NWSL: Orlando Pride Reach A Crossroad

On Wednesday, Angel City FC announced they had traded for striker and World Cup champion Sydney Leroux, in a blockbuster deal with the Orlando Pride.

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In return, the Pride received Angel City’s natural first-round 2024 draft pick, $75,000 in allocation money, and up to an additional $10,000 in 2022 and $10,000 in 2023 based on conditional performance metrics.

Leroux had played five seasons in Orlando, notching 18 goals and four assists for a squad that has struggled both on and off the field in recent years.

In Orlando’s six seasons in the United States National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the team has rotated through a number of head coaches, and they currently sit in limbo after the suspension of head coach Amanda Cromwell.

They’ve seen their biggest stars leave, losing 15 key players including Ashlyn Harris, Ali Krieger, Alex Morgan, and now Leroux. They’ve also moved young talents, such as former No. 4 draft pick Taylor Kornieck and defender Phoebe McClernon.

The Pride hasn’t been idle in getting assets back, and they’re sitting on hundreds of thousands of dollars in allocation money.

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They also have two very exciting young players in Mikayla Cluff and Viviana Villacorta.
The makeup of this year’s squad indicates the club is intentionally rebuilding.

But with season after season going sideways, top players requesting trades, and a lack of coherent leadership at the top, fans are beginning to lose their patience.

Meanwhile…

Pride supporters group Black Swans Drinking Club released a statement after the Leroux trade, expressing their disappointment with team leadership.

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“Accepting losses on the pitch is one thing, but compounding those losses with losing key players, turmoil in the locker room, rumors on social, investigations into coaching, and losing fans gets disheartening and frustrating. We’re feeling a little helpless and in the dark,” the statement reads.

The Orlando Pride looks adrift both on and off the field, and it’s unclear at this moment what is being done to fix things.

The NWSL’s parity is a key part of what makes the league attractive, and they can’t afford to let a club completely fall through the cracks.

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Oluwaseun Oyediji

I am a huge advocate of Women’s football after covering the Nigeria Women Football Leagues (NWFL) since 2019. An unbiased football writer with penchant for women’s in sports and historical analysis.

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