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Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash: Final Score 2-1 as Pride Suffer First Loss of the Season

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The Orlando Pride (4-1-3, 15 points) fell for the first time in the 2021 NWSL regular season, losing 2-1 to the Houston Dash (3-3-1, 10 points) at BBVA Stadium. A poor first half for the Pride was the difference as the Dash scored twice in eight minutes.

After keeping multiple starters out of the starting lineup in Kansas City, tonight’s game in Houston featured a familiar look. Taylor Kornieck’s midweek knock meant she was questionable for this game and ultimately kept out of the lineup. She was replaced by Meggie Dougherty Howard, who moved into an attacking role. Chelsee Washington was given her second NWSL regular season start alongside Gunny Jonsdottir in the defensive midfield.

The Pride got the first real good chance of the game in the fifth minute. Alex Morgan headed the ball toward the Dash goal twice, forcing Jane Campbell to punch the ball back out. However, the Dash ultimately were able to clear. After that, the first half was all Houston.

In the 10th minute, Allysha Chapman sent a lovely ball into the Pride box, looking for Nichelle Prince near the back post. Fortunately for the Pride, the ball was just over the head of Prince and went out for a goal kick.

The Dash attack continued as the home side won three corner kicks in two minutes. The third corner resulted in two shots as the Pride defense was unable to clear.

The Dash finally converted in the 18th minute. Kristie Mewis sent a cross into the box which found Maria Sanchez. The first shot was right at Ashlyn Harris, who attempted to punch the ball out rather than catching it. Her punch attempt was poor, sending the ball off the post beside her and it bounced right back out front to Sanchez, who put it away for the game’s opening goal.

Houston nearly doubled its lead in the 20th minute when Mewis found Veronica Latsko in front of goal. The forward took a little too much time, allowing Phoebe McClernon to slide in before Latsko could get a shot off.

However, the Dash did double their lead six minutes later. As happened too frequently in the first half, Latsko found herself wide open between the center backs in the Pride box. Sophie Schmidt found the forward, who put the ball past Harris for the second goal of the game.

The Pride defense has been stellar this year but struggled in this game. After just 26 minutes, the Pride conceded twice for only the second time this year and the first time in the NWSL regular season. The only other time they’d conceded two goals was the first Challenge Cup game in Louisville on April 10.

“I think we just needed to step up a little bit,” Jonsdottir said about the first half defense after the game. “Not give them the space we were giving them. We were kind of far from each other. That happens with fatigue. Communication wasn’t really there.”

The Pride nearly gave the Dash their third goal in the 30th minute through an own goal. Nichelle Prince beat Courtney Petersen to the end line, as happened often in this game, and cut the ball back in front of goal. McClernon was able to deflect the ball but almost did so into her own net. Fortunately for McClernon and the Pride, the deflection was wide of the goal.

The final chance for the Dash in the first half came from Gabby Seiler. The midfielder slipped in between two Pride defenders, creating space to receive a long pass. She had a great opportunity for a shot on goal, but sent the shot above the target.

“I wasn’t happy with the first half,” Jonsdottir said following the game. “I don’t think we really showed up for the first half. The first half showed that we were fatigued and we were not playing like we wanted to. But we got to halftime. And then we kind of got the team together and decided to give everything we got and we did that. Unfortunate not to put in another.”

The Pride got off to a great start in the second half. Just a couple of minutes into the second period of play, the Pride won three straight corners. While the second corner forced Jane Campbell into a good save, the third resulted in the team’s first goal.

The low corner by Marta found the head of Jonsdottir at the near post. The Icelandic international beat her defender to the ball and headed it toward the far post, bringing the Pride back to within a goal.

“It was a great corner from Marta and I got a little touch,” Jonsdottir said about her first goal with the Pride. “So I guess it’s half my goal and half hers.”

“We got the goal because of our energy and commitment to each other,” Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner said about the goal. “Everything we’re trying to do was there.”

The Pride had another good chance in the 59th minute when Katie Naughton took down Morgan just outside of the box. Marta stepped up to take the free kick and sent it low toward the near post. Campbell did well to get low and caught the bouncing ball before it reached the goal line.

In the 63rd minute, the Dash nearly scored their third as they looked to put the game away. Another dangerous Mewis corner found the head of Latsko, who was looking for her second goal. She made good contact with her head but was unable to get over the ball and sent it just over the net.

While Mewis had set up most of the chances for the Dash, she nearly got a goal of her own inside the final 10 minutes. In the 81st minute, Mewis found some space at the top of the box and sent a low shot toward the far post. Harris’ dive showed how close to the post the shot was but it travelled just wide of the target.

