Former Orlando Pride coach Tom Sermanni blasted his previous team in an interview with ESPN this weekend, saying the club discriminated against the New Zealand national team by electing not to release its captains ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
Sermanni said both the Orlando Pride and the North Carolina Courage refused to release Ferns captains Ali Riley and Abby Erceg for Week 8 of the NWSL season while stars from Brazil, Canada and the U.S. were allowed to report to their teams in Tokyo.
“The release date of each player is evaluated on an individual basis, factoring the respective national team’s request, the FIFA required release date, the decisions made by other teams in the National Women’s Soccer League as well as the input of the player,” the Pride said in a statement.