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Orlando Pride vs. FC Kansas City: Final Score 4-1 as the Pride Offense Comes to Life

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9 years ago

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The Orlando Pride’s home struggles came to an emphatic end with a 4-1 drubbing of FC Kansas City in front of 6,073 at Orlando City Stadium. It was Orlando’s first win over FCKC in four tries after a draw earlier this season and two losses last year. Alex Morgan, Toni Pressley, and Kristen Edmonds all scored their first goals of the season and Alanna Kennedy chipped in her second as the Pride (5-5-4, 19 points) tied a club record for goals in a game and set a new mark at home, with four.

The win snapped the Pride’s two-game home losing skid and equaled last year’s point total for the entire season. FC Kansas City (3-7-4, 13 points) extended its winless streak to seven games (0-5-2).

“I think there was a lot of positives from tonight’s game,” Head Coach Tom Sermanni said after the game. “We needed to put on a performance for the people in Orlando, for our supporters, and for everybody in the community and I think we did that tonight. I thought our soccer was incisive, and we played the way we’ve been trying to play and created lots of chances.”

Sermanni changed up his lineup a bit to get more offense in what he called a “must-win game” in the buildup, switching back to a 4-3-3. He started Chioma Ubogagu, Morgan, and rookie Rachel Hill up top, with Dani Weatherholt, Marta, and Kennedy in the midfield, in front of a back four of Steph Catley, Pressley, Ali Krieger, and Camila in front of Aubrey Bledsoe.

“We knew the way that they play, they try to play out from the back so we wanted to make sure, particularly at home, we went in and pressured them. So we tried to start out with a team that we felt could do that effectively,” Sermanni said.

The early going was fairly cagey with the bulk of play in the middle of the park but the Pride started getting forward more and more. Orlando’s first shot came six minutes in after Catley got forward and fed Morgan into the left side of the box. Morgan’s shot from a tight angle was saved out for a corner by Nicole Barnhart. Morgan sent a header just over the bar off a corner a minute later. In the ninth minute, Camila got forward and fired over the bar from about 25 yards out.

Orlando finally broke through in the 22nd minute after Ubogagu had a cross cut out for a corner. Camila took the corner short to Marta who crossed it into the box where Kennedy nodded home for her second of the year. It was Marta’s fourth assist on the season.

“I think we started really well,” Kennedy said. “We’ve had so many set pieces this year and we’ve come close a lot. Although we haven’t capitalized we still know that’s a strength of ours. I think that ball that Marta played was just perfect and I was happy to get on the end of it.”

The goal only spurred Orlando on, as the Pride continued to buzz around the FCKC box. Hill had one shot blocked and sent another over the bar in the minutes following the opening goal. Then the Pride caught a break in the 37th minute when Morgan was fouled in the box while trying to get onto a free kick from distance. She converted from the penalty spot at 38’ to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.

If the first goal got the Pride even more on the front foot, the second woke up the visitors. FC Kansas City started getting into dangerous spots just after the goal and Brittany Ratcliffe forced a great diving save from Bledsoe in the 40th minute.

The game began to get stretched for the remainder of the first half. Morgan flicked one at Barnhart off a Hill cross a minute after the big Bledsoe save. FC Kansas City earned a couple of corners after that. Ultimately the Pride saw out the final minutes of the half and carried a 2-0 advantage into the break. Orlando held 55.6% of the possession, and held an 11-2 edge in shots (4-1 on target).

After a few half chances to open the second half, Morgan nearly got a second goal in the 61st minute when she barely got a toe on a Catley cross, but deflected it right at Barnhart.

But it was FC Kansas City that scored to close the gap to 2-1 in the 65th minute. Second-half sub Maegen Kelly on just about her first touch of the game was sent in behind the Pride defense and beat Bledsoe to pull the visitors back into the game. The back line got caught watching a bit as a ball over the top went off Sydney Leroux’s back and fell right onto the foot of the trailing Katie Bowen, who sent in the streaking Kelly for the scoring chance.

