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Orlando Pride at Sky Blue FC: Player Grades and Player of the Match

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6 years ago

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Both teams were in search of a silver lining in a long, disappointing season. In the end it was Sky Blue that wanted and needed, it more as the New Jersey club battled on a home field for what some think could be the last time at Yurcak Field.

There were many chances for the Pride though, but as has become custom, the team couldn’t seal the deal. Let’s break the game down one last time and find our own silver linings and our Pride player of the match.

Starters

GK, Haley Kopmeyer, 5 — Kopmeyer wasn’t tested all that much, and that probably had more to do with Sky Blue’s chances bouncing off the crossbar a couple of times, but the chance came in the 73rd minute when Carli Lloyd put a powerful shot to her far left, but Haley couldn’t get there.

D, Ali Krieger, 5 — Ali tucked in quite a bit, and maybe that was part of the game plan, but Imani Dorsey took advantage of that early, and continued to do so throughout the match, creating several dangerous chances. She stayed on defense most of the day, rarely venturing forward.

D, Monica, 6 — Monica had a decent match with some bright moments in defending. The only serious gaffe came in the 19th minute when she and Shelina Zadorsky let Shea Groom through a tight spot that led to an attack. But with that small exception, she kept the middle line intact.

D, Shelina Zadorsky, 6 — Adding on to what I said about Monica, Shelina kept the middle clogged fairly well. She also had a couple of moments in getting the ball forward that allowed the Pride to open up a bit.

D, Carson Pickett, 5.5 — Carson was a bit slow to get into the game, but by the half hour mark she settled in nicely, eventually adding to the attack on the left side. Having said that though, she wasn’t able to contribute as much as I would have liked.

MF, Dani Weatherholt, 5.5 — This was just a slightly above average performance for Dani to me. It seemed like her tenacious energy finally let out, and with that, her contributions were minimized. She had great chance at goal in the 18th minute, but the header was a bit soft and went directly to Kailen Sheridan.

MF, Alanna Kennedy, 4.5 — Alanna had a couple of great moments in killing Sky Blue’s ambitions, but after watching the Carli Lloyd goal a couple of times, I’m going to put that one on her. She looks over and sees a wide open Carli, but chooses to join in on what was already becoming a 3-v-1. This allowed Groom to slot it right to one of the all time greats, who put the shot on frame, completely unchallenged.

MF, Christine Nairn, 6.5 (PotM) — Nairn was on full display Saturday, showing what she does best — getting the ball into the attack. My notes are riddled with “7 with a great ball forward.” She put a perfect ball onto Dani’s head, sprung Alex Morgan a couple of times, found Sydney Leroux on a corner, and put a rocket from a third of the way out just over the crossbar.

F, Sydney Leroux, 5 — Syd was good at getting into position a couple of times in the attack, but wasn’t able to come away with anything. Her movement off the ball seemed a bit slow at times, and with Ali staying back on defense most of the match, didn’t allow much threat on the right side for the first hour.

F, Alex Morgan, 6 — I thought her runs continued to be great, even with getting caught offside a couple of times. If Erica Skroski doesn’t have the awesome match she did, Alex comes away with two goals for sure.

F, Chioma Ubogagu, 6 — Chi’s effort on the left side was what kept the Sky Blue defense honest. She sent in cross after cross, but the only downside was she could have built the attack a bit slower at times and waited for a sure target in the box. She made some good little passes to Morgan though, and it felt like she earned at least a half dozen corners.

Substitutes

F, Rachel Hill (62’), 5.5 — Rachel showed off some great skill in getting around her defender, but that final pass into the box wasn’t what we’ve seen in the past. It was a shame to see her flub the corner in the 68th minute, because she looked to be wide open after sneaking around a defender.

MF, Camila (83’), N/A — Camila’s contributions amounted to a foul in a dangerous area, and a shot way off target. Not much else to say about the Brazilian international still looking to find her groove.

MF, Emily van Egmond (83’), N/A — Emily almost had a chance to redeem the Pride in the 90th minute when Carson put a great ball into the box for her, but it stayed just a couple of inches out of van Egmond’s reach.

That’s it, folks. A disappointing season for sure, but the passion in the comments throughout the season, and other various social media outlets has been awesome to see. It has been an absolute blast to take my passion for the Pride to another level and share it here, so a big thanks goes out to Michael Citro for allowing me the chance. Also thanks to everyone that has chimed in and shared their perspective as well.