Two minutes into injury time, Morgan had a chance to net the Pride’s second, receiving the ball in the box. It appeared as though she had time to bring it down, but with her back to goal, attempted an acrobatic flick. She wasn’t able to get much on it and Campbell made the save.

The Pride were dominated in every statistical category in the first half, but drew closer with a much better second 45 minutes. In the end, the Dash led in total shots (14-7), possession (55%-45%), corners (8-6), and crosses (26-12). The Pride were able to record more shots on target (4-3).

The struggles of the team can largely be chalked up to playing three games in six days and staying on the road between the second and third of those matches. The players were clearly tired from it and it had an impact on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

“I can only speak for myself. I was a bit tired. I’m not gonna lie,” Jonsdottir said. “I was also coming off of two games in the FIFA window and then these games with the travel, it’s a lot to learn. But as I say, all you can do is your best.”

“You’re gonna suffer when the schedule is put in front of you where it’s almost at risk of your players’ health,” Skinner added. “We found that out against Kansas. So I think it’s a ridiculous way of putting a schedule together where a team has five days of freshness on another team.”

The loss is the Pride’s first of the 2021 NWSL regular season and the second of the year. The other loss came on April 14 in the NWSL Challenge Cup, a 1-0 loss to NJ/NY Gotham FC. The loss ends a seven-game unbeaten run, the second longest to start a season in the Pride’s six-year history. The longest ever unbeaten run was nine games, occurring between Aug. 5 and Sept. 30 of 2017.

Despite the loss, Skinner said that he’s proud of his team for fighting through a difficult week. The final game of a two-game road trip and three games in six days was not an easy task.

“I’m more proud of the players tonight than I am whenever they’ve won a game,” Skinner said. “Because, although the technicality maybe suffered, we had the guile and the togetherness and the focus to try and get back in the game.”

The Pride still sit atop of the NWSL standings. A Portland Thorns loss ensured that the Pride would remain three points ahead of them and two points ahead of the North Carolina Courage.

The Pride will look to bounce back from this loss and begin a new streak when they welcome the North Carolina Courage to Exploria Stadium on July 4.

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2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Adriana

The Brazilian attacker was a key player in the Pride’s magical 2024 season.

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20 hours ago

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December 20, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The Orlando Pride signed Brazilian international Adriana on Jan. 19, 2023 to a three-year contract through the 2025 NWSL season. One of the brighter spots of the Pride during the 2023 season, it seemed Adriana was on the verge of becoming a dominating NWSL player. Seb Hines again deployed her mainly as an attacking player, particularly on the wing, but sometimes as a second forward. While she was still a key player for the Pride in 2024, there were some bumps in the road when she would disappear from games and consistency was sometimes an issue.

Let’s take a look at Adriana’s second NWSL season.

Statistical Breakdown

Adriana appeared in 23 regular-season games, starting 19 and playing a total of 1,688 minutes. She scored six goals, which was third most on the team, and added one assist. It is notable that two of her six goals came from the penalty spot, where she went two-for-two in the regular season. She completed 71% of her 557 passes, which was a slight dip from a year ago, with 31 key passes, seven completed crosses, and 14 successful long balls. Defensively, Adriana chipped in nine tackles, 13 interceptions, and 18 headed duels won. She committed just 10 fouls while drawing 30 on the opposition, and she did not receive a card.

In the playoffs, Adriana appeared in all three of the Pride’s games, starting two and logging 197 minutes. She did not make a goal contribution, attempting six shots with only one of those hitting the target. Her passing wasn’t up to its usual level in the postseason, as she connected on just 63.9% of her 36 passes, including only two of nine in the NWSL Championship. She tallied five key passes and one successful long ball, but no accurate crosses. On defense, she finished the postseason with three tackles and an interception. The Brazilian international committed five fouls, suffered two, and was not booked.

Adriana was away at the Olympics during the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, so she did not play in the competition.

Best Game

Adriana had several big games in 2024, but perhaps her best was Orlando’s 2-0 home win over Gotham FC. She scored both Orlando goals in the match, lifting the Pride to their 19th straight game without a loss, tying the club’s single-season record for home wins (7), and pushing Hines past Tom Sermanni and into sole possession of the most coaching wins in club history (26). It didn’t take long for her to get involved, scoring just five and a half minutes after the opening kickoff. Angelina’s ball into the box was knocked into the air, and Adriana ran onto it and volleyed a blast into the net to make it 1-0 with one of the most impressive Pride goals of the season.

Not content with just one goal, Adriana struck again in the 19th minute. Summer Yates switched the play to send Adriana down the right side, where she took on USWNT defender Jenna Nighswonger, then used Barbra Banda’s presence in the box to create space for her shot, which she placed perfectly inside the left post to make it 2-0.