“Probably could have finished the game off long before it went to 2-1 and had a little dodgy spell in that period of time,” Sermanni said.

“With the style of soccer that we play it’s going to happen where we get exposed sometimes because we look to attack and get as many numbers forward as possible,” Pressley said. “But I think we just need to look at the defensive transition now and since we do commit so many numbers forward, always keep in the back of our minds that this could break down and that we need to be set defensively just in case something like that happens.”

But the Pride got back on the front foot after the FCKC goal. Five minutes later, Pressley took a pass from Camila, darted inside one defender and unleashed hell toward the Kansas City goal, scorching her shot just inside the back post to make it 3-1. It was Pressley’s first NWSL goal.

“I got the ball from Camila — it was a good ball — and I just looked to beat the defender,” Pressley said. “And I knew that I was pretty close to goal and I just decided to go for it. Why not?”

The visitors came right back with a chance. Kelly turned and fired a blast from outside the area but Bledsoe made another big save to preserve the two-goal advantage. That turned into a three-goal edge in the 75th when Barnhart was a bit too casual with the ball and a hustling Edmonds took it right off her foot, rounded her and deposited the ball into the empty net to make it 4-1.

From that point on, the game felt like it was over. FC Kansas City got a couple of more half chances but Orlando was still the more dangerous team down the stretch.

Second-half sub Jamia Fields forced a diving save from Barnhart in the 81st minute. Morgan nearly scored again in the 83rd minute when she got down the left but she fired a hard shot instead of chipping Barnhart and the keeper made the save.

When the full-time whistle blew, it was a deserved win for the Pride, who finished with 52.7% of the possession, a 25-10 advantage in shots (11-4 on target) — setting a club record for shots — and 80.4% passing accuracy on the night.

“What we said at the end of the game tonight is we want this to be the foundation of what we’re going to do,” Sermanni said. “We don’t want to now have a good result and then go back and have a bad result and a good result and a bad result. What we need to do is try to get on a run if we can.”

The Pride will be back in action next Saturday, July 22, when they visit the Chicago Red Stars at 3:30 p.m.

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Orlando Pride vs. Boston Legacy FC: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from the Orlando Pride’s 1-0 home loss to Boston Legacy FC.

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8 hours ago

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July 16, 2026

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Image of Jacquie Ovalle taking a free kick against Boston.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride hosted expansion side Boston Legacy FC for the first time in Inter&Co Stadium, and it didn’t go as planned. The visitors defeated the home team 1-0 to sweep the Pride in the regular season. There isn’t much time to reflect before the Pride head west to take on the Utah Royals on Saturday, so here are my five takeaways from the match.

Speed Lacking

This team is slow without Barbra Banda. Jacquie Ovalle is good with the ball at her feet and can deliver good set pieces or crosses when in the right position, but she is not fast. Marta is 40, and as great as she is, she isn’t outrunning younger players. The fullbacks are not fast. Angelina isn’t particularly quick either.

The lack of pace means that even if the Pride get a transition opportunity, the defense can usually catch up to disrupt the play. Trying to win races to open balls often results in the opposition winning the ball. We saw plenty of this in this match.

VARious Decisions

Ovalle was involved in two controversial calls involving video review. The first was on a first-half Ovalle corner kick that she curled inside the far post and into the back of the net. It should have been a beautiful Olimpico, but Ally Lemos was backed up next to Boston goalkeeper Casey Murphy. She barely touched her and I disagree with the call, but the goal was waved off because Lemos was ruled to have interfered with Murphy.

The other call came on the other end, and also on a corner kick. Boston put the ball across the goal and out for a goal kick, but then the video assistant referee decided to take a long look. Ovalle was, in my opinion, absolutely holding onto the player she was defending, but inexplicably after review, the goal kick was confirmed. I’m not certain if it was intentional, but the call did effectively even things out.

