Orlando Pride

2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Kerry Abello

A switch from midfield to left back led to a place on the NWSL Best XI Second Team for Abello. Vamos!

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4 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The Orlando Pride selected Kerry Abello 24th overall in the 2021 NWSL Draft, but didn’t sign her to a contract until Jan 28, 2022, because Abello decided to return to Penn State for a fifth season. On Feb. 23, 2023, the Pride re-signed Abello to a new two-year contract through 2024 with an option for 2025, and on March 1, 2024 they re-signed her to a new three-year contract through the 2026 season.

When writing about Abello, there is of course only one way to get started, and that is to say, “vamos!“

Statistical Breakdown

After two seasons playing primarily as a midfielder Abello moved to the starting left back for the 2024 season and played in every game during the NWSL regular season, starting all but one and playing 2,122 minutes. Offensively, she took nine shots, putting five on target and scoring one goal. Abello completed 78.2% of her passes, with two key passes and two assists, completing seven crosses and 36 long balls. She was also one of only two defensive players in the NWSL to have more than 50 progressive carries (carries of more than 10 yards in the attacking half of the field) and more than two goal contributions during regular-season play. On the defensive side, she won 35 tackles, had 26 interceptions, and won 28 headed duels. She committed 19 fouls and suffered 15 fouls, earning two yellow cards.

In the NWSL playoffs, the Penn State product started all three games, playing 266 minutes. She did not register a goal contribution, took one off-target shot, completed 74.4% of her 90 passes. Defensively, Abello won four tackles and intercepted the ball once. She committed four fouls and was fouled once. She earned one yellow card, which came in the 31st minute of the championship match.

Abello played in two of the Pride’s three NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup matches, starting one game and coming off the bench in the other, logging a total of 94 minutes. She did not score a goal but assisted on one while not taking any shots in the competition. Abello completed 86.3% of her passes, completing one key pass, two crosses, and three long balls. On the defensive side, she won one tackle, one interception, and one headed duel. Abello committed two fouls, suffered none, and was not booked.

Best Game

After opening the season with three consecutive draws, the Pride finally got their first win of the season on April 12, defeating the Utah Royals 1-0. The team went on to win a club-record eight consecutive games, and it all started with an assist from Abello in the 68th minute against Utah, as the left back ventured all the way forward to the byline to play a cross into the danger zone in front of the goal to Marta, who did what Marta does and put it away for the game-winning goal.

“I saw that Ally (Watt) was getting into a crossing position and I knew that I had to make that back post,” Abello said about the play. “So I got up there and she hit it back post and I knew that we had other players in the box. So my only thinking was just to put it back across and let them do their thing. Someone almost got to it which opened up that path to Marta who put it away.”

Abello went the full 90 minutes in the Pride’s first clean sheet of the 2024 season, playing solid defense (blocking three shots, winning two tackles and making one interception), and contributing offensively as well, with a team-leading five progressive carries and four completed passes into the attacking third, along with two successful take-ons and the aforementioned one game-winning assist. Marta may have scored the goal, but I thought Abello was the player of the match, and that this was her best overall performance during the 2024 season.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gives Abello a composite rating of 7 out of 10 for the 2024 season. This is a big improvement over the 5.5 we gave her last year and the 5 she received in 2022. She established herself as a critical part of an outstanding defense, and she was one of only four Pride players (along with fellow defensive players Anna Moorhouse, Emily Sams and Kylie Strom) to play more than 2,000 NWSL minutes during the 2024 season.

2025 Outlook

For much of the 2024 season, the Pride did not have a natural left back to compete with Abello for minutes, due to Strom moving inside, but the late season acquisition of Carson Pickett, who is signed through the 2025 season, means that there will be increased competition at left back next season. Abello made the NWSL Best XI Second Team, and was a rock on the left side for the Pride, so it is likely her position to lose when the season starts next spring. The former midfielder adapted extremely well to the left back role in 2024, making darting runs up the left side of the field and showing her offensive acumen when she was on the ball. She developed a good partnership with Adriana on the left wing, staying wide when Adriana would cut inside or using her dribbling ability to cut inside herself.

Abello’s ability to get forward and participate in the attack did sometimes lead to her being slightly out of position when tracking back on defense, but for a player in her first full season as a left back at the NWSL level, I thought she was excellent, and I expect another solid season from her in defense in 2025. I can only hope that she also delivers another viral commercial that we can enjoy and talk about all season long as well.

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