Orlando Pride Sign 2024 First-Round Draft Pick Ally Lemos

The Orlando Pride announced that the club has signed midfielder Ally Lemos to a two-year contract through 2025. Lemos was the Pride’s first selection (No. 9 overall) in the 2024 NWSL Draft out of UCLA. She becomes the first of Orlando’s four 2024 selections to sign a professional contract with the club.

“We drafted Ally knowing she has the potential to come in and make a difference for us on the field,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter said in a club press release. “She is a young player, and we are investing in her development over time, but she has already demonstrated notable maturity in how she studies the game and in her approach to training and off-the-field priorities. She’s demonstrated she knows how to win championships at the collegiate level, and we are confident our veteran leadership and staff will help her successfully transition into the professional game.” 

A native of Glendora, CA, Lemos started every game in her UCLA career, including all 19 of UCLA’s games in 2023, leading all UCLA field players in minutes (1,596). She scored two goals and added two assists last season from the central midfield. She placed 11 of her 23 shot attempts on target (48%).

During her freshman year, Lemos started all 25 of UCLA’s matches, playing 1,966 minutes, scoring once, and adding nine assists. Her nine assists led the Bruins and tied for the Pac-12 lead. Lemos was one of just two Bruins, and the only field player, to start all 25 games. She put 12 of her 25 shots on target (48%). She was named to the 2022 College Cup All-Tournament Team, was a second-team All-Pacific Region player, and earned third-team All-Pac-12 honors. A member of the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, Lemos was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Freshman Best XI first team.

She has also been part of the USWNT youth setup, getting selected for U.S. national team training camps from U-14 through U-20. Lemos was on the U-20 USWNT at the 2023 Concacaf Championships.

“This is a very special opportunity and one I will never, ever take for granted,” Lemos said in the club’s press release. “This team and organization are incredible, and it is everything I want to be a part of. “I will give everything I have and give everything I can contribute to help bring the City Beautiful a championship.”

Lemos is the third first-round pick the Pride have taken from UCLA — all within the last four drafts — joining Viviana Villacorta (2021) and Mia Fishel (2022). Villacorta will be Lemos’ teammate in 2024 barring anything unforeseen, while Fishel never signed with the Pride. When the Pride selected her, Lemos became the fourth-youngest draftee in NWSL history.

What It Means for Orlando

With the signing of this contract, Lemos is now officially a part of Orlando’s plans. A midfielder with a ton of upside, Lemos won’t need to start right away. She’ll be given time to develop and learn from veteran players and won’t be rushed into the lineup, although she may have the talent to claim a starting spot anyway.

She’ll be part of a rebuilt central midfield designed to help the Pride keep the ball. Along with the rest of her defensive midfield teammates, Lemos will be expected to move the ball between the back line and the attack quickly and accurately while on the pitch — and to win back possession from the opposition.

Lemos may be tasked with helping the United States in the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, which takes place in August and September, so there’s a chance she’ll miss some time but the experience on such a big stage will only help her development.

The fact that Lemos signed is a positive, as it shows the club’s faith in the selection. It leaves Cori Dyke, Alex Kerr, and Talia Gabarra as the remaining unsigned 2024 draftees.