2023 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Adriana

The Orlando Pride signed Brazilian international Adriana on Jan. 19, 2023 to a three-year contract through the 2025 NWSL season. Deployed in a number of midfield and advanced positions for her national team, the Pride mostly opted to utilize Adriana as a forward in a 4-3-3 or a winger in a 4-2-3-1 throughout her first season with the Pride. She was a revelation, leading the Pride attack in 2023 and performing well to help lead Orlando to the cusp of a playoff spot. Although she was completely snubbed in the league’s Best XI voting (not even making the second team, despite a standout season), it’s fair to say that Adriana was one of the club’s bright spots this year.

Let’s take a look at Adriana’s first NWSL season.

Statistical Breakdown

Adriana appeared in 19 of Orlando’s 22 NWSL regular-season matches in 2023 (all starts), missing two games due to international duty and one due to injury and logging 1,645 minutes. She finished fourth on the team in minutes, fourth in starts, and seventh in appearances. She tied for the Pride lead in both goals (6, with Messiah Bright) and assists (4, with Marta), attempting a team-high 41 (non-blocked) shots and putting a club-best 25 on target. She attempted 59 total shot attempts (including blocked efforts). Adriana passed at a 75.5% success rate, completing 46 key passes, and 36.8% of her long passes, but just three of 32 open-play cross attempts. Defensively, Adriana tracked back well and finished with nine interceptions and two blocks. She was successful on 77.3% of her 17 tackle attempts, 47.8% of her 203 duels, and 50% of her 18 aerial duels. She won 35 fouls, committed 20, and received two yellow cards on the season.

In the NWSL Challenge Cup, Adriana wasn’t used much, playing just eight minutes off the bench in her one appearance in the competition. This was largely due to her being on international duty for four of the six matches. She did not contribute a goal or assist, attempting two shots and putting one on frame. Adriana completed just one of her five pass attempts in the match (20%) and did not attempt a long pass or a cross or record a key pass. She did not compile any defensive stats except a duel won on her only attempt. She won one foul without committing any and was not booked.

Best Game

Adriana’s best match came on June 11 in the Pride’s 3-1 home win over the Portland Thorns. After Orlando fell behind 1-0 in the 20th minute on a Sophia Smith goal, Adriana turned the game around with her first Pride brace. The first of those two goals came just six minutes after Smith gave the visitors the lead. Adriana stood over a free kick just outside the penalty area on the left side. She went short side and placed her spot kick perfectly to level the game in the 26th minute.

The teams went to the locker room tied at 1-1 at the break thanks to Adriana’s free kick, but it didn’t take the Brazilian long after the restart to give the Pride the lead. Taking a pass from Ally Watt in transition, Adriana set up her defender, cut to her right to free up the shot and fired inside the right post to make it 2-1 in the 47th minute. Her second goal of the match was the 100th NWSL goal scored in league play by a Brazilian player.

Bright added an insurance goal to put the game away, giving Orlando just its third game ever against the Thorns. It was Orlando’s third straight win at home. In addition to her two goals, Adriana fired five total shots, puttin two on target. She passed at a 90.5% success rate, completed three key passes, and won three tackles in the game. She also drew three free kicks, committed two fouls, and was booked in the game.

2023 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Adriana a composite grade of 7.5 out of 10 for the 2023 season. The 27-year-old was a fantastic signing, and although she only scored one goal in her first 10 games, she finished strong, notching five to go along with three assists across her final nine matches in 2023. Adriana’s presence and quality kept the Pride in playoff contention to the season’s final day and had she not had to miss the away match at OL Reign due to injury, the Pride may well have reached the postseason.

2024 Outlook

Signed through 2025, I expect Adriana to be an automatic starter for every game she’s available. She seemed to figure the NWSL out over the course of the second half of the season and that, combined with the Pride adding two of her Brazilian international teammates to Orlando’s midfield this off-season (plus…more moves to come?) could elevate Adriana to a whole new level of success in 2024. She will likely be the Pride’s best player next season (depending on who else is added) and may well be in the running for some postseason awards if the Pride has a successful season.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

• Kaylie Collins (10/23/23)
• Amanda Allen (10/24/23)
• Celia (10/25/23)
• Brianna Martinez (10/26/23)
• Thais Reiss (10/29/23)
• Mariana Larroquette (10/30/23)
• Tori Hansen (11/1/23)
• Jordyn Listro (11/2/23)
• Caitlin Cosme (11/5/23)
• Summer Yates (11/6/23)
• Ally Watt (11/9/23)
• Megan Montefusco (11/13/23)
• Carly Nelson (11/14/23)
• Julie Doyle (11/16/23)
• Viviana Villacorta (11/20/23)
• Kerry Abello (11/23/23)
• Rafaelle (11/27/23)
• Erika Tymrak (11/28/23)
• Haley McCutcheon (11/29/23)
• Kylie Strom (11/30/23)
• Anna Moorhouse (12/4/23)
• Emily Madril (12/6/23)
• Messiah Bright (12/7/23)
• Marta (12/11/23)

Thus concludes our 2023 Orlando Pride Season in Review series of player ratings. We hope you have enjoyed it, but more importantly, we hope that we have sufficiently explained our rationale behind the scores we’ve given the players.