# 2021 Orlando Pride season

The 2021 Orlando Pride season was Orlando Pride's sixth season in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.

## Notable events

On November 12, 2020, with the addition of Racing Louisville FC ahead of the 2021 NWSL season, the NWSL held the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft. Alanna Kennedy, who had been with the Pride since 2017, was selected as were the NWSL rights to Caitlin Foord which Orlando had acquired from Portland Thorns FC as part of the trade for Emily Sonnett in January 2020 but she had elected to sign outside the NWSL with English FA WSL team Arsenal instead.
On January 12, Orlando announced Ian Fleming had joined from the Houston Dynamo and Dash group to become general manager of the Pride, filling the vacant role left by Erik Ustruck in January 2020.
On February 25, the NWSL announced the list of federated players for the upcoming season. It included four Pride players: US internationals Ashlyn Harris, Ali Krieger and Alex Morgan all retained their status while Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod was given federated status for the first time since 2015 meaning she would no longer require an international roster slot.
On April 5, U.S. Soccer and NWSL announced it would be trialing the new IFAB approved concussion substitutes rule allowing for two additional substitutions in each match to be used for players with suspected concussions. The new rule was implemented on top of the increase from three to five "normal" substitutes carried over from the 2020 season.
On April 21, Orlando Pride beat Washington Spirit 1–0 in the Challenge Cup, their first win since August 21, 2019, snapping a streak of 13 winless games in 609 days. The match also marked the first time Marta, Sydney Leroux and Alex Morgan all started a game for Orlando together since July 2018.
Four Orlando Pride players were selected to represent their nations at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in July: Marta, Erin McLeod, Alex Morgan and Ali Riley.
On July 21, the sale of Orlando City SC and related soccer assets including Orlando Pride by Flavio Augusto da Silva, who took over in 2013, was completed. Zygi, Leonard and Mark Wilf became the new majority owners with the DeVos family, led by Dan DeVos, entering as minority owners. The combined value of the deal was estimated at $400–450 million.
On July 23, Marc Skinner stepped down as head coach amid reports he had agreed terms with Manchester United. His assistant, Carl Green, took temporary control for the team's match against OL Reign the following day before also departing. Becky Burleigh, who had retired after 26 seasons as head coach of the Florida Gators in April, was appointed interim head coach for the remainder of the 2021 season on July 25.
On July 28, it was announced Alex Leitão, the chief executive officer of the Orlando City SC organization since 2015, was stepping down from his role.
On October 1, the NWSL announced all scheduled games would not take place that weekend following allegations of historic abuse and sexual coercion against former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley. Riley was the fourth head coach to be sacked having been accused of misconduct during the 2021 season after Farid Benstiti, Richie Burke and Christy Holly.

