Orlando Pride Add Forward Simone Charley to Season-Ending Injury List

Orlando Pride forward Simone Charley has been added to the season-ending injury list for the 2024 NWSL season after suffering a ruptured right Achilles tendon in training this week. The attacker will undergo surgery next week at the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute. It’s the second straight season that Charley has suffered such an injury after doing so last year with Angel City FC.

“We are beyond devastated for Simone and that she is facing this challenge for the second season in a row,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter said in a club press release. “We have seen how hard she was working to get on the pitch and make an impact with us here in Orlando, so it is incredibly unfair that this has happened to her again. Simone knows she has the complete support of everyone here at the club — from the staff to her teammates — and the best possible care through our medical team and partners at Orlando Health, and we will do all we can to get her back on the field.”

Charley was preparing for her first season with the Pride. The club signed the free agent to a two-year contract on Jan. 24, after she spent the last two seasons with Angel City FC. This is the second consecutive year that Charley has suffered this injury and, coincidentally, in the same city. She ruptured her left Achilles last season on April 2 in Orlando while playing for Angel City against the Pride.

The Vanderbilt University product went undrafted in the 2018 NWSL College Draft but joined the Portland Thorns as a non-roster invitee in 2018. She signed with the team in 2019 and continued with the club through 2021. She was traded to expansion side Angel City on Dec. 8, 2021, scoring three times in 23 appearances in all competitions. Her 2023 season ended when she was placed on the season-ending injury list on April 11.

What It Means for Orlando

Charley joined the Pride to add depth to the team’s attack, a focus this off-season. The club focused on defense last off-season and was intent on improving the attack this year. Charley provided someone that could play in the midfield or up top, a necessity after Messiah Bright was traded to Angel City on Jan. 26. The veteran had some injury concerns, but was seen as someone that could contribute if she could stay healthy.

The forward is the second Pride player to go down with a season-ending injury this preseason. Center back Megan Montefusco underwent surgery this off-season to repair a long-term problem in her right foot. It’s the second consecutive preseason that the Pride have lost a potentially key player to a season-ending injury. Carrie Lawrence tore her ACL during training last year, resulting in the versatile defender missing the 2023 NWSL season.

While the injury to Charley is disappointing for the Pride, they’ve done well to create the necessary depth to deal with such a loss. They already have Ally watt, Mariana Larroquette, and Amanda Allen at the position and signed Zambia international Barbra Banda on March 7. The latest addition will likely start most games and provides the depth that makes Charley’s loss more bearable.