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Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash: Final Score 2-1 as Pride Concede Two Late Goals

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8 years ago

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After going up early, the Orlando Pride allowed two goals in four minutes as they fell to the Houston Dash (4-5-5, 17 points), 2-1 in front of a mere 3,215 fans in Orlando City Stadium. The Pride (6-4-4, 22 points) remain in second place for now, pending the outcomes of tonight’s late games. 

Alex Morgan put the Pride ahead with her third goal of the season but Orlando wasted several good scoring opportunities in the opening half hour and ultimately conceded a late fluke goal on a Kealia Ohai cross and a penalty to Sofia Huerta just four minutes later.

“I thought the first 30 minutes was the best we’ve played here all season,” Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni said. “Best we’ve played for a long time. We were incredibly dominant in the game and probably should have come in at halftime with a significant lead and finished the game. The lesson tonight that you learn in soccer sometimes is that one-nil is never safe. And we didn’t get that second goal to kinda finish them off.”

Sermanni made three changes to the lineup that beat Washington over the weekend. Emily van Egmond made way for Dani Weatherholt, Marta was brought back into the starting XI and, Kristen Edmonds got a surprise start up top as Sermanni looked forward to Saturday’s clash against North Carolina. 

The Pride controlled the first 30 minutes of the half and held 75% possession for the first half hour. Houston sat back and defended and sent many balls forward that were easily intercepted by Orlando. 

Just 40 seconds into the game and Carson Pickett nearly put the Pride up but her shot went over the bar. A few minutes later, Houston had a rare chance as Shelina Zadorsky had a poor turnover but luckily Monica was there to stop the attack. 

In the 12th minute, Morgan could not have asked for a better opportunity. She used some nifty footwork to get into the box and was taken down by Clare Polkinghorne. Morgan took the penalty kick and had Jane Campbell diving the wrong way but her shot hit the post and the game remained scoreless. 

Morgan would get redemption though on a bizarre play that put Orlando up 1-0. After winning a corner, Marta put a good ball in that was bouncing around in the box. Houston was able to clear it but Christine Nairn won the ball back and sent it right back into the area. Zadorsky was standing in an offside position, but Polkinghorne headed it backwards negating the offside. At this point the entire Houston team stopped playing and stuck their arms in the air so Morgan had a simple finish standing alone on the back post on Zadorsky’s cross. 

The response by the officials after the game of why Zadorsky was not called offside was because “Zadorsky received the ball by deliberate play from a defending Houston player.” The assistant referee did raise the flag but the referee never blew the whistle so play continued.

“You’re told when you are five years old to finish the play,” Morgan said. “So it doesn’t matter if [Zadorsky was offside] or not, I put the ball away. I saw the ref’s flag up then he put it down. You finish a play. It doesn’t matter if that’s on the attacking side or defensive side. I’m really happy that I got a home goal.”

The Pride continued to dominate the match but then after the half hour mark the Dash started to take control of the game. Houston now maintained the possession and looked much more organized defensively. This led to the first shot on goal in the 38th minute for the Dash, as Huerta’s shot went right into the chest of Ashlyn Harris. 

The first half ended with the Pride up 1-0 but they could have scored two or three more goals. Their 15 shots in the first half is a team recorded and they held 65% possession. The start of the second half saw the Pride regain control of the match but this only lasted about five minutes as Huerta nearly tied the game in the 49th. 

Edmonds had a few opportunities to start the half. She first tried to get on the end of a cross but did not make good contact. Then in the 52nd minute she saw Marta running down the right hand side and but her ball was just a bit too far for the Brazilian. 

“I thought Kristen Edmonds had a terrific game,” said Sermanni. “She put in an inordinate amount of work, she was good on the ball, she kept possession for us well most of the time, and she did what Kristen Edmonds does really well. And that is the value of having someone like her in the squad.”

In the 58th minute, the Pride won a corner and Marta put a cross in that bounced around. It ended up getting behind Campbell but Lina Motlhalo was standing on the goal line and cleared it away from danger.

The teams continued to battle in the second half but neither could get many good chances. Weatherholt tried a back heel flick in the 63rd minute that almost found its way in. Ten minutes later, Alanna Kennedy’s got on the end of a free kick but her header hit the post. 

“I really wanted [the back heel] to go in but unfortunately did not get enough power on it,” said Weatherholt. “My body position was facing the other way and so I thought the only chance was to flick it on.”

Then, in the 79th minute, Houston took advantage of its chances. First, Ohai looked to cross the ball but mishit it and the ball ended up in the upper 90 of Harris’ goal as Houston leveled the game at one. 

