The Orlando Pride added two midfielders who have been training with the Central Florida side since the 2016 season. On Tuesday, the team announced the signings of midfielders Jocelyn “Jo” Blankenship and Jordan O’Brien ahead of the Aug. 29 roster-freeze date, pending the receipt of their international-transfer certificates.
“We’re really happy to reward Jo and Jordan after they’ve both been training in our environment for the past two seasons,” Pride head coach Tom Sermanni said, per the release. “They both have great attitudes and have been great additions to the team at training. They are both very technical, talented players, and I’m really delighted to be able to put them on contract and join us in our playoff push.”
In July of the 2016 season, Blankenship joined the Pride. She previously spent the preseason with the Boston Breakers. During the 2015 season, Blankenship helped the Women’s Premier Soccer League side SoCal FC and led them to the final, losing to the Chicago Red Stars Reserves.
Before playing semi-professionally, Blankenship helped Loyola Marymount University to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win in 2014. In four seasons, she recorded 14 goals and 22 assists. Her 50 career points is second all-time in LMU history while her assists total remains a school record. She was named an All-West Coast Conference honoree four times, a WCC All-Academic honoree three times and an NSCAA All-West Region honoree two times.
As for O’Brien, she joins Orlando after having spent time abroad with KR Reykjavik in Iceland and Swedish side QBIK. O’Brien graduated from the University of Tulsa, scoring eight goals and recording 19 assists. She was selected as an All-Conference USA honoree three times and was named the 2010 C-USA Freshman of the Year.
The Pride return to action on Saturday, as they will host the Breakers. Orlando is currently riding a four-game winning streak, sitting at fourth place in the National Women’s Soccer League standings with a three-point lead over Sky Blue FC.
For more on the Pride, as they look to solidify their position in the playoffs, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
