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Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Final Score 4-3 as the Pride Comeback Falls Short

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6 years ago

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After what Orlando Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni described as the worst first half of the season, the Pride bounced backed in the second half and made a game of things. However, three self-inflicted goals were Orlando’s demise and North Carolina (8-0-2, 26 points) remained undefeated, winning 4-3. 

“I think it’s fairly obvious. Tonight we saw the worst of Orlando Pride and then at times the best of Orlando Pride,” Sermanni said. “Our first half performance was probably the poorest performance that our team has put together in two and a half seasons. We were lucky to be down one-nil at half time but then again, I think in the second half our players showed a great deal of character, came right back into the game, kept coming back into the game. But then it was almost like we came back into the game and then took our foot off the pedal.” 

There was one change to the starting lineup. Sydney Leroux was listed as a starter but was changed out due to illness for Chioma Ubogagu before the game. 

“[Leroux] should be [back for Saturday]. She just had a little stomach bug so we weren’t sure if she was going to be fit or not. So we brought her out for the warm-up and in the warm-up she said, ‘Look, no I’m not ready to go.’ Hopefully it’s just a 24-hour thing and she’ll be fit and healthy again tomorrow.” 

The game started exactly how one would expect. North Carolina was fast and furious, and Orlando (3-3-3, 12 points) had difficulty coping with the speed of of Jessica McDonald and Crystal Dunn up top. The Courage continually played through balls up top to them, many of these looked offside, and this led to 17 shots in the first half alone from the visitors. 

Dunn got the attack off early. In just the third minute Jaelene Hinkle put a long ball into the box that found the head of Dunn and Ashlyn Harris made her first save of the match. In the next 15 minutes, the visitors took eight shots, five of which were from Dunn and McDonald. 

An interesting moment happened in the seventh minute. North Carolina actually scored a goal but referee Christina Unkel, called the goal back for offside even though the flag stayed down. Replays show that Unkel made the correct call. Later in the half the Pride were in a similar situation when Alex Morgan found the back of the net but it was also called back for offside. 

While the Pride’s first half was extremely poor, Ashlyn Harris was the best player on the field. She made three saves in the first half, including a good one-on-one save in the 19th minute against Dunn. Harris was quick off her line, forcing Dunn to shoot sooner than she would have liked and the shot went wide. Three minutes later Harris made another save that got got the crowd chanting her name. 

But North Carolina would get the breakthrough in the 31st minute. The Pride were unable to clear and a bouncing ball fell to McDonald, who took it on the first touch and put the Courage up. McDonald looked to be offside on the play. 

The Pride went into halftime down just one goal. Although North Carolina only had 52% possession, the Courage’s 17 shots, compared to Orlando’s three was the difference and the Pride were on the defense the entire half. 

The second half brought a much-needed improvement from Orlando. The team settled down some and was able to possess the ball more and create more chances. 

“It’s a bit frustrating, a bit disappointing, especially after coming off such a great win in Portland,” said Ali Krieger. “We were very focused for this game and very prepared. We were very motivated, so having that first half performance was a bit disappointing. We all knew that it was probably our worst of the year. So obviously at halftime we regrouped and I thought we came out in the second half with a better mentality.” 

This led to a goal just seven minutes into the half. Morgan was taken down hard near midfield. The Pride had some nice ball movement that led to Marta with space on the left side. Marta was pointing and screaming at Ubogagu at where she wanted Chi to be. Marta put the ball exactly there and Chi redirected it into the back of the net. 

The 1-1 score did not last for long, though. Alanna Kennedy turned the ball over and led to Debinha finding the back of the net, putting North Carolina back on top.

Five minutes after that, Sam Mewis got on the end of the ball and the ball hit the post, then Harris, and went into the net. Somehow, Mewis was officially credited with what certainly looked to be an own-goal off a shot that was not going in until it hit the Pride keeper.

Down two goals the Pride kept going strong and Kennedy made up for the turnover that led to a goal minutes earlier with a goal of her own. After taking short corners all game, Christine Nairn finally put the ball into the box and Kennedy headed it into the top corner.

Sermanni then made a double substitution. Rachel Hill and Dani Weatherholt both came on, and the impact was immediate. Marta once again found some free space and she put a perfect cross to the back post and Hill easily leveled the game at 3-3. 

The Pride looked to have escaped with a point but in the dying minutes McDonald took a shot that Harris and Shelina Zadorsky both should have prevented but the ball somehow found a way just over the line and Orlando fell, 4-3. 

“A bit disappointing. It was an important game and we needed the points to get to the top table,” Marta said through an interpreter. “They were one of the teams at the top [of the standings] so it’s a little hard when you’re home with your crowd and your field and you can’t achieve the win.”

The Pride are back in action again on Saturday as they travel to Chicago to face the Red Stars to start a two-game road swing.

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2023 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Haley McCutcheon

The veteran fullback logged a lot of minutes for the Pride in 2023.