Then, in the 82nd minute, Ohai again tried to send a ball across — this time from inside the box. The ball hit Monica’s outstretched arm and the referee immediately pointed to the spot and Huerta buried the penalty. 

“I wouldn’t consider the first goal a scoring chance. The first goal was a mishit cross,” said Sermanni. “[Ohai] is always a dangerous player and dangerous players, at some stage in the game, are going to create something. But I don’t sit here and say she produced two bits of magic to win the game because she didn’t. If she did I would say so but it was simply a mishit cross and an unfortunate penalty.”

The Pride tried throwing players forward at the end but could not find another goal. Orlando outshot (21-10), out possessed (60%), and out passed (493-327) the visitors but the Dash came away with the three points. There were also a large amount of fouls called at the end of the match and referee Kevin Broadley handed out four yellows after the 89th minute, all to Pride players.

“I thought it was a solid performance,” Weatherholt said. “We really competed against them and unfortunately gave up a goal late in the game and ultimately a penalty. Unhappy with the result but I thought we played consistent throughout the game.”

The Pride return to action again on Saturday as they take on NWSL leaders North Carolina in Orlando City Stadium at 3:30 p.m.

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Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC: Final Score 3-1 as Pride Continue Slide Toward NWSL Basement

The Pride lose another lopsided game and are only spared another shutout defeat by Kerry Abello’s late goal.

Published

11 hours ago

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August 7, 2026

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Image of Kerry Abello taking a shot against Louisville.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Unfortunately, if you’re at the bottom of the NWSL table, the remedy is to play the Orlando Pride. The Pride (7-10-2, 23 points) had never lost to Racing Louisville FC (5-11-2, 17 points) at Inter.co Stadium entering tonight, but that streak ended emphatically with a 3-1 home loss.

Audrey McKeen got her first NWSL goal in the 16th minute and Emma Sears added two more  to the tally at the 68th and 86th minutes. It could have been worse with a comically bad goal that was overturned after video review. Kerry Abello chalked up a goal for the Pride in the fourth minute of added time in the second half to spoil the shutout.

Louisville has now won three of its last four games.

“Louisville is very aggressive – they like to put pressure on,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said after the game. “We didn’t execute the best we could have – we were close in moments but close isn’t good enough.”

The Pride made four changes to the lineup amid a hefty number of players out on the availability report and were not even able to field a full bench of nine substitutes, dressing two backup goalkeepers. Anna Moorhouse started in goal with Hailie Mace, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Zara Chavoski on the back line. Angelina (with the captain’s armband) and Ally Lemos played central midfield in front of them with Simone Jackson, Jacquie Ovalle, and Nicole Payne attacking from the midfield. Julie Doyle started up top as the attack focal point.

Both teams generated an opportunity in the first 90 seconds, with Jackson almost connecting with Payne before Racing Louisville goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer snuffed it out. Sears then came down the other side and forced a save from Moorhouse. The ensuing corner generated a bit of chaos in the box before it was cleared, but it was a sign of things to come.

Both teams continued to trade possession without any real dangerous moments. Doyle had a shot blocked in the seventh minute and Louisville had a shot saved in the 11th.

Racing Louisville then managed to hold the attack in Orlando’s defensive end for a while. On the third corner of the set at the 16-minute mark, Katie O’Kane sent a great ball into the center of the six-yard box. McKeen broke loose and got a head on the cross to opening the scoring. Louisville had played most of its previous corners short and caught the Pride a bit off with a normal cross.

Orlando could not generate much of a response in the following minutes. Jackson broke loose down the left side but her cross was not threatening. Meanwhile, Sears hit the crossbar at the 26-minute mark on a ball that seemed to surprise the whole defense.

Orlando was able to generate a corner off an Angelina shot from 25 yards out, but nothing came of it. On the next possession, Doyle got on the end of a Payne through ball but could not create danger from it.

At the hydration break, there were plenty of areas for Hines to correct as not a lot had gone right. Jackson was able to get by her mark multiple times but there wasn’t a lot else.

In the 35th minute, Doyle worked herself free at the top corner of the box and sent a searching cross to the back post. Jackson ran it down but hit the crossbar with a lot of net to shoot at, wasting one of the team’s best chances of the night. The Pride kept up the pressure and finally generated something. Orlando should have scored in the 38th minute, with a great ball sending Doyle into the area, but her shot was a weak one and easily saved, when any pace on the ball at all would have put the Pride on the board.

