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Orlando Pride vs. Sky Blue FC: Final Score 3-2 as Marta Provides Spark Off the Bench

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7 years ago

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In a back-and-forth match, the Orlando Pride needed some Marta magic to help them earn three hard fought points against winless Sky Blue FC (0-9-2, 2 points). Sydney Leroux got a first half brace and Rachel Hill came off the bench to record the game winner as the Pride (5-3-4, 19 points) earned a 3-2 win in Orlando City Stadium in front of 4,445 fans on Pride In Our City night.

“It was bits of frustration intermingled with bits of good soccer,” Head Coach Tom Sermanni said after the match. “Bits of bad habits, and times when we actually could have finished the game off. And as I’m going over all the 90 minutes, I think, I kinda like to be honest when dealing with our performances, I think that we were kinda a wee bit fortunate to come away with a win tonight.”

The Pride were certainly not at their best. Chioma Ubogagu and Alanna Kennedy both struggled with the ball and Ashlyn Harris could have done a better job on both of the goals she let in. Chi finished the game with just nine passes — the same amount as Rachel Hill, who came in for Ubogagu in the last half hour — and Chi had just a 56% passing accuracy. Kennedy was slightly better with 64%, albeit on a game high 56 passes.

Prior to the start of the match, one of the surprises was that Camila was not in the starting XI, but as Sermanni said just because she is cleared to play does not mean she will play having had just a week of training after missing eight months. Marta started on the bench with a left calf strain but came on in the 73rd minute and was a crucial part of the win.

Fans were still finding their seats when the Pride went ahead 92 seconds into the game. Ubogagu put a cross into the box from the left wing. Two Sky Blue defenders missed on the clearance attempt and the ball found Leroux. Leroux cut inside and took a left-footed shot that went underneath Sky Blue goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan for the fastest goal in Orlando Pride history. 

The Pride continued to control the game early on but then out of nowhere, the New Jersey side started to press forward in the 14th minute and found the back of the net. Savannah McCaskill took a shot from distance that hit the post and Katie Johnson was there for the put-back. Luckily, Johnson was offside so the goal did not count.

However, three minutes later it looked like the same exact play. After the Pride turned the ball over in midfield, Imani Dorsey got down the field, played a one-two with McCaskill, and took a shot. Harris made the save but the ball fell right to the feet of McCaskill, who passed the ball into the back of the net. The ball went just behind Christine Nairn and Kennedy was too slow in recovering. 

Leroux got her brace in the 31st minute. Nairn put in a cross from the left side, after a throw-in, looking for Leroux. The striker made a diving header to the back post to put the Pride up 2-1. 

“It was a great ball in from Nairn,” said Leroux. “It was a little behind me so I kinda had to get around it and it just ended up hitting my head perfectly. I like to put myself in positions to score and to do whatever I can to put the ball into the back of the net.”

A minute later, Chi should have got on the board. Emily van Egmond hit a long ball over the top and Ubogagu was one-on-one with Sheridan, as Morgan ran alone on the back post. Chi decided to take it herself on a disappointing effort and much to the dismay of Morgan. Morgan was yelling at Chi that she should have passed instead of taking it herself. 

With the Pride failing to convert their chances, Sky Blue was able to get back into it. Harris once again made the first save, this time on Johnson, and the rebound went right to the feet of Madison Tiernan, who took one touch and beat Harris on the near post. 

The game went to halftime with a score of 2-2. The Pride dominated possession with 58% but the story of the first half was the passing of Kennedy and Ubogagu, who finished the opening period with 50% and 43% respectively, and the Pride’s inability to maintain possession. The visitors led in shots (8-7) but the shots on target were tied at four each.

The second half started out a bit slowly but then in the 54th minute Orlando had multiple opportunities. Morgan and Chi both were in the box but could not make good contact on the ball. Sky Blue cleared it out but Nairn ended up getting on the end of it and put in a ball aiming for Leroux. Leroux took a shot towards the back post and it just narrowly missed. 

The game continued on with both teams struggling to keep possession. When the Pride got the ball they tried to play long balls but oftentimes it went to the opposition and it looked like Orlando was just playing kickball. Pickett got a shot off in the 60th minute that went well over the bar, then worked to win a corner a few minutes later. Carli Lloyd finally got in on the game with a header attempt in the 70th, but Harris made the comfortable save. 

