In January, the NWSL announced the official roster size was increasing to 22 with the minimum now set at 20 and a further supplemental roster of four players available to each team, along with the salary cap and minimal salaries increasing. This is not only a sign of the league’s growth but also a response to this summer’s World Cup and preceding international friendlies which look set to decimate squads across the league.
The Orlando Pride’s preliminary roster currently stands at 18 following today’s re-signing announcement and the off-season departures of Poliana, Monica, and Christine Nairn, so it doesn’t take a math genius to work out that Orlando is as many as four players short in a year that is set to stretch even the best built squads to its limits.