ORLANDO, Fla. (December 19, 2017) - Orlando Pride forwards Alex Morgan and Marta as well as defender Ali Krieger have been named to the 2017 Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Female Best XI, it was announced today.
Morgan, 28, was named the 2017 CONCACAF Female Player of the Year on Sunday night after leading the U.S. Women’s National Team with seven goals and scoring a total of 21 with her club teams (nine with Orlando Pride, 12 with Olympique Lyonnais). It was the third time Morgan was honored with the award, the most by any player, making her a back-to-back winner after taking home the accolade in 2016 as well.
Marta, 31, made an impact in her first season in Central Florida, leading the Pride with 13 goals and six assists. Marta played in 23 regular season matches, scoring four game-winning goals. The Brazilian legend was named to the NWSL Team of the Month each month from June to September and took home September Player of the Month honors. Marta was also named to the 2017 NWSL Best XI and won Week 16 Goal of the Week.
Internationally, Marta led the Brazil Women’s National Team to a 7-5-2 record during the 2017 calendar year, while scoring seven goals as the team’s captain. Before joining the Pride, Marta was a member of Swedish side FC Rosengård, leading the club to the quarterfinal round of the 2016-17 UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Krieger, 33, was the only Pride player to play all 2,160 minutes this season. While playing primarily as a center back, Krieger added two assist and was named to the 2017 NWSL Best XI as well as the NWSL Team of the Month for June and August. The Penn State product led the Pride in clearances (107), interceptions (47) and successful passes (1,099).
Krieger made two appearances for the U.S. WNT during 2017, starting on March 4 against England in the SheBelieves Cup and coming in as a substitute on April 6 against Russia.
Midfielder Camila’s 16th-minute goal against the Houston Dash on June 17 finished as runner up for the 2017 CONCACAF Goal of the Year.
Season tickets for the 2018 Orlando Pride season are currently available and can be purchased at orlando-pride.com/tickets or by calling (855) ORL-CITY.
CONCACAF Awards are selected on an equally-weighted vote among Member Association women’s and men’s national team coaches/captains, media members and fans. Winners were announced on Sunday night during the Premios Univision Deportes.
