Orlando Pride Women

Following the 2015 NWSL season, it was rumored that the Orlando City SC ownership group would be adding an expansion team to the women's professional league. On October 20, 2015, a press conference was held at Lake Eola Park where Phil Rawlins unveiled the team name, logo, and colors. Former national team head coach of Australia and the United States, Tom Sermanni, was announced as the team's first head coach.

On October 26, 2015, the Pride announced that they had made the first player acquisitions in team history; signing forward Alex Morgan and Kaylyn Kyle from Portland Thorns FC in exchange for the Pride's No. 1 picks in the 2015 NWSL Expansion Draft and the 2016 NWSL College Draft as well as an international roster spot for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, and also acquired Sarah Hagen in a separate trade with FC Kansas City along with Kansas City's second-round 2016 draft pick in exchange for the Pride's 2017 second-round draft pick. They finished their inaugural season in 9th with a record of 6–1–13.

Over the course of their 2017 season, the Pride added several significant players, trading for Washington Spirit defender and future co-captain Ali Krieger; signing five time FIFA World Player of the Year and Brazil international Marta; and officially adding Alex Morgan to the active roster following the end of her six-month loan to Olympique Lyonnais Féminin. In particular, Marta, who scored 13 goals and contributed 6 assists (second-most in both league categories that season), and Morgan, who scored 9 goals, were credited for the team's late-season offensive resurgence and success. The Pride qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history as they finished the regular season in 3rd place with a record of 11–7–6. They went to Portland Thorns FC for the semi-final but lost 4–1.

To bolster a defense that allowed the most goals of any playoff team in 2017, the Pride signed Canadian international Shelina Zadorsky, outside-back Carson Pickett, and Brazilian defender Poliana. The Pride also strengthened an already potent offense with the addition of forward Sydney Leroux and midfielders Christine Nairn and Emily van Egmond. Despite these efforts, the team's struggles with key players' availabilities contributed to inconsistent on-field performances. Ultimately, the Pride finished their 2018 season in 7th place, missing the playoffs. Head coach Tom Sermanni and the Orlando Pride mutually parted ways after three seasons; Sermanni had a regular season record of 25–29–14 during his spell in Orlando, going 0–1–0 in the playoffs.

In January 2019, Marc Skinner stepped down from his role at FA WSL side Birmingham City to become the Pride's second ever head coach.

In May 2019, plans were unveiled to build a dedicated training facility at Sylvan Lake Park, the first-ever training facility in the NWSL that is tailored to and used exclusively by a women's team. The Pride plan to finish out the 2019 season at their current facility located at Seminole Soccer Complex before moving to the new state-of-the art training ground prior to the start of the 2020 season.

The Pride's 2019 season was once again characterized by the absences of key players. As the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup occurred in the middle of the NWSL season, the Pride temporarily lost Alex Morgan, Ali Krieger, and Ashlyn Harris; Brazilian internationals Marta and Camila; Australian internationals Emily van Egmond and Alanna Kennedy; and Canadian international Shelina Zadorsky. Concurrently, new coach Marc Skinner sought to implement a more possession-based style. This transition, in conjunction with player absences, contributed to one of the worst records in league history. The team finished the season in last place with a record of 4–4–16, having conceded a league record 53 goals in 24 games.

To address their defensive fragility, the Pride traded their 2020 NWSL Draft No. 1 pick to the Portland Thorns in exchange for defender Emily Sonnett. The Thorns also traded the NWSL rights to forward Caitlin Foord, as well as the No. 7 and No. 14 draft picks in the 2020 draft. With the introduction of allocation money, the Pride also signed veteran defender Ali Riley and defensive midfielder Jade Moore. The waiving, trading, or departure of 16 players signaled the team's intention to overhaul the roster.

The start of the regular 2020 season was halted by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In June and July 2020, the NWSL held the 25-game 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup tournament in a "bubble" environment in Utah. However, the Orlando Pride was forced to withdraw when multiple players and staff tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the Pride solely played in the 2020 Fall Series, which began in September and featured a regional "pod" structure that only guaranteed four games for each team. Many veteran players had opted to sign loan or short-term contracts overseas for additional playing time, resulting in the Pride playing with a depleted roster. The Pride came last in their pod, aggregating a record of 2 draws and 2 losses. Amidst the Fall Series, the Pride exercised the contract option to keep Marc Skinner through the 2021 season.

Prior to the 2021 season, the Pride continued to rebuild the team and club structure. The organization hired Ian Fleming as Orlando Pride general manager and former NWSL managing director Amanda Duffy as the team's first executive vice president. In December 2020, the Pride traded Emily Sonnett to the Washington Spirit in exchange for midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard, the 2021 NWSL College Draft No. 9 pick, an additional conditional first-round draft pick in the upcoming draft, and $140,000 in allocation money. Another 17 players were waived, traded, or otherwise departed, including stalwarts like Alanna Kennedy, Camila, Shelina Zadorsky, Emily van Egmond, Kristen Edmonds, and Carson Pickett. Defensive additions like Amy Turner, Kylie Strom, Courtney Petersen (No. 7 draft pick), and Phoebe McClernon (no. 14 draft pick); midfield reinforcements like Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir and Erika Tymrak; and a resurgence from the forward line, helped facilitate an improved record. On April 22, 2021, the Pride won their first competitive match in 609 days as part of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup. The team began their season with a seven-game unbeaten streak.