## Roster

    As of October 7, 2021
| No. | Name | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Previous club | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| 1 | Erin McLeod | GK | (1983-02-26)February 26, 1983 (aged 38) | Växjö DFF | FED |
| 18 | Kaylie Collins | GK | (1998-05-17)May 17, 1998 (aged 22) | USC Trojans | – |
| 24 | Ashlyn Harris | GK | (1985-10-19)October 19, 1985 (aged 35) | Washington Spirit | FED |
| 30 | Brittany Wilson | GK | (1997-09-22)September 22, 1997 (aged 23) | Denver Pioneers | SUP |
| Defenders |||||||
| 3 | Toni Pressley | DF | (1990-02-19)February 19, 1990 (aged 31) | Houston Dash | – |
| 4 | Amy Turner | DF | (1991-07-04)July 4, 1991 (aged 29) | Manchester United | INT |
| 7 | Ali Riley | DF | (1987-10-30)October 30, 1987 (aged 33) | Bayern Munich | – |
| 11 | Ali Krieger | DF | (1984-07-28)July 28, 1984 (aged 36) | Washington Spirit | FED |
| 12 | Carrie Lawrence | DF | (1997-07-15)July 15, 1997 (aged 23) | UCF Knights | SUP |
| 17 | Courtney Petersen | DF | (1997-10-28)October 28, 1997 (aged 23) | Virginia Cavaliers | – |
| 21 | Phoebe McClernon | DF | (1997-12-13)December 13, 1997 (aged 23) | Växjö DFF | – |
| 23 | Kylie Strom | DF | (1992-03-18)March 18, 1992 (aged 29) | Atlético Madrid | – |
| 26 | Ally Haran | DF | (1996-05-21)May 21, 1996 (aged 24) | Houston Dash | SUP |
| Midfielders |||||||
| 5 | Emily van Egmond | MF | (1993-07-12)July 12, 1993 (aged 27) | West Ham United | INT |
| 6 | Jade Moore | MF | (1990-10-22)October 22, 1990 (aged 30) | Reading | INT |
| 8 | Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir | MF | (1988-09-28)September 28, 1988 (aged 32) | Kansas City NWSL | – |
| 14 | Marisa Viggiano | MF | (1997-02-05)February 5, 1997 (aged 24) | Northwestern Wildcats | – |
| 15 | Erika Tymrak | MF | (1991-08-07)August 7, 1991 (aged 29) | Utah Royals | – |
| 20 | Parker Roberts | MF | (1997-07-30)July 30, 1997 (aged 23) | Florida Gators | – |
| 22 | Taylor Kornieck | MF | (1998-11-22)November 22, 1998 (aged 22) | Colorado Buffaloes | – |
| 27 | Chelsee Washington | MF | (1997-11-17)November 17, 1997 (aged 23) | Bowling Green Falcons | SUP |
| 28 | Meggie Dougherty Howard | MF | (1995-07-27)July 27, 1995 (aged 25) | Washington Spirit | – |
| 32 | Viviana Villacorta | MF | (1999-02-02)February 2, 1999 (aged 22) | UCLA Bruins | |
| Forwards |||||||
| 2 | Sydney Leroux | FW | (1990-05-07)May 7, 1990 (aged 30) | FC Kansas City | – |
| 9 | Jodie Taylor | FW | (1986-05-17)May 17, 1986 (aged 34) | Olympique Lyon | INT |
| 10 | Marta | FW | (1986-02-19)February 19, 1986 (aged 35) | FC Rosengård | – |
| 13 | Alex Morgan | FW | (1989-07-02)July 2, 1989 (aged 31) | Tottenham Hotspur | FED |
| 29 | Abi Kim | FW | (1998-07-19)July 19, 1998 (aged 22) | Fiorentina | – |
| 31 | Crystal Thomas | FW | (1994-01-18)January 18, 1994 (aged 27) | Washington Spirit | – |

## Staff

    As of July 28, 2021.
Executive :
| Majority owner and chairman | Mark Wilf |
| Majority owner and vice-chair | Zygi Wilf |
| Majority owner and vice-chair | Leonard Wilf |
| Executive vice president | Amanda Duffy |
| General manager | Ian Fleming |
| Coaching staff ||
| Head coach | Becky Burleigh (interim) |
| Assistant coach | Alan Kirkup (interim) |
| Coach | Seb Hines |
| Goalkeeping coach | Lloyd Yaxley |

## Match results
### Friendlies

As per the league schedule, NWSL teams were permitted to begin preseason activities on February 1, 2021. Orlando Pride scheduled five preseason friendlies.

### National Women's Soccer League

The NWSL regular season will begin on May 15 and conclude on October 30. Six teams will qualify for the playoffs.
Results summary
| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: October 29, 2021. Source: NWSLsoccer.com
Results by round
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| Stadium | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H |
| Result | D | W | W | W | D | D | W | L | L | D | L | L | D | W | D | L | W | D | W | L | L | L | L | L |
| Position | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
* ↑ ORL's position at the end of the matchweek, not their match.
Results
League standings
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Portland Thorns FC | 24 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 33 | 17 | +16 | 44 | NWSL Shield |
| 2 | OL Reign | 24 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 37 | 24 | +13 | 42 | Playoffs – Semi-finals |
| 3 | Washington Spirit (C) | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 26 | +3 | 39 | Playoffs – First round |
| 4 | Chicago Red Stars | 24 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 38 | Playoffs – First round |
| 5 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 24 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 29 | 21 | +8 | 35 | Playoffs – First round |
| 6 | North Carolina Courage | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 28 | 23 | +5 | 33 | Playoffs – First round |
| 7 | Houston Dash | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 32 | |
| 8 | Orlando Pride | 24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 | 32 | −5 | 28 | |
| 9 | Racing Louisville FC | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 21 | 40 | −19 | 22 | |
| 10 | Kansas City | 24 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 15 | 36 | −21 | 16 | |

### NWSL Challenge Cup

Following the success of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup as a replacement tournament, the NWSL announced the return of the competition as part of the regular schedule in 2021. The competition is scheduled to begin on April 9, prior to the start of the NWSL regular season. With the league split regionally into two groups of five, teams were scheduled to play each divisional opponent once with the top team progressing to the final. Orlando Pride were placed in the East division with North Carolina Courage, NJ/NY Gotham FC, Washington Spirit, and new expansion franchise Racing Louisville.
Group stage
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 8 | Qualification for the Championship |
| 2 | North Carolina Courage | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 7 | |
| 3 | Orlando Pride | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |
| 4 | Washington Spirit | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | |
| 5 | Racing Louisville FC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 | |

