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Orlando Pride vs Houston Dash: Final Score 1-1 as Taylor Kornieck Scores Late Equalizer

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3 years ago

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The Orlando Pride (6-5-7, 25 points) got a late header from Taylor Kornieck to draw with the Houston Dash (6-7-4, 22 points) 1-1 at Exploria Stadium this afternoon. Kornieck’s goal off a corner kick cancelled out an early strike by Houston’s Rachel Daly, claiming a point for each team.

The Pride only made one change to the starting lineup from last week’s 1-0 win over NJ/NY Gotham FC. After missing the last game with an injury, Amy Turner returned to the lineup, replacing Toni Pressley. Erika Tymrak remained in the lineup after a strong performance in New Jersey that included a stellar long-range goal.

The Dash got off to a fast start, putting the Pride on their back foot. The first chance for the visitors came inside the first minute, when Kristie Mewis received the ball on the left. With space in the box, Mewis fired on goal but her shot was wide of the target.

In the 10th minute, the Dash broke the early deadlock. After doing well to get in front of the defender, Ali Riley either took a heavy touch or tried a short pass to Turner but didn’t get enough on it. Either way, Daly reacted faster than Turner, ran in, and played it past Ashlyn Harris inside the far post for the opening goal.

“It was interesting because I thought we had a good warm up,” interim coach Becky Burleigh said about the slow start. “But I think it was a little bit of confidence. It was a little bit of tempo. It’s definitely something we’re going to go back and evaluate because we just can’t have that kind of start and expect to get good results.”

“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is,” Meggie Dougherty Howard added. “But I think we just need to be confident from the first minute and I think it takes us a little bit of time to build that confidence through the game.”

The first chance of the game for the Pride didn’t come until the 27th minute. Marta dribbled through a pair of Dash defenders, before taking a long-distance shot from outside the box. The ball was easily collected by Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell, but it was the first shot for the Pride.

The Dash nearly doubled their lead in the 36th minute. A Mewis corner was headed toward the far corner, but Harris got her hand to it and knocked it away. Unfortunately, the ball went directly to Shea Groom who fired right back on goal. Harris was in a seated position, but was still able to make the save, allowing the Pride to clear.

While the Pride got the ball briefly out of danger, it quickly re-entered the box and was at the feet of Mewis. The dangerous midfielder shot on goal, forcing Harris into another save, keeping the Pride’s deficit at one.

The Pride didn’t have many chances in the first half but did create some near the end. In the 42nd minute, Marta sent a dangerous cross into the box. Jodie Taylor was charging toward goal, but was unable to reach the pass as it sailed harmlessly out of play.

In injury time, the Pride had a pair of opportunities to equalize before the break. First, Gunny Jonsdottir received the ball outside of the box and fired on goal, but Campbell was able to easily catch it. A minute later, Sydney Leroux found space and shot toward the far post. The ball skipped past a diving Campbell, traveling just inches wide of the post.

Similar to the first half, it was the Dash who got the first chance of the second 45 minutes. In the 48th minute, Riley lost the ball to Nichelle Prince in her own third. Prince carried the ball into the box unimpeded, getting a shot on goal. However, Harris was there once again, getting low to make the kick save.

Already down a goal, the Pride suffered a difficult loss in the 60th minute. Jasmyne Spencer got in front of Harris on a Dash corner kick, forcing the Pride goalkeeper to go up and over the former Pride player. Harris dropped the ball, resulting in a scramble in front of goal that saw the ball hit the post.

When the ball was finally cleared, Harris went down in the box. The Pride medical staff attended to her head and neck area, even bringing on a stretcher. Once Harris got up on her own, she was given a concussion test and escorted off the field by the medical staff. Erin McLeod came on for the star goalkeeper, her first appearance for the Pride since June 23 in Kansas City.

“Besides being a little bit sore, I think that we’re out of the woods on that one,” Burleigh said about Harris after the game. “It was more scary at the time. When you have a head or a neck injury, there’s always some concern there.”