Published

19 hours ago

on

November 29, 2023

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Haley McCutcheon was still known as Haley Hanson when she joined the Orlando Pride on Aug. 18, 2022 in a midseason trade with the Houston Dash. The Pride gave up $75,000 in Allocation Money and a second-round draft selection. She joined Orlando for the stretch run, making her debut with the Pride on Aug. 20 in a 2-1 win over Gotham FC. Following the 2022 season, the Nebraska product signed a new contract through 2024 on Oct. 26 of last year.

Let’s look back at McCutcheon’s second year with the Pride.

Statistical Breakdown

The 27-year-old appeared in every one of the Pride’s 22 regular-season games, starting each of them, and was only subbed out twice all year. She logged 1,955 minutes this season, which was third most on the Pride behind only almost-an-iron-woman Emily Madril (1,977) and Kylie Strom (1,967). In other words, McCutcheon played 98.7% of all possible minutes for Orlando during the NWSL regular season. She scored one goal but did not assist on one, despite providing 15 key passes on the year. The defender attempted 17 shots, five of which were blocked and four were on target. She completed 504 of her 716 pass attempts (70.4%), but just 20.8% of her long passes, and nine of her 40 crosses were successful. In her own end, McCutcheon completed 77.6% of her passes but only 59.8% in the attacking half. Defensively, McCutcheon contributed 10 blocks and 18 interceptions while winning tackles at a 56.9% rate, duels at a 58.3% rate, and aerial duels at a 62.7% clip. Surprisingly, she did not tally a single clearance all season. McCutcheon conceded 18 fouls while winning only eight, and she was not booked.

In NWSL Challenge Cup play, McCutcheon appeared in four of the team’s six matches, starting two, and logging 233 minutes. She did not score or assist on a goal, attempting two shots and getting one on frame. Her passing rate in the competition was just 67.6%, and she was successful on 40% of her long passes while logging three key passes and going 1-for-4 on cross attempts. She completed 70.4% of her pass attempts in the defensive half and 62.7% in the attacking half. On defense, McCutcheon contributed two blocks and two interceptions while winning her tackles at a 75% rate, 77.3% of her duels, and 75% of her aerial duels. She conceded two fouls while winning one and was not booked.

Best Game

McCutcheon’s best match came back on April 29 in the Pride’s 3-1 win over the San Diego Wave at Snapdragon Stadium. She tied season highs in shots (2) and shots on target (1), passed at a 90.5% rate, and made three tackles. Those are all good things, but it gets better. In this match, McCutcheon scored her first goal with the Pride and her only goal of the season, and it proved to be the game-winning strike. And what a strike it was! With the ball on the other side of the field, McCutcheon made a smart run on the back side. Midfielder Viviana Villacorta spotted the run and delivered an excellent, long, diagonal ball into the area for her. But McCutcheon still had a lot to do. She put her head on it and powered it over the goalkeeper and inside the far post to give the Pride their first lead of the season.

The Pride added another goal and went on to grab their first win of the 2023 season. That sparked a 3-0-1 run in league play and got Orlando going in a season that came down to Decision Day.

2023 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave McCutcheon a composite rating of 6 out of 10 for her 2023 season, which is a slight improvement over her score of 5 last season. She was a good facilitator down the right side of the pitch and could fill in at times in the midfield with her versatility. Where she continued to struggle at times was with her 1-v-1 defending down the Pride’s right side and with her crossing accuracy at times.

2024 Outlook

As mentioned above, McCutcheon is on a deal through the 2024 season and since the Pride are safe from the NWSL Expansion Draft, the only way she wouldn’t be back is via trade or transfer. I expect her back in purple next year as she’s a versatile player who can fill in at multiple spots and she is obviously valued by the club, playing a lot of minutes and even wearing the captain’s armband five times during the 2023 NWSL campaign and twice in the Challenge Cup.

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2023 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Erika Tymrak

The veteran midfielder completed her third season in Orlando purple.

Published

2 days ago

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November 28, 2023

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Veteran midfielder Erika Tymrak signed a two-year deal with the Pride on Dec. 9, 2022, in order to stay in Orlando through the 2024 season. The Pride originally acquired the rights to Tymrak from Kansas City, along with midfielder Gunny Jónsdóttir, on Jan. 30, 2021. In exchange, the Pride gave up the rights to Kristen Edmonds and a second-round draft pick. Tymrak had retired in January of 2020 but decided to return to her pro career, and the Pride signed her to a contract on Feb. 5, 2021, just days after acquiring her rights. The Pride picked up Tymrak’s 2022 contract option following the 2021 season before re-signing her to her current contract.

Let’s look back at Tymrak’s third year with the Pride.

Statistical Breakdown

The 32-year-old appeared in 13 matches, starting 10 and playing 806 total minutes in the NWSL regular season. She was subbed off every time she started. Tymrak did not score a goal in 2023 but did contribute three assists on 21 key passes. Of her 11 shots on the season, she put just three of them on target while three others were blocked. She passed at a 73.4% rate, completing 174 of 237, connected six times on 12 long passes, and was successful twice on five total crosses. In her own half, her passing was better (85%) than in the attacking half (65.1%), as is typical of most players. Defensively, Tymrak won eight of 17 tackles (47.1%), 40 of 93 duels (43%), and just one of nine aerial duels (11.1%). She tallied three interceptions on the year. Tymrak won 14 fouls from the opposition while committing only four and was not booked on the season.