## Squad statistics
### Appearances

    As of match played October 29, 2021
Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances after the + symbol where applicable.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | NWSL | NWSL | Challenge Cup | Challenge Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| 1 | GK | CAN | Erin McLeod | 6 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | GK | USA | Kaylie Collins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | GK | USA | Ashlyn Harris | 23 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | USA | Brittany Wilson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| 3 | DF | USA | Toni Pressley | 14 | 0 | 4+7 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Amy Turner | 14 | 0 | 12+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | DF | NZL | Ali Riley | 24 | 0 | 18+2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | DF | USA | Ali Krieger | 26 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | USA | Carrie Lawrence | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | USA | Courtney Petersen | 25 | 1 | 21+1 | 1 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | USA | Phoebe McClernon | 25 | 0 | 15+6 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | USA | Kylie Strom | 9 | 0 | 4+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | CAN | Ally Haran | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| 5 | MF | AUS | Emily van Egmond | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | ENG | Jade Moore | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ISL | Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir | 26 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | USA | Marisa Viggiano | 25 | 1 | 14+7 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | USA | Erika Tymrak | 22 | 2 | 6+14 | 2 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | USA | Parker Roberts | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | USA | Taylor Kornieck | 26 | 3 | 13+9 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 27 | MF | USA | Chelsee Washington | 11 | 0 | 2+8 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | USA | Meggie Dougherty Howard | 24 | 0 | 15+6 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 32 | MF | USA | Viviana Villacorta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| 2 | FW | USA | Sydney Leroux | 27 | 9 | 23 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Jodie Taylor | 13 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | BRA | Marta | 23 | 4 | 17+2 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 13 | FW | USA | Alex Morgan | 15 | 5 | 12+1 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 29 | FW | USA | Abi Kim | 8 | 1 | 1+5 | 0 | 0+2 | 1 |
| 31 | FW | USA | Crystal Thomas | 10 | 0 | 3+6 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| Players away from the club on loan: ||||||||||
| 25 | DF | JAM | Konya Plummer | 5 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

    As of match played October 29, 2021
| Rank | No. | Pos. | Name | NWSL | Cup | Total |
| 1 | 2 | FW | Sydney Leroux | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | 13 | FW | Alex Morgan | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 3 | 10 | FW | Marta | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | 9 | FW | Jodie Taylor | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | 22 | MF | Taylor Kornieck | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | 15 | MF | Erika Tymrak | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | 8 | MF | Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 14 | MF | Marisa Viggiano | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 17 | DF | Courtney Petersen | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 29 | FW | Abi Kim | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 24 | 3 | 27 |

### Shutouts

    As of match played October 29, 2021
| Rank | No. | Pos. | Name | NWSL | Cup | Total |
| 1 | 24 | GK | Ashlyn Harris | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 2 | 1 | GK | Erin McLeod | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 4 | 2 | 6 |

### Disciplinary record

    As of match played October 29, 2021
| No. | Pos. | Name | NWSL | NWSL | Cup | Cup | Total | Total |
| 2 | FW | Sydney Leroux | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Amy Turner | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | DF | Ali Riley | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Jodie Taylor | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Marta | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | DF | Ali Krieger | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | FW | Alex Morgan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | Marisa Viggiano | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | Erika Tymrak | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | Courtney Petersen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | Phoebe McClernon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | Taylor Kornieck | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | Kylie Strom | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 24 | GK | Ashlyn Harris | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | Konya Plummer | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | Meggie Dougherty Howard | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | 36 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 41 | 0 |

## Transfers and loans
### 2021 NWSL Draft

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2021 college draft was held on January 13, 2021. Orlando had four selections. All four draftees elected to take up the NCAA waiver in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that meant they were able to remain in college to contest the rescheduled college spring season. The Pride retained the NWSL rights to all four. At the end of the college season, Kaylie Collins signed a National Team Replacement contract on June 4, and Viviana Villacorta was signed to a one-year plus option year contract and immediately placed on the season-ending disabled list on August 6. Mikayla Colohan and Kerry Abello both announced they would return to their respective colleges for the 2021 season and exhaust their final year of eligibility.
| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | College | Status |
| 1 | 9 | Viviana Villacorta | MF | University of California, Los Angeles | Signed |
| 2 | 14 | Mikayla Colohan | MF | Brigham Young University | NCAA returnee |
| 3 | 24 | Kerry Abello | DF | Pennsylvania State University | NCAA returnee |
| 4 | 34 | Kaylie Collins | GK | University of Southern California | Signed |
* ↑ Initially signed National Team Replacement contract, later signed through 2021 season