The Pride thought they’d gotten a break as Mirann Gacioch slid into Doyle as she got her shot off, and referee Muhammad Hassan awarded a penalty. However, as Lemos held the ball at the penalty spot, the video assistant referee sent Hassan to the monitor and he reversed his call.

Nothing much occurred after the incident, although O’Kane picked up a yellow card for a tactical foul for pulling Ovalle back in the first minute of stoppage time. Neither team created any threats in the added time and the half ended without further excitement.

The Pride led in possession (54%-46%), while Racing Louisville held the advantage in shots (9-7), shots on target (4-1), and passing accuracy (83%-82%). The teams each won four corners in the opening period.

The second half started even worse, with the Pride hemmed into their defensive end for the first seven minutes. The crossbar continued to get hammered as Lauren Milliet put one off it from the top of the box. After that, Orlando finally got out of its end and Jackson’s shot was deflected by Gacioch near the right post and had to be parried away by Bloomer.

The Pride used their first substitution window to replace Jackson and Payne with Summer Yates and Solai Washington at the 55-minute mark.Jackson had done well to get into some good areas but there was no final product from the young forward.

Racing Louisville responded with its own subs in the 62nd minute as Ella Hase replaced Quincy McMahon and Maja Lardner replaced Kayla Fischer. The game had settled into a sloppy back-and-forth without either team generating any danger.

Doyle then sat down in the 65th minute after a tangle and was replaced by Abello. Coming out of the restart, Louisville again picked up the pressure and, off a Mace turnover, Sears dribbled down the right side, easily stepped inside of Rafaelle, and blasted a shot from a tight angle past Moorhouse and into the inside netting at the back post for the game’s second goal in the 68th minute.

Three minutes later, Racing Louisville made changes by putting Rachel Hill and Sarah Weber in for Makenna Morris and McKeen. The Pride used their final substitutes to pull Mace and Angelina for Zoe Matthews and Luana.

In the 78th minute, Washington was unable to get on the end of a dangerous Yates cross. Louisville immediately responded, as Sears beat Abello down the left and the dribble somehow went right through Moorhouse’s legs, allowing Sears to tap it in. However, Sears was deemed offside on the pass that turned her loose after video review, sparing Orlando its most embarrassing goal of the evening.

The Pride picked up their energy level after that and were able to generate some danger. Bloomer saved Ovalle’s shot at the 84-minute mark, and Matthews put a header off the crossbar right afterwards.

Unfortunately, on Louisville’s response, Sears broke loose down the right, easily blew past the much slower Rafaelle, and put another goal past an ineffective Moorhouse in the 86th minute.

With 10 minutes added to the end of the game, the Pride showed some life, though it was too late to change the outcome. After a couple of aborted attacks, Abello took a long dribble off a blocked cross and smashed a goal into the corner in the fourth added minute. That kept Louisville from getting its first clean sheet of the season.

Orlando kept up the pressure and Yates should have added a second goal for the Pride off a saved shot from Washington in the eighth added minute, but it skipped just inches wide of the right post. Racing Louisville put in one more substitute by pulling O’Kane for Avery Ciorbu. The Pride weren’t able to generate anything in the last 90 seconds and the game ended without any further attacks.

The Pride finished the game with the lead in possession (52%-48%), with Racing Louisville ahead in shots (20-18), shots on target (7-6), passing accuracy (78%-77%), and corners (9-8).

“I’m really proud of our fight in the last 20 minutes, but we have to do that from the first,” Abello said. “We played into their hands and let Louisville play their game. They’re good at set pieces – they’re all six feet tall.”

The Pride travel the next two weekends to Portland and Washington, D.C., before returning home on Aug. 29 against Utah. All three teams are above the Pride in the NWSL table.

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Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride return home looking to get back in the win column against Racing Louisville.

Published

22 hours ago

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August 7, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to your match preview and live thread as the Orlando Pride (7-9-2, 23 points) face Racing Louisville FC (4-11-2, 14 points) at home (7 p.m., NWSL+). This is the second and final time these two teams will meet during the 2026 NWSL regular season.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

This is the fifth season of existence for Racing Louisville, and the Pride have played the Kentucky-based side 14 times in that span, with Orlando going 3-5-4 in NWSL games and 3-5-6 in all competitions (0-0-1 in both the NWSL Challenge Cup and the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup). The Pride are undefeated at home against Louisville with a 3-0-3 record in league play and a 3-0-4 record in all competitions.