Adriana played the full 90 minutes in the match and fired six shots in all against Gotham that night, putting all six of them on target and giving her a season high in the latter statistic. She led all players in the match in both categories. She completed 87% of her 23 passes on 48 total touches, with one key pass, one accurate cross, and two successful long balls. Defensively, she made three recoveries, and she committed one foul while drawing two and did not pick up a booking. It was a great performance by the attacking midfielder against one of the NWSL’s elite defensive clubs.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gives Adriana a composite score of 7 out of 10 for her 2024 campaign. This is a slight dip from the 7.5 we gave her last season, but there were times when she struggled to find her game in 2024. When she was on her game, she was outstanding, but there were games and even stretches of matches when she didn’t provide her usual quality. Her form isn’t the only reason she was dropped at times from the starting XI, because some of her teammates elevated their own, but it was a factor. While she increased her goal total by one, it came in more appearances and minutes, and her assist total fell, despite having a better cast around her. The Brazilian is capable of more, but the staff still felt it was a solid season.

2025 Outlook

Like her Brazilian teammate Rafaelle, Adriana’s contract runs through the 2025 season, so she’ll be working hard to earn a new deal beyond the upcoming season. If she starts the season well, the Pride will no doubt offer a new contract midseason if there’s not already a new deal in place before opening day. At 28 years old, Adriana is in the prime of her career and can still be an effective player. With the Pride improving, she’ll need to play more consistently or at a higher level to keep starting with this club, but she’s capable, and I expect her to fight to hold onto her starting spot in Hines’ XI.

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2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Marta

Marta showed why she’s the GOAT in her eighth season with the Pride.

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2 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

In case you forgot, Marta first signed with the Orlando Pride way back in 2017. She has been the constant for the club through ups and mostly downs. That all changed this season as she captained her club to two trophies. Back in 2022, she signed a new two-year contract, taking her through 2024.

Marta may not be as young as she once was, but she definitely made you forget it often enough this season. It was undoubtedly the best she’s performed in a few years, and it made a difference in the standings. Let’s take a look at the GOAT’s latest season in Orlando.

Statistical Breakdown

Marta was the leader and the heart of this year’s Orlando Pride team. Her teammates wanted to win, but they also wanted to win for Marta. She played most of the regular-season games, but missed the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup because she was with Brazil at the Olympics. 

Marta made 23 appearances in the NWSL regular season, starting 19 games and recording 1,739 minutes. Marta was second on the team with nine goals on 40 shots, 18 of which were on target. Additionally, she completed 648 of her 878 passes (74%), including one assist, 52 key passes, nine successful crosses, and 75 completed long balls. Defensively, Marta posted 16 tackles, 27 headed duels won, and 12 interceptions on the year. She committed 12 fouls, suffered 45, and was booked four times (all yellow cards).

In the playoffs, Marta started all three games, recording 267 minutes. She scored two goals on 12 shots with five on target, and she completed 86 of her 108 passes (80%) without an assist, although she recorded six key passes, three accurate crosses, and 14 completed long balls. She was also active defensively in the postseason, with six tackles and two interceptions. She committed three fouls in the playoffs, suffered four, and was not booked.

Best Game

You might think that the one match in which Marta scored a brace would be her best match, but that isn’t the case. That match was the 6-0 beatdown of the Utah Royals, who were bottom of the table. I’m going with her performance in the 3-2 playoff semifinal victory over the Kansas City Current.

That goal summed up Marta’s season for me. She was not going to let this team lose when the Pride were so close to the championship. When needed, she could find the speed — even late in a match — and put two defenders on the ground in unison. It was a goal she willed to happen against one of the best teams in the NWSL.

In this match, Marta took four shots, with two on target, scoring the aforementioned goal. She completed 29 of her 38 passes (77%) on a total of 74 touches, and took all three Pride corner kicks. Defensively, she contributed four tackles and two interceptions. She committed one foul, did not suffer any fouls, and was not booked. She simply displayed the full range of her skill and leadership qualities, helping her team reach the final.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Marta a composite grade of 8 out of 10 for her eighth season with the club. Her passion, drive, and leadership were a major reason why the club won the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship. This was the best Marta we’ve seen for several seasons, and she wanted to win more than almost anyone else in any given match. To illustrate how much better she was, we gave Marta a grade of 6 out of 10 last season. That came on the heels of an incomplete grade in her injury-shortened 2022 season. She also received a 6 in 2021 and a 6.5 in 2019. This year is the closest Marta has come to the 9 out of 10 we gave her back in 2017, when she had 19 total goal contributions and finished second in the league in both goals and assists. She turned back the clock and gave us much more of the vintage Marta in 2024 than we’d seen in a long time, which is why we considered her one of the best players on the team.

