# 2023 Orlando Pride season

The 2023 Orlando Pride season was Orlando Pride's eighth season in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.

## Notable events

On November 11, 2022, Seb Hines was confirmed as permanent head coach having acted as interim head coach from June 7, 2022, following the suspension of Amanda Cromwell. In the same announcement, it was stated Ian Fleming had been removed as general manager after 24 months in the role. Haley Carter was named as general manager and VP of soccer operations on January 30, 2023.
On February 28, 2023, having played the previous season wearing white shorts as part of the secondary kit, the club announced they were making the switch to black shorts to make players more comfortable when playing during their menstrual cycle. They became the first NWSL team to do this. Additionally, the names and numbers on the back of the jerseys were changed from silver to the more visible black.

## Roster

    As of September 24, 2023.
| No. | Name | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Previous club | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| 21 | Anna Moorhouse | GK | (1995-03-30)March 30, 1995 (aged 27) | Bordeaux | INT |
| 31 | Carly Nelson | GK | (1998-02-11)February 11, 1998 (aged 25) | FC Nordsjælland | – |
| 40 | McKinley Crone | GK | (1998-10-20)October 20, 1998 (aged 24) | Alabama Crimson Tide | – |
| Defenders |||||||
| 2 | Haley McCutcheon | DF | (1996-02-22)February 22, 1996 (aged 27) | Houston Dash | – |
| 3 | Kylie Strom | DF | (1992-03-18)March 18, 1992 (aged 31) | Atlético Madrid | – |
| 4 | Rafaelle Souza | DF | (1991-06-18)June 18, 1991 (aged 31) | Arsenal | INT |
| 5 | Megan Montefusco | DF | (1992-09-03)September 3, 1992 (aged 30) | Houston Dash | – |
| 6 | Emily Madril | DF | (1999-07-01)July 1, 1999 (aged 23) | BK Häcken | – |
| 12 | Carrie Lawrence | DF | (1997-07-15)July 15, 1997 (aged 25) | UCF Knights | SEI |
| 13 | Celia | DF | (1995-06-20)June 20, 1995 (aged 27) | OL Reign | – |
| 25 | Kerry Abello | DF | (1999-09-17)September 17, 1999 (aged 23) | Penn State Nittany Lions | – |
| 26 | Caitlin Cosme | DF | (1999-01-19)January 19, 1999 (aged 24) | Duke Blue Devils | – |
| 32 | Brianna Martinez | DF | (2000-04-22)April 22, 2000 (aged 22) | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | – |
| Midfielders |||||||
| 8 | Mikayla Cluff | MF | (1999-02-25)February 25, 1999 (aged 24) | BYU Cougars | – |
| 14 | Viviana Villacorta | MF | (1999-02-02)February 2, 1999 (aged 24) | UCLA Bruins | SEI |
| 15 | Erika Tymrak | MF | (1991-08-07)August 7, 1991 (aged 31) | Utah Royals | – |
| 19 | Jordyn Listro | MF | (1995-08-10)August 10, 1995 (aged 27) | North Carolina Courage | – |
| 28 | Summer Yates | MF | (2000-06-17)June 17, 2000 (aged 22) | Washington Huskies | – |
| 30 | Thais Reiss | MF | (1999-12-09)December 9, 1999 (aged 23) | North Florida Ospreys | INT |
| Forwards |||||||
| 7 | Mariana Larroquette | FW | (1992-10-24)October 24, 1992 (aged 30) | Club León | INT |
| 9 | Adriana | FW | (1996-11-17)November 17, 1996 (aged 26) | Corinthians | INT |
| 10 | Marta | FW | (1986-02-19)February 19, 1986 (aged 37) | FC Rosengård | – |
| 11 | Ally Watt | FW | (1997-03-12)March 12, 1997 (aged 26) | OL Reign | – |
| 20 | Julie Doyle | FW | (1998-08-30)August 30, 1998 (aged 24) | Santa Clara Broncos | – |
| 23 | Messiah Bright | FW | (2000-01-12)January 12, 2000 (aged 23) | TCU Horned Frogs | – |
| 29 | Amanda Allen | FW | (2005-02-21)February 21, 2005 (aged 18) | NDC Ontario | INT |