No Banda, No Finishing

The Pride were able to create several crosses from the wide spaces before Banda entered the match in the 60th minute. Unfortunately, there was no one in front of goal for the Pride to even attempt a shot (see “Speed” above). The few shots that the Pride were able to get off either went wide, high, or straight to the keeper. Even Banda wasn’t able to finish any of her chances, though as you’ll read below there were some extenuating circumstances.

Banda Brutalized

It was clear that once Banda came into the match, Boston center back Jorelyn Carabalí was told to do anything short of shivving Banda to stop her. Banda was bumped, dragged, kicked, pulled, and all sorts of other things that should have been called as fouls with some worthy of bookings, but the referee wasn’t having it. This is nothing new for Banda and the Pride, as teams are often able to maul the Zambian striker without it being called because of her size and strength. It’s unfair whenever it happens, but it seemed to be more egregious in this match.

Reality Check

On Friday, we saw the Pride play to the top of their ability. The 3-0 win over the Kansas City Current was vintage 2024 Orlando Pride. It was also an illusion. That performance is not indicative of what this team is on any given day. I think the performance against Boston is much closer to the truth. The team looked better once Banda was on the pitch, but it wasn’t enough. The Pride are about to lose Banda to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, and I don’t think the team has any answers or the personnel to implement those answers.

That is what I saw in the disappointing home loss to Boston Legacy FC. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando Pride vs. Boston Legacy FC: Final Score 1-0 as Pride are Swept by Expansion Boston

The Pride finish 0-3-1 against expansion teams after a toothless attacking night against Boston Legacy FC.

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19 hours ago

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July 15, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride (6-7-2, 20 points) fell 1-0 at home to Boston Legacy FC (4-7-4, 16 points) in front of a Wednesday night crowd of 6,004 disappointed fans. Boston struck early and the Pride laid on a relentless attack in the second half, but they lacked precision in the final third and couldn’t overcome the Legacy’s stubborn defense. Barbara Olivieri scored the game’s only goal.

Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines deployed his typical 4-2-3-1 formation for tonight’s match. The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was made up of Cori Dyke, Hannah Anderson, Zara Chavoshi, and Oihane. Haley McCutcheon and Ally Lemos served as the defensive midfielders, with Angelina, Jacquie Ovalle, and Solai Washington taking up the attacking midfield roles and Marta up top.

“Yeah, I mean they took their goal well. You know, some quick combination play, but I feel like every goal is preventable,” Hines said after the match. “You know, that’s just my mindset and how I think. And you know there was a couple of give-and-goes, and then you know getting close to people and affecting people wasn’t quite there in the first half.”

In the first minute, Oihane worked her way down the right and fed a ball through to Washington, who sent in a low cross that Casey Murphy collected easily.

In the sixth minute, Lilly Reale responded by sending a harmless ball over the crossbar.

Marta worked down the left a minute later and sent a high cross into the box, but it was too far in front of Washington and Angelina, who were trying to catch up to the play. The pass went harmlessly out the other side of the area, wasting a numerical advantage in transition.

In the 12th minute, Boston worked the ball down the right and sent in a cross that McCutcheon blocked behind for a corner. Jorelyn Carabali met the ensuing delivery with a free header, but it didn’t have much pace on it and popped up right to Moorhouse. Five minutes later, Moorhouse got over to gather a cross in from Reale.

Boston struck in the 17th minute, carving through the Pride midfield as Alba Caño found Ella Stevens, who tapped it centrally to Olivieri. The Boston attacker fired toward Moorhouse’s left. The goalkeeper dove but couldn’t make the save as the ball was able to sneak inside the post to make it 1-0.

The Pride attempted to pull the goal back in the 22nd minute, working up through the middle, but could not break down the stubborn Boston defense.

