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Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns, NWSL Semifinals: Final Score 4-1 as Quick Start by Hosts Too Much to Overcome

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7 years ago

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The Orlando Pride’s season came to an end where it began, with a loss on the road against the Portland Thorns. The playoff-tested hosts jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead and held on to win 4-1 against a Pride side that made a game of it but was unable to pull completely level to get a fresh start in the match.

Four different Thorns scored in a lopsided final outcome that doesn’t fully tell the story of the game, in which the Pride had to chase the game from 15 minutes on, but looked a threat to pull even for much of the game.

The Pride headed to Portland for a match-up that featured a true immovable object vs. unstoppable force, with Orlando’s league-best offense (45 goals)up against the Thorns’ NWSL-best defense (20 goals allowed). On paper, this match looked like one the Pride didn’t want to face, as they went to league’s No. 1 home field advantage in Portland — today with over 18,000 in attendance — against a team that had only lost one match at home all season.

Making things more difficult is that Orlando had never beaten the Thorns in two seasons, including not scoring against Adrianna Franch — the NWSL’s leader in shutouts (8) — in two previous attempts.

With the injury to Camila, Tom Sermanni decided to go with a new look for his lineup, handing Toni Pressley earning her first start in over two months and leaving Rachel Hill — who has performed very well at the end of the season — on the bench. Portland’s move was notably in the exact opposite direction as the Thorns were able to get Tobin Heath back for her first start of the season.

While there was a bit of back and forth all match, Portland’s midfield had firm control, as the noticeable change of a very deep sitting Pressley vs. the ball control of Camila was everything that Lindsey Horan and Christine Sinclair were hoping for. They continually tortured the Pride and owned the middle of the pitch all day.

That, combined with the Pride employing a very high line and offside trap tactic proved to be the telling stories of this match. The Pride, despite having control for much of the match, couldn't make the deficiencies in both of these areas.

Portland came right out of the gate firing on all cylinders, putting Orlando on its heels. After a first five minutes, during which each team felt each other out, the next 15 minutes would be nearly all Thorns as the Pride couldn’t get themselves settled anywhere on the field.

The left side of the Pride’s defense was being ravaged by Heath but also Meghan Klingenberg, as Marta was having a tough time tracking back. This ultimately led to the first goal by Portland only 12 minutes into the match. Sinclair found a wide open Klingenberg on the left wing. The wingback played a fantastic curling ball to Armandine Henry, who got behind Ali Krieger and headed home to make it 1-0.

It didn't take long for Portland’s second in the 15th, as Heath’s free kick found a streaking Emily Sonnett, who beat Pressley to the near post for a flick over an out of position, and still moving, Ashlyn Harris. 

But after the goal, Orlando seemed to settle down and begin getting back into the match. Just eight minutes later, some good buildup play led to a corner. Marta played a short corner to Chioma Ubogagu, who played it back to Marta. The Brazilian’s ball got a flick from Pressley and eventually found Alanna Kennedy at the back post for Orlando’s first postseason goal.

Orlando consistently flirted with a very high line, one that would eventually cost the Pride, and Portland had a couple of good opportunities only to be spoiled by offside. And, in one case in the 27th minute, Klingenberg almost had a 1-v-1, but she couldn't catch up to a through ball from Horan.

From that point until around the 40-minute mark, the Pride controlled much of the match. Sermanni made a much-needed swap of Marta and Ubogagu. This enabled Marta to take advantage of a much worse Thorns right side while allowing Chi to follow Klingenberg around, making her much more quiet than the first 15.

The 40th minute saw Portland gain back some control as Australian international Haley Raso drove against multiple Pride defenders to earn a corner. At this point, the Pride had moved to zonal marking after giving up the first goal. This time the cross found Sinclair but she headed wide.

Portland continued to press in the last five minutes of the first half, nearly getting Sinclair in but again it was offside.

