Orlando Pride
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Ally Lemos
A look at the rookie midfielder’s first professional season in Orlando.
The Orlando Pride selected midfielder Ally Lemos with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft — the team’s first selection. The Pride wasted little time inking the UCLA standout to a two-year deal through the 2025 season just two weeks after the draft on Jan. 26.
Lemos got on the field quickly, making her professional debut in the Pride’s opening match of the 2024 season at Racing Louisville. The Pride were down a goal and a player when she was introduced, and Lemos was part of a gritty comeback as Orlando struck late through Summer Yates to salvage a road draw. The Pride’s refusal to lose lasted another 25 games in all competitions.
Let’s look at how Lemos fared during her first professional season, which was interrupted periodically for U.S. youth international duty for the young midfielder, who celebrated her 20th birthday in early March.
Statistical Breakdown
Lemos appeared in 13 regular-season matches for Orlando in 2024, starting two and logging 337 minutes. Her first season ended without a goal contribution or key pass, but Lemos attempted two shots, putting neither on frame. She passed at a 78% rate, completing 15 long balls and a cross. Defensively, Lemos tallied eight tackles, winning those challenges at a 57% success rate, with one interception and 14 headed duels won. The rookie committed four fouls, drew three, and was booked once.
In the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, Lemos had a bigger role, playing in all three matches and starting two, playing a total of 212 minutes. The defensive midfielder had no goal contributions but attempted a shot, which was not on target. She passed at an 81% rate, completing three long balls but no key passes. Defensively, she finished the tournament with three tackles, four interceptions, and four headed duels won. She committed three fouls, drew four on her opponents, and was not booked in the competition.
After seemingly earning a spot in the regular rotation midseason, missing time away on international duty cut into her role down the stretch, and Lemos did not appear in any of Orlando’s three playoff matches.
Best Game
There were muiltiple good options for Lemos’ best game in 2024, including her first NWSL start in the Pride’s 1-0 win over Racing Louisville on May 5, which saw the midfielder play a regular-season high 87 minutes and complete 84% of her passes. However, I’m going with her performance in a 90-minute outing in the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup in Orlando’s 2-2 draw and 5-4 shootout win over CF Monterrey on July 28 at Inter&Co Stadium.
Lemos went the full 90 minutes for Orlando. She didn’t have a goal contribution, but she managed a season-high three shot attempts, although none of them required a save. She set a career high in passing accuracy (86.96%) for a game with at least 10 attempts, which she later broke in a much shorter outing at Portland. She attempted 46 passes in the game, completing 40 on her 68 total touches. Lemos won four tackles and recorded an interception in the match, committing one foul while not drawing one, but she was not booked. The rookie also helped her team in the penalty shootout, scoring on her attempt to help the Pride edge out Monterrey 5-4 from the spot to earn the extra point.
2024 Final Grade
The Mane Land staff gives Lemos a 5.5 out of 10 composite score for her first NWSL season. There’s certainly no shame in a player her age not getting more minutes, particularly when she missed several matches while participating in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, where she helped the United States finish third in the competition. Seb Hines shortened his bench to some extent in the playoffs and leaned on his starters for longer than usual, but that’s not surprising and not a reflection on Lemos as a player. After all, when you’ve got former USWNT standout Morgan Gautrat off the bench, it’s going to be tough for a current U-20 player to get the nod. The 2024 season was one Lemos can, and likely will, build on.
2025 Outlook
Lemos is young and has a ton of upside. The fact that on this roster she could find regular minutes in central midfield as a rookie illustrates that potential. She will get stronger and wiser over time, and she should push for more minutes in 2025, even with the Pride’s depth in the middle of the pitch. On the day Lemos signed her first professional contract, Haley Carter said in a club press release, “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.”
That speaks well for Lemos’ future. Next season might just be one more step toward the player she will become, but an expanded role isn’t out of the question. She’ll just need to earn it.