### Transfers in

| Date | Player | Pos. | Previous club | Fee/notes |
| December 21, 2020 | Alex Morgan | FW | Tottenham Hotspur | Federation player, returned to the league |
| December 24, 2020 | Meggie Dougherty Howard | MF | Washington Spirit | Acquired in a trade with a first-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, a first-round pick in the 2022 or 2023 draft (tbd) and $140,000 in allocation money in exchange for Emily Sonnett. |
| January 22, 2021 | Phoebe McClernon | DF | Växjö DFF | Re-signed following short-term contract with Växjö |
| January 30, 2021 | Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir | MF | Kansas City NWSL | Acquired in exchange for Kristen Edmonds and the natural second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft. |
| January 30, 2021 | Erika Tymrak | MF | Kansas City NWSL | Acquired in exchange for Kristen Edmonds and the natural second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft. |
| February 23, 2021 | Crystal Thomas | FW | Washington Spirit | Free agent signing |
| March 2, 2021 | Abi Kim | FW | Fiorentina | |
| April 5, 2021 | Gabby English | GK | Boavista | National Team Replacement signing |
| June 25, 2021 | Amy Turner | DF | Manchester United | Signed using allocation money |
| July 5, 2021 | Kylie Strom | DF | Atlético Madrid | Free agent signing |
| July 8, 2021 | Jodie Taylor | FW | Olympique Lyon | Free agent signing, acquired playing rights in exchange for Carson Pickett in February 2021 |
| August 26, 2021 | Parker Roberts | MF | Florida Gators | Free agent signing, acquired discovery rights from Kansas City NWSL in exchange for the natural fourth-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft |
| October 7, 2021 | Emily van Egmond | MF | West Ham United | Free agent signing |

### Transfers out

| Date | Player | Pos. | Destination club | Fee/notes |
| October 29, 2020 | Julie King | DF | | Waived |
| October 29, 2020 | Morgan Reid | DF | | Waived |
| October 29, 2020 | Abby Elinsky | MF | | Waived |
| October 30, 2020 | Zandy Soree | MF | Houston Dash | Short-term contract expired |
| October 30, 2020 | Deneisha Blackwood | MF | Houston Dash | Short-term contract expired |
| October 30, 2020 | Savanah Uveges | MF | MSV Duisburg | Short-term contract expired |
| October 30, 2020 | Kate Howarth | FW | | Short-term contract expired |
| November 12, 2020 | Alanna Kennedy | DF | Racing Louisville | Selected in the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft. |
| December 24, 2020 | Emily Sonnett | DF | Washington Spirit | Traded in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, a first-round pick in the 2023 NWSL draft, Meggie Dougherty Howard and $140,000 in allocation money. |
| December 31, 2020 | Claire Emslie | FW | Everton | Permanent transfer |
| December 31, 2020 | Camila | MF | Palmeiras | Out of contract |
| January 7, 2021 | Shelina Zadorsky | DF | Tottenham Hotspur | Permanent transfer |
| January 8, 2021 | Emily van Egmond | MF | West Ham United | Permanent transfer |
| January 30, 2021 | Kristen Edmonds | MF | Kansas City NWSL | Traded with the natural second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft in exchange for Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir and Erika Tymrak. |
| February 4, 2021 | Carson Pickett | DF | North Carolina Courage | Traded in exchange for the playing rights to Jodie Taylor. |
| March 30, 2021 | Jordyn Listro | MF | Kansas City NWSL | Traded in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft. |
| April 14, 2021 | Gabby English | GK | Hibernian | End of National Team Replacement contract |

### Loans out

| Date | Player | Pos. | Loaned to | Notes | Ref. |
| August 17, 2021 | Konya Plummer | DF | AIK | Until November 15, 2021 | |

### Preseason trialists

Orlando Pride began preseason training on February 1, 2021. The squad included two non-roster invitees on trial with the team during preseason. Haran had been with Orlando during the 2020 Fall Series and made two appearances. Tymrak was not yet contracted and rostered having come out of retirement when Orlando acquired her playing rights in a trade in January. They were later joined by Gabby English who had most recently been in Portugal with Boavista and Jamaican international Lauren Silver who had spent the 2020 Fall Series signed to Houston Dash.
2021 Orlando Pride trialists :
| Player | Position | Previous team |
| Ally Haran | DF | Orlando Pride |
| Erika Tymrak | MF | Utah Royals |
| Gabby English | GK | Boavista |
| Lauren Silver | DF | Houston Dash |