The second half started with a bit of back and forth but the Pride found some early opportunities that they just couldn't close. In the 55th minute, a great direct ball over the top by Pressley found Morgan for a first-time attempt that she sent wide across the box. Marta also had a free kick opportunity that nothing came of.

Then, in the 57th, Sinclair almost found what would have been a wide open Horan in the middle of box. The high line again flirted with being caught out, but Horan and Sinclair weren't on the same page as the ball dropped into an empty box and out for a goal kick.

From the 57th to the 69th minutes the Pride continued to have possession and opportunities but were continually denied by a strong Portland defense. Portland looked content to sit back a little bit and defend crosses and the Pride couldn’t find a final ball.

The inability to find that last ball finally came back to haunt Orlando as the high line was finally burnt in the 71st minute. Horan played a quality weighted ball over the Orlando defense to find Raso, with no one within five yards, who calmly finished past Harris to make it 3-1. Harris on the play seemed disconnected with her back line as she was sitting rather deep and hesitated on what could have potentially been an easy claim or clearance at the top of her box.

The high line almost immediately saw another goal in the next minute as a dangerous cross got behind again but the final ball was wide.

One of the many constant themes of the match was a Hack-A-Morgan strategy that saw the Thorns beating up on the Pride striker consistently. It came to a climax as another tackle by Sonnett in the 73rd found nothing but Morgan’s top half and forced her to the sideline briefly (no foul by the way). Portland featured 15 fouls all match and used plenty of them on Morgan to keep her out of the game as much as possible.

The remainder of the match saw the Thorns never step off the gas pedal as they looked to keep the Pride away from a hometown championship match. With substitutions of three international players in Dagný Brynjarsdóttir (Iceland), Allie Long (USA), and Nadia Nadim (France), the Thorns continued to prove their depth was too much to handle as Sermanni could only counter with Jasmyne Spencer, Rachel Hill , and Danica Evans.

Brynjarsdóttir’s fresh legs proved to be a pain for the left side of defense as she consistently found space to play many dangerous crosses across the six. Orlando began to look out of sorts as fatigue set in late from chasing all game long.

In her first set of touches, Nadim gave Portland a 4-1 lead in the 84th minute by finding a Sinclair at the back post with a ball inches over Kristen Edmonds. The Canadian calmly placed the ball into the back corner.

The Pride finish their second season 11-7-7, seeing huge growth over last year’s ninth-place finish. Leading the league in goals scored and with multiple players up for year-end awards, it proved a successful campaign. While it fell short, we can't help but be optimistic that a full year with Morgan, the experience gained this year and the right off-season moves will see the Pride back in the postseason in 2018.

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Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Transfer Adriana to Saudi Side Al Qadsiah FC

The club has secured one of the highest transfer fees in NWSL history for the Brazilian attacker after she requested a transfer.

Published

9 hours ago

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January 30, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has secured a club-record transfer fee from Al Qadsiah FC of the Saudi Women’s Premier League in exchange for Brazilian international attacking midfielder/forward Adriana. The club announced that the sale was one of the three highest in NWSL history, with Jeff Kassouf of The Equalizer reporting the fee as $500,000.

“We are incredibly grateful for Adriana’s contributions to the club, and while we will miss her presence both on and off the pitch, we are happy to support her in this next chapter of her career,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “At the Pride, we believe in empowering our players to pursue opportunities that align with their personal and professional goals. The record transfer fee we received reflects both Adriana’s exceptional talent and our commitment to building mutually beneficial relationships in the global transfer market. These resources will help us continue to attract world-class talent to Orlando as we build for the future. We wish Adriana all the best and she will always be part of the Pride family.” 

The move, which was requested by Adriana, comes shortly after the start of training camp as the Pride prepare to defend their NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship titles.

“I want to thank the Orlando Pride, my teammates, and especially our amazing fans for making Orlando feel like home,” Adriana said in the club’s release. “This club gave me an incredible opportunity to grow as a player and person, and I will always be grateful for my time here. The Pride organization has been very supportive of my desire to take on this new challenge overseas. They worked hard to make this move possible while ensuring it benefited everyone involved. Orlando will always hold a special place in my heart, and I look forward to watching the club continue to grow and succeed.” 

