ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 12, 2024) — Orlando Pride has signed midfielder Morgan Gautrat to a new contract that will keep the two-time FIFA World Cup champion in Orlando through the 2025 season, with a mutual option for 2026, it was announced today.
"Morgan has come in and proven to be a great addition to our Club. She has quickly become someone that our younger players can look to for guidance and advice off the pitch, while also putting in strong, consistent performances on it,” VP of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said. “Morgan knows how to win at the Club and international level and has helped bring that knowledge and professionalism into our locker room. We are very excited to have Morgan with us for the future.”
“I am so excited to be staying here with the Orlando Pride for the next couple of years. What we have here and the culture that is being created is something so special and I am thrilled to be a part of it,” Gautrat said. “Growing up playing here in Florida and now playing here professionally has only solidified that Orlando is home. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to represent this badge and will work as hard as I can to help the Club achieve all of its goals.”
In 2024, Gautrat has appeared in 13 matches for the Pride across all competitions. Playing an integral part in possessing the ball in the midfield for the Pride, Gautrat has posted a career high in passing accuracy with 86.6 percent successful passes.
Prior to coming to Orlando via a trade with Kansas City, Gautrat appeared in seven matches across all competitions for the Current, with a portion of her year cut short due to injury. Gautrat spent six seasons with the Chicago Red Stars where she helped Chicago to four-straight playoff appearances. She appeared in 62 matches and scored six goals across all competitions during her time with the Red Stars. In 2018, Gautrat also had a stint with French club Olympique Lyonnais where she appeared in four matches and recorded one goal and one assist.
Gautrat originally entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NWSL Draft by the Houston Dash. During her rookie season, she appeared in 10 matches but spent a majority of the year with the USWNT in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. After that season, she would go on to log over 1,000 minutes for the Dash while also helping the USWNT in the 2016 Olympics.
On an international level, the midfielder has played a vital role for her country playing with the USWNT at serval youth and senior levels. She helped the U.S. finish third at the 2010 U17 World Cup when she was just 15 years old. She was also a member of the team that won the 2012 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
At the senior level, the St. Simons Island, Ga., native has made 88 appearances and tallied eight goals and 11 assists, making her senior team debut on June 15, 2013. She won two FIFA Women’s World Cups in both 2015 and 2019 and was the youngest member of the 2015 winning squad.
Gautrat played at the University of Virginia from 2011-14, where she finished as one of the program’s most decorated players. She earned multiple All-Conference and All-Regional team honors and finished with 41 goals and 43 assists. She was also nominated for the MAC Hermann Trophy three times and won it two of those times in back-to-back seasons in 2013 and 2014.
TRANSACTION: Orlando Pride signs midfielder Morgan Gautrat to a new contract through the 2025 season, with a mutual option for 2026.
