On March 9, the National Women’s Soccer League and its nine teams began Preseason 2020. The Orlando Pride began training in a familiar place but one they can, now, entirely call their own: Sylvan Lake Park. Orlando City SC, the Pride’s Major League Soccer counterpart, moved their training facilities to Kissimmee.
“Firstly, welcome to our new facility. We’re glad to be able to call it home, which is something we never really had last year,” Orlando Head Coach Marc Skinner said after training. “So, it’s been a wonderful experience to walk into something where you know that you’re gonna create memories, and that’s something really, really nice for us.”
The Pride began training in earnest after players like forward Sydney Leroux trained with some rookies and other new additions in the offseason. During the offseason, the Pride weren’t shy about adding and even subtracting some players. In total, 17 new players will join the Pride this preseason.
Orlando added internationals like Canadian Erin McLeod, New Zealander Ali Riley, Australian Caitlin Foord and American Emily Sonnett via transfer and trades. The Pride also drafted seven players in the 2020 NWSL College Draft, including using their highest-ever pick on midfielder Taylor Kornieck.
“We’ve been kinda training before preseason — a pre-preseason, if you will,” Leroux said after training. “So, it’s been really nice getting to know them, and, yeah, we got a lot of good players coming in.”
In addition to officially starting on-field preparations for the 2020 campaign, the Pride have also released their preseason roster. Of the 38 players on the roster, 26 reported to Day 1 of preseason. The Pride’s 12 other players, who are fulfilling national-team responsibilities or finishing NWSL-offseason campaigns in Australia, will arrive in Orlando over the coming weeks.
2020 Orlando Pride preseason roster
Goalkeepers (5)
Lainey Burdett
Jaelyn Cunningham (NRI)
Ashlyn Harris (NYR; FED/USA)
Erin McLeod (NYR; INT/CAN)
Brittany Wilson (NRI)
Defenders (15)
Madison Duncan (NRI)
Erin Greening
Julie King
Ali Krieger (NYR; FED/USA)
Carrie Lawrence
Phoebe McClernon (CDP)
Courtney Petersen (CDP/S)
Carson Pickett
Konya Plummer (CDP/S)
Toni Pressley
Morgan Reid
Ali Riley (NYR)
Cheyenne Shorts (CDP)
Emily Sonnett (NYR; FED/USA)
Shelina Zadorsky (NYR; FED/CAN)
Midfielders (11)
Bridget Callahan
Claire Emslie (NYR; INT/SCO)
Alanna Kennedy (NYR; INT/AUS)
Taylor Kornieck (CDP/S)
Jordyn Listro (NRI)
Camila Martins Pereira
Savanah Uveges (NRI)
Emily van Egmond (NYR; INT/AUS)
Marta Vieira da Silva (NYR; INT/BRA)
Marisa Viggiano
Chelsee Washington (CDP)
Forwards (7)
Kristen Edmonds
Abby Elinsky
Caitlin Farrell (NYR)
Kate Howarth (NRI)
Abi Kim (CDP)
Sydney Leroux
Alex Morgan (NYR; FED/USA)
Key
CDP: 2020 NWSL College Draft pick
S: Signed
NRI: Non-roster invitee
NYR: Not yet reported to camp
FED: 2020 federation player
INT: International player
For more on the Pride, as they prepare for their first preseason match of 2020 against Florida State University, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
To contact Victor for tips and/or memes (happy to send or receive), you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com, or you can tweet at him.