On May 12, 2021, Orlando City majority owner Flávio Augusto da Silva announced he was in advanced negotiations with Zygi and Mark Wilf, owners of the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL, for the sale of the club including the Orlando Pride and other related soccer assets. The combined value of the deal was estimated at $400–450 million. On July 21, 2021, the sale was completed.

On July 23, 2021, Marc Skinner resigned to become the head coach of Manchester United W.F.C.; assistant coach Carl Green served as interim coach for one game prior to his own departure. On July 25, former University of Florida coach Becky Burleigh became the Pride's interim coach for the rest of season. After a late-season slide, the Orlando Pride finished the regular season in 8th place with a 7–7–10 record and missed out on the playoffs.

After several months of searching, the Orlando Pride hired UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell as head coach on December 7, 2021. The Pride also hired former USWNT player Michelle Akers as an assistant coach. Additionally, the Pride's roster saw substantial turnover as co-captains Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris were traded to NJ/NY Gotham FC, Alex Morgan was traded to San Diego Wave FC, and Ali Riley (and in the summer, Sydney Leroux) were traded to Angel City FC. In turn, the Pride acquired Welsh midfielder Angharad James, right-back Celia, defender Megan Oyster, goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, and forward Ally Watt (among others) throughout the season. Defender Kerry Abello, the 2021 No. 24 draft pick, was also officially signed. Early in the 2022 season, the Pride showed some defensive improvement, but overall progress was halted as Marta tore her ACL and was placed on the season-ending injury list.

On June 7, 2022, the NWSL and the Pride placed Cromwell and assistant coach Sam Greene on "temporary administrative leave" for "retaliation in violation of the NWSL Policy to Prevent and Eliminate Workplace Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying"; the league also placed the Pride under a roster freeze to prevent any potential retalitory trades or player waivers. Cromwell and Greene's suspensions were conferred based on policies developed in the wake of the 2021 investigation into systematic misconduct and harassment throughout the league. Assistant coach Seb Hines was made interim head coach, making him the first Black coach in the NWSL. Hines oversaw the final 15 matches of the season, during which the Pride boasted a seven-game unbeaten streak and increased both offensive and defensive production. On October 10, 2022, following the league's investigation, Cromwell and Greene were formally terminated based on findings of "verbal abuse, 'improper favoritism,' and retaliation." Ultimately, the Pride finished the season in 10th of 12th place and with a 5–7–10 record.

The Pride officially made Seb Hines their permanent head coach on November 11, 2022.

In the 2023 preseason, the Orlando City SC ownership group increased investment in the Orlando Pride and elected to part ways with general manager Ian Fleming. On January 30, 2023, the Pride announced the hiring of Haley Carter as general manager and VP of soccer operations in a move considered to signal a new emphasis on player welfare.

The Pride's 2023 season started slowly with four consecutive losses. However, offensive improvements spearheaded by new Brazilian international Adriana and forward Julie Doyle, in addition to a more consistent defense led by Kylie Strom, centerback pairing Emily Madril and Rafaelle, and goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, made the Pride contenders for a playoff spot. The Pride accumulated a record of 10–1–11, finishing in 7th of 12th place and just out of the playoff positions (with Angel City FC clinching the final spot on goal difference alone). Nevertheless, the club had one of its best seasons in its history to that point: the most home wins (7); the fewest goals (28) and goals per game (1.28) conceded; the most clean sheets (7); the most games won (10) since 2017; and the most goals scored in a match (5).

Subsequently, the Pride made several significant acquisitions, including Zambian forward Barbra Banda. On October 6, 2024, Orlando Pride won their first trophy, clinching the NWSL Shield with three games to spare following a 2–0 win against Washington Spirit. Pride remained unbeaten on the season to that point, a streak of 24 regular-season matches stretching back to October 2023. The streak was ended by Portland Thorns in the following game on October 11. On November 23, Orlando Pride defeated Washington Spirit at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri in the NWSL playoffs final, allowing them to claim their first league title. Orlando Pride's championship victory made the club the first team from Orlando to win a major championship.

The name Orlando Pride was announced on October 20, 2015, by founder and president Phil Rawlins. He noted that the name "captures how we all feel about the City of Orlando, as well as firmly tying into the Lions family" (in addition to being an emotion, pride is also the name given to a group of lions, with the majority of the group being females, lionesses). The team colors are purple and light blue. The logo features an illustration of the Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain at Lake Eola Park.

Home

Away