Megan Gustafson Leads Portland Fire to First Home Win
megan gustafson said the Portland Fire’s first-ever home win over the New York Liberty on Tuesday was special because the team earned it together. The free agent forward said the Fire rallied for the victory and finished it with a game winner.
Gustafson and the Fire
“It’s amazing,” Gustafson said of the result at the Viking Pavilion in downtown Portland on Wednesday. She added, “I mean, I think we all rallied to get that win, and I think it made it more special because we fought so hard to to earn it.”
She tied that feeling to the way the game ended, saying, “And obviously we went against New York, and winning with a game winner, you really couldn’t script it any better.” That gave Portland its first home victory in the team’s expansion-year setup, a clean result for a roster still settling into roles.
Portland's expansion setup
The Fire have been practicing at the Viking Pavilion until their facility is finished, and head coach Alex Sarama was announced in October 2025. Gustafson said the environment around the team has made role-fitting a live issue, not an abstract one.
“I think it’s all about fit in this league,” she said. “You know, whatever their organization needs in terms of the role that you play is so important, and sometimes in different situations, different environments, sometimes you can feel like you’re kind of in a box, and you can’t really go outside of those boxes.”
She continued, “And that’s when you kind of lose your confidence.” Gustafson said, “I thought that several times in my career. So I can relate to some of these young players, too, and I’m trying to help them … help them figure out their fit, their role, because sometimes those boxes might constrain you, but also they can help you grow in ways that you’ve never pushed yourself.”
Gustafson's career path
Her own route explains why she is in Portland now. The Dallas Wings drafted Gustafson with the No. 17 overall pick in 2019, she spent two seasons there, briefly joined the Washington Mystics in 2021, and was cut late in 2022 training camp before the Phoenix Mercury picked her up.
Gustafson later joined the Las Vegas Aces in 2024, suffered an injury ahead of the 2025 season that nearly ruled her out indefinitely, and finished 2025 as part of a championship-winning team. Portland signed her as a free agent this year, and Tuesday’s win gave the Fire a first home result that matched the way she describes the group: hard to fit, hard to beat, and still learning how far that can go.