In the 79th minute, the Pride created a couple of chances that resulted in the equalizer. It started when Ali Krieger sent a long ball into the box, finding the head of second-half substitute Kornieck. The forward got her header on target, but Campbell was able to tip it over the crossbar.

Dougherty Howard found Kornieck again on the ensuing corner kick. Again, Kornieck put her header on target. Campbell got her hand on the ball, but tipped it against the underside of the crossbar. The Dash tried to clear but the ball snuck over the line for the equalizing goal.

“I’m feeling great,” Kornieck said about scoring her first goal at Exploria Stadium. “It’s been a long time coming. I’m happy for the team to play incredible, and I’m just really happy to get my first goal at Orlando stadium. It meant a lot to me to go in and score, finally, in front of our home crowd, I have no words for it. It just meant the world to me.”

After the Pride had lost one of its most important players earlier in the second half, the Dash nearly lost one of theirs. In the 82nd minute, a dangerous cross into the box found the head of Daly. However, Mewis was also going after the ball and Daly’s head slammed into the midfielder’s shoulder, sending her to the ground. Fortunately for the Dash, their first-half goal scorer was able to resume.

The 95-degree heat showed its impact in the final minutes of the game. The Harris and Daly injuries resulted in 10 minutes of second half injury time, but neither team was able to create a chance and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Pride led many statistical categories in this game, including possession (56%-44%), passing accuracy (78.6%-73.7%), total passes (485-380), and duels (55-43). The difference was in the final third, where the Dash were able to create chances and the Pride struggled. While the Pride were better in the second half, the Dash had more shots (11-8) and shots on target (5-4).

“Looking back on the game, I think we put ourselves in the hole a little bit,” Burleigh said about the performance. “Our start was not what we would hope for, but for the team to battle back and to deal with that adversity and for the people who came into the match, but there were some really strong performances from the reserves. I’d like to shout out Erin McLeod. That’s a tough situation to go into and her composure was incredible. Obviously, Taylor gets a goal coming off the bench. But, Toni Pressley played a big role coming off the bench as well so it’s great to see our reserves making such an impact.”

While the Pride would’ve preferred three points at home, especially having played two more games than multiple teams, it’s a needed point as they look to secure a playoff spot for only the second time in team history. The point keeps the team in fourth in the league, and three points ahead of today’s opponent.

“I think that we’re going to learn from this game,” Dougherty Howard said after the game. “And I think it’s been a little bit of a pain where we’re struggling to start our game strong and today we got punished. So, we were able to fight back and showed a lot of character and getting the result again, but bottom line, we need to start getting better and we know that and I think that’s going to be a real focal point going forward as we make this playoff push. But once we settle in, we show that we can play, and we can be confident on the ball, but we just have to do that from the first minute.”

The Pride will take the field again next Saturday night when they face Racing Louisville FC at Exploria Stadium at 7 p.m.

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Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines Named NWSL Coach of the Year

After a record-breaking regular season, Pride Head Coach Seb Hines has been named the 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year.

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2 days ago

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November 19, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The National Women’s Soccer League announced this afternoon that Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines had been named the 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year. It’s the first time in the club’s history that a coach has won the award.

In his second year as permanent head coach, Hines led the Pride to a record-breaking season that saw them finish 18-2-6, winning the NWSL Shield. They finished third in the league with 46 goals scored and tied with NJ/NY Gotham FC for a league-best 20 goals conceded. They set five league records this year, including most points in a season (60), most wins in a season (18), longest winning streak (8), longest shutout streak (554 minutes), and longest single-season unbeaten run (23 games). The Pride also tied the league record for clean sheets in a season (13). Dating back to last season’s finale, the club went 24 matches without a loss under Hines. Orlando also drew all three Summer Cup matches this season, giving the Pride 26 matches without a loss in all competitions under Hines in 2023 and 27 games overall dating back to last year. Orlando’s 2.31 points per game in 2024 is second in league history behind the 2018 North Carolina Courage, who had 2.4 points per game. 

