The Orlando Pride have added USWNT forward Alex Morgan to their 20-player roster ahead of this weekend's match. To make this change, they have waived forward Christina Burkenroad.
Morgan was due to continue her fifth season in the NWSL as one of the allocated US players for the Pride this season, but has not been on the roster until now due to her time spent with Lyon in France. While overseas, she and her club won the 2017 UEFA Women's Champions League in a dramatic championship match that went all the way down to two rounds of penalty kicks. She also suffered a hamstring injury in the championship match, and will continue rehabbing before she is cleared to play. The Pride expect Morgan to be available for games in two to three weeks.
Pride head coach Tom Sermanni said, “Alex is going to add another dimension of our attacking ability. I think we already have a great deal of mobility and attack, and, somebody like Alex coming back into the team will add to that further. Obviously, bringing someone like Alex back gives everybody a boost - the players, the team, the Club and the supporters. So there’s a whole range of positives with Alex coming back into the fold.”
Burkenroad was the Orlando Pride's third pick - No. 32 overall - in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. The former Cal State Fullerton standout made eight appearances of Orlando with a total of 261 minutes.
It should also be noted that just last week, there was speculation fo Burkenroad going overseas for the remainder of the season.
On the 23-year-old's release Sermanni shared, “We’re sad to see Christina leave the Pride. She has been a dedicated professional and a wonderful contributor to our team, the Club and the community. Knowing her playing time would likely have been limited with Alex’s return, we believed it would be in her best interest to provide her the opportunity to explore other options for her career. We wish Christina every success and look forward to seeing her continuing to grow both on and off the field.”
The Pride continue their 2017 campaign this weekend when they host the Houston Dash on Saturday.
All quotes are courtesy of the Orlando Pride's official press release.