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Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns FC: Final Score 2-0 as Pride Drop More Critical Points

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6 years ago

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The Orlando Pride dropped more crucial points at home, falling 2-0 to the Portland Thorns in a match with heavy playoff implications in front of an announced crowd of 6,012 at Orlando City Stadium. The Thorns (9-6-5, 32 points) came out of the locker room on fire to start the second half, getting goals from Lindsey Horan and Hayley Raso and went on to take three vital points to jump ahead of Orlando (8-7-6, 30 points) with a game in hand.

With just three regular-season games left, the Pride fall to fourth place, just a point ahead of Chicago, which has two games in hand.

“The second half it looked like we put a different team out on the park — same bodies but a different team — on the field and the game was over within seven minutes,” said Head Coach Tom Sermanni after the match. “In reality, we were luck to get away two-nil at the end. And again it’s just down to our frailty.”

The overriding theme in the postgame press conference was that nobody seemed to have an answer for why the Pride played so well to start the game and then so poorly after halftime. Sermanni even quipped that maybe someone drugged the team’s water, as he had no good answer for the team’s lack of energy and commitment in the second half.

Sermanni made only minor changes to the team that drew against Sky Blue FC last weekend, inserting Shelina Zadorsky into the midfield in place of Christine Nairn and putting Alex Morgan up top for Rachel Hill.

Orlando came out strong, playing hard and forcing several early corner kicks. The Pride were getting the ball into good positions but had trouble getting shots through the Portland defense. Marta connected with a shot that went just wide in the sixth minute.

The first good Portland chance came off a mistake by Alanna Kennedy who didn’t get enough oomph on her back pass for Ashlyn Harris. Raso, Kennedy’s Australian international teammate, picked off the pass and hit the near post with her shot in the 17th minute.

A minute later, Kristen Edmonds took the first of several heavy challenges she suffered in the first half and the Pride were given a free kick just to the right of the penalty area. Adrianna Franch got a hand on Marta’s delivery to keep the game scoreless.

A few minutes later, Dani Weatherholt and Edmonds fizzed a couple of crosses through the box but no one could get onto them.

The Thorns started coming into the game more as the first half wore on, earning a few corners of their own. One fell dangerously in the box but Portland was whistled for a foul before anyone could pounce on it and Christine Sinclair was booked for fouling Morgan.

The Pride got a flurry of chances just past the half hour mark, but Marta and Weatherholt fired right at Franch and Emily van Egmond sent her effort over the bar.

“We started off terrific the first 15-20 minutes, probably stretching into the first 30 minutes,” Sermanni said. “We dictated the game. The tempo was good, attacking was good, movement was good, but then we don’t score.”

In the 37th minute, Raso again hit the woodwork, this time firing a cross that Harris couldn’t reach but it found the crossbar. Harris made a save on a header by Ana Maria Crnogorcevic in the 41st minute, which was fortunate, because the flag never came up although she appeared to be offside.

Van Egmond fired a shot that Franch grabbed in stoppage time and the whistle blew on a tense first half. Orlando led in shots, 9-5 (3-1 on target), but Portland ended up with 58% of the possession and the better passing accuracy (78%-70%).

It didn’t take the Thorns long to pounce after the interval. Portland earned a corner right out of the break and made the most of it. The short corner was played back to Heath, who crossed it in and the ball went through a lot of traffic in the box before it found its way to Horan for the tap-in just two minutes into the second period.

Meghan Klingenberg sent a cross in for Crnogorcevic in the 48th minute but the Portland attacker collided with Harris and a foul was given. Four minutes later, Chioma Ubogagu tried to clear a ball at the top of the box but it was blocked and Heath slipped it to Sinclair, who fired just wide.

A minute later, the Thorns doubled the lead. Sinclair won a ball in traffic and Crnogorcevic nodded it to Raso, who blazed by half the Pride defense and beat Harris to make it 2-0 in the 53rd minute.

The second goal took a lot of steam out of the Pride. Sermanni put Camila and Hill into the game to try to find a spark, but Orlando just didn’t look a threat at all in the second half and could barely keep any possession.

“The first seven minutes of the second half our defending is embarrassing,” Sermanni said. “A lack of willingness to just simply defend is just so poor. And then we go into a malaise where nobody seems to be able to get the team, pick them up, and get us back in the game. To be honest for most of that second half performance, I apologize to the crowd for coming and keeping supporting us because our team on the field didn’t deserve that support in the second half. It was extremely poor.”