In the 26th minute, McCutcheon turned the ball over to Olivieri, who muscled her way into the box and cut back a pass to Caño, who fired wide. McCutcheon was shown a delayed yellow card for trying — and failing — to hold back Olivieri on the play, with the referee playing advantage.

The Pride responded in the 28th minute, following a throw-in, working wide on the left. Dyke sent in a good cross to Angelina right in front of goal. The Brazilian did well to get a foot on it, but hit it poorly and sent the ball wide left.

In the 36th minute, the Pride earned a free kick following a foray into the Boston 18-yard box that was defended away. Murphy collected the ensuing ball in from Ovalle without difficulty.

Boston managed a shot in the 40th minute after winning the ball off an Orlando throw-in and working it out to Caño, who centered for Annie Karich. She fired a shot but sent it right at Moorhouse.

Orlando had its own chance seconds later when an Ovalle effort flew just wide, needing a touch from Murphy to put it out for a corner. It looked like the Pride had equalized on the corner, with Ovalle curling the ball directly in for an Olimpico, but the goal was called back for a foul by Lemos who lightly bumped into Murphy. It was a curious call, as Lemos stood her ground and Murphy had to move back toward her goal away from Lemos to try to get to Ovalle’s delivery, but the goal didn’t count and a free kick was awarded to Boston.

Aïssata Traoré fired over the crossbar in the 43rd minute after some buildup down the Boston left.

Washington managed a decent cross in the 44th minute, but it was just too far in front of an onrushing Ovalle. Oihane added a cross of her own in the 46th minute, but it again went right to Murphy.

Boston won another corner moments later from an attack down the right, but the delivery flew over everyone except Reale at the back post. She put it out for an Orlando goal kick. The Pride survived a penalty scare on the play, as Ovalle had tangled with Carabali in the box, with a lot of shirt pulling and no attempt to play the ball. Referee Cristian Campo went to the monitor after a lengthy delay waiting for the video assistant referee. Campo looked at the play and confirmed the call as no foul and a goal kick, evening out the game’s two most controversial plays.

The first half came to an end without another good look at goal and Boston leading 1-0.

The half finished with Orlando leading in possession (51%-49%) but Boston had the advantage in shots (7-4), shots on target (2-0), and passing accuracy (87%-81%). Both teams won two corner kicks in the opening half.

Orlando saw more of the ball in the second half and created more opportunities, but in the end, the Pride were wasteful with those chances and gave the ball away too cheaply in the final third.

Hines brought on Julie Doyle at halftime for her 100th appearance for the club. She replaced Oihane at right back.

“Yeah, I mean, just want to say how grateful I am too. I mean, not every single player gets to hit 100 — and hit 100 at the same team,” Doyle said. “I’m so grateful just for the staff and the organization for believing in me every single year and every single contract and have had some highs and lows, but winning a championship was the best soccer memory.

“We’ve got to figure out how to break down a low block. I think that’s probably the hardest thing to do in soccer. You see it even in the World Cup. But yeah, and just like having that grit and mentality, and doing whatever it takes to get another goal, and you know, for us, I think that’s something that we obviously need to figure out.”

Orlando put together some excellent buildup in the 50th minute between Washington and Angelina, following clever holdup play by Marta. The sequence led to a Washington shot that Murphy parried away. The resulting cross found Marta, but her touch deflected off a Boston defender and into touch for a Pride throw-in that led nowhere.

Marta got a shot off in the 55th minute, following buildup through the middle from Anderson and Dyke, but sent it straight at the goalkeeper.

Boston worked a cross into the Orlando box in the 59th minute, sent in by Bianca St-Georges, but McCutcheon cleared it.

Barbra Banda subbed on in the 60th minute for Ovalle, and Orlando immediately started to play more directly with the Zambian international on the pitch. The Pride threatened in the 62nd minute with a ball over the top to Banda out wide, but a good tackle by Carabali snuffed out the attack after Banda had worked her way centrally, trying to clear herself for a shot.