In the NWSL Challenge Cup, Tymrak appeared in all six of Orlando’s games, starting four, and playing 337 minutes. Again, she was subbed off every time she started. She did not score a goal but contributed one assist on four key passes. Tymrak attempted two shots in the competition. Neither was on goal and one was blocked. During the tournament, Tymrak passed at just a 64.9% rate on 74 attempts, was accurate just 33.3% of the time on six long passes, and went 0-for-3 on crosses. She connected on 81.5% of her passes in the defensive half and 43.5% in the attacking half. The Detroit native and University of Florida product recorded five interceptions on the defensive end, won two of three tackle attempts (66.7%), and won 19 of 42 duels (45.2%). She did not win any of her four aerial duels (0%). Tymrak won 11 fouls from the opposition while committing just two and was not booked.

Best Game

There were some good ones to choose from, but I’ll say Tymrak’s best match came on July 1 against the Washington Spirit on the road — a dominant 3-0 Pride victory. Tymrak started and played a season-high 89 minutes (tied with her next outing on July 7 against OL Reign and the April 15 game against Gotham FC). Her big moment in the match was providing the pass that set up this beauty of a goal from Julie Doyle that allowed Orlando to take full control of the match:

Tymrak also drew two fouls on the Spirit in the match and helped her teammates control the game. With the win, the Pride swept the season series from the Spirit.

2023 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Tymrak a composite rating of 5.5 out of 10. This is the same score she received from us for her 2022 season after securing a 6.5 in her first year with Orlando in 2021. Tymrak is a savvy veteran who can read the game well. She doesn’t produce much in the way of offense but she’s helpful with possession, facilitating between the defensive and offensive players around her on the pitch. She has a role on the team and is a useful player to have around to provide depth at this stage of her career.

2024 Outlook

Tymrak is signed through the 2024 season, so it’s likely she’ll occupy a similar role on the Pride next year — a reliable and versatile midfielder off the bench who can find teammates in the attack. Unless the Pride’s shooters are more lethal in 2024, I wouldn’t expect her assist numbers to go up, but perhaps she can find the net herself once or twice next season.

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2023 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Rafaelle

Rafaelle joined the Pride on July 3 and immediately was a key part of the team.

Published

3 days ago

on

November 27, 2023

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride signed Rafaelle on July 3 to a contract running through the 2025 NWSL season. The Brazilian international took part in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, joining the Pride after the tournament. She immediately partnered Emily Madril at center back, becoming a key member of the starting lineup as the Pride made a run towards the NWSL playoffs.

Let’s take a look at how Rafaelle played after joining the team this season.

Statistical Breakdown

Rafaelle joined the Pride after the end of the 2023 Challenge Cup, so all of her appearances came in the regular season. She made seven appearances, all starts, and played 610 minutes. She played all 90 minutes in six of those games, being substituted for Megan Montefusco on Aug. 20 against the Chicago Red Stars, her first game with the club. The center back finished the season with 31 clearances, seven blocks, and 11 interceptions. She won nine of her 11 tackles (81.8%), 32 of her 50 duels (64%), and 17 of her 23 aerial duels (73.9%).

Going forward, Rafaelle completed 243 of her 305 passes (79,7%) and 30 of her 64 long balls (46.9%). As expected, most of her passes were forward (37.4%) and she played the ball more to her right (30.5%) than to her left (25.2%). She did not register an assist, a key pass, or a cross on the season. She took seven shots, putting four on target, and scored her lone goal in her Pride debut. Additionally, she won one foul and conceded six, but no penalties and she was not booked.

Best Game

Rafelle’s best game of the season came in her first appearance for the club, a 5-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars on Aug. 20. The Brazilian was strong defensively, winning all three of her tackles and recording one block, three interceptions, and six recoveries. She completed 28 of her 34 pass attempts (82.4%), with 25 of those passes coming from her own half.

It’s arguable whether this was her best defensive game, but it definitely featured the most memorable moment of her first season in purple. In the 14th minute, Penelope Hocking cleared the ball out for a Pride corner. Adriana’s set piece sailed beyond several players, but Rafaelle was on the back side of the box to head it towards goal. Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher got her hand to the ball, but couldn’t keep it out, giving the Pride an early 1-0 lead.

The Pride were up 5-0 in the 70th minute when Seb Hines decided to replace the center back with Montefusco, giving the 32-year-old defender a rest before an intense end to the season.

2023 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Rafaelle a composite grade of 6.5 for the 2023 season. She was better defensively than Montefusco and slid in nicely alongside Madril. Joining the team late in the season, she had a smaller sample size than she’ll likely have next season, but impressed. Having some competitive games and a full preseason, she might even receive a higher grade next year.

2024 Outlook

Rafaelle joined the Pride late in the season as they made a push for the playoffs. Going into next season, she’ll have experience playing alongside her center back partner, Madril, which should provide more comfort. Her current contract is through the 2025 season, so that pairing will likely remain on the starting back line at least through the next two years.

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