Then, in the 73rd minute, the intensity picked up due to Marta coming in off the bench. Passes were crisper and more accurate, and the game tempo all of a sudden doubled. In the 78th minute, Sheridan somehow kept the game tied at two. Marta, with time and space inside the box, fired a rocket but Sheridan made the save. The ball came back to Marta, who headed it over to Morgan but Morgan could not head it on frame and the visitors were able to clear. 

“[Marta] immediately gives the team a boost but the thing that she does really well is she rarely makes bad decisions,” said Sermanni. “And that’s the difference. I thought at times throughout the game, and the players, a couple of them have already spoken to me, we just made some really poor decisions, or poor execution. Marta, as well as adding a spark, makes good decisions.”

Five minutes later, Marta showed everyone why she is the GOAT. The Brazilian took on two Sky Blue players, before passing it off to Morgan. Morgan put a cross in for Rachel Hill and Hill buried it with a header.

“Alex [Morgan] put a fantastic ball in so I really didn’t have any other option than to get my head on it and it happened to go into the back of the net. So, all from Alex [Morgan],” Hill said about her game winner.

Sky Blue then tried to fight back and get another game-tying goal. Dorsey got a shot off in the 88th minute but it went wide. Then, Poliana turned it over leading to a shot from Lloyd but that went wide as well. Once stoppage time started the Pride, led by Marta, went to the left corner and wasted all of the three minutes. Nifty footwork from Marta and great team passing is what killed the game off.

Orlando finished the game with 56% possession, 20 shots, 465 passes, and a 77% passing accuracy — all higher than Sky Blue. Harris finished with five saves but it was the substitutes that made the difference. Dani Weatherholt, who played just 30 minutes, led the Pride in tackles. Marta created two chances and was all over the ball with 33 touches in just 17 minutes of action. And Hill brought a new energy to the game which led to her game winner.

“I’m a little upset that we were up twice and then we conceded,” Leroux said. “Obviously there are some things that we need to clean up defensively, but I’m supper happy that we got three points out of this.”

The Pride are back in action on Saturday, June 23 as they take on the Washington Spirit in Maryland SoccerPlex.

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Orlando Pride’s Biggest Off-Season Needs

Here are the most critical needs for the Pride as they look to build on their 2025 campaign.

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2 hours ago

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December 15, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Orlando Pride regressed slightly in 2025, which isn’t a surprise after a historic 2024 campaign. Still, they finished fourth in the NWSL and were only knocked out of the semifinal after a last-minute goal.

The year showed some of the Pride’s strengths and weaknesses, including what the team needs to obtain during the off-season to get back to the mountaintop. The starting lineup is intact, but the team certainly needs some depth, something that hindered Pride in 2025.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the moves the Pride might make before the start of the 2026 season.

Striker Depth

The biggest need for the Pride was apparent during the 2025 season — striker depth. The team has lived offensively off of the presence of Barbra Banda, the team’s star striker. But the Zambian international suffered a hip injury that ended her season early. Head Coach Seb Hines played several players up top looking to replace the production but with little success.

The closest the Pride had to a replacement for Banda was Ally Watt. However, the Colorado native is returning home to play for Denver Summit FC. Aside from Banda, the closest player to a true striker currently on the roster is the young Simone Jackson. The 22-year-old attacker showed promise, but she’s not ready to take a leading role if necessary.

The Pride ended the 2025 season with 33 goals scored — seventh fewest in the league and the second fewest among playoff teams. A slightly better attack would’ve seen the Pride fighting for the NWSL Shield instead of a playoff spot.

This off-season, the Pride need to acquire backup depth that can fill in as a starter if necessary. It will take pressure off Banda, provide the striker with rest, and ensure the team doesn’t struggle to score as much as it did this year if she gets injured.

Backup Number 10

Something else that became obvious this season was the Pride’s lack of a true number 10 other than Marta. The legendary attacker, who has one year left on her contract, will be 40 years old when the 2026 season begins.

