Orlando Pride midfielder Becky Edwards has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2016 NWSL season. Edwards last game of the season and her career is this Saturday, September 24th when they host FC Kansas City. Edwards is in her first season with Orlando after being traded in the offseason from the Western New York Flash.
NWSL career
Edwards has played for four different NWSL teams in four years. She began her NWSL career with the Portland Thorns. She played in ten matches before tearing her ACL. At the time of her injury, she was on the brink of being called into the United States Women’s national team by then head coach Tom Sermanni.
After recovering from her ACL injury, she was selected by the Houston Dash with the eighth pick in the 2014 NWSL Expansion Draft. In her lone season with the Dash, she played in every minute of the Dash’s first 23 games. She was then traded to the Flash. After being traded to the Flash, she was named team captain and played in every minute. She scored two goals and assisted on three others during the 2015 season.
Prior to the beginning of the 2016 season, she was once again traded but this time, she was sent to the Pride. She has appeared in 15 games, nine of them being starts for Orlando. She has yet to register a goal or an assist.
Why she is retiring
In a press release from the Orlando Pride, Edwards explained why she is retiring:
“It’s been seven years playing professionally and, in my heart, it feels right. I’ve had a good career and I think I’ve given it my all in every environment I’ve been in. For me, personally, it feels like it’s time for something else. I feel satisfied,” Edwards said. “I’ve played with some of the best players in the world; I’ve won championships. It just feels like it’s time. Being here in Orlando has been incredible; the organization has been awesome. Now, I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life.”
Pride head Coach Tom Sermanni has this to say about Edwards; “Becky has been a distinguished player in women's soccer; she had an exceptional college career at FSU, one of the most prestigious programs in the US, and an outstanding professional career in the US and overseas. She is a consummate professional and one of the most respected players in the game by players and coaches alike."
Sermanni continued; “She's been an outstanding leader here in Orlando and made a significant contribution to our team both on and off the field in our inaugural year. I wish her every success moving forward. She will always remain a part of the Pride family.”
Her career prior to playing in the NWSL
Edwards was a four-year letter winner at the Florida State University. She left FSU with 89 career starts, fifth all-time, and was third all-time in overall appearances with 95. During her senior season with the Seminoles, she was named team captain and was named as a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, an award given to college soccer’s most valuable player.
After leaving college, she joined WPS side FC Gold Pride and won a league championship. The following year she became a back-to-back champion as she helped lead the Flash to the title in 2011. She also won the inaugural NWSL Championship with the Thorns in 2013 in her injury-shortened season.
She also has experience with the national team level. She was the captain of the 2008 U.S. U20 Women’s national team. With her current Orlando teammate, Alex Morgan, Edwards, and the United States beat North Korea 2-1 to win the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.