Orlando Pride, Erika Tymrak Mutually Agree to Terminate Contract

The Orlando Pride announced today that the club and midfielder Erika Tymrak have agreed to mutually terminate the veteran midfielder’s contract, ending her playing time in the City Beautiful after three seasons. The 32-year-old has been playing in the National Women’s Soccer League since its inaugural season in 2013.

“It’s been a privilege to be part of the NWSL since its beginning, and I’m so thankful to everyone who has supported me along the way,” Tymrak said in a club press release. “I want to thank the Orlando Pride and the Orlando community for making this my home for the last three years. Thank you to the staff, to all of my teammates along the way and, of course, thank you to our incredible fans for your support. It’s time for me to move on to a new challenge but I leave with so much gratitude for the time I’ve had at this club.”

Tymrak was acquired from the Kansas City Current on Jan. 30, 2021, along with midfielder Gunny Jónsdóttir, in exchange for Kristen Edmonds and Orlando’s natural second-round selection in the 2022 NWSL Draft. The veteran had retired in January of 2020 but decided to return to her pro career, and the Pride signed her to a contract on Feb. 5, 2021, just days after acquiring her rights. The Pride picked up Tymrak’s 2022 contract option following the 2021 season before re-signing her to her recently terminated contract, which was scheduled to run through the upcoming 2024 season.

“Erika has meant so much to the culture and direction of the club since joining us in 2021,” Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter said in the club’s press release. “She has done so much for our club, for this league, and for women’s soccer as a whole, and we were so lucky to have her do so while representing the Pride. She epitomizes what it means to be a professional in this league and has set the standard for so many other players to follow. Erika is someone we love both as a player and person, and we wish her nothing but the best in what she chooses to do next.”

Tymrak entered the league after being drafted by FC Kansas City in the second round (No. 11 overall) in the 2013 NWSL Draft. She played with three different clubs (FC Kansas City, Utah Royals FC/Kansas City Current, and the Pride) over the course of her career, making 186 appearances and contributing a symmetrical 21 goals and 21 assists. Since joining Orlando prior to the 2021 season, the Detroit, MI native has made 61 appearances, scored two goals and added seven assists.

In her final season with the Pride, Tymrak appeared in 13 matches (10 starts) and played 806 minutes in the NWSL regular season. She did not score a goal in 2023, but did contribute three assists on 21 key passes. Of her 11 shots on the season, she put just three of them on target while three others were blocked. She passed at a 73.4% rate. Defensively, Tymrak won eight of 17 tackles (47.1%), 40 of 93 duels (43%), and just one of nine aerial duels (11.1%). She tallied three interceptions on the year. Tymrak won 14 fouls from the opposition while committing only four and was not booked on the season.

In the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup, Tymrak appeared in all six of Orlando’s games, starting four, and played 337 minutes. She did not score a goal but contributed one assist on four key passes. Tymrak passed at just a 64.9% rate on 74 attempts. The University of Florida product recorded five interceptions on the defensive end, won two of three tackle attempts (66.7%), and won 19 of 42 duels (45.2%). She did not win any of her four aerial duels (0%). Tymrak won 11 fouls from the opposition while committing just two and was not booked.

For her efforts this past season, The Mane Land staff gave her a composite rating of 5.5 out of 10.

She recorded her 150th appearance across all NWSL competitions on March 30, 2022, against NJ/NY Gotham FC. She was named NWSL Rookie of the Year for the 2013 season after scoring a career-high six goals to go along with four assists during the campaign. She also played a crucial role in winning back-to-back NWSL Championships with FC Kansas City in 2014 and 2015.

During her three-year tenure with the Pride, Tymrak reached multiple career milestones, including making her 150th career NWSL appearance and being honored with induction to the University of Florida’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

What It Means for Orlando

This move leaves the Pride with one fewer attacking midfielder. Although Tymrak’s performances were a bit uneven over the last couple of years, she provided experience and intelligence to a young and rebuilding club, but her minutes were declining as Head Coach Seb Hines had to play Adriana and Marta and often chose to go with the younger and faster Ally Watt or Julie Doyle in the attack. Although her experience was valuable, the club has several veterans who can provide that — Marta, Mariana Larroquette, and Morgan Gautrat to name a few.

The Pride may yet have another signing or two up Carter’s sleeve and with all of the augmentation Orlando has done in the defensive midfield, it seems logical that if that happens, it will be to bolster the attack. Tymrak hasn’t supplied many goal contributions of late and tends to be inaccurate in front of the net. The Pride also appear to favor players with more pace in the attack.

This move has obviously been in the works as the club sent Tymrak out with a nice video tribute of her time in purple: