2021 Orlando Pride season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(until July 23)
Carl Green
(interim, July 23 – July 24)
Becky Burleigh
(interim, from July 25)
Orlando, Florida
| 2021 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Head coach | Marc Skinner (until July 23) Carl Green (interim, July 23 – July 24) Becky Burleigh (interim, from July 25) | ||
| Stadium | Exploria Stadium Orlando, Florida | ||
| NWSL | 8th of 10 | ||
| Playoffs | Did not qualify | ||
| Challenge Cup | 3rd (East division) | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Sydney Leroux (8) All: Sydney Leroux (9) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 5,755 | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 3,407 | ||
| Average home league attendance | 4,227 | ||
|
| |||
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.
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.[1]
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.[2]
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.[3][4]
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.[5] The new rule was implemented on top of the increase from three to five "normal" substitutes carried over from the 2020 season.[6]
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.[7]
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.[8]
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.[9] The combined value of the deal was estimated at $400–450 million.[10]
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.[11][12] 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.[13]
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.[14]
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.[15] 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.[16]
Roster
- As of October 7, 2021[17]
| No. | Nationality | Name | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Previous club | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||
| 1 |  |
Erin McLeod | GK | February 26, 1983 (aged 38) |  Växjö DFF |
FED |
| 18 |  |
Kaylie Collins | GK | May 17, 1998 (aged 22) | USC Trojans |
– |
| 24 | |
Ashlyn Harris | GK | October 19, 1985 (aged 35) | Washington Spirit |
FED |
| 30 | |
Brittany Wilson | GK | September 22, 1997 (aged 23) | Denver Pioneers |
SUP |
| Defenders | ||||||
| 3 | |
Toni Pressley | DF | February 19, 1990 (aged 31) | Houston Dash |
– |
| 4 |  |
Amy Turner | DF | July 4, 1991 (aged 29) | Manchester United |
INT |
| 7 |  |
Ali Riley | DF | October 30, 1987 (aged 33) |  Bayern Munich |
– |
| 11 | |
Ali Krieger | DF | July 28, 1984 (aged 36) | Washington Spirit |
FED |
| 12 | |
Carrie Lawrence | DF | July 15, 1997 (aged 23) | UCF Knights |
SUP |
| 17 | |
Courtney Petersen | DF | October 28, 1997 (aged 23) | Virginia Cavaliers |
– |
| 21 | |
Phoebe McClernon | DF | December 13, 1997 (aged 23) | Växjö DFF |
– |
| 23 | |
Kylie Strom | DF | March 18, 1992 (aged 29) |  Atlético Madrid |
– |
| 26 | |
Ally Haran | DF | May 21, 1996 (aged 24) | Houston Dash |
SUP |
| Midfielders | ||||||
| 5 |  |
Emily van Egmond | MF | July 12, 1993 (aged 27) | West Ham United |
INT |
| 6 | |
Jade Moore | MF | October 22, 1990 (aged 30) | Reading |
INT |
| 8 |  |
Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir | MF | September 28, 1988 (aged 32) | Kansas City NWSL |
– |
| 14 | |
Marisa Viggiano | MF | February 5, 1997 (aged 24) | Northwestern Wildcats |
– |
| 15 | |
Erika Tymrak | MF | August 7, 1991 (aged 29) | Utah Royals |
– |
| 20 | |
Parker Roberts | MF | July 30, 1997 (aged 23) | Florida Gators |
– |
| 22 | |
Taylor Kornieck | MF | November 22, 1998 (aged 22) | Colorado Buffaloes |
– |
| 27 | |
Chelsee Washington | MF | November 17, 1997 (aged 23) | Bowling Green Falcons |
SUP |
| 28 | |
Meggie Dougherty Howard | MF | July 27, 1995 (aged 25) | Washington Spirit |
– |
| 32 | |
Viviana Villacorta | MF | February 2, 1999 (aged 22) | UCLA Bruins |
 |
| Forwards | ||||||
| 2 | |
Sydney Leroux | FW | May 7, 1990 (aged 30) | FC Kansas City |
– |
| 9 | |
Jodie Taylor | FW | May 17, 1986 (aged 34) |  Olympique Lyon |
INT |
| 10 |  |
Marta | FW | February 19, 1986 (aged 35) | FC Rosengård |
– |
| 13 | |
Alex Morgan | FW | July 2, 1989 (aged 31) | Tottenham Hotspur |
FED |
| 29 | |
Abi Kim | FW | July 19, 1998 (aged 22) |  Fiorentina |
– |
| 31 | |
Crystal Thomas | FW | January 18, 1994 (aged 27) | Washington Spirit |
– |
Staff
| 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
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 | NWSL | Challenge Cup | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 22 | MF | Taylor Kornieck |
2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 6 | 15 | MF | Erika Tymrak |
2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | 8 | MF | Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | MF | Marisa Viggiano |
1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 | DF | Courtney Petersen |
1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 29 | FW | Abi Kim |
0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 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 | 4 | 2 | 6 | |||
Disciplinary record
- As of match played October 29, 2021
| No. | Pos. | Name | NWSL | Cup | 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 | 36 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 41 | 0 | ||
