2015–2018: Establishment and early years Following the
2015 NWSL season, it was rumored that the
Orlando City SC ownership group would be adding an expansion team to the women's professional league. On October 20, 2015, a press conference was held at
Lake Eola Park where Phil Rawlins unveiled the team name, logo, and colors. Former national team head coach of
Australia and the
United States,
Tom Sermanni, was announced as the team's first head coach. On October 26, 2015, the Pride announced that they had made the first player acquisitions in team history; signing forward
Alex Morgan and
Kaylyn Kyle from
Portland Thorns FC in exchange for the Pride's No. 1 picks in the
2015 NWSL Expansion Draft and the
2016 NWSL College Draft as well as an international roster spot for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, and also acquired
Sarah Hagen in a separate trade with
FC Kansas City along with Kansas City's second-round 2016 draft pick in exchange for the Pride's 2017 second-round draft pick. They finished their
inaugural season in 9th with a record of 6–1–13. Over the course of their
2017 season, the Pride added several significant players, trading for Washington Spirit defender and future co-captain
Ali Krieger; signing five time
FIFA World Player of the Year and
Brazil international
Marta; and officially adding
Alex Morgan to the active roster following the end of her six-month loan to
Olympique Lyonnais Féminin. In particular, Marta, who scored 13 goals and contributed 6 assists (second-most in both league categories that season), and Morgan, who scored 9 goals, were credited for the team's late-season offensive resurgence and success. The Pride qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history as they finished the regular season in 3rd place with a record of 11–7–6. They went to
Portland Thorns FC for the semi-final but lost 4–1. To bolster a defense that allowed the most goals of any playoff team in 2017, the Pride signed Canadian international
Shelina Zadorsky, outside-back
Carson Pickett, and Brazilian defender
Poliana. The Pride also strengthened an already potent offense with the addition of forward
Sydney Leroux and midfielders
Christine Nairn and
Emily van Egmond. Despite these efforts, the team's struggles with key players' availabilities contributed to inconsistent on-field performances. Ultimately, the Pride finished their
2018 season in 7th place, missing the playoffs. Head coach
Tom Sermanni and the Orlando Pride mutually parted ways after three seasons; Sermanni had a regular season record of 25–29–14 during his spell in Orlando, going 0–1–0 in the playoffs.
2019–2022: Transitions and competitive struggles Marc Skinner, defensive struggles, and COVID-19 (2019–2021) In January 2019,
Marc Skinner stepped down from his role at
FA WSL side
Birmingham City to become the Pride's second ever head coach. In May 2019, plans were unveiled to build a dedicated training facility at Sylvan Lake Park, the first-ever training facility in the
NWSL that is tailored to and used exclusively by a women's team. The Pride plan to finish out the 2019 season at their current facility located at Seminole Soccer Complex before moving to the new state-of-the art training ground prior to the start of the 2020 season. The Pride's
2019 season was once again characterized by the absences of key players. As the
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup occurred in the middle of the NWSL season, the Pride temporarily lost
Alex Morgan,
Ali Krieger, and
Ashlyn Harris; Brazilian internationals
Marta and
Camila; Australian internationals
Emily van Egmond and
Alanna Kennedy; and Canadian international
Shelina Zadorsky. Concurrently, new coach
Marc Skinner sought to implement a more possession-based style. This transition, in conjunction with player absences, contributed to one of the worst records in league history. The team finished the season in last place with a record of 4–4–16, having conceded a league record 53 goals in 24 games. To address their defensive fragility, the Pride traded their
2020 NWSL Draft No. 1 pick to the
Portland Thorns in exchange for defender
Emily Sonnett. The Thorns also traded the NWSL rights to forward
Caitlin Foord, as well as the No. 7 and No. 14 draft picks in the 2020 draft. With the introduction of allocation money, the Pride also signed veteran defender
Ali Riley and defensive midfielder
Jade Moore. The waiving, trading, or departure of 16 players signaled the team's intention to overhaul the roster. The start of the regular
2020 season was halted by the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic. In June and July 2020, the NWSL held the 25-game
2020 NWSL Challenge Cup tournament in a "bubble" environment in Utah. However, the Orlando Pride was forced to withdraw when multiple players and staff tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the Pride solely played in the
2020 Fall Series, which began in September and featured a regional "pod" structure that only guaranteed four games for each team. Many veteran players had opted to sign loan or short-term contracts overseas for additional playing time, resulting in the Pride playing with a depleted roster. Amidst the Fall Series, the Pride exercised the contract option to keep Marc Skinner through the 2021 season. Prior to the
2021 season, the Pride continued to rebuild the team and club structure. The organization hired Ian Fleming as Orlando Pride general manager and former NWSL managing director