The 2024 season caps a rebuild that started following the 2021 NWSL season when the Pride traded away several star players. They hired Amanda Cromwell as head coach for the 2022 season, but she and assistant Sam Greene were suspended and eventually fired for retaliatory behavior. Assistants Michelle Akers and Aline Villares Reis left their positions following the suspensions, leaving Hines as the club’s only option as head coach.

The controversy turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Hines finished the season strong as interim coach, taking the team to a 3-7-5 mark in the final 15 games, which included a seven-game unbeaten run (3-0-4). His performance down the stretch was enough to earn the permanent role. The Pride elevated Hines from interim coach to head coach on Nov. 11, 2022.

In his first year as the club’s permanent head coach, Hines nearly led the Pride to their first playoff appearance since 2017 and second in club history last year, missing out on the goal difference tiebreaker on the final match day of the 2023 campaign. This year, the team came back with the goal of making the postseason and soon became the best team in the league, going the full season without a single home loss in any competition.

Since taking over in June 2022, Hines has become the Pride’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 31-30-12 in league play. His 1.67 points per game and .492 winning percentage also top all previous Pride coaches.

Despite a turnaround that saw the Pride go from one of the worst teams in the league to narrowly missing out on the playoffs, Hines wasn’t a finalist for coach of the year in 2023. It was an easy choice this year as he led the team to its best-ever season and the first trophy in team history.

The team’s 4-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars on Nov. 8 was the first playoff win in club history and the Pride defeated the Kansas City Current 3-2 Sunday afternoon to secure their spot in the 2024 NWSL Championship, which will be in Kansas City on Saturday night.

The NWSL Coach of the Year Award began with a preliminary round voted on by owners, general managers, coaches, players, and the media. The finalists were then voted on by fans, owners, general managers, coaches, players, and the media to determine the winner. The other finalists were Current Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski and Gotham Head Coach Juan Carlos Amoros, last year’s winner.

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Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 3-2 as Pride Advance to NWSL Championship

The Pride advance to the NWSL Championship after a gutsy home win over Kansas City.

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4 days ago

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November 17, 2024

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Orlando Pride defeated the Kansas City Current 3-2 at Inter&Co Stadium this afternoon to claim a spot in the NWSL Championship. The Current took the lead through Debinha, but Haley McCutcheon scored eight minutes later to make it 1-1 at the break. Barbra Banda gave her team the lead in the 53rd minute and an excellent individual effort by Marta in the 82nd minute appeared to put the game away. Vanessa DiBernardo converted a penalty deep in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride advanced to their first-ever final.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines deployed almost the same lineup that beat the Chicago Red Stars 4-1 on Nov. 8. The only change was Adriana re-entering the lineup for Summer Yates, who left the Chicago game with a first-half injury. However, Yates was on the bench for this one.

The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, and Cori Dyke. McCutcheon and Angelina were in the defensive midfield behind Ally Watt, Marta, and Adriana, with Banda up top.

This game started slowly with neither team able to create chances in the early minutes. Once the teams settled in, both had opportunities to take the lead. A great cross by Michelle Cooper in the 33rd minute and a missed clearance by Sams assisted Debinha in the opener. But the Pride fought back and equalized through McCutcheon shortly before halftime.

The Pride were the better team through most of the second half, mainly because of the power and speed of Banda. They took the lead in the 53rd minute and continued to push for a third goal, eventually converting in the 82nd minute. The Current were given a lifeline with 12 minutes of stoppage time and won a penalty with a handball by Abello in the box, but they nearly had an equalizer in the 15th and 16th minutes of stoppage time. The Pride ultimately survived and advanced to the NWSL Championship for the first time.

The first chance of the game didn’t come until the 11th minute and it was due to a mistake by Adriana. After the Pride won a throw-in, Adriana’s pass for Abello was directly to Cooper. The attacker split Abello and Adriana before shooting for the far post. Moorhouse seemed to have the shot the whole way, watching it roll wide.

Banda used a strong move on the left in the 15th minute to beat Hailie Mace and get into the box. As Mace caught up to her from behind, Banda went down. However, while Banda threw her arms up, there was very little contact and referee Danielle Chesky didn’t consider pointing to the spot to award a penalty.

