After finishing seventh in the National Women’s Soccer League table last season, the North Carolina Courage felt like they needed to make a deal to acquire a few more pieces in the NWSL Draft on Thursday night, apparently.
So, the Courage shipped Diana Ordonez and the No. 30 overall pick to the Houston Dash in exchange for the No. 8 overall pick, a 2023 international roster spot, the Dash’s 2024 first-round pick and $100,000 in allocation money.
Ordonez was the Courage’s first-round pick in last year’s draft and impressed mightily as a 20-year-old rookie, scoring 11 goals in 19 games. That was the second most for North Carolina behind Brazilian midfielder Debinha, who left the team via free agency to join the Kansas City Current. It seemed, for a moment, that Ordonez was due for a starring role.
Naturally, some of Ordonez’s Courage teammates were unhappy with the transaction.
One vocal critic was the team’s longtime captain, centerback Abby Erceg.
Yup, it’s official. We still suck a trades in 2023 https://t.co/JteQOJMS4V
— Abby Erceg (@abbyerceg) January 12, 2023
Fellow Courage teammate Carson Pickett chimed in with a tweet too, saying, “Hate this for us, love it for you.”
Courage coach Sean Nahas later told reporters that Ordonez – a native of Mexico – wanted to be closer to her family.
Sean Nahas says that Diana Ordoñez wanted to be closer to her family, and the Courage wanted to honor that request
— Claire Watkins (@ScoutRipley) January 13, 2023
Erceg has been with the Courage since the team relocated to Cary, N.C. from western New York in 2017. So, she’s been there for the good (two NWSL championships in 2018 and 2019) and the bad (the firing of Paul Riley and a recent decline in attendance). Erceg has also played in four World Cups for New Zealand and has been named to the NWSL’s Best XI or Second XI four times. So, perhaps she knows a good goal-scorer – like Ordonez – when she sees one.
The trade for Ordonez and previous deals gave the Courage four first round picks in Thursday’s NWSL Draft. North Carolina selected Notre Dame forward Olivia Wyngate, Cal defender Sydney Collins, Florida State midfielder Clara Robbins, and Virginia forward Haley Hopkins.
