Orlando Pride vs. Sky Blue FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Welcome to your match thread for tonight’s match-up between the Orlando Pride (3-4-3, 12 points) and Sky Blue FC (5-5-1, 16 points). This is the second of three scheduled meetings between the two sides this season. Sky Blue visits Orlando City Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

The Pride is coming off a 2-0 loss against the Houston Dash on Saturday — the club’s first loss at home this season. Carli Lloyd and Rachel Daly provided the offense for the visitors in a game that the Pride dominated for the first 30 minutes but failed to find a breakthrough prior to the first hydration break. After that, Houston simply out-played Orlando.

Sky Blue is coming off a 2-1 loss Sunday at the Chicago Red Stars. Madison Tiernan scored to put SBFC up early but Vanessa DiBernardo and Sofia Huerta scored in a four-minute span to lift Chicago.

Orlando is 0-2-1 against Sky Blue FC, falling 2-1 on May 27 in the first trip to New Jersey. Jasmyne Spencer gave the Pride an early lead, but Sam Kerr and Maya Hayes brought Sky Blue back to claim all three points.

Sitting third in the NWSL standings, Sky Blue has a lot of talent and will be tough to beat on the road. Sarah Killion is tied with Marta and Megan Rapinoe for the league lead in goals (5), with Sam Kerr just behind, with four, and Raquel Rodriguez has three. Kerr is also tied for second in assists (3), third in combined goals + assists (7), fifth in chances created (18), and third in shots (34). Rodriguez is second in fouls won (24).

Sky Blue is the league’s most accurate shooting team, getting 60 of its 99 shots on frame this season. The team is also strong at the end of matches, scoring five of its 16 total goals in 2017 from minutes 76 through 90. 

Last year, the two clubs played a home-and-home series three days apart last season. The Pride earned their first ever draw in a 1-1 deadlock on the road on Sept. 7, 2016. Alex Morgan scored 22 minutes in and Ashlyn Harris defended the net heroically but Kerr equalized less than 10 minutes from the whistle.

On Sept. 10, Sky Blue captured a 2-1 comeback win at Camping World Stadium in the rematch. Just before the half, Kristen Edmonds broke the scoreless draw with a gorgeous free kick goal. But the Pride couldn’t find a second goal, and Kerr and Hayes — there are those names again — beat Harris to fuel the comeback.

“[Sky Blue] is a team I’d call a ‘blue collar team’. They have great energy, they work very hard for each other and in Sam Kerr they have a real match winner up front,” Head Coach Tom Sermanni said. “And they’ve been playing well, particularly at home. So we’ll need to be really on top of our game on Wednesday to get a result. I think the key thing is that we first and foremost need to match the energy that they have, the enthusiasm that they have, and the work rate that they have. If we don’t match that it will be a long night for us. If we match that, I believe we we’ve got the quality and the ability in this team to go and win the game.”

Ashlyn Harris (right quad) and Alex Morgan (hamstring) are out for Orlando. Sky Blue FC lists Tasha Kai (off-season ankle surgery) as doubtful and Kelley O’Hara (groin) as questionable.

Official Lineups:

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Aubrey Bledsoe.

Defenders: Steph Catley, Toni Pressley, Ali Krieger, Kristen Edmonds.

Defensive Midfielders:  Alanna Kennedy, Dani Weatherholt

Attacking Midfielders: Camila, Marta, Chioma Ubogagu.

Forwards: Jamia Fields.

Bench: Caroline Stanley, Laura Alleway, Maddy Evans, Monica, Jasmyne Spencer, Rachel Hill, Nickolette Driesse.

Sky Blue FC (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Kailen Sheridan.

Defenders: Kayla Mills, Mandy Freeman, Christie Pearce, Kelley O’Hara.

Defensive Midfielders: Raquel Rodriguez, Sarah Killion.

Attacking Midfielders: Maya Hayes, Taylor Lytle, Daphne Corboz.

Forward: Samantha Kerr.

Bench: Caroline Casey, Erin Simon, Nikki Stanton, Erica Skroski, McKenzie Meehan, Madison Tiernan, Leah Galton.

Referees

Ref: Danielle Chesky.

AR1: Jeffrey Skinker.

AR2: Victor Vazquez.

4th: Luis Arroyo.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m. (ET).

Venue: Yurcak Field — Piscataway, NJ.

TV: None.

Streaming:  go90.com, go90 iOS and Android app (in the U.S.), NWSLSoccer.com or the NWSL app (outside the U.S.).

Twitter: For live updates, follow along at the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride) and despite the busy triple game night we’ll try to provide some updates on The Mane Land’s Twitter (@TheManeLand).

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