ORLANDO, Fla. (July 16, 2024) — Orlando Pride has inked midfielder Viviana Villacorta through the 2025 season, with a mutual option for 2026, it was announced today. Villacorta, who is currently working her way back from a season-ending injury suffered in 2023, was selected by the Pride with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft.
“Viv has shown she has the potential to be one of the best midfielders in the league, but has been unable to fully showcase that due to last season’s late injury. Despite the setback, she has persevered, put in the work to get back on the pitch, and has remained an incredible teammate throughout the entire process,” VP of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter said. “She has proven to be a difference maker when on the field, and we are looking forward to seeing her return soon.”
“I am so grateful for the club and staff for believing in me and giving me this opportunity,” Villacorta said. “To be able to continue my journey with this incredible group of people supporting me, means the world. Orlando has been home for the past three years and I can’t wait to get back out on the field and give everything I have.”
The midfielder has made 36 appearances across all competitions since getting drafted by the Pride, making her professional debut on May 1 in the Pride’s 2022 regular season opener. In 2023, Villacorta appeared in 16 matches and recorded one assist before her season was cut short following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in her left knee.
A product out of UCLA, Villacorta appeared in all 72 potential games for the Bruins with 60 starts and tallied seven goals to go along with 16 assists in her collegiate career. In 2020 she was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List in the preseason after earning Secon-Team All-Pac 12 honors for two consecutive seasons in 2018 and 2019.
On an international level, Villacorta has represented the United States through the youth ranks and was a starter for the U.S. at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
TRANSACTION: Orlando Pride signs midfielder Viviana Villacorta to a two-year contract through the 2025 season, with a mutual option for 2026.