A quick reminder: Australia’s W-League will be starting up in a couple of months, and it will be streaming on ESPN+. If you need to get your fix, subscribe and watch some of your favorites play in the land down under. Alanna will be back with Sydney FC, and the way Perth Glory tweet about Rachel Hill, it seems like she could be heading back that way. I’ll keep an eye out for more.

And now, vote one last time in the 2018 season for your Pride player of the match!

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Monica0
Shelina Zadorsky6
Christine Nairn9
Alex Morgan5
Chioma Ubogagu0
Other (comment below)1

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2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Viviana Villacorta

Viviana Villacorta returned to the field late in the 2024 season. Let’s see how she performed this year.

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2 hours ago

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December 2, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride selected Viviana Villacorta with the ninth overall pick of the 2021 NWSL Draft out of UCLA. The defensive midfielder opted to remain in school for her senior season, but tore her ACL shortly after, which kept her out of action for the 2021 NWSL campaign. She suffered an ankle injury in the 2022 season that required surgery and tore her ACL for the second time late in the 2023 season.

Villacorta didn’t re-enter the team until late in the year in 2024, making some league appearances and a playoff appearance as the season wound down. While she didn’t have a significant impact on the championship run, the fact that she got back onto the field was an accomplishment.

Let’s take a look at how Villacorta did in the few minutes she received in 2024.

Statistical Breakdown

Villacorta was in the team for the first time this season on Sept. 28, coming on as a substitute at home against the Houston Dash. She made three regular-season appearances in 2024, starting one — the last game of the season against Seattle Reign FC. She played 69 minutes in the regular season without a goal or an assist, completing 31 of 35 passes (91.2%). Villacorta attempted one shot but it was not on frame. Defensively, she recorded one tackle and two interceptions, commited three fouls, and was not booked.

She also came on as a substitute in the first playoff game against the Chicago Red Stars, making her professional playoff debut. The midfielder played three minutes in the match without a goal contribution, helping to see out the game. She completed four of her five passes (80%).

Best Game

The 25-year-old’s best game has to be her lone start against Seattle on Nov. 2. She had a season-high 26 touches, completed 95% of her 18 passes, and recorded one of her two interceptions in 45 minutes of action. She also took her only shot of the season in that game, though it was off target. She was replaced by regular starter Angelina at halftime.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Villacorta a 5.5 for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but she didn’t play enough minutes (400 across all competitions) this year to get a grade. As a result, she receives an incomplete grade for the 2024 NWSL season.

2025 Outlook

Despite suffering multiple season-ending injuries, the Pride continue to believe in Villacorta, signing her to a new contract on July 16 that runs through the 2025 season with a mutual option for 2026. The defensive midfielder has shown her quality when healthy, but she’s been unable to remain on the field for long periods of time. The Pride have also strengthened that position, adding Angelina and Morgan Gautrat to the roster, as well as Luana, who is attempting to work her way back from cancer treatment. As a result, it will be hard for Villacorta to get significant minutes, even if she is able to remain healthy. With her experience, however, she can be a key depth player at the position.

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2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Mariana Larroquette

The Argentine international’s second season with Orlando did not produce the larger role with the team she may have expected.

Published

1 day ago

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December 1, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

In the middle of the 2023 season, the Orlando Pride signed forward Mariana Larroquette, adding her to the roster July 6 on a deal through the 2025 season. The Argentine international represented her country in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, meaning she didn’t join the Pride until after the competition. Although she was a signing made with an eye toward bolstering the offense, Larroquette made only five appearances in her first season in Orlando — all of them off the bench. With a full preseason with the Pride under her belt, many expected to see her play a more significant role in 2024, but ultimately, it didn’t work out that way. The Pride’s signing of Barbra Banda didn’t help matters for Larroquette in terms of playing time.

Let’s take a look at how Larroquette performed in her second season in Orlando.

Statistical Breakdown

Larroquette made her season debut March 22 against Angel City, which was one of just four appearances during the regular season — all off the bench — logging 48 total minutes. She did not contribute a goal or an assist, failing to attempt a shot. The 32-year-old completed just 41.2% of her 17 passes without a key pass. Larroquette won four of her six tackle attempts (66.7%) and two headed duels. She committed one foul and drew three on the opposition and was not booked.

