ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 11, 2022) - Ahead of the 2022 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) preseason, the Orlando Pride has acquired forward Darian Jenkins from the Kansas City Current. In exchange, the 2021 expansion side receives $75,000 in Allocation Money and the Pride’s 2023 NWSL Draft natural second round pick.
“We are very proud to be able to welcome Darian to our Club. We have followed Darian's progress for some time and felt that this was the right moment and the right deal to be able to bring her to Orlando,” Pride General Manager Ian Fleming said. “It is a new and exciting era for the Pride and Darian's qualities fit the vision we have for the future of our organization. We are pleased that she is going to be a part of it.”
Jenkins, 27, joins the Pride following one season in Kansas City where she finished tied for the team lead with three goals on the year, registering 23 appearances and 18 starts in all competitions. Prior to that she spent two years with OL Reign, tallying 23 appearances with 16 starts, scoring four goals and adding an assist. In that span, Jenkins also enjoyed loan spells at the Melbourne Victory of the then Australian W-League, followed by a stint at FC Girondins de Bordeaux in France’s top-flight.
A native of Murray, Utah, Jenkins was selected at No. 7 overall by the North Carolina Courage at the 2017 NWSL College Draft, but was not added to the active roster until the following year due to injury. She would go on to make her NWSL debut on March 24, 2018, finishing out the 2018 campaign with 14 appearances on a Courage side that lifted both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship that season.
A product out of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Jenkins enjoyed a four-year career playing under current Orlando Pride Head Coach Amanda Cromwell, leading the Bruins in scoring as a freshman en route to their 2013 NCAA Championship. She finished her career at UCLA with 29 goals and 12 assists in 76 appearances, earning All Pac-12 honors in three of her four seasons. On the international stage, Jenkins has appeared for the U.S. at the U-17, U-18 and U-23 levels, tallying six caps and two goals across all levels.
TRANSACTION: Orlando Pride acquires Darian Jenkins from Kansas City in exchange for $75,000 in Allocation Money and Orlando’s natural second round pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft.
Darian Jenkins
Position: Forward
Height: 5-10
Born: January 5, 1995 in Murray, Utah
Hometown: Riverton, Utah
College: University of California, Los Angeles
Citizenship: USA
