Orlando Pride Announce 2019 Opening Day Roster

The Orlando Pride officially announced their roster for opening day of the 2019 NWSL season today and it includes four new signings as well as four supplemental players. The Pride announced that 2019 NWSL College Draft selections Erin Greening and Marisa Viggiano have been signed to the official 21-player roster, as well as 2018 Pride national team replacement players Abby Elinsky and Bridget Callahan.

The Pride selected Greening with the seventh pick in the third round (25th overall) in the 2019 draft. The Colorado University product made 74 appearances over four years (52 starts), scoring two goals and adding four assists.

Orlando snapped up Viggiano just five spots after Greening, with the third pick of the fourth round. The midfielder started in each of her final 83 consecutive matches of her collegiate career. It was the third-longest such streak in school history. Viggiano was a four-year starter with the Wildcats, making 17 or more appearances in all four seasons of her college career. She scored five goals to go along with her 20 assists.

Goalkeeper Lainey Burdett, midfielder Joanna Boyles, and forwards Caitlin Farrell and Sydney Leroux are listed on the Pride roster as supplemental players. Leroux, a returning starter, is pregnant with a child due this summer, while the others had been training with Orlando during this preseason.

Burdett, a Las Vegas native, played collegiate soccer at the University of Arizona, where she was the Wildcats’ all-time shutouts leader and a two-time All-Pac-12 selection. Last year, she played the most minutes (1,965 minutes) among all goalkeepers in the Pac-12 and started in the second most games (21) in the conference.

Boyles scored 14 goals and added 17 assists at the University of North Carolina, as she replaced the graduating Crystal Dunn in her sophomore year and bounced back from two ACL tears to help win the conference championship as a senior in 2017. She was a fourth-round draft pick by the Boston Breakers in 2018 before the team unexpectedly folded a week later. The 23-year-old eventually landed with the Chicago Red Stars via the dispersal draft, where she became a national team replacement player. She also played for the U.S. at the 2012 U-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan and helped the team win the 2012 Concacaf U-17 Championship in Guatemala.

Farrell appeared in 92 games (75 starts) for the Georgetown Hoyas, scoring 30 goals and registering 19 assists. She was named the Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Year and was a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, yet went undrafted in 2019. The speedy forward was a prolific goal scorer for Georgetown as a senior, setting a single-season team record with 18 goals as she started in all 25 of the Hoyas’ games.

The opening day roster includes three players who require international slots: defender Alanna Kennedy, midfielder Emily van Egmond, and forward Marta. The club has an open slot plus the one acquired by trading Christine Nairn to the Houston Dash. Goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris and forward Alex Morgan continue to be allocated players from the United States Soccer Federation, while center back Shelina Zadorsky is still allocated by Canada.

The Pride will open the 2019 season at home on Sunday against the Portland Thorns at 5 p.m. ET.

2019 Orlando Pride Opening Day Roster

Goalkeepers (3): Lainey Burdett (SUP), Ashlyn Harris (FED-USA), Haley Kopmeyer.

Defenders (7): Erin Greening, Alanna Kennedy (INTL-AUS), Ali Krieger, Carson Pickett, Toni Pressley, Morgan Reid, Shelina Zadorsky (FED-CAN).

Midfielders (7): Joanna Boyles (SUP), Bridget Callahan, Kristen Edmonds, Abby Elinsky, Emily van Egmond (INTL-AUS), Marisa Viggiano, Dani Weatherholt.

Forwards (8): Danica Evans, Caitlin Farrell (SUP), Rachel Hill, Sydney Leroux (SUP), Camila, Alex Morgan (FED-USA), Chioma Ubogagu, Marta (INTL-BRA). 

FED: Federation Player
SUP: Supplemental Player
INTL: International Player