While it is an honor for players to receive the call to play for their nation on an international stage, those summonings have also negatively affected club play, especially in Orlando. Fortunately for the Orlando Pride, the most recent call-ups will not interfere with the Pride’s final two regular-season matches against Sky Blue FC and FC Kansas City.
On Thursday, the team announced that United States women’s national team players Alex Morgan and Ashlyn Harris and Brazilian women’s national team player Monica Hickmann Alves received call-ups to play in friendlies for their respective countries. The matches will be played during Orlando’s bye week from Sept. 12 to Sept. 18.
Morgan and Harris will face Thailand on Sept. 15 at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio at 8 p.m. ET. On Sept. 18, they will play the Netherlands at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, at 7 p.m. ET. The Thailand game will be broadcast on ESPN2, and the Netherlands match will be shown on FS1.
While Morgan will most likely retain her starting role, Harris could see an opportunity to play a starting role in light of former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo’s suspension and contract termination.
Hickmann Alves will play in a friendly on Sept. 16 against France. She helped Brazil to the bronze-medal game against Canada but fell to teammate Josée Bélanger and her team.
All three players will play in Saturday’s home match against Sky Blue.