The Pride maintained possession and created another pair of chances. It started when Marta’s cross was knocked out of play by Alana Cook, earning a corner kick. The set piece was chested out by Cook, but only to Abello, whose shot was blocked. Angelina took possession just outside the box and shot, but she fired her shot attempt wide.

The visitors created their second chance in the 14th minute when Claire Hutton dribbled towards the Pride box before pulling up and shooting from distance. The midfielder was unable to get over the ball and it sailed over the target without threatening Moorhouse.

In the 18th minute, Banda had a chance when Watt played her wide on the right. The forward created enough space from Ellie Wheeler for a tight-angle shot that was blocked over the crossbar by Current goalkeeper Almuth Schult. The ensuing corner kick was blocked out by Cook and the second corner went out of play for a goal kick, ending the attack.

Marta intercepted a pass in the 32nd minute, moved around her defender and made a long run to the Kansas City box. She had Banda and Adriana on either side of her, but decided to take the shot herself. Unfortunately, the attempt was directly into a defender.

On the other end, the Current took the lead in the 33rd minute. DiBernardo played the ball wide for Cooper, who sent a gorgeous ball across the face of goal. It was just beyond the reach of Sams and found Debhina at the far post. The Brazilian didn’t make any mistakes, tapping it past Moorhouse to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

“I think just to stay calm and we knew that we were better than them and that we could score on them,” Sams stated about what was said in the team huddle after the goal. “It was unfortunate that we had to go down, but I think too, we just kept our composure and stuck together as a team and knew that we would be able to break them down at some point.”

Eight minutes later, the Pride found their equalizer and it was McCutcheon for the second straight game. Watt made a strong run to the end line, beating Wheeler to get a cross off. It initially looked like Adriana would tap it in, but McCutcheon was making a run completely unmarked into the six. The defensive midfielder tapped it in and, after not scoring since April 29, 2023, she has now scored in back-to-back playoff games.

“The first goal was brilliant,” Hines said after the game. “You know, playing through the middle to then get out wide. Ally Watt, you know, dribbling, driving, great cross. And McCutcheon scores a goal. And, you know, she’s two in two right now. So it’s not bad for a holding midfielder.”

The Pride nearly got a second just before halftime when Watt played a dangerous ball into the box for Banda. The striker had her back to goal and tried to backheel it, but she couldn’t get anything on it and the Current were able to clear. That was the last chance for either team as the game went into the break at 1-1.

At halftime, the Current had more possession (55%-45%), but the Pride had more shots (7-5), shots on target (2-1), corner kicks (3-2), and crosses (12-6). Both teams completed 79% of their first-half passes.

Watt dribbled from the right to the top of the Kansas City box in the 49th minute. Chawinga challenged her from behind and the attacker ran directly into Nichelle Prince. It appeared as though Watt had her breath knocked out of her after being caught in the neck area, requiring attention. After receiving some treatment, she walked off on her own and was able to continue.

Marta and Angelina stood over the ball, with Marta taking the set piece. Her shot was aimed for the near post, but Schult had it well covered, collecting the free kick.

The Pride took their first lead of the game in the 53rd minute when Strom lifted the ball into the Kansas City box. Banda used her body to turn Kayla Sharples before hitting a hard shot past Schult to give her team a 2-1 lead.

“Defenders will always be tight, but as a striker, you need to have a lot of creativity as a striker for you to score,” Banda said about her goal. “I’m a goal machine, so I had to figure it out how I’m going to score for this. So it came into my mind, and I saw the defender. Then I had to take my advantage.”

The Pride had a chance to extend their lead in the 57th minute when Mace fouled Banda hard near the Kansas City box, earning a yellow card for the challenge. After Banda received some treatment, Adriana stepped up to take the set piece. However, she hit the attempt over the top of the goal.

The Current had a chance to get back on even terms in the 61st minute when Chawinga was sent long by Mace. Dyke kept up with the attacker and slid in to win the ball but didn’t connect with it. Sams was between Chawinga and goal as the forward shot for the near post, missing wide.