(Note: If you’re wondering why 2020 wasn’t mentioned, its’ because we did not give out grades because the Pride only participated in the Fall Series during that lost season because of the pandemic.)

2025 Outlook

Marta’s contract expired after the 2024 season, but she has stated that she wants to keep playing one or two more years. She will be 39 years old at the start of the 2025 season but had a very good 2024 season. I think that she wants to retire with the Pride, and I feel that the club will offer her a one-year contract. The Pride indicated in their postseason roster status update that the club was in negotiations with her about returning. If a new deal happens, and if she can keep up her current form, she will find a way to contribute as the Pride look to defend their titles. She will have to hang up the boots at some point, but I don’t think it will be this coming season.

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2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Rafaelle

The Brazilian’s season was plagued by injury problems but she played well when healthy.

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3 days ago

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December 18, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride signed Rafaelle on July 3, 2023 to a contract running through the 2025 NWSL season. The Brazilian international joined the Pride after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, partnering with Emily Sams (then still known as Emily Madril) at center back and becoming a key member of the starting lineup, as the Pride fell just short of the NWSL playoffs on the goal differential tiebreaker.

Rafaelle’s second season was marred by injuries, including one she sustained while helping Brazil reach the Gold Medal game at the Summer Olympics that kept her out the rest of the 2024 NWSL season. She also missed the first four matches of the season and a couple of games in the early summer due to injury.

It’s time to look back at her injury-marred second season with the Pride.

Statistical Breakdown

Injuries limited Rafaelle to just nine appearances (six starts) for the Pride in 2024 — all in the regular season, in which she played a total of just 618 minutes. The Brazilian defender did not record a goal contribution in 2024, attempting three shots and putting one on target. She completed 86% of her 324 passes without a key pass or successful cross, however, she managed to connect on 30 long balls in her short season, which is impressive. Defensively, she contributed nine tackles, nine interceptions, and 23 headed duel wins. She committed four fouls, suffered one, and was booked once.

Due to injury, Rafaelle did not appear in Orlando’s playoff run, and because she was away at the Olympics, Rafaelle also did not participate in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenina Summer Cup.

Best Game

Rafaelle’s best match came in a 1-0 home win over Racing Louisville on May 5. The Brazilian started and went the full 90 minutes with an excellent two-way performance. She didn’t contribute directly to a goal, but she registered a shot, which was her only shot on target of the season, forcing Katie Lund into a save off a free kick about 40 minutes in. She also had a season-high 76 touches and passed at an impressive 93.75% rate on a season-high 63 attempts. Her passing accuracy in the match was her season high for any game in which she played more than 16 minutes. On the defensive end, Rafaelle helped her team keep a clean sheet and chipped in a tackle. She did not commit a foul or get booked in the match. Her strong tackle in the box in the 82nd minute on Reilyn Turner prevented a dangerous shot attempt, helping Anna Moorhouse preserve the shutout and keeping the Pride on top.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gives Rafaelle a composite score of 7 out of 10 for her 2024 season. This is a slight improvement over the 6.5 we gave her last year. As well as the back line played in her absence, it’s easy to forget just how formidable she was while she was on the pitch. The strong partnership between her and Kylie Strom allowed Seb Hines to move Sams to fullback for a time, and that’s a considerable compliment, given the fact that Sams won the 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year Award. The back line continuing to excel in Rafaelle’s absence speaks highly of the group’s performance and the coaching staff’s ability to get the most out of the players.

2025 Outlook

It’s easy to say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” in terms of the Pride’s defense. However, I expect Rafaelle to regain her starting center back spot when healthy. Rafaelle was considered the team’s best center back entering the season and early in 2024, although it’s fair to say Sams and Strom weren’t far behind. Rafaelle is under contract through the 2025 season, so she’ll want to perform well to earn her next deal. At 33 (she’ll turn 34 in June), it’s uncertain how much longer she’ll be able to play at such a high level, but prior to her injury in the Olympics, she was playing excellent soccer (it’s notable that the play she was injured on was a vital challenge for her national team). She is nearly impossible to leave out of the starting XI when fit.

What remains to be seen is how the team accommodates the Brazilian’s return. The most natural center back pairing would be Sams and Rafaelle. That would mean Strom would have to return to left back unless the team adopts a three-player back line. The ripple effect of staying in a traditional four-player back line would potentially mean displacing Kerry Abello, who “only” made the NWSL Best XI Second Team in 2024, or Cori Dyke, who handled some of the league’s best players in the stretch run to Orlando’s NWSL Championship drive. Having to reinsert Rafaelle into the lineup is a good problem for Hines to have, as it may allow him to rotate and rest his center backs more in 2025.

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