Hines has multiple options for the creative midfielder role, none of which is the ideal solution. Ally Lemos was the most commonly chosen option, but the young midfielder is more of a distributor and better in a defensive midfield position. However, with Angelina and Haley McCutcheon already filling those roles, there was no place for her. So she spent most of the season in the attack.

The other option is Summer Yates. The former University of Washington standout slipped to the fourth round of the 2023 NWSL Draft, allowing the Pride to select her. The 25-year-old has shown signs of being the possible eventual replacement for Marta, but she struggled to stay healthy in 2025 and was inconsistent throughout the year as a result.

The Pride signed Mexican star Jacquie Ovalle, but she’s a wide player. Hines might still decide to use Lemos and Yates in the backup No. 10 role, but the Pride really need someone who can create in the attack and support Banda up top.

A True Center Back

Hines has spoken at length over the past two years about wanting players with versatility. Most of the roster can play two, three, or even four positions with varying degrees of success. But that’s not always the best option.

The Pride currently have four true center backs — Emily Sams, Kylie Nadaner, Rafaelle, and Zara Chavoshi. Other players, like Cori Dyke and Kerry Abello, have filled in at times but neither are true center backs.

Four center backs on the roster is typically enough, but the Pride have had trouble. Rafaelle has been injured several times since joining the club, and Nadaner missed the final third of the season with an “excused absence.” It’s unknown when the veteran vice captain will return, and another Rafaelle injury would leave the Pride with two true center backs.

The Pride addressed the situation slightly this off-season by signing free agent Hailie Mace. The right back can also play in the middle if necessary but will likely start at fullback for the Pride. That creates some depth, because Hines started Sams at right back five times during the regular season, leaving the rookie Chavoshi as the lone center back on the bench. Sams was in her natural center back position in nearly all of the other games, replacing Nadaner or Rafaelle.

Another issue is Rafaelle’s age. While the Brazilian signed a new contract at the end of October, keeping her in purple through 2028, her age could result in a decline in the coming years.

Adding another natural, veteran center back would give the Pride some much-needed depth and prepare the team for any unforeseen injuries.

One More Left Back

The Pride’s roster construction has been somewhat questionable, being overloaded in some positions and bare in others. For example, the Pride have three natural right backs — Dyke, Oihane, and Mace — and no natural left backs. Abello has been the starter the last two seasons after joining the club as an attacking player. Carson Pickett was the lone natural left back but is out of contract and appears to be departing the team.

Even if Abello continues to start at left back, it would be wise to have someone comfortable in that position behind her. Nadaner was the former starter in the position before moving central, a position where she’s proven to be superior.

While Abello has been good at the left back position, the question is the same as center back — what if she gets hurt? Right now, the backup would either be right footed or unfamiliar in that role. Acquiring a natural left back would offer support, allowing the Pride to give Abello a rest without losing too much at the position.

The Pride won’t be able to address all of these issues this off-season. The current NWSL roster rules allow teams to have a maximum of 26 players and the Pride currently sit at 23. So, it really comes down to which are most important. The far and away biggest concern is a striker to back up Banda. Next is probably getting a number 10 to back up Marta and replace her when the Brazilian decides to retire.

The defensive additions are less critical, as the Pride still have one of the best defensive teams in the NWSL. That’s unlikely to change with the current roster. Instead, they need to figure out how to score more goals if they want to get back to being the dominant team in the league.

While the Pride have some needs, the roster is in pretty good shape compared to some other teams. The starting lineup will return next year and the bulk of the roster has had significant success over the past two years. With some additional depth, the Pride could once again be the team to beat in the NWSL.

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2025 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Marta

The captain once again provided the competitive spark for the Pride in 2025.

Published

4 days ago

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December 11, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Marta signed with the Orlando Pride way back in 2017. She has been the constant for the club through ups and mostly downs. That all changed last season as she captained her club to two trophies. In 2022, she signed a new two-year contract, taking her through 2024. She then signed yet another two-year contract through 2026.

Marta didn’t have the same type of year as she did in 2024, but she was still one of the better players for the Pride. She remains the heart of this team, showing the others what passion and effort looks like even as she edges closer to the end of her playing career. Let’s take a look at the GOAT’s 2025 season.