## Staff

    As of March 3, 2023.
Executive :
| Majority owner and chairman | Mark Wilf |
| Majority owner and vice-chair | Zygi Wilf |
| Majority owner and vice-chair | Leonard Wilf |
| President of business operations | Jarrod Dillon |
| General manager | Haley Carter |
| Coaching staff ||
| Head coach | Seb Hines |
| Assistant coach | Giles Barnes |
| Assistant coach | Yolanda Thomas |
| Goalkeeper coach | Paul Crichton |
| Director of medical & performance | Cory Price |
| Strength and conditioning coach | Christi Edson |

## Match results
### Friendlies

Five friendly matches were scheduled with all but one played behind closed doors.

### National Women's Soccer League

The NWSL regular season will be played on a balanced schedule i.e. each team will play every other team twice; once at home and once away. The top six teams will qualify for the playoffs with the top two receiving a first-round bye.
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 15, 2023. 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 |
| Stadium | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | A | H |
| Result | L | L | L | L | W | W | D | W | L | L | W | L | L | W | W | W | L | L | W | W | L | W |
| Position | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
* ↑ 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 | San Diego Wave FC (S) | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 31 | 22 | +9 | 37 | Playoff semifinals and W Champions Cup |
| 2 | Portland Thorns FC | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 42 | 32 | +10 | 35 | Playoff semifinals and W Champions Cup |
| 3 | North Carolina Courage | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 33 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 4 | OL Reign | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 29 | 24 | +5 | 32 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 5 | Angel City FC | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 30 | +1 | 31 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 6 | NJ/NY Gotham FC (C) | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 31 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 7 | Orlando Pride | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 27 | 28 | −1 | 31 | |
| 8 | Washington Spirit | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 26 | 29 | −3 | 30 | |
| 9 | Racing Louisville FC | 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 27 | |
| 10 | Houston Dash | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 26 | |
| 11 | Kansas City Current | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 30 | 36 | −6 | 26 | |
| 12 | Chicago Red Stars | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 28 | 50 | −22 | 24 | |

### NWSL Challenge Cup

Unlike previous seasons, the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup schedule was spread across the season with the group stage played between April and August. There were three groups each containing four teams, with each team playing a six-game round robin home and away series. The top team from each group progressed to the semifinals along with the highest-ranked group runner-up. Orlando were once again paired in the East region with Washington Spirit, North Carolina Courage and NJ/NY Gotham FC.
Standings
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | NC | NJY | WAS | ORL |
| 1 | North Carolina Courage | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 6–0 | 0–0 |
| 2 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 11 | | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| 3 | Washington Spirit | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 13 | −3 | 9 | | 1–2 | 4–2 | — | 4–2 |
| 4 | Orlando Pride | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 15 | −10 | 2 | | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | — |

