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State pro notes: Orlando Pride release Hagen ahead of Marta signing

04/08/2017, 8:00am CDT
By ERIC ANDERSON

Reports surfaced over the past month that the Orlando Pride were in discussions to sign Brazilian star Marta, the five-time FIFA World Player of the Year. The National Women's Soccer League team did just that on Friday.

However, the Pride needed to make room on their roster to accommodate the addition and remain under league the salary cap. On Thursday, the second-year team waived forward Sarah Hagen (Appleton North/UW-Milwaukee).

The 27-year-old was one of the first players to sign with Orlando, arriving in a trade with FC Kansas City in October 2015. She quickly became a fan favorite in Florida, and had two goals and one assist in 17 appearances (8 starts) as the Pride (6-13-1) finished ninth in the 10-team league in their inaugural season.

"Making a move like this is never easy, and it was an incredibly difficult decision to part ways with Sarah,” Orlando coach Tom Sermanni said in a news release. "Sarah has been a consummate professional both on and off the field. We thank her for her commitment to the Pride and wish her the best of luck in her future, hopefully in the NWSL."

Hagen came to the NWSL in summer 2014 on the heels of a highly successful 2½-year stint at Bayern Munich – she scored 43 goals in 60 appearances for the German club. She had eight goals and three assists in 25 appearances (19 starts) in her two seasons with FC Kansas City, winning NWSL titles each season.

On Twitter: @sarahapplehagen

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