Orlando Pride

2025 Orlando Pride Season In Review: Haley McCutcheon

The midfielder reached a career high for goal contributions while providing solid defense and leadership as a vice-captain.

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5 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Pride acquired Haley McCutcheon (née Haley Hanson) in a midseason trade with the Houston Dash on Aug. 18, 2022. Following the 2022 season, the University of Nebraska product signed a new contract through 2024, which the club then extended through 2026 a year later on Dec. 20, 2023. Earlier this year, on June 25, the Pride extended McCutcheon again, and she is now under contract with the Pride through the 2028 season.

Though she joined the Pride having primarily played on the back line while with Houston, during the past two seasons she has played almost exclusively as a defensive midfielder, providing a strong bridge between the defensive and attacking groups.

Let’s take a look back at the midfielder’s fourth season with the Pride.

Statistical Breakdown

McCutcheon started and went the full 90 minutes in the NWSL Challenge Cup game against Washington, playing alongside Morgan Gautrat in the middle of the field in the beginning of the game but moving to right back in the second half. The one shot she took did not hit the target but nearly every pass she played did, as she completed 92% of her passes with one key pass late in the game that nearly led to a Barbra Banda goal. She also added two tackles on defense and committed one foul. She was not booked.

In NWSL regular-season play McCutcheon appeared in all of Orlando’s 26 matches, starting 25 and playing a total of 2,177 minutes, which was third most on the team. She put nine of her 25 shots on target and converted three of them into goals — a career high. The former first-round draft pick completed 77% of her passes with a team-leading and career-high four assists (tied for 11th most in the NWSL) from her 16 key passes and four successful crosses. On the defensive side, she compiled a team-high 56 tackles, while also tallying 22 interceptions, seven blocked shots, and 75 clearances. She committed 33 fouls, suffered 13, and received two yellow cards.

McCutcheon went the distance in both of the Pride’s playoff games, playing all 180 minutes. As compared to the regular season, she was considerably less accurate with her passing, completing only 67% of her passes with one key pass, but she rose to the moment by opening the Pride’s playoff scoring account with a goal against Seattle. That goal came on her only shot on target during the playoffs out of her three attempts. She was an active defender though, contributing five tackles, five interceptions, two blocked shots, and three clearances. She committed four fouls, suffered none, and was not booked.

Seb Hines rested McCutcheon for most of the Concacaf W Champions Cup, playing her in only one game and for 45 minutes. McCutcheon came off the bench in the final group stage game against Pachuca and took an off-target shot, completed 17 of her 20 pass attempts (85%), and did not contribute any defensive statistics of the few that were tracked during that competition. She was not booked.

Best Game

McCutcheon’s most prolific game of the season came in a loss, so I will honor her one goal and one assist game against Chicago by mentioning it,, but for her best game I am going to go with the the playoff-opening 2-0 win over Seattle, when McCutcheon once again became McClutcheon, scoring the game’s opening goal and her third playoff goal in her fourth playoff appearance for the Pride.

That goal was huge, but just as huge was the defensive effort put forth by McCutcheon after scoring, as she contributed a season-high eight interruptions (tackles + interceptions), as well as a blocked shot and two clearances. Seattle outplayed the Pride for most of the game, nearly doubling the Pride in shots taken and more than doubling them in expected goals from open play, but Orlando’s defensive effort, led by McCutcheon, the team leader in both tackles and interceptions, kept the visitors off the scoreboard. It was a strong all-around performance by the midfielder in a do-or-die game, and I believe it was her best of the 2025 season.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave McCutcheon a composite grade of 6 out of 10, a slight step down from the 6.5 we gave her last year. It matches the 6 we gave her in 2023 and is much better than the 5 out of 10 grade she received in her first season in Orlando in 2022. She increased her goal contributions but slightly declined in her pass completion percentage, defensive interruptions per 90 minutes, and touches per 90 minutes — all critical areas for a defensive midfielder. On the whole, it was a solid season for the midfielder, but there were some consistency issues, and like many of the Pride’s players, there was a slight bit of regression from 2024 to 2025.

2026 Outlook

The Pride signed McCutcheon through 2028 earlier this season, so unless they trade her in the off-season she will be back with the club in 2026. Since joining the Pride in 2022, she has started nearly every NWSL game, and that likely will continue next season as well. The Pride’s issues this season were more offensive than defensive, and with nearly every key defensive player coming back, the team will plan to rely on that continuity and stability in the back while trying to figure out how to execute better on the attacking side of the field.

McCutcheon figures to be alongside Angelina in the central midfield for many of the Pride’s games next season, and the club will hope that she can replicate her offensive output while continuing to be a defensive destroyer. She is still in her prime, so I expect that she will play heavy minutes again in 2026, while reaching 100 games played with the club (she is currently at 89), and she will be one of the Pride’s key players as they target another run at the NWSL championship.

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