The Pride followed with a free kick that was sent in, recycled, and lobbed back in, glancing off Anderson’s head and over the end line. Washington fired a shot just wide of the left post in the 64th minute. Murphy got a touch to help it, but a goal kick was given.

In the 66th minute, Boston came close to doubling the lead following a scramble in the box. Caño’s free kick found Reale, who crossed it back in, but Dyke cleared the danger off the line.

Hines made a double substitution in the 68th minute, sending on Simone Jackson for Washington and Nicole Payne for Lemos.

In the 77th minute, Jackson fought hard to work the ball toward the center of the box for Banda, who took a swing at a difficult ball that sailed high and wide. Eight minutes later, Orlando nearly forced an own goal when a Doyle cross deflected off Carabali and rattled the post.

The Pride earned a corner in the 86th minute when Emerson Elgin cleared a McCutcheon cross for Banda over the end line. Boston defended two corners in the ensuing goalmouth scramble, with Olivieri prominent in clearing the danger.

Hines made his final substitution in the 88th minute, sending on Seven Castain for McCutcheon.

In the 90th minute, chaos reigned in the box as the Pride had shots from both Marta and Payne blocked. A minute later, a promising attack down the left was snuffed out when Doyle stepped on the side of the ball while trying to beat her defender, handing possession back to the Legacy, who used their possession to try to run out the clock.

In the 95th minute, Marta worked a nice ball over the top that gave Banda a fighting chance, but a slightly heavy touch — with Boston players closing in — cost her the ball.

The final whistle brought Orlando’s second loss to Boston to a close. The Pride took only one point from four matches against the two new NWSL expansion sides.

The match finished with Orlando having the better of the possession battle (52%-48%), shots (13-8), corner kicks (5-2), and passing accuracy (84%-83%) but both teams put two shots on target.

“It’s obviously challenging, especially when she had quite a significant injury leading up into the last couple of games,” Hines said of Banda’s contributions and readiness going forward. “I feel like we’ve managed her really well, but you have to be so cautious with players, especially when they have injuries the way that Barbra had, and she’s such an explosive player, you don’t want to lose her for many more games — we’ll assess where she’s at, how she feels after tonight’s game, and then make a decision on you know if she starts or she can be an impact off the bench again.”

It was a disappointing result and performance for the Pride — their second in the last three matches, sandwiched around one of the team’s best outings of the year on Friday against the Kansas City Current. But the only thing consistent about the 2026 Pride is the team’s inconsistency and inability to get everyone healthy. Both Hailie Mace and Summer Yates sat out the game with knocks.

Things won’t get any easier for the Pride, who must now travel to Utah to face the Royals on Saturday night at altitude.

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

The Pride look to win their second straight game as they welcome Boston Legacy FC to Inter&Co Stadium.

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1 day ago

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July 15, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread as the Orlando Pride (6-6-2, 20 points) face Boston Legacy FC (3-7-4, 13 points) at Inter&Co Stadium at 7 p.m. (NWSL+, Victory+). This is the second and final scheduled meeting between these two teams this season.

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

History

Boston Legacy FC is one of two expansion teams joining the NWSL in 2026. The first and only game between the two teams took place on May 12 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. The Pride took the lead in the 14th minute when Rafaelle was pushed over during a set piece and Marta converted the penalty. However, Aleigh Gambone equalized in the 72nd minute and Amanda Gutierres netted the winner eight minutes into second-half stoppage time from the penalty spot for a handball in the box by Luana. Boston took that first-ever meeting 2-1.

Overview

The Pride went into the World Cup break with back-to-back wins over San Diego Wave FC and Bay FC. However, they returned with a weak performance against Angel City FC away from home, resulting in a 2-0 loss.

