Orlando Pride Extend Emily Sams’ Contract through 2027

The Orlando Pride announced this afternoon that the club has extended the contract to 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year Emily Sams. The U.S. international, who was recently named to the 2025 SheBelieves Cup roster, signed a new deal to remain with the Pride through the 2027 NWSL season.

Sams, 25, was previously under contract through 2026. She likely received a bump in pay to commit to an additional year after having a career year in helping lead the Pride to the 2024 NWSL Shield and 2024 NWSL Championship. She also received her first cap with the United States Women’s National Team in 2024.

“Extending Emily’s future with the Pride through 2027 represents an important milestone for our club,” Orlando Pride Vice President and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “Emily embodies everything we value in a Pride player — exceptional talent, unwavering commitment, and strong leadership both on and off the field. Her defensive prowess and ability to read the game have been instrumental to our back line, and her presence in the locker room helps drive the culture we’re building here in Orlando. This extension reflects not only our belief in Emily’s abilities but also our commitment to maintaining a core group of players who understand what it means to represent this club and this community.” 

Selected third overall in the 2023 NWSL Draft, Sams appeared in 25 games during the 2024 regular season (24 starts) and logged 2,185 minutes, which was the most playing time among all outfield players and second on the club only to goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse. The only match she didn’t start and play the entire 90 minutes was the road game against the Portland Thorns — the match immediately after the Pride won the NWSL Shield. This came on the heels of playing all but three minutes of her rookie season in 2023.

She scored her first professional goal on two shots — both of which were on target —  and provided three assists in the regular season. Sams completed 1,159 of her 1,314 passes (88%). Defensively, she contributed 24 tackles and 26 interceptions, winning 31 headed duels.

In the NWSL playoffs, Sams started in all three games, logging 270 minutes. She did not score or attempt a shot, but she recorded an assist. The defender connected on 144 of her 158 postseason passes (91%). Defensively, Sams contributed four tackles and three interceptions.

Due to her participation as an alternate on the USWNT at the Summer Olympics, Sams did not appear in the Summer Cup matches. She was moved to the active roster for a match during the Olympics but did not feature.

Sams led the Pride to numerous club and league records, including the longest shutout streak in NWSL history (554) and the most shutouts in one season (13). For her efforts, she became the first Orlando player to win NWSL Defender of the Year and made the NWSL Best XI first team. She received a rating of 9 out of 10 from The Mane Land staff following the 2024 campaign for her performance throughout the season.

Along with all the other awards she won, Sams became the first player to win an Olympic Gold Medal and the NWSL Championship in the same year.

What It Means for Orlando

This is great news for Orlando Pride fans. In an off-season that saw multiple U.S. internationals leave the NWSL to play overseas, the NWSL is still a star-studded league, and Sams is one of those stars. To have a player of her caliber commit to Orlando when competing against historic clubs that have UEFA Champions League-winning ambitions for the services of top players is a win for the Pride. That isn’t to say she couldn’t or won’t be sold at some point, but by locking her into a deal for an additional year is important, even if a deal comes along that is too good to pass up (and has the player’s blessing).

Sams is just entering the prime of her career and is already one of the best defenders in women’s soccer, as shown by her Defender of the Year turn in 2024. She will be counted on to anchor the Pride back line for the remainder of her time in Orlando and she likely has more development to come. This is a player the Pride will continue to build around as a cornerstone of the club.