Down in numbers, the Orlando Pride have signed two national-team replacement players.
The Pride announced Thursday morning they signed midfielder Abby Elinsky and goalkeeper Sarah Shimer in the wake of losing United States women’s national-team players Alex Morgan and Ashlyn Harris, who will play friendlies against the Chinese women’s national team on Thursday and June 12.
Elinsky has already made two appearances for a total of 32 minutes for the Pride. She made her professional debut in the 2-1 loss to Portland Thorns FC on April 15 with a 23-minute shift and added nine minutes in the Pride’s first win of 2018 over the Houston Dash on April 22.
Before joining the Pride, Elinsky was with the Dash, as Houston drafted her with the 30th-overall pick, the final pick of the third round. Elinsky played three seasons at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and one at the University of Illinois. With the Tar Heels, she made 59 appearances and scored three goals.
Like Elinsky, Shimer joined the Pride from Houston. The Dash drafted the goalie with the 33rd-overall pick, the third pick in the fourth and final round. Shimer made 38 appearances for the University of Washington, setting the school’s single-season record for most clean sheets with 11.
Goalie Haley Kopmeyer figures to start in place of Harris, as she was a starter for Seattle Reign FC for 20 games last season.
“I mean, Haley, again, is a starting goalkeeper in this league,” Pride boss Tom Sermanni said after training on May 31. “She just happens to be a little bit unfortunate that we’ve got Ash Harris here. But, you know, there’s probably, I would say, four or five teams in this league that Haley would be starting.”
National-team replacement players do not count against Orlando’s 20-player roster. Morgan and Harris are expected to be available for the Pride’s match against Sky Blue FC on June 16, as they are expected to only miss Sunday’s match against Seattle.
For more on the Pride, as Elinsky and Shimer figure themselves into the lineup, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
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