The Orlando Pride are close to acquiring U.S. Women’s National Team star Alex Morgan from the Portland Thorns, Sports Illustrated reports.
The Orlando Pride are set to acquire Alex Morgan, a source tells Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated. A source confirmed to Orlando Sports Daily there have been negotiations to bring the U.S. national star to the new NWSL team.
According to Wahl, Morgan requested the transfer to Orlando so she can live in the same city as her husband, Orlando City midfield Servando Carrasco.
The Pride will give up the first pick in the NWSL Draft, two international selection slots, U.S. national team defender Meghan Klingenberg (who Houston will not protect in the upcoming expansion draft) and potentially Lindsey Horan if she decides to leave Paris St. Germain.
It is a lot to give up for sure, but it is also a player who provides instant star power and notoriety to the newest team in NWSL. Phil Rawlins has never been afraid to make a splash as he has continually made moves to make his new soccer enterprises in Orlando.
This would certainly be considered a splash.
Morgan is the first woman to grace the cover of EA Sports’ FIFA video game franchise and she is believed to be the second highest paid women’s soccer player in the world — with a $450,000 salary and more than a million dollars in endorsements.
She is a draw all on her own.
So why is Portland getting rid of her? According to Wahl, Portland would not agree to the deal unless Morgan made it clear she wanted the move for personal reasons.
Portland though is in very good position as a franchise. The Thorns had the most attended game of the 2015 season with 21,144 fans at their July 22 game against the Seattle Reign FC. Portland had an average attendance of 15,639. The league’s average attendance is 5,046. Portland dwarfs that.
And the Thorns are coming off a runner-up finish in the league.
Morgan struggled last year too. She appeared in only four games as she had a knee injury and then played for the U.S. Women’s National Team at the 2015 Women’s World Cup. She tallied only one goal and two assists in that time. In two previous seasons with Portland, Morgan scored 14 goals and eight assists in 32 appearances.
At the Women’s World Cup last summer in Canada, Morgan tallied one goal, but helped draw two penalties as the U.S. captured the World Cup.
Morgan is a draw on her own and is one of the top players in the world. She still has some growing to do herself at 26 years old.
The Orlando Pride may not be done either. In addition to Morgan, the Pride have been connected to national team players Sydney Leroux and Ashlyn Harris. Rawlins continues to be ambitious with the players he brings in and the expectations he has for his teams.
Orlando Pride start play in 2016. The rest of the roster will be completed in the course of the next few months.