Marta sent a shot through traffic that hit van Egmond in the 63rd minute and it nearly fooled Franch, who made a diving save. That was the Pride’s best opportunity of the half. Portland controlled the ball and kept the Pride hemmed in their own half throughout the second half, making any comeback attempt impossible.

Marta did get a late opportunity to find a consolation goal in the 89th minute when she smashed a shot on target from a severe angle but Franch got her fingertips to it and kept it out. After just two minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle blew and Orlando had fallen in a critical battle for playoff positioning.

Portland ended up winning just about all the statistical categories, including shots, 17-13, although the Pride had a 6-3 advantage in shots on target. The Thorns held 60% of the possession and a 77%-66% edge in passing accuracy.

“Tonight was a difficult one, clearly,” Harris said. “It was an important three points. It’s unfortunate. It’s heartbreaking. I thought we had a great 45 minutes and then we had a really poor 45 minutes. We made things, looking ahead, now tough on ourselves. This is the path we chose so we’ve got to deal with it and we’ve got to move on.”

It doesn’t get any easier for the Pride, as next up is a trip to Shield-winning North Carolina next Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

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Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Pride need to do to secure an NWSL Championship win over the Washington Spirit on Saturday?

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55 mins ago

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November 22, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Win or lose, the Orlando Pride’s season comes to an end on Saturday night at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. After they defeated the Chicago Red Stars and the Kansas City Current in prior playoff matches, this final match could see the Pride lift the NWSL Championship trophy. The Pride have already won the NWSL Shield earlier in the year, and this second trophy would cement them as one of the greatest teams in NWSL history. Standing in their way is the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, the same Washington Spirit club the Pride defeated to clinch the Shield.

So, what do the Pride need to do to defeat the Spirit and bring home more silverware?

Prepare for a Better Spirit

During the regular season, the Pride defeated the Spirit twice, 3-2 in Washington all the way back in April, and 2-0 at home in October. The Pride may need to scrub these results from their memory and prepare for a more capable and complete opponent. For starters, in the first matchup, the Spirit were led by interim head coach Adrián González, who is still with the club as an assistant. While González performed well in the role, the Spirit are now led by one of the best coaches in the game, Jonatan Giráldez, who took over in July. Before joining the Spirit, Giráldez led Barcelona Femeni, the single most dominant club in Europe during his tenure. In each of the past two seasons, Giráldez’ Barcelona won the Copa de la Reina, Spain’s domestic cup tournament, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League, showcasing his skill in coaching championship games.

The Pride were able to beat Giráldez’ Spirit squad just over a month ago, but that matchup was missing several key players on Washington’s side of the pitch. The Spirit were without NWSL Best XI players Trinity Rodman and Casey Krueger as well as Best XI Second Team representative Hal Hershfelt. All three of these players have since returned and are likely to play in the NWSL Championship. Ouleye Sarr, the joint leading scorer for Washington along with Rodman, was also out for the October matchup, but she is struggling with a back injury and may not play this weekend. While the Spirit were limited in the last meeting, Orlando was convincing in its 2-0 win. This time around, the Pride will have to prepare for a Spirit team that looks a lot different than the last time out.

Keep the Match to 90 Minutes

One of the key storylines heading into the NWSL Championship is the paths each team has taken. While the higher-seeded teams have won each match of the 2024 playoffs, Orlando has won its matches in regulation, while Washington required extra time to beat Bay FC and penalty kicks to get past NJ/NY Gotham FC. As a result, Orlando has played fewer high-stress minutes in recent weeks and comes in on a great run of form. On the other hand, the Spirit are battle tested, knowing the challenges that come from tight matches. Their goals forcing extra time have come late in matches — the 86th minute against Bay, and the third minute of stoppage time against Gotham. To their credit, the Spirit never know when they are beaten, so Orlando will need to be locked in all the way to the final whistle, hoping to avoid the chaos that ensued at the end of the Kansas City match.

Despite looking shaky at the end of the match against the Current, Orlando’s success this season has come about in the opposite manner of the Spirit’s postseason wins. Orlando has done exceedingly well to get the lead and secure the result. The Pride have only dropped points from winning positions twice, losing none. The semifinal match against Kansas City was also their first come-from-behind victory of the year, showcasing how uncommon it was for them to fall behind in an NWSL match in their 18-win season. Should the NWSL Championship go to extra time, it would be uncharted territory for Orlando. With so few elimination matches in their history, very few players on the roster would have any experience with extra time. The Orlando Pride as a club only participated in their first-ever (then their second and third) penalty shootout in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, winning one of three shootouts. In the end, Orlando will be in a much better position if it can keep this game to 90 minutes.

