Welcome to your match preview as the Orlando Pride prepare for their first-ever playoff home game against the Chicago Red Stars. This is the first time the two teams have met in the postseason and the third time they’ll play this year.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

The Pride and Red Stars have played every season since Orlando’s entrance into the NWSL except 2020. The teams have played 20 games, with the Pride going 6-12-2. The Pride have struggled against the Red Stars in Orlando with a record of 1-7-2.

The Pride and Red Stars last met on Sept. 8 in Illinois. Marta’s 37th-minute goal was the difference as the Pride came away with a 1-0 win. On March 29 in Orlando, the Pride took the lead early through a Taylor Malham own goal, but Mallory Swanson equalized in the 64th minute, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

The first meeting of 2023 was on May 27 in Illinois. Orlando dominated the entire 90 minutes, with Chicago only getting two chances on its home field. But the Pride struggled to hit the target, and Yuki Nagasato’s goal was the difference as the Pride fell 1-0.  The Aug. 20 matchup was the debut of Pride center back Rafaelle and the Brazilian scored in the 15th minute to give Orlando the lead. The hosts continued their attack, resulting in four more goals. Messiah Bright scored a pair, new signing Mariana Larroquette scored her first Pride goal, and Mikayla Cluff capped off the night with a goal as the Pride won 5-0.

The first meeting of 2022 took place on May 22 in Orlando. Sarah Griffin gave the visitors the lead, and Bianca St. Georges and Swanson made it 3-0 Chicago. It appeared as though the Red Stars would run away with the game, but the final 10 minutes saw three goals and two penalties for an exciting finish. Sydney Leroux missed a penalty, but Amy Turner scored the Pride’s first goal late. Swanson converted her penalty moments later, and Leah Pruitt scored her first goal for the Pride a minute after that in a 4-2 Red Stars win. The second meeting of the 2022 season was on June 12 in Illinois. Swanson capitalized on an early Pride turnover and the Red Stars held on for the 1-0 win.

The teams met three times during the 2021 season, but didn’t play until Aug. 8 in Illinois. Jodie Taylor and Leroux scored for the Pride before halftime. The 2-0 win ended a six-game winless streak and was the first NWSL victory for interim head coach Becky Burleigh.

The second meeting was Oct. 13 in Bridgeview, a rescheduled game that was originally supposed to take place Oct. 2. Kealia Watt scored early and the Red Stars defended that lead for 84 minutes on their way to a 1-0 result. The teams met again Oct. 29, 2021, in Orlando in the final game of the regular season. The Red Stars controlled the game but the Pride held off the Chicago attack for 65 minutes, at which point Watt scored the lone goal in a 1-0 Chicago win.

The Pride and Red Stars didn’t play in the 2020 Fall Series, so the last meeting prior to 2021 came in 2019. The first game was June 30 at Exploria Stadium. Goals by Chioma Ubogagu and Marta were topped by a Sam Kerr hat trick as the Red Stars won 3-2. The second game was on Aug. 21 in Bridgeview. The Pride took a 2-0 lead with goals by Rachel Hill and Ubogagu. Tierna Davidson cut the lead in half for Chicago, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride won 2-1. 

The third meeting in 2021 came on Sept. 11 in Orlando. Casey Short stole the game for Chicago with the game’s lone goal five minutes into second-half injury time as the Red Stars won, 1-0.

The 2018 NWSL season saw the Pride and Red Stars meet three times. On May 2 in Bridgeview, Hill and Ubogagu scored in a 2-0 Pride win. They met in the same location May 26, with a Leroux brace and goals by Hill, Alex Morgan, and Dani Weatherholt leading to a 5-2 Pride win. The Red Stars were led by a Kerr brace, resulting in a 3-1 victory over the Pride on Aug. 25 in Orlando in the third meeting of 2018.

The Pride and Red Stars met three times in 2017 — the first year that they played that many games against each other. A Christen Press goal on July 1 lifted Chicago to a 1-0 win. On July 22 in Bridgeview, a Press brace led her team to a 2-1 win. The final meeting came a week later in Orlando. Morgan and Sofia Huerta traded goals in a 1-1 draw.

The Red Stars won both meetings in 2016 by 1-0 final scores.

Overview

The Pride went unbeaten through their first 23 games of the season, capping off the run with a 2-0 win over the Washington Spirit on Oct. 6 to clinch the NWSL Shield. A heavily-rotated team lost to the Portland Thorns 2-0 the following game and a mostly-first choice lineup lost 3-1 to NJ/NY Gotham FC for their second-consecutive loss.