Statistical Breakdown

Marta started and played the full 90 minutes in the 2025 Challenge Cup match. She did not record a goal contribution and took two off-target shots. However, her free kick was blocked, resulting in Rafaelle’s opening goal. Marta also set a shot up for the defender in the match but the effort was off target. The Brazilian legend completed 26 of her 37 passes (82%), took four corner kicks, and she did not record a completed long ball. Defensively, she recorded three tackles and won three headed duels. She committed one foul, drew one on the Washington Spirit, and was not booked.

During the regular season, Marta made 22 appearances (18 starts), playing 1,599 minutes. She contributed four goals and an assist, putting 13 of her 27 shots on target. She completed 519 of her 731 passes (71%), 13 crosses, and two of her four long balls (50%) with 43 chances created. On the defensive end, the Brazilian contributed 22 tackles, 19 interceptions, and one blocked shot. She committed 14 fouls, drew 28 on the opposition, and was not booked.

Marta started both playoff games, playing all 180 minutes. She took one shot but did not record a goal contribution, although she was involved in both goals against the Reign, working a give-and-go with Julie Doyle prior to Haley McCutcheon’s opening goal and drawing the penalty that handed Luana the late insurance tally. The captain completed 52 of her 69 passes (75.4%), including three of her six long balls (50%) and four key passes. She recorded one tackle, two interceptions, and one clearance defensively while committing one foul, drawing six on her opponents, and being booked once.

Marta participated in one of the Concacaf W Champions Cup matches against Pachuca. She played all 90 minutes and scored the Pride’s only goal on two shots, one of which was on target. She completed 27 of 34 passes (79%). Defensively, she recorded three tackles, while committing two fouls, and suffering two fouls. She was not booked.

Best Game

While Marta had several good games, I think her best game was the Pride’s 3-2 victory over the Washington Spirit on Oct. 18. Marta was named Player of the Match by both Michael Citro and myself on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast. The captain caused an own goal and scored on a penalty kick to give the Pride an important road win heading into the playoffs. Washington scored first on a Kerry Abello own goal, but Abello then corrected that mistake by scoring one for her own team minutes later. The Spirit took the lead again and held it at halftime. Seb Hines substituted Marta in at the start of the second half, and it’s a good thing he did. It literally only took her 52 seconds to even the score.

In the 70th minute, Ally Watt was fouled in the box, setting up a penalty for the Pride. There was no doubt who would take the kick, and it turned out there was no doubt Marta would bury it in the back of the net for the winning goal.

Marta might have only played 45 minutes plus stoppage but her impact was monumental. In this match, she took one shot, which was on target, scoring the aforementioned goal. She had 27 touches, completed nine of her 13 passes (70%), two of her three long balls (67%) and took one corner kick. Defensively, she contributed one block and one clearance. She committed one foul, did not suffer any fouls, and was not booked.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Marta a composite rating of 7 out of 10 for her ninth season with the club. This was a point lower than the 8 we gave her last year. Much like many of the Pride’s players, Marta’s 2025 wasn’t as good as her 2024, but she was still a critical part of the successes of the team. In 2024, she had a banner year, but despite being a year older, she was still productive in 2025.

2026 Outlook

The 39-year-old is entering the last year of her contract, and it would be surprising — though not totally inconceivable —that she will get another. Despite the fact she will turn 40-years-old before the beginning of the season, she will remain the Pride’s captain as long as she can take to the pitch. Assuming she’s healthy, there’s no reason to assume she can’t contribute to at least the same level as she did in 2025. There’s even a possibility that she finds something closer to her 2024 form. No one plays with more passion than Marta, and I will not doubt what she can do when she has the look in her eye.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

This concludes our 2025 Orlando Pride player-by-player Season in Review series. We hope you’ve enjoyed looking back on the players’ performances from the past year as we move closer toward seeing what lies ahead in 2026.

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2025 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Jacquie Ovalle

The Pride broke the world transfer record to land the Mexican international in 2025.

Published

5 days ago

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December 10, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride signed Mexican international winger Jacquie Ovalle for a then-world record transfer fee on Aug. 21, acquiring the attacker’s services from Tigres UANL in Liga MX Femenil. While the club did not announce the transfer fee, it was reportedly around $1.5 million. That transfer record has since been broken a couple of times since, but it was an ambitious move by the Pride to try to provide Barbra Banda a playmaking wing of the highest caliber.

