After a few days of speculation and an announcement from of the teams, the Orlando Pride have announced the trade that sends Pride original Alex Morgan to expansion side San Diego Wave FC in exchange for and a league-record $275,000 in allocation money and Welsh international midfielder Angharad James.

“Alex has been the consummate professional and an integral part of bringing this franchise to Orlando and creating tremendous memories along the way,” Pride General Manager Ian Fleming said in a club statement. “We are grateful for her leadership and she will always be a part of the Orlando Pride family. We wish her the best in this next chapter of her career. We continue to be excited for the future of our organization, including welcoming Angharad to our roster. She is a strong box-to-box presence and will be a stabilizing force in the midfield. She has proven this year that she can handle the rigors of our league, and we look forward to her continued growth and development playing in the NWSL.”

With the trade, Morgan’s tenure with the Pride comes to an end, spanning the first six years of the club, which began in 2016. In those six years in Orlando, Morgan made 69 appearances scoring 23 goals and 10 assists, which is second all-time in Pride history, just behind Marta, who sits first in both categories.

The player that the Pride received in the trade, Angharad James, joins the Pride after spending last year with the North Carolina Courage. After coming stateside for the first time in 2021 from England’s Reading FC, the midfielder made 17 appearances for the Courage, scoring just one goal. James has also made 93 appearances for the Welsh national team, scoring four goals. It is also notable that James is engaged to Pride defender Amy Turner, reuniting the couple in Orlando.

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