On Friday night, the Pride faced a red-hot Kansas City Current team. While the first half wasn’t the best, the Pride had arguably their best half of the season in the final 45 minutes. Marta opened the scoring with a long-distance shot in the 49th minute, followed by a Hannah Anderson header off a corner kick in the 57th minute. Barbra Banda came on in the 76th minute and extended her league-leading goal total to 12 in the 85th minute, securing the 3-0 win.

The clean sheet was the Pride’s fifth of the season. Combined with the three goals, the team now has a positive goal difference (+2) with 21 goals scored and 19 goals conceded. The last two years, the team has been better defensively than offensively, but it’s opposite this season. The Pride are now third in goals scored and 10th in goals conceded.

In addition to the three points, Jacquie Ovalle and Marta started together for the first time this season. Banda also played the final 14 minutes after missing the Angel City game and looked like her dangerous self in the attack.

Tonight, the Pride welcome a Boston Legacy FC team that sits 14th in the 16-team league. The visitors tonight only have three wins this year, with one coming against the Pride and the other coming Friday night against the Chicago Stars.

Boston went into the World Cup break with back-to-back losses, falling 2-1 to Seattle Reign FC and 1-0 to the Kansas City Current. However, the expansion side has bounced back well, drawing 2-2 with Bay FC before beating the Stars 2-0.

Boston is led in the attack by Aissata Traore and Gutierres with four goals each, followed by Nichelle Prince and Alba Cano with two apiece. Biance St-Georges, Sammy Smith, and Gambone are the team’s only other goal scorers with a goal each.

Prince leads the team in assists, with three, followed by Gutierres with two. Traore, Barbara Olivieri, Emerson Elgin, and Laurel Ansbrow have each added one assist this season.

The team is tied with Racing Louisville FC on 15 goals scored, third fewest in the league. Meanwhile, Boston’s 21 goals conceded is fourth most in the NWSL this season. Despite falling back in May, this is a game from which the Pride should be able to take all three points.

“Last time we played them it was a physical game,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said ahead of tonight’s contest. “It came down to literally the last kick of the game as well, so we’re looking to bounce back from that result that we were disappointed with going to their place. And, also, building on our performance against Kansas. It was a really good, encouraging performance. The attention to detail, scoring some goals as well is always nice, making it entertaining for our fans. So we’re looking to replicate that against Boston.”

The Pride will be without Hailie Mace (thigh), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Rafaelle (hip), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Summer Yates (ankle). Boston will play without Lais Araujo (thigh), Josefine Hasbo (lower leg), Kaka (ankle), Fauzia Najjemba (thigh), and Chloe Ricketts (ankle).

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Cori Dyke, Hannah Anderson, Zara Chavoshi, Oihane.

Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Haley McCutcheon.

Attacking Midfielders: Jacquie Ovalle, Angelina, Solai Washington.

Forward: Marta.

Bench: Cosette Morche, McKinley Crone, Kerry Abello, Luana, Nicole Payne, Julie Doyle, Seven Castain, Simone Jackson, Barbra Banda.

Boston Legacy FC (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Casey Murphy.

Defenders: Lilly Reale, Emerson Elgin, Jorelyn Carabali, Bianca St-Georges.

Defensive Midfielders: Annie Karich, Alba Cano.

Attacking Midfielders: Aissata Traore, Barbara Olivieri, Nichelle Prince.

Forward: Ella Stevens.

Bench: Laurel Ivory, Hannah Stambaugh, Nicolette Hernandez, Laurel Ansbrow, Deja Davis, Amanda Allen, Sammy Smith, Aleigh Gambone, Gutierres.

Referees

REF: Cristian Campo.
AR1: Noah Kenyawani.
AR2: Kendall McCardell.
4TH: Alejo Calume.
VAR: Alyssa Pennington.
AVAR: Brian Marshall.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: None.

Streaming: NWSL+, Victory+.

Social Media: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @themaneland.bsky.social on Bluesky and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter (@ORLPride) or Bluesky (@orlpride.com) feed.

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!

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