Amanda Duffy as the team's first executive vice president. In December 2020, the Pride traded
Emily Sonnett to the
Washington Spirit in exchange for midfielder
Meggie Dougherty Howard, the
2021 NWSL College Draft No. 9 pick, an additional conditional first-round draft pick in the upcoming draft, and $140,000 in allocation money. Another 17 players were waived, traded, or otherwise departed, including stalwarts like
Alanna Kennedy,
Camila,
Shelina Zadorsky,
Emily van Egmond,
Kristen Edmonds, and
Carson Pickett. Defensive additions like
Amy Turner,
Kylie Strom,
Courtney Petersen (No. 7 draft pick), and
Phoebe McClernon (no. 14 draft pick); midfield reinforcements like
Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir and
Erika Tymrak; and a resurgence from the forward line, helped facilitate an improved record. On April 22, 2021, the Pride won their first competitive match in 609 days as part of the
2021 NWSL Challenge Cup. The team began their season with a seven-game unbeaten streak. On May 12, 2021, Orlando City majority owner Flávio Augusto da Silva announced he was in advanced negotiations with
Zygi and
Mark Wilf, owners of the
Minnesota Vikings of the
NFL, for the sale of the club including the Orlando Pride and other related soccer assets. The combined value of the deal was estimated at $400–450 million. On July 21, 2021, the sale was completed. On July 23, 2021,
Marc Skinner resigned to become the head coach of
Manchester United W.F.C.; assistant coach Carl Green served as interim coach for one game prior to his own departure. On July 25, former University of Florida coach Becky Burleigh became the Pride's interim coach for the rest of season. After a late-season slide, the Orlando Pride finished the regular season in 8th place with a 7–7–10 record and missed out on the playoffs.
Amanda Cromwell and Seb Hines (interim) (2022–2023) After several months of searching, the Orlando Pride hired UCLA head coach
Amanda Cromwell as head coach on December 7, 2021. The Pride also hired former USWNT player
Michelle Akers as an assistant coach. Additionally, the Pride's roster saw substantial turnover as co-captains
Ali Krieger and
Ashlyn Harris were traded to
NJ/NY Gotham FC,
Alex Morgan was traded to
San Diego Wave FC, and
Ali Riley (and in the summer,
Sydney Leroux) were traded to
Angel City FC. In turn, the Pride acquired Welsh midfielder
Angharad James, right-back
Celia, defender
Megan Oyster, goalkeeper
Anna Moorhouse, and forward
Ally Watt (among others) throughout the season. Early in the
2022 season, the Pride showed some defensive improvement, but overall progress was halted as
Marta tore her ACL and was placed on the season-ending injury list. On June 7, 2022, the NWSL and the Pride placed Cromwell and assistant coach Sam Greene on "temporary administrative leave" for "retaliation in violation of the NWSL Policy to Prevent and Eliminate Workplace Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying"; the league also placed the Pride under a roster freeze to prevent any potential retaliatory trades or player waivers. Cromwell and Greene's suspensions were conferred based on policies developed in the wake of the 2021
investigation into systematic misconduct and harassment throughout the league. Hines oversaw the final 15 matches of the season, during which the Pride boasted a seven-game unbeaten streak and increased both offensive and defensive production. On October 10, 2022, following the league's investigation, Cromwell and Greene were formally terminated based on findings of "verbal abuse, 'improper favoritism,' and retaliation." Ultimately, the Pride finished the season in 10th of 12th place and with a 5–7–10 record. The Pride's
2023 season started slowly with four consecutive losses. However, offensive improvements spearheaded by new Brazilian international
Adriana and forward
Julie Doyle, in addition to a more consistent defense led by
Kylie Strom, centerback pairing
Emily Madril and
Rafaelle, and goalkeeper
Anna Moorhouse, made the Pride contenders for a playoff spot. Nevertheless, the club had one of its best seasons in its history
to that point: the most home wins (7); the fewest goals (28) and goals per game (1.28) conceded; the most clean sheets (7); the most games won (10) since 2017; and the most goals scored in a match (5). Subsequently, the Pride made several significant acquisitions, including Zambian forward
Barbra Banda. On October 6, 2024, Orlando Pride won their first trophy, clinching the
NWSL Shield with three games to spare following a 2–0 win against
Washington Spirit. Pride remained unbeaten on the season to that point, a streak of 24 regular-season matches stretching back to October 2023. The streak was ended by
Portland Thorns in the following game on October 11. On November 23, Orlando Pride defeated Washington Spirit at
CPKC Stadium in
Kansas City, Missouri in the NWSL playoffs final, allowing them to claim their first league title. Orlando Pride's championship victory made the club the first team from Orlando to win a major championship.
Team name, crest and colors The name Orlando Pride was announced on October 20, 2015, by founder and president Phil Rawlins. He noted that the name "captures how we all feel about the City of Orlando, as well as firmly tying into the
Lions family"
Uniform evolution Home Away == Stadium ==