In the Summer Cup, Larroquette made three appearances, starting once — in the team’s 2-2 draw against CF Monterrey, in which Orlando captured the extra point in penalties. Larroquette played 107 minutes but did not contribute a goal or an assist, attempting three shots but putting neither on target. She completed 68% of her 25 passes but did not create a scoring chance from them. Defensively, she won two headed duels and recorded three interceptions, but she did not attempt a tackle. Larroquette committed one foul in the Summer Cup, drew four on the opposition, and was not booked.

She did not appear in the Pride’s playoff run.

Best Game

Larroquette’s best game has to be the one in which she started and played a season-high 65 minutes — the Pride’s 2-2 draw and 5-4 penalty shootout victory over CF Monterrey in the Summer Cup. Although Larroquette was already off the pitch by the time the shootout took place, she still made her biggest impact in this match, as it was the only game of the year in which she attempted any shots. While she didn’t impact the scoresheet on the attacking end, Larroquette recorded three interceptions in the match as she helped out in the press and defending the Mexican side.

2024 Final Grade

With 155 total minutes across all competitions, Larroquette fell short of the required 400 minutes to qualify for a grade from The Mane Land staff. As a result, she’s given an incomplete for the 2024 NWSL season. She played more in 2024 than she did in 2023, but she was also on the roster all year.

2024 Outlook

Larroquette’s contract runs through the 2025 NWSL season, but the writing may be on the wall after getting few minutes the last two seasons. She’s also on the wrong side of 30 to see much of an increase in that department. This may be an off-season that sees the club part ways with the veteran striker, who may seek a chance to get more minutes elsewhere as she the shelf life on her professional career grows shorter. If she remains on the roster, I would expect her role to remain the same in 2025, giving the club a few minutes here and there later in games and perhaps seeing a larger role in midseason cup competitions.

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2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Sofia Manner

The Finnish goalkeeper spent her first season in Orlando. Let’s look back to see how she performed.

Published

2 days ago

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November 30, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The Orlando Pride signed Finnish goalkeeper Sofia Manner on Dec. 1, 2023 on a deal through the 2025 season with an option for 2026. At the time, Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said the club expected Manner to challenge Anna Moorhouse for the starting goalkeeper role. Given that Moorhouse played every minute of the season and McKinley Crone dressed as the primary backup, that didn’t exactly happen.

However, Manner did get some minutes in her first year in Orlando in the Summer Cup, giving Head Coach Seb Hines a look at her under competitive match conditions.

Let’s take a look back at Manner’s first season with the Pride.

Statistical Breakdown

Manner did not play in the regular season, as Moorhouse played every minute of the season (and postseason) for the Pride in goal. However, Manner got the start in Orlando’s second game in the competition, a home match against CF Monterrey on July 28. The contest ended in a 2-2 draw before the Pride won 5-4 in penalties in the ensuing shootout.

Manner played 90 minutes, allowing two goals and making three saves, for a 60% save percentage. She only faced seven non-blocked shots, but five of them were on target. The Helsinki native completed 16 of 21 passes (73%), including four of 10 long balls. Following the draw, Manner made the difference in the shootout, stopping a shot by Merel Van Dongen, who was the only player of the 10 shooters not to convert.

Best Game

Having played in only one match, this is an easy choice. Manner’s debut was her only match of the year, meaning the 2-2 draw vs. CF Monterrey in the Summer Cup was also her best game of the 2024 season. The visitors took the lead twice in the match, but Manner kept her team in the game, allowing the Pride to equalize twice. Once the match moved to penalties, Manner did well to stop a shot from one of Monterrey’s most dangerous players, allowing her team to claim an extra point.

2024 Final Grade

With only 90 minutes to her credit across all competitions in 2024, Manner didn’t play enough to get a grade for the 2024 season, receiving an incomplete from The Mane Land staff. Despite a small sample size, backup goalkeepers don’t always get a chance to play, so it’s good that the coaching staff got a look at the 27-year-old during a competitive match against international competition.

2025 Outlook

With Moorhouse signed through the 2025 season and McKinley Crone also under contract, Manner could remain and try to battle her way up the depth chart. However, if the prospects don’t look good for her to get playing time, there’s a chance that she and the club could mutually agree to part ways. Crone looked good in her limited time, but it’s always nice to have a more experienced option behind Moorhouse as well. Unless there are injuries, I would expect Manner’s minutes to be limited in 2025 as well, unless she can elevate her game and earn more looks.

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