The move ultimately didn’t pay many dividends in 2025, as Banda went down with a season-ending injury before Ovalle arrived, and the Mexican international struggled to get comfortable with her new team, the new league, and a new culture in what could best be described as an inconsistent performance after she joined the Pride.

Let’s take a look at Ovalle’s first season in the City Beautiful.

Statistical Breakdown

Ovalle was signed well after the season-opening NWSL Challenge Cup, so she saw no action in the competition. She made her Pride debut in the regular season on Sept. 7 off the bench. It was an inauspicious start, as Orlando got flattened 5-2 at Chicago that day, with all of the goals happening in the second half. Ovalle played in eight regular-season matches with Orlando, starting seven and logging 666 minutes. She contributed a goal and two assists in her time on the pitch with the Pride, attempting 20 shots and putting seven on target. She completed 84% of her 201 passes during the regular season, with 18 key passes. Ovalle was accurate on 19 of her 48 crosses (39.6%) and three of her seven long balls (42.9%). Defensively, Ovalle chipped in 13 tackles, three interceptions, and five clearances but no blocks during the regular season. She committed six fouls, drew five, and received one yellow card.

In the playoffs, Ovalle started both of the Pride’s matches and played 173 minutes. She did not log a goal contribution in the postseason, putting one of her six shot attempts on target. The winger completed 34 of her 42 passes (81%) with two key passes but completed just three of her 13 crosses and neither of her two long balls. On the defensive end, Ovalle recorded three tackles, one clearance, and two interceptions. She committed three fouls, drew two on her opponents, and was not booked.

Ovalle appeared in two of Orlando’s games in the Concacaf W Champions Cup, logging 57 minutes off the bench without a goal contribution, attempting one off-target shot. She completed 10 of her 13 passes (76.9%) without a key pass, chipping in three tackles on the defensive end. She committed two fouls, drew two on her opponents, and she wasn’t booked in the competition.

Best Game

There were a few possible games to choose from in this category, and while I was close to choosing the match with her lone goal of the season (Sept. 26 in a 2-1 road win over San Diego), I ended up going a different route. Still, she scored a nice goal, so here it is:

Instead, I’m going back to her first NWSL start. Ovalle started for Orlando for the first time on Sept. 13 in a 1-1 home draw against Bay FC. She was excellent all game long, but her best moment came in the 70th minute, when La Maga sent in a perfect cross for Ally Watt to flick home with a header to equalize, rescuing a point for Orlando.

Ovalle was Fotmob’s highest rated player in the match from either side with a rating of 8.4 and was a danger all night. She fired eight shot attempts, putting three on target and one off the woodwork. She also completed six of her nine crosses in the game, creating four scoring chances in the game with key passes. One of those should have been an assist on a Marta goal on a beautiful back-post ball, but the captain hit the left post with her shot. She chipped in two tackles, one interception, a clearance, and a recovery on the defensive end, committing two fouls and drawing one in what was a standout performance.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Ovalle a composite rating of 6.5 out of 10 for her 2025 season. While the Mexican winger played inconsistently, that was to be expected after a midseason move to a new team that was missing its attacking focal point with Banda out. There were signs of the kind of magic moments Ovalle can bring to the Pride attack, they were too few and far between. In fairness, in most of the matches she played there was no one close to her level in the attack with her, and she looked at times too eager to make something happen. Three goal contributions isn’t bad for her first eight NWSL games, but Ovalle clearly needs another threat up top with her to help provide her the space she needs to shoot or deliver one of her lethal passes.

2026 Outlook

Ovalle will be a starter next season and will get to go through a full preseason training camp with the club, which should help her get a better understanding of both what Seb Hines wants from her and how her teammates like to play. She should also get to play with Banda (finally), which could create one of the most dynamic attacking tandems in the league, because some of Banda’s struggles were due to poor service, which Ovalle can help with, and some of Ovalle’s issues were down to a lack of the kind of quick, decisive attacking movements that Banda provides. I expect Ovalle’s production in both goals and assists to jump in 2026 for multiple reasons, but with a healthy Banda, there will be a lot more room for her (and Marta) to operate. A front line of Marta, Banda, and Ovalle is tantalizing.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

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