Top 10 Moments of 2023: Orlando Pride Sign Forward Adriana

As we count down to the new year of 2024 — which will be Orlando City’s 10th in MLS and the Orlando Pride’s ninth in the NWSL — and say goodbye to 2023, it’s time to look back at the club’s 10 best moments of the year as selected by The Mane Land staff via vote.

Back on Jan. 19, the Orlando Pride signed Brazil national team attacker Adriana Leal da Silva (commonly known simply as Adriana, but nicknamed “the wizard”) on a transfer from São Paulo-based Brazilian side Corinthians. The Pride used Allocation Money for both the signing and the transfer, inking Adriana to a three-year contract that runs through the 2025 season.

It was a transformative signing and was such a boost to the team that it is our No. 6 moment of 2023.

Although it took Adriana a while to settle in with her new teammates and surroundings, as is often the case with a player traveling abroad to join a new club, she ended up being the club’s most vital (and probably most valuable) player. Adriana gave the Pride another dangerous attacking piece, both via the shot and the pass, with pace.

“I am very happy to have signed with Orlando Pride, a special club,” Adriana said in the club’s press release. “I am happy and excited to arrive there quickly and be able to do my best on the field to help Orlando win titles. It’s a big challenge ahead and we athletes are motivated by challenges. I’m ready to face all of them with all our strength as a team and fight tooth-and-nail. I hope it’s a very successful season for myself and for Orlando. Again, I am very happy to be part of this great club.”

As mentioned earlier, Adriana didn’t start clicking right away. She merely showed glimpses of her talent and what attributes she could bring to the team. It took her five matches to score her first goal and she earned her first NWSL assist in the same game — a 3-1 road win over the San Diego Wave on April 29. It’s probably not a coincidence that it was the Pride’s first win of the season. Her first goal contribution was a corner kick delivery that turned into an assist when Mikayla Cluff headed it into the back of the net to tie the score in the 26th minute. Haley McCutcheon put the Pride ahead just before halftime. Adriana then added an insurance goal in the 69th minute, freeing herself up with her footwork and placing a perfect shot inside the far post. It was a great way to open her Pride account.

Adriana went five more games before her next goal contribution, but she was starting to show signs of the dangerous attacker she is, averaging three shot attempts per match in that span. She broke through with a two-goal performance in a 3-1 win over the Portland Thorns on June 11. That game was The Mane Land’s No. 8 Moment of 2023.

Missing two matches on international duty and another due to injury, Adriana played in eight of the Pride’s final 11 matches of the season. She added three more goals and three more assists to her season total across her final eight games of the season. That enabled her to finish with a share of the team lead in goals (6) and assists (4) for the team’s 2023 campaign. But she was a threat throughout most of those final eight matches to end up with even more goal contributions.

Adriana ultimately appeared in 19 of Orlando’s 22 NWSL regular-season matches in 2023 (all starts), logging 1,645 minutes. She finished fourth on the team in minutes, fourth in starts, and seventh in appearances. She attempted a team-high 41 (non-blocked) shots and put a club-best 25 on target. 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, and she did not contribute a goal or assist, attempting two shots and putting one on frame.

The Mane Land staff gave Adriana a composite rating of 7.5 out of 10 for her 2023 season. It’s not a stretch to say she was the Pride’s most valuable player this season. With another off-season with the team coming up, she should be able to contribute even more in 2024, and potentially avoid the two slumps she had at the start of the year.

Her signing, and the jolt of quality and attacking prowess Adriana gave the Pride in 2023, got the Pride within goal differential of earning just their second ever postseason appearance. That’s why her signing is a worthy inclusion in our list of the best moments of 2023.

Come back through New Year’s Eve as we count down the remainder of Orlando City’s top 10 moments of 2023.

Previous Top Moments of 2023

10. The Orlando Pride select breakout stars Emily Madril and Messiah Bright in the 2023 NWSL Draft.
9. OCB draws at Chicago and then wins a shootout, clinching its first playoff spot since 2016.

8. Orlando Pride dump Portland Thorns 3-1 in June, kick-starting the team’s push for the playoffs.

7. Orlando City gets a late goal to defeat Santos Laguna 3-2 in Leagues Cup play, earning its first win over Liga MX competition.