ORLANDO, Fla. (January 18, 2017) – Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan, goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris and defender Ali Krieger were all awarded 2016 CONCACAF end-of-year awards, it was announced today. Morgan won Female Player of the Year; Harris won Female Goalkeeper of the Year; and Krieger was named to the Best XI squad.
Morgan, 27, earns the honor for the second time after leading the U.S. Women’s National Team with 17 goals, including six against the world’s top-10 teams. The forward was named captain for the Pride’s inaugural season, scoring four goals and one assist, including a highlight-reel 79th minute game-winner against Western New York on May 14. That goal, as well as her Sept. 7 tally at Sky Blue, would go on to win NWSL Goal of the Week.
Morgan is currently playing with French club Olympique Lyonnais and tallied an assist last week in her 72 minute debut for the Division 1-leading side. She will rejoin the Pride following the conclusion of Lyon’s season.
Harris, 31, earns her second 2016 Goalkeeper of the Year recognition after enjoying an outstanding year for Orlando Pride and the USWNT. The 30-year-old made 62 saves, posted a goals-against-average of 1.33 and four clean sheets in 15 appearances for the Pride to earn NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year. Harris also won NWSL Save of the Week nine times and also became the first member of an expansion team to win an end-of-year league award.
The Satellite Beach, Fla., native made three starts for the U.S. WNT and earned her third career clean sheet on Sept. 15 against Thailand. Harris was an alternate on the U.S. WNT Rio Olympic team and was on the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup-winning squad.
Krieger, 32, was acquired by the Pride in November in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Spirit. The veteran defender led Washington to its third straight postseason appearance, eventually falling to Western New York in penalty kicks in the NWSL Championship match. Krieger played in 15 matches last season, scoring a goal during the regular season and another in the Spirit’s semi-final victory over the Chicago Red Stars.
On the international stage, Krieger made her Olympic debut with the U.S. WNT on Aug. 6 in the team’s 1-0 win over France. The D.C.-area native has 96 international caps on her resume, making 15 appearances in the red, white and blue last year.
The CONCACAF Awards honor players and achievements in CONCACAF-sanctioned tournaments and competitions involving the Confederation’s national teams at all levels, including FIFA World Cups and World Cup qualifying. Performances also eligible for recognition include those achieved in professional club football leagues under CONCACAF’s stewardship in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, as well as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
Voting on these awards was cast by Member Associations’ men’s and women’s national team coaches and captains, media and fans. Harris and Krieger were previously named winners for the same awards in the fan-only vote.