The visitors nearly found an equalizer in the 65th minute when Cooper volleyed a ball across the box in front of the goal. Prince volleyed the ball on target, but it was blocked by Sams. It went straight to Chawinga, who tried to put a first-touch shot on target, but she sent it over the top.

A mistake at midfield nearly cost the Pride in the 71st when Angelina lost possession. Chawinga carried the ball to the top of the box while Pride defenders tried desperately to get in front. The forward shot before entering the 18, but hit the attempt wide.

Hines made his first changes of the game in the 79th minute, as Julie Doyle and Yates came on for Adriana and Watt.

Banda won the ball from Sharples in the 82nd minute before going down, knocking it to Marta, who took it from there. The Pride captain dribbled to her left and cut back, resulting in Sharples and Cook going down. She dribbled past Schult before passing the ball in to make it 3-1.

“It was so amazing. I just saw all the defenders went down, but I know that’s what Marta can do,” Banda said about Marta’s goal. “So, I know it’s an assist because I was down, unfortunately. But she scored and we know her for that.”

“I feel like she’s been in situations like that before,” Sams added. “And, you know, I feel like she might take the shot earlier. So just to see her like, you know, see two players go to ground and slide, and Marta cuts them back, and then cuts back the goalkeeper and just slots it home. I mean, it’s just such a hard goal. I mean, she’s the GOAT and she proves it. And she proved it tonight.”

It was a fantastic goal by Marta, but the celebrations were cut short as Banda remained down near midfield and required medical assistance. She had to be helped off the field and was replaced by Carson Pickett. Fortunately, she was soon seen laughing on the bench with Watt, which suggests she was fine.

The fourth official showed 12 minutes of second-half stoppage time and the Current had to find something quick trailing by two goals. In the sixth minute, they won a corner kick and sent Schult to the other end. The Pride knocked the first attempt out of play and cleared the second one.

Hines made his third change of the game in the seventh minute of added time, replacing Dyke with Celia. While the substitution might’ve been to waste some time, it also gave Celia one last chance to play at Inter&Co Stadium as she announced she’s retiring following the season.

Marta looked for her second goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time, dribbling into the left side of the box. She split a pair of defenders and shot, but the attempt sailed well wide.

In the 10th minute of stoppage time, Mace took a shot from just inside the Pride box. Abello blocked the attempt, sending it out of play for a corner kick. However, the ball was off of Abello’s arm and the video assistant referee indicated that Chesky should have a second look.

After a brief check, Chesky returned to the field and pointed to the spot. DiBernardo stepped up to take the spot kick and took it well. As Moorhouse dove to her right, DiBernardo sent the attempt the other way to make it 3-2.

The visitors continued to push as the game neared its end. In the 15th minute of stoppage time, Wheeler cut back to lose her defender and fired on goal, but she missed the target. A minute later, Chawinga was sent down the right and took possession when Moorhouse came way off her line and missed the ball. Chawinga had Sharples making a run into the six as Celia came over to cover her. The center back got her head to the ball, but sent the attempt over the crossbar. That was the last chance as the Pride came away with a 3-2 win.

The Current ended the game with more possession (51.8%-48.2%), shots (20-13), and corner kicks (4-3). The Pride had the advantage in shots on target (5-4), crosses (11-9), and better passing accuracy (78%-75.2%).

“They sat back, waited for transition moments. And, you know, they’re very good at it,” Hines said about the game. “You know, they’ve built that in the last second half of the season. Get the threatening players running in behind. But I thought in moments we were really good.

“What an effort from the players. I can’t speak highly enough for them. They’ve put so much work and effort, and they really wanted this tonight. You know, in front of our home fans and their hunger and desire.”

The Pride have played ahead most of the season, not needing to come from behind. The last time they came back from a deficit to win prior to this game was a 3-1 win over the Portland Thorns on June 11, 2023. They hadn’t come from behind to claim points since the second game of the season on March 22, something they did in each of the first two games of the season.

