mojo, or magic, or whatever it is that makes a great season a championship season.

First, there was the news moments before the match that star midfielder Lindsey Horan wasn't going to play because of a "serious knock" in training a day earlier that left Horan with blurred vision. Horan made that announcement via Twitter shortly before kickoff.

But the Tweet that came shortly after the match was the gut-punch.

Goalkeeper Bella Bixby, the Milwaukie native, revealed that her father had died by suicide in the week prior to the match.

At the end of a season that was emotionally challenging, Bixby's tragic news was heart-wrenching, and a sobering reminder that, win or lose, the Thorns' live-in-the-moment approach to this season transcends soccer.

Bixby's ascendence to starting goalkeeper was one of the feel-good stories of the season. That she showed up for her teammates and for Thorns' supporters in such tragic circumstances reflects Bixby's character more than any save.

Parsons described Bixby as "someone who makes everyone better around them. And in a time of such a tragic event she continued to make other people better around her."

The legacy of these 2021 Thorns is that they took collective action for the betterment of the club and the league. In the face of the most disturbing revelations about the way players Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly were treated by former head coach Paul Riley, who has been accused of sexual coercion, Thorns players (and those around the NWSL) demanded accountability and better safeguards. The investigations are ongoing. More pain may come.

There certainly was great disappointment about the way the season ended. Much credit was given to Chicago's relentless and organized defensive work, but Thorns team captain Christine Sinclair knew an opportunity to win a fourth trophy is a rare one.

"As a league, we've been waiting for the chance to win multiple trophies in a season like they do in Europe, and we were on a roll this year. It's upsetting for this team. I think we deserve more out of this season," Sinclair said. "I think we deserve a chance to play in the championship game. But, obviously, Chicago came in tonight played lights-out and yeah, just hard one."

Adding to the weight of the loss is the significant change ahead.

The arrival of former goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc to run the front office is exciting. A new coach will take over (according to Meg Linehan of The Athletic, it will be another former Canada women's national team player, Rhian Wilkinson).

We don't know how many of these players will still be Thorns the next time the club takes the field. There is an expansion draft in a few weeks as the NWSL adds ambitions franchises in Los Angeles and San Diego, evidence that the NWSL is planning for the long haul.

For the league, better days are ahead, it would seem. How that plays out in Portland remains a question.

The record book will show the Thorns were 73-32-35 in all competitions under Parsons. His final match on the sideline joins the 2016 semifinal home loss to Western New York and the 2018 loss to North Carolina in the championship match as significant disappointments at Providence Park.

Despite the finality of this result, and the end of his run as Thorns' coach, Parsons said Sunday's loss didn't land as hard because of the strides the club made while focusing on a relationship-based growth mindset.

"I've had some unbelievable victories with teams. I've had some really tough defeats with teams," Parsons said. "This just feels different. What this team has been about has always been bigger than the outcomes always been bigger than the result."

One disappointing afternoon isn't going to shake the bonds that were developed during a long season that began in February.

"We wanted to be something bigger than ourselves. We wanted to be something bigger than trophies and wins," Parsons said. "This team has been that — absolutely and relentlessly. Because of that, this club and this team is going to continue to be even more special."