Orlando Pride Trade Emily Sams to Angel City

In a surprising turn of events, the Orlando Pride have sent 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year to Angel City FC in a trade, as the Emily Sams era in the City Beautiful has come to a shock end. In exchange, the Pride receive $650,000 in intraleague transfer funds. She departs after three seasons in Orlando, during which she established herself as one of the league’s best defenders.

The Pride had just extended Sams’ stay in Orlando 11 months ago with a new contract that runs through 2027.

“Emily requested the opportunity to consider other options, and while she will be missed, we pride ourselves on being a club that supports players’ personal ambitions or choices, on and off the field,,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said in a club press release. “She leaves a lasting legacy in Orlando and we are grateful for all that she has done for the club and our community. We wish her nothing but success as she begins this next chapter of her career.”

Sams will now play out her contract in Los Angeles after asking out of Orlando — a painful reminder of a time in the Pride’s history when players regularly asked out before Haley Carter and Hines built a new, positive club culture from the ground up.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the Orlando Pride organization for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to grow as a player and a person over the last few years,” Sams said in the club’s release. “The support from the team, staff and fans has meant the world to me, and I’ll always have a huge appreciation for the city of Orlando and this club. I wish the Pride all the best moving forward and am looking forward to my next chapter of my career.”

Orlando selected the former Florida State star with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft. Sams, a two-time national champion (2018 and 2021) signed a contract with the National Women’s Soccer League through 2025 after leaving the Seminoles and was loaned to Swedish side BK Hacken FF prior to being drafted. After a stellar first year with Orlando, in which she played all but three minutes in the regular season, Sams was rewarded by the Pride with a new contract through 2026 before signing her extension last February.

During her stay in Orlando, the Pride set numerous club and league records in 2024 en route to winning both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship. In 86 appearances with the Pride across all competitions — seventh-most in club history —Sams scored one goal and added two assists. In 2024, Sams helped Orlando set the NWSL record for the most team clean sheets in a season (13) and most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal (554). 

The Pride returned to the playoffs in 2025 and came within a whisker of reaching their second straight final before falling on a last-gasp set piece goal against eventual champion Gotham FC. That success was due in no small part to the team’s defense, as the Pride struggled to score goals last season.

Orlando gave Sams the stage to play her way onto the United States Women’s National Team, and she’s earned seven caps so far, coming off the bench late on Nov. 28 in front of her club fans at Inter&Co Stadium in a 3-0 win over Italy.

“It was great, great to hear all the fans chanting my name, and just so fun to be able to represent Orlando for the national team,” Sams said after that game. “Great to see so many familiar faces that normally are in Pride gear, and today they’re in the U.S. gear. So, very cool to see all of them.”

What It Means for Orlando

Obviously, this isn’t news Orlando fans will want to hear. The Pride will be without Kylie Nadaner until she gives birth and has had time to get back into playing shape. Meanwhile, fellow starter Rafaelle has been injury prone since her arrival in Orlando. That puts a lot of pressure on others to perform, and it likely means Orlando will need to add another center back. Newly acquired Hannah Anderson and Cori Dyke can play the position, but that’s hardly a replacement and not an ideal situation, nor is relying on second-year player Zara Chavoshi, who has shown promise but has been inconsistent so far. The club does, however, have an influx of cash to spend on a replacement.

While the $650,000 in intraleague transfer funds is a club record, the second-highest total in league history, and a record sum for a defender, it still feels like an underwhelming return for a recent NWSL Defender of the Year winner when compared to some of the recent transfer fees for players who have signed in England. Still, the Pride surely shopped around to find the best deal they could while trying to respect the player’s wishes on a landing spot. How the club uses that return for Sams will ultimately determine how this transaction will be viewed in the future. For the short term, the team has a gaping hole on the back line.