## Squad statistics
### Appearances

    As of match played October 15, 2023
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 ||||||||||
| 21 | GK | ENG | Anna Moorhouse | 23 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 31 | GK | USA | Carly Nelson | 4 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 40 | GK | USA | McKinley Crone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| 2 | DF | USA | Haley McCutcheon | 26 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 2+2 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | USA | Kylie Strom | 26 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | BRA | Rafaelle Souza | 7 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | USA | Megan Montefusco | 19 | 1 | 12+3 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 6 | DF | USA | Emily Madril | 27 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | USA | Carrie Lawrence | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | ESP | Celia | 10 | 0 | 1+7 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | USA | Kerry Abello | 25 | 1 | 14+6 | 1 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | USA | Caitlin Cosme | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | USA | Brianna Martinez | 12 | 0 | 0+8 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| 8 | MF | USA | Mikayla Cluff | 27 | 2 | 17+5 | 2 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | USA | Viviana Villacorta | 21 | 0 | 13+3 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | USA | Erika Tymrak | 19 | 0 | 10+3 | 0 | 4+2 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | CAN | Jordyn Listro | 20 | 0 | 7+8 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | USA | Summer Yates | 16 | 0 | 0+10 | 0 | 2+4 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | BRA | Thais Reiss | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| 7 | FW | ARG | Mariana Larroquette | 5 | 1 | 0+5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | BRA | Adriana | 20 | 6 | 19 | 6 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | BRA | Marta | 18 | 4 | 17+1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | USA | Ally Watt | 25 | 3 | 6+13 | 1 | 4+2 | 2 |
| 20 | FW | USA | Julie Doyle | 20 | 2 | 11+5 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | USA | Messiah Bright | 28 | 7 | 16+6 | 6 | 3+3 | 1 |
| 29 | FW | CAN | Amanda Allen | 6 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| Players away from the club on loan: ||||||||||
| 22 | DF | USA | Tori Hansen | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 24 | GK | USA | Kaylie Collins | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for the club but left during the season: ||||||||||
| 7 | FW | MLT | Haley Bugeja | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | FW | USA | Maliah Morris | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

    As of match played October 15, 2023
| Rank | No. | Pos. | Name | NWSL | Cup | Total |
| 1 | 23 | FW | Messiah Bright | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | 9 | FW | Adriana | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 3 | 10 | FW | Marta | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | 11 | FW | Ally Watt | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | 8 | MF | Mikayla Cluff | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | 20 | FW | Julie Doyle | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | 2 | DF | Haley McCutcheon | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 3 | DF | Kylie Strom | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 4 | DF | Rafaelle Souza | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 5 | DF | Megan Montefusco | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | 7 | FW | Mariana Larroquette | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 22 | DF | Tori Hansen | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | 25 | DF | Kerry Abello | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 27 | 5 | 32 |

### Shutouts

    As of match played October 15, 2023
| Rank | No. | Pos. | Name | NWSL | Cup | Total |
| 1 | 21 | GK | Anna Moorhouse | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 7 | 0 | 7 |

### Disciplinary record

    As of match played October 15, 2023
| No. | Pos. | Name | NWSL | NWSL | NWSL | Cup | Cup | Cup | Total | Total | Total |
| 2 | DF | Haley McCutcheon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Kylie Strom | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Rafaelle Souza | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Megan Montefusco | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | Emily Madril | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Mikayla Cluff | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Adriana | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Marta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | Ally Watt | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | Jordyn Listro | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | Julie Doyle | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | GK | Anna Moorhouse | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 | FW | Messiah Bright | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | Kerry Abello | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | Caitlin Cosme | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | Summer Yates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | GK | Carly Nelson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | Brianna Martinez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | 24 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 1 |

## Transfers and loans
### 2023 NWSL Draft

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2023 college draft was held on January 12, 2023. Orlando made five selections.
| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | College | Status |
| 1 | 3 | Emily Madril | DF | Florida State University | Under contract |
| 2 | 21 | Messiah Bright | FW | Texas Christian University | Signed |
| 3 | 25 | Tori Hansen | DF | University of North Carolina | Signed |
| 4 | 39 | Summer Yates | MF | University of Washington | Signed |
| 4 | 41 | Kristen Scott | FW | University of Central Florida | Not signed |
* ↑ Madril signed a centralized contract with the NWSL in August 2022 and was loaned to BK Häcken FF in order to make her playing rights available in the 2023 NWSL Draft.