Marta Magic

The Orlando Pride have four players on the NWSL Best XI first and second teams, but no player is more easily recognized in purple than 38-year-old Marta, the GOAT. While she has been with the Pride since 2017, this campaign (11 goals, 1 assist) has been her most productive since 2017, her first in Orlando (13 goals, 6 assists). The 2017 season was also the last time that Orlando made the playoffs. In 2024, Marta has scored two postseason goals so far, including a magical game winner against the Current. Orlando’s success is inexorably linked to the performances of its best-ever player. Yet, as hard as it is to imagine, the NWSL Championship will be the last match of her existing contract with the Pride, and win or lose, this could be farewell, at least for now. 

On the pitch, Marta will be a focal point for the Orlando attack against the Washington Spirit. While Washington’s Best XI defenders Krueger and Tara McKeown attempt to slow down Barbra Banda and Ally Watt, Marta is likely to drop deep and connect the play. Her precision passing and driving runs in recent matches have contributed mightily to an attack that has now scored 10 goals in the past three matches — three by Marta herself. Beyond these traits, Marta will also be a pitch general for the Pride in this final match, directing traffic and keeping the team locked in and organized. Earlier this year, Marta announced her retirement from international soccer with Brazil and took home the silver medal in the Summer Olympics. Expect Marta to leave it all on the pitch on Saturday, and if it were to be her last match for the Pride, it would be incredible to leave with an NWSL Championship.

Saturday night the NWSL Champions will be crowned. Could one of these keys to victory make the critical difference? Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando Pride Center Back Emily Sams Named 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year

Pride center back Emily Sams adds another honor to her trophy case after being named the NWSL Defender of the Year.

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17 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The National Women’s Soccer League announced this evening that Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams has been named the 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year. She’s the first player in club history to win the award. It was the second major NWSL award won by the Pride after Seb Hines was named the league’s Coach of the Year on Tuesday.

Sams played center back during her 2023 rookie season, but moved to right back at the beginning of this year. Brazilian international Rafaelle’s injury trouble forced Sams back to her natural position where she partnered Kylie Strom, forming arguably the best center back partnership in the league. Together with goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse and the rest of the back line, the Pride conceded a league-best 20 goals while tying the league records for most shutouts in a season (13) and setting a new mark for most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal (554).

Individually, Sams was second in the league with 163 recoveries, and she led the Pride with 108 possessions in the defensive third, 76 clearances, and 16 blocks. Additionally, her 88.18% passing accuracy led all Pride defenders.

Including the playoffs, Sams has played in 27 games this season with 26 starts and recorded 2,365 minutes. She’s recorded 25 tackles and 28 interceptions, winning 30 headed duels and 47% of her tackles. She’s also contributed offensively with a goal and three assists, including assisting Barbra Banda’s first goal in the NWSL quarterfinals against the Chicago Red Stars.

The center back was named to the league’s monthly Best XI three times this year — in May, September, and October/November — and was named to the league’s end-of-the-year Best XI.

The Boise, ID, native played three seasons over five years at Florida State before signing with Racing Louisville’s W League team for the 2022 season. She decided to forgo her senior year at Florida State, signing with the NWSL instead on Aug. 31, 2022. The league loaned her to Swedish club BK Hacken for the remainder of the 2022 season, enabling her to enter the 2023 NWSL Draft. The Pride selected Sams with the third overall pick and she immediately became a key player on the team’s back line.

She was paired with veteran Megan Montefusco at the beginning of her rookie season and Brazilian international Rafaelle after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Sams played 22 regular-season games last year, recording 1,977 minutes, 19 interceptions, and 17 tackles. She won 61% of her tackles and 33 headed duels.

Despite not having any caps, Sams was selected by new USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes to compete for the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, earning a gold medal. Her first appearance for the national side came on Oct. 24 when she started against Iceland in Nashville, TN.

Preliminary voting for the NWSL Defender of the Year award included league owners, general managers, coaches, players, and media. The finalists were then voted on by fans, owners, general managers, coaches, players, and the media with the winner announced this evening. Strom, San Diego Wave FC center back Naomi Girma, North Carolina Courage center back Kaleigh Kurtz, and Washington Spirit center back Tara McKeown were the other finalists.

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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.

Published

3 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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