The Pride signed Adriana almost exactly two years ago on Jan. 19, 2023, from Brazilian giants Corinthians. That deal was through the 2025 season, meaning her contract would have been up at the end of this year. As Orlando typically extends players’ deals before they expire, the timing makes some sense, despite it happening during the Pride’s preseason.

In two seasons with Orlando, Adriana was a key player for the Pride with the versatility for Seb Hines to deploy her in multiple ways. She was primarily used as a winger during her time in Orlando, appearing in 46 NWSL regular-season games with 38 starts, logging 3,333 minutes. She scored six goals and added four assists, sharing the team lead in those categories in 2023. Her contributions in 2024 raised her career regular-season totals with the Pride to 12 goals and five assists across two seasons.

Adriana appeared in all three of the Pride’s playoff games during her stay in Orlando, starting two and logging 197 minutes. She did not make a goal contribution, attempting six shots with only one of those hitting the target. She tallied five key passes and one successful long ball in the Pride’s run to the title.

Additionally, the Brazilian made one appearance in the NWSL Challenge Cup, playing just eight minutes off the bench in 2023 without a goal contribution. She was on international duty during four of the Pride’s six matches in that competition. Adriana was away at the Olympics during the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, so she did not play in that competition.

What It Means for Orlando

Losing a player of Adriana’s caliber does not make a team better, but the club got a big return for an attacking piece that had started splitting time with Summer Yates during Orlando’s final stretch of the season in 2024. The Pride’s younger players are starting to demand more minutes with their performances, and while the team’s depth takes a hit with Adriana’s departure, the club has the resources to find a roster replacement.

Someone will have to replace Adriana’s six goals per year. Yates scored five in her second season in the league, but a jump to 11 in her third year seems unrealistic. However, more minutes for Yates may mitigate some of Adriana’s lost offense. Others who can contribute to replacing those goals include Grace Chanda, Simone Charley, Ally Watt, and Julie Doyle. The first two on that list are talented, but still have yet to play their first game for the Pride. It’s also conceivable that Barbra Banda can score more goals in her second NWSL season.

In Adriana, the Pride also lost one of the team’s better penalty takers. Adriana was two-for-two from the spot in 2024. Someone else will need to step up and take up the secondary penalty-taker role (to Marta) in 2025.

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Opinion

Three Orlando Pride Games to Circle on the Calendar

Let’s take a brief look at three games to pay extra attention to during Orlando’s upcoming NWSL campaign.

Published

6 days ago

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January 24, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

We got the release of the Orlando Pride’s 2025 schedule on Wednesday, which means we’re that little bit closer to the start of the season on March 7. The nature of the 14-team National Women’s Soccer League means that there are fewer scheduling quirks than with the 30-team Major League Soccer, with each team playing the other 13 clubs twice each. Still, there’s plenty to dig into with regards to how the scheduling shakes out, and now that I’ve had time to examine what 2025 holds, I’ve got three games in particular that I’ve got circled on my match calendar. Behold.

March 7 — vs. Washington Spirit

You had to know this was coming, right? There’s so much to like about this game. Not only is it the home opener, but as the NWSL Challenge Cup match, it’s also a chance to win another piece of silverware in a rematch of last year’s NWSL Championship game. This game sells itself on just about every level imaginable. The Pride return almost everyone from a wildly successful 2024 season, and while there aren’t a ton of new signings to familiarize ourselves with, getting healthy versions of Grace Chanda and Simone Charley is essentially like getting two brand new players. It’ll be our first chance to gauge where the Pride stand as they try to continue on from the high standards that were set last year, and we should also get a couple new banners hoisted into the rafters. You can hardly ask for more than all that.