### Transfers in

| Date | Player | Pos. | Previous club | Fee/notes |
| January 19, 2023 | Adriana | FW | Corinthians | Undisclosed fee. |
| January 29, 2023 | Carly Nelson | GK | FC Nordsjælland | Free agent signing. |
| March 29, 2023 | Brianna Martinez | DF | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Free agent signing. |
| April 3, 2023 | Amanda Allen | FW | NDC Ontario | Free agent signing. |
| April 7, 2023 | Thais Reiss | MF | Orlando Pride | Free agent signing. |
| April 18, 2023 | Maliah Morris | FW | Clemson Tigers | Short-term injury replacement contract. |
| June 27, 2023 | Maliah Morris | FW | Orlando Pride | National team replacement player contract. |
| June 27, 2023 | McKinley Crone | GK | Alabama Crimson Tide | National team replacement player contract. |
| July 3, 2023 | Rafaelle Souza | DF | Arsenal | Free agent signing. |
| July 7, 2023 | Mariana Larroquette | FW | Club León | |

### Transfers out

| Date | Player | Pos. | Destination club | Fee/notes |
| October 18, 2022 | Kelly Rowswell | GK | Valur | End of injury replacement contract |
| November 15, 2022 | Thais Reiss | MF | Orlando Pride | Out of contract |
| November 15, 2022 | Parker Roberts | MF | | Out of contract |
| November 15, 2022 | Chelsee Washington | MF | | Waived |
| November 15, 2022 | Toni Pressley | DF | Breiðablik | Out of contract |
| January 12, 2023 | Meggie Dougherty Howard | MF | San Diego Wave FC | Free agent |
| January 18, 2023 | Darian Jenkins | FW | Retired | Retired |
| January 24, 2023 | Erin McLeod | GK | Stjarnan | Mutually terminated contract |
| January 24, 2023 | Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir | MF | Stjarnan | Mutually terminated contract |
| February 1, 2023 | Courtney Petersen | DF | Houston Dash | Rights traded with a natural third-round pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft in exchange for $65,000 in allocation money plus an additional $25,000, pending conditions met. |
| April 6, 2023 | Leah Pruitt | FW | Retired | Retired |
| June 30, 2023 | Haley Bugeja | FW | Inter Milan | Undisclosed fee. |
| October 2, 2023 | Maliah Morris | FW | Western Sydney Wanderers | End of national team replacement contract. |

### Loans out

| Date | Player | Pos. | Loaned to | Notes | Ref. |
| September 12, 2023 | Tori Hansen | DF | Melbourne Victory | Until May 2024 | |
| September 13, 2023 | Kaylie Collins | GK | Western Sydney Wanderers | Until May 2024 | |

### Preseason trialists

Orlando Pride began preseason training on January 30, 2023. The squad included three non-roster invitees on trial with the team during preseason. Reiss returned to Orlando having played with the Pride during the previous season before her contract expired. Nicole Baxter was a free agent having been at NJ/NY Gotham FC since 2019. McKinley Crone was an undrafted rookie out of the University of Alabama. A further three trialists appeared during a preseason friendly against Kansas City Current on February 23: Jamaican international defender Konya Plummer returned having not played since her release by Orlando Pride in 2021, undrafted rookie Maliah Morris out of Clemson University, and Channing Foster who had been waived by Chicago Red Stars at the end of her rookie season in 2022. Rookie defender Brianna Martinez, who played five seasons at Notre Dame before being drafted by Racing Louisville FC in 2023, was also later added as a non-roster invitee during preseason. Kansas City Current draft pick Mykiaa Minniss also trained with the Pride during preseason.
2023 Orlando Pride trialists :
| Player | Position | Previous team |
| Thais Reiss | MF | Orlando Pride |
| McKinley Crone | GK | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| Nicole Baxter | MF | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
| Konya Plummer | DF | Orlando Pride |
| Maliah Morris | FW | Clemson Tigers |
| Channing Foster | MF | Chicago Red Stars |
| Brianna Martinez | DF | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
| Mykiaa Minniss | DF | Washington State Cougars |