It’s rare that playoffs go according to plan, but this NWSL postseason has done just that. The higher-seeded team has won every game in this postseason, resulting in the top two teams meeting in Kansas City for the championship. That might bode well for the Pride, who finished the season with the league’s best record, making them the higher seed for the final.

“It’s great,” Hines said about reaching the championship. “You know, you’ve put all the hard work and effort into it. Obviously, in the regular season, 26-game group stage to then get into a three-game tournament. So we’ve done two of it, and there’s one more to go. So obviously, the spirits are really high right now, and we’re ready to go on Saturday.”

The Pride have six days before they take the field again. The Washington Spirit drew NJ/NY Gotham FC 1-1 Saturday and advanced on penalties to claim the other spot. So the top two teams will meet at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City Saturday night at 8 p.m. for the NWSL Championship.

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Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride host the Kansas City Current in the NWSL semifinals.

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4 days ago

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November 17, 2024

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Image courtesy of Kansas City Current / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to your match preview as the Orlando Pride host the Kansas City Current with a chance to advance to the NWSL Championship. This is the first time the two teams have met in the postseason and the third time they’ve played this year.

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

History

The Current joined the NWSL in 2021 after the team’s ownership group bought the Utah Royals and relocated the club to Kansas City. It’s the second NWSL team in the city — FC Kansas City played there from 2013 to 2017 before moving to Utah — and the team was known as NWSL Kansas City for its inaugural season.

The Pride and Current have played seven games against each other, all in the regular season. Orlando has a 3-2-3 record in the series and is 1-1-2 at home.

The two teams last met on Sept. 13 in Orlando. The teams combined for 27 shots, but neither converted as the game ended in a scoreless draw.  On July 6 in Kansas City, Barbra Banda gave the Pride the lead, but the hosts responded two minutes later through Temwa Chawinga. Despite a second yellow card for Carrie Lawrence dropping the Pride to 10 players just before halftime, Marta converted a second-half penalty, lifting her team to a 2-1 win.

The first time the teams met in 2023 was on April 23 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City. It was scoreless after an hour before the Current got a quick flurry of goals by Debinha and CeCe Kizer, lifting Kansas City to a 2-0 win. On June 23, 2023 in Orlando, the visitors took the lead through Debinha, and Kizer doubled the advantage just before halftime. Marta converted a penalty to pull one back, but the Pride fell 2-1.

Their first meeting in 2022 came on July 31 in Kansas City while the Pride were in the middle of their seven-game unbeaten run. The Pride opened the scoring when Erika Tymrak found the head of Celia and doubled the lead just after halftime through Julie Doyle. The Current stormed back with goals by Elyse Bennett and Kizer, pulling out a 2-2 draw.

The first meeting in 2022 was on May 14 at Exploria Stadium. The Pride took the lead early in the second half on a Gunny Jonsdottir goal. Bennett scored late in the second half, and the visitors appeared to win the game a minute into injury time through Kristen Hamilton. However, Kylie Strom was pulled down in the box five minutes later, resulting in a penalty. With Marta injured, the only player willing to step up to take the penalty was center back Toni Pressley, who drilled the ball into the roof of the net, pulling out a 2-2 draw.

The teams played twice during the 2021 NWSL season, with the first game occurring May 30 at Exploria Stadium. Courtney Petersen found Alex Morgan just outside the six-yard box and the striker headed in the game’s lone goal as the Pride won 1-0.

The Pride and Current met again on June 23 at Legends Field in Kansas City. The Pride had a weakened squad as then-coach Marc Skinner left some key players at home, preparing to lose them to the Olympics. It looked to be costly when Mariana Larroquette gave the hosts the lead late in first-half injury time. But the Pride responded well. Two minutes after Larroquette’s goal, Sydney Leroux’s shot took a deflection off a defender and went in to make it 1-1. Shortly after halftime, Leroux scored on a great individual effort from just outside the box. Marta then scored the goal of the game, beating Kansas City goalkeeper Abby Smith from the top of the center circle, lifting the Pride to a 3-1 win.