Aug. 16 — at Kansas City Current

The Current were excellent in 2024, finishing fourth and boasting the league’s best attack, with 57 goals scored in 26 games, for an over two goals per game average. The Pride, meanwhile, had the league’s third-best attack, with 46 goals, and the joint-best defense with just 20 conceded. Orlando never lost to Kansas City in 2024, as the Pride drew and won the regular-season contests and then won again in the semifinal matchup between the two teams. The pair have made a habit of putting on entertaining affairs, and with the match placed as one of the first ones to occur after the league’s July break, it might go a long way towards setting the tone for the back half of Orlando’s season.

Nov. 2 — vs. Seattle Reign

The NWSL is bringing back Decision Day this year, and the Pride have been blessed with a home game on the league’s final day of regular-season play. On paper, Orlando has also been handed a favorable matchup against a Seattle team that struggled last year and is in the midst of a rebuild. Given how tight the margins tend to be in the upper reaches of the league, every point takes on added importance, and playoff scenarios can swing wildly when everyone is playing at the same time. It’s always nice to be able to play at home in a situation that variable, and it can make for a truly memorable atmosphere that will (hopefully) set Orlando up for another postseason run on the right note.

It feels a little cheap to highlight the first and last games of the season, but I can’t help liking what I like. Are there any games that you’re especially looking forward to this season? Be sure to have your say down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando Pride

A 2025 Orlando Pride Wish List

Four things I want for the Orlando Pride in 2025.

Published

1 week ago

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January 23, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

I know that it probably seems greedy to ask for anything more after the Orlando Pride won both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship in 2024, but I’m still going to do so. If the Pride want to repeat their success in 2025, they will need a little bit more than in 2024. Let’s look at my wish list for the defending champs.

No Banda Slump

Barbra Banda scored 12 goals with five assists in her first 12 matches with the Pride. She then scored one goal with one assist in the next 10 regular season matches. I know that players have slumps. Strikers in particular tend to be streaky when it comes to goal contributions. I’m just asking that Banda not have another slump quite that big in 2025.

It might be that teams did a better job of double- or triple-teaming her on defense. Perhaps she just got a little unlucky during the slump. Whatever the reason, I hope that her familiarity with her teammates, the league, and Seb Hines’ style of play allows her to significantly increase her goal contributions this season.

A Healthy Chanda and Charley

Neither Grace Chanda nor Simone Charley were able to see the pitch much for the Pride last season. That hopefully changes in 2025. Adding these two players is almost like signing new players, except they’ve been there for everything. There’s no need to adapt to the culture of the club, as they are already a part of it all.

Chanda not only brings international experience, but she has played with Banda for the Zambian National Team. I expect she’ll be able to make an immediate impact when she integrates into the attack. As for Charley, she will be yet another speedy striker the Pride can utilize in their potent attack.

Adding Depth Contributions

The 2024 season saw some players step up a level. Ally Watt had one of her best seasons, Summer Yates impressed everyone, and Cori Dyke earned a starting spot after an appearance on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast. If we can have other young players make the same type of jump in 2025, it bodes well for the club.

Despite having the best defense in the league, the Pride are a little light along the back. I’d like to see Brianna Martinez and new signee, Zara Chavoshi, make some noise on the back line when they get some minutes. There’s also the possibility of a non-roster invitee impressing enough to get a contract. Depth is incredibly important for a team looking to repeat.

Overcoming History

Winning back-to-back anything in any sport is difficult. Every other team will bring their best against you. The weight of expectations can also be very heavy. That being said, if any club can do it, this Pride team can.

The coaches and players already dealt with the pressure of the undefeated streak last season. They dealt with the pressure of winning the NWSL Cup after winning the NWSL Shield. They have dealt with plenty of pressure. Now, they will need to find the proper motivation to propel them to the top yet again. There will be no sneaking up on the league this year.

Those are some of the things I want to see in 2025, but I want to know your thoughts on these points. Perhaps you have some wishes of your own. Let me know in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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