Amid the coronavirus pandemic and the suspension of the 2020 National Women’s Soccer League season, the Orlando Pride are still making moves to bolster their roster. On April 1, the team announced the acquisition of English women’s national-team midfielder Jade Moore via transfer from Reading FC Women of England’s FA Women’s Super League (FAWSL).
The deal will last one year, and there is also an option for an additional year. Allocation money was used in both the transfer and the signing of the 29-year-old.
“Simply put, Jade is the complete midfielder,” Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner said, per the team’s press release. “She possesses a great skill to travel quickly in small spaces, control the pace of the game and her ability to not only read the game well but destroy attacks before they start will bring a much-needed dynamic to our midfield.
“We’re very excited to bring her into the club and look forward to seeing her in purple when we get to play.”
Moore joins the Pride after most recently having made 54 appearances for Reading in England’s top flight, tallying eight goals since 2017. From 2011 to 2016, Moore played for Birmingham City, Skinner’s former club he had been a part of from 2015 to 2019. There, she notched six goals in 99 appearances, as she helped her squad to winning the Women’s FA Cup in 2012.
In total, Moore has 50 national-team caps. She made her national-team debut in February 2012 and was a part of the Lionesses for the 2013 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Women’s Championship, the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2019 World Cup. England earned bronze in 2015.
“I think one of the biggest things for me is that this is a fresh challenge, a new league,” Moore said, per the release. “Obviously, back in the U.K., I’ve played in the league for over a decade, and you kind of get used to the same things, the same teams, the same player pool.
“So, I’m really excited about that, coming overseas and taking me out of my comfort zone to play against different players and play against the best players in the world. When this came about, it ticked every single box of what I wanted at the next part of my career.”
In addition to acquiring someone who Skinner calls a “complete midfielder,” the Pride also drafted and signed midfielder Taylor Kornicek. The 21-year-old scored 39 goals in 82 games for the Colorado Buffaloes.
For more on Moore, as she looks to eventually integrate into the Pride’s roster amid the coronavirus pandemic, 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.