Overview

The Pride had a record-setting regular season and were on their way to an unbeaten record until they lost two of their last three games. Even with their 3-2 win over Seattle Reign FC in the regular-season finale, they conceded two goals for the first time at home this year. The performances caused questions about how the team would play in the postseason and whether the Pride could reach their ultimate goal of an NWSL Championship.

Those questions were seemingly put to rest in the team’s first-ever home playoff game when they dominated the Chicago Red Stars 4-1 in the quarterfinals. They gave up a goal on a mistake by Anna Moorhouse, enabling Jameese Joseph to block the clearance in for Chicago’s lone goal of the night. However, the Pride were already up 4-0 at that point, and the result was already determined.

The team only gave up one goal defensively, the fewest goals the Pride conceded in four games. The match also saw Banda score a brace, her first goals since Sept. 20 against Bay FC. If the Pride are getting back to their best, it can’t be at a better time as they’re about to face one of the league’s best teams.

Like the Pride, the Current were unbeaten in their first 15 games of the season, a run that ended with their 2-1 loss to the Pride on July 6. While they weren’t able to keep up with the Pride’s pace, the Current finished the regular season in fourth. They’ll be motivated to get revenge on the Pride for their loss earlier this year and the opportunity to play in the championship game at their home stadium.

The Current were one of the best teams offensively and defensively this season. Their 31 goals conceded was fifth fewest in the league and their 57 goals scored were the most, six more than the Washington Spirit, who were second in goals scored.

While the Pride are led offensively by Zambian international Banda, Malawian international Temwa Chawinga is the biggest threat for the Current. The favorite for the NWSL Most Valuable Player award finished the regular season with a league-leading 20 goals in 26 games and scored the lone goal in Kansas City’s 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage in the first round of the NWSL playoffs last weekend.

The pair of African natives will be the key factor in this game. Banda snapped her goalless drought against Chicago and the Pride will need her to continue producing to reach the championship game. Additionally, Orlando’s defensive unit will need to keep Chawinga from taking over the game. It’s a tall task for a team that has conceded goals from defensive mistakes in each of its last four games.

“An exciting one,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about today’s game. “You know, it’s the semifinals of the playoffs. Winner goes all the way to the championship game, so stakes are high, and obviously we want to be the team that is on that flight to Kansas at the end of the game. So we expect two teams going after it. Obviously, we’ve played them two times in the regular season, (they’ve) been really competitive games, and we expect nothing different going into this game.”

All of the players missing for the Pride tonight are those already out with season-ending injuries and illnesses. Those players include Rafaelle (thigh), Megan Montefusco (heel), Luana (illness), Simone Charley (ankle), and Grace Chanda (thigh).

The Current will be without Hildah Magaia (leg), Alex Pfeiffer (knee), Gabrielle Robinson (knee), Mallory Weber (knee), and Bia Zaneratto (foot). Additionally, Lo’eau LaBonta (leg) is listed as questionable.

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, Cori Dyke.

Defensive Midfielders: Haley McCutcheon, Angelina.

Midfielders: Julie Doyle, Marta, Adriana.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Celia, Summer Yates, Carrie Lawrence, Morgan Gautrat, Ally Lemos, Viviana Villacorta, Julie Doyle, Carson Pickett.

Kansas City Current (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Almuth Schult.

Defenders: Ellie Wheeler, Kayla Sharples, Alana Cook, Hailie Mace.

Midfielders: Claire Hutton, Vanessa DiBernardo, Lo’eau LaBonta.

Forwards: Temwa Chawinga, Debinha, Michelle Cooper.

Bench: AD Franch, Regan Steigleder, Elizabeth Ball, Nichelle Prince, Desiree Scott, Stine Ballisager, Izzy Rodriguez, Bayley Feist, Kristen Hamilton.

Referees

REF: Danielle Chesky.
AR1: Jennifer Garner.
AR2: Darren Bandy.
4TH: Abdou Ndiaye.
VAR: Shawn Tehini.
AVAR: Tom Felice.

How to Watch

Match Time: 3 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: ABC.

Streaming: ESPN+.

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

Enjoy the match. Go Pride!

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