Returning home for the season finale Saturday, the Pride were able to gain a little momentum by defeating Seattle Reign FC 3-2. However, the final three games were arguably the three worst performances of the regular season. Fortunately, the Pride didn’t lose any more players during the season’s final stretch, so Head Coach Seb Hines will have his full complement of players who led the team since the Summer Cup break ended.

Tonight, the Pride will play in just their second playoff game all-time and the first in Orlando. The only other playoff game was on Oct. 7, 2017, in Portland, which the Pride lost 4-1 away from home. That was back when only four teams made the postseason, with the Pride being the fourth seed.

The big question for the Pride in this game is how the defense will perform. The Pride conceded just 13 goals in the first 23 games of the season and then gave up seven in the final three. Rather than spectacular performances by the opposition, those goals largely were due to defensive errors and a lack of concentration, especially on set pieces.

The Pride took a commanding lead atop the league earlier this season, giving them plenty of room for a poor performance here and there. They won’t have that luxury tonight as the winners will move on to the semifinals and the losers will see their season come to an end.

The Red Stars had an opportunity to avoid the league’s best team in the quarterfinal round but lost 3-1 to the Kansas City Current at home on Sunday. As a result, they finished the regular season in the eighth and final playoff spot. The Red Stars were in the middle of the league in both goals scored and conceded this year. Their 31 goals scored were eighth most and their 38 goals conceded were seventh most.

While Chicago has leaked goals at times this year, the Pride have struggled to break the Red Stars down, only scoring once in each of their two matchups this season. However, the meeting in Orlando was in the third game of the season when the Pride were still finding themselves.

Defensively, the key to the game will be stopping Swanson. The U.S. international leads the team with seven goals and four assists in 24 games this season. The key to the Pride’s success in Bridgeview was their ability to keep Swanson off the ball. If they can do similar tonight, they’ll create most of the chances and have a good chance of getting through.

“We feel good. We feel excited,” Hines said about tonight’s game. “First game in Pride history that we’re hosting a playoff game. Hopefully, we’ll get a good turnout. We’ll need the fans to push us forward to get the win. But the players are excited, they’re ready, they’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. So, yeah, we’re excited that we get to host the Chicago Red Stars in the first playoff game.”

The Pride moved Rafaelle (thigh), who has been out since the Olympics, to the season-ending injury list on Tuesday. Other Pride players out for this game include Megan Montefusco (heel), Luana (illness), Simone Charley (ankle), and Grace Chanda (thigh). All of those players have season-ending injuries or illnesses.

Chicago will play tonight without Ludmila (suspension), Ava Cook (knee), Sam Staab (Achilles), and Sarah Griffith (ankle).

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Projected Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Carson Pickett, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, Cori Dyke.

Defensive Midfielders: Morgan Gautrat, Angelina.

Midfielders: Julie Doyle, Marta, Adriana.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Chicago Red Stars (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Alyssa Naeher.

Defenders: Natalia Kuikka, Hannah Anderson, Cari Roccaro, Taylor Malham.

Defensive Midfielders: Bea Franklin, Julia Grosso.

Midfielders: Mallory Swanson, Shea Groom, Jameese Joseph.

Forward: Ally Schlegel.

Referees

REF: Alyssa Nichols.
AR1: Stephen McGonagle.
AR2: Rhett Hammil.
4TH: Nabil Bensalah.
VAR: Ekaterina Koroleva.
AVAR: Tom Felice.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 8 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: None.

Streaming: Prime Video.

Twitter: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @TheManeLand and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).

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Enjoy the match. Go Pride!

The Orlando Pride announced this afternoon that defender Celia Delgado Jimenez, better known as Celia, announced her retirement following the 2024 NWSL season. The right back joined the club via a trade with the OL Reign following the 2021 season.

“Celia has contributed so much to our club and our city. She is an important leader in our locker room and has always challenged her teammates and everyone around her to be their best,” Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “We want to thank her for all the work she has put in for the Pride, both on and off the pitch, and the role she has played in making Orlando a place people want to play and work. Celia will always be a part of our Pride family, and we are certain she is going to be successful in this next chapter of her life. We are excited to support her in any way she needs in this transition and appreciate all she has done for us, the community, the NWSL, and the women’s game at large.” 

The 29-year-old defender joined the Pride on Dec. 18, 2021, in a draft-day trade with OL Reign. The deal also included the acquisition of Leah Pruitt and the pick used on center back Caitlin Cosme for Phoebe McClernon. She signed a new two-year contract on Jan. 16, 2023, which expires at the end of the 2024 season.

In three seasons with the Pride, Celia has made 37 appearances with 26 starts and recorded 2,137 minutes in all competitions. She’s scored three goals and provided one assist. The right back was a main feature in the 2022 squad, appearing 21 times with 19 starts. However, her time on the field has diminished the last two seasons, making 16 appearances with seven starts.

This year, the former Spanish international made three league appearances with one start for 74 minutes. She also started all three games in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, recording 270 minutes with a goal and an assist.

“I have given my all to soccer, and in return, soccer has given me everything. While I am courageously competitive, this sport has always meant more to me than just the results,” Celia said in the club’s press release. “Soccer has taught me that the journey — the actions and decisions taken to reach the finish line — truly defines us. This principle has been my guiding star throughout my career. After more than 15 years as a professional athlete, I have been fortunate to play internationally in the most competitive leagues and teams and to represent the Spanish National Team in World Cups and Euros. I couldn’t ask for a better gift than to conclude this chapter by winning the (NWSL) Shield and being surrounded by the most genuine and extraordinary group of people. To Orlando, my team, and the incredible community that embraced me, thank you for giving me a place to call home.”

The Spaniard came to the United States in 2013 to attend Iowa Western. She transferred to Alabama in 2015 and was selected with the 36th overall pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft by the Seattle Reign. While with the Reign, Celia spent time with Australian club Perth Glory and French club Lyon during the off-season.

Celia represented Spain 23 times and was on the country’s 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup rosters. She started all three games in the 2015 competition as the youngest player on the team. Additionally, she helped Spain to win the 2018 Cyprus Women’s Cup.

The veteran has also made an impact off the field while in Orlando. She was the Pride’s nominee for the 2024 Lauren Holiday Impact Award for her work with SpaceKids Global. She used her aerospace engineering degree to inspire young girls interested in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM).

What It Means for Orlando

Celia joined the Pride at the beginning of the club’s rebuild. She was the primary starting right back until October 2022, when the club made a trade with the Houston Dash to acquire Haley McCutcheon. This year, she found herself behind Brianna Martinez, Emily Sams, and Cori Dyke.

Her position on the depth chart in 2024 means she was rarely involved in games, even though she was on the team sheet for 18 regular-season matches. As a result, her departure won’t impact the team very much on the field. However, it does provide more roster space. The Pride have now seen two veteran defenders announce their retirements after Megan Montefusco called it a career on Nov. 1.

The Orlando Pride start their quest for a second trophy this season against the Chicago Red Stars this Friday night at Inter&Co Stadium. The Pride got back on track with a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Reign in their last match to finish the regular season. Now, the stakes are higher in a win-or-you’re-done game against the eighth-place Red Stars.

What do the Pride need to do to defeat Chicago and move on to the next round of the NWSL playoffs?

Defend this House

The Orlando Pride defense was dealt a continuation of a blow when it was announced that Rafaelle has a season-ending injury. It’s not that she had been playing, but some of us were hoping she’d return to help bolster a back line that has given up more goals lately. That help is not coming, and the Pride will have to deal with one Mallory Swanson.

The USWNT and Chicago star has seven goals and four assists this season. She is a seasoned international player who is always dangerous in the attack. Emily Sams will once again anchor the Pride defense, but she can’t do it alone. In fact, one of the reasons the Pride defense was so stingy was that every player on the pitch took offense if the opponents were able to score a goal. As such, they put their bodies on the line over and over to make sure it didn’t happen.

My hope is that the last three matches that saw the Pride give up seven goals was a result of those matches not mattering since the Pride had already won the NWSL Shield and secured the first seed in the playoffs. Now, the stakes matter again. It is a must-win match, so it’s time to get back to the sacrifice-for-the-defense mentality this team had most of the year.

Perhaps a Banda Goal…or Two?

I mentioned in the Three Keys article last week that it was time for Barbra Banda to start scoring goals again. That didn’t happen. She found herself in some dangerous positions, however, and on our latest episode of SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast, Michael Citro said he feels like she’s about to break back out.

I certainly hope that’s the case, since the Pride need a victory or Banda will have to wait until next season to start scoring again. I agree with Michael about Banda. She is long overdue to score a goal with her foot, and once she does, I think the floodgates will open.

Precision Scoring

Regardless of whether it is Banda, Marta, Adriana, Ally Watt, or any other Pride player, they will need to be precise when taking their scoring chances. The Red Stars have Swanson on one end of the pitch, and on the other they have Alyssa Naeher in goal. The USWNT’s number one keeper is one of the better keepers in the world, and scoring on her won’t be easy.

The Pride scored just one goal in each of the two regular-season matches against the Red Stars, winning 1-0 on the road and drawing 1-1 at home. Just to be safe, I think multiple goals will be better. It is something we know the Pride can do, since in their last three wins, the Pride have scored eight goals. Continuing that type of attack will go a long way to seeing the Pride advance to the next match.

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That is what I will be looking for Friday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!