The most recent meeting between the two teams occurred on April 24 in Louisville. Lauren Milliet gave the hosts the lead in the 19th minute before Barbra Banda equalized just before halftime. The hosts separated themselves early in the second half with goals by Sarah Weber and a second by Milliet, both within five minutes of the restart. Banda scored a second in the dying minutes, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride fell 3-2.

The first meeting in 2025 took place June 20 in Louisville. Arin Wright gave the hosts the lead at the half-hour mark and former Pride midfielder Taylor Flint doubled the advantage in the second half as the Pride fell 2-0 to end the first half of the season. On Aug. 9, 2025, in Orlando, Marisa DiGrande scored against her old team just before halftime to give Louisville the halftime lead. It looked like the visitors would claim all three points until an Ary Borges own goal in second-half stoppage time resulted in a 1-1 draw.

The teams first met in 2024 on March 16 in Louisville. The season opener for both teams looked like it would be a long day for Orlando, as Elexa Bahr and Uchenna Kanu gave the hosts a 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes. The Pride got on the board with an own goal by Elli Pikkujämsä, but the task was made more difficult when Kylie Strom received her second yellow card in the second half. However, Amanda Allen and Summer Yates combined on a late goal by Yates, as the Pride pulled out an unlikely 2-2 draw.

On May 5, 2024, in Orlando, an Emily Sams cross in the 17th minute found Banda’s head at the back post, and she nodded home the game’s only goal in a 1-0 Pride win. On Aug. 1, 2024, in the Summer Cup, Evelina Duljan scored her lone Pride goal to give the Pride the lead. However, Reilyn Turner equalized, sending the game into penalties. The Pride took the early shootout lead when Jaelin Howell missed, but saves by Jordyn Bloomer on Morgan Gautrat and Ally Watt saw Louisville take the extra point.

The first meeting of 2023 was held on May 6 at Exploria Stadium. Messiah Bright gave the Pride an early lead, and the hosts held on for 69 minutes for the 1-0 win. The second meeting that season took place on Oct. 6 in Louisville. The Pride got off to a great start with goals by Marta from the spot early and an excellent individual effort by Kerry Abello to make it 2-0. However, Bright took Savannah DeMelo down in the box just before halftime and Nadia Nadim converted the penalty. A five-minute swing with a goal by Kristen Davis and an own goal by Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse resulted in the Pride losing the critical game 3-2.

The first meeting between the two teams in 2022 took place Sept. 16 in Louisville. Racing struck first when Nadim was left open in front of goal for a tap-in. The hosts doubled their lead on a great strike by DeMelo from outside the box, and the Pride fell 2-0.

Back in 2022, the first meeting was in a unique setting, taking place at Daytona International Speedway on July 3. The game was a part of the 2022 Daytona SoccerFest and was the first time a professional soccer game was played at a racetrack. Emina Ekic gave Louisville a halftime lead and DeMelo doubled the lead shortly after the break. However, the Pride fought back with goals by Strom and Darian Jenkins, pulling out a 2-2 draw.

The first year the two teams met was in 2021 during the NWSL Challenge Cup in Louisville. CeCe Kizer gave the hosts the lead early, but Taylor Kornieck equalized just before halftime. It looked like the Pride would win when Abi Kim scored late, but Brooke Hendrix equalized in second-half injury time and the teams drew 2-2.

The teams played three times in the 2021 regular season, with the first meeting coming on July 9 in Orlando. Ebony Salmon gave Louisville the lead, but Sydney Leroux scored to force a 1-1 draw with a goal in second-half injury time. The second meeting was held Sept. 11 in Orlando. The Pride took a 2-0 lead into the break with goals by Leroux and Marta. Kizer got one back, but Alex Morgan’s conversion sealed three points for the Pride.

The final meeting of 2021 came in the penultimate game of the year for both teams. The Pride needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and they got off to a good start when Jodie Taylor scored in the third minute. However, the game slipped away as Salmon and Katie McClure scored on either side of halftime and Yuki Nagasato made the final 3-1.

Overview

The Pride have struggled since the FIFA World Cup break. They’ve lost four of the last six games and have failed to score in each of those losses. The two wins were a 3-0 win over the Kansas City Current and a slim 1-0 victory over Chicago Stars FC.

The most recent game against the North Carolina Courage saw the Pride lose 5-0, their worst loss since Seb Hines’ first game as interim head coach on June 19, 2022. It was arguably the worst performance of the season, with multiple goals coming from defensive mistakes and the attack unable to create any clear-cut chances.

The play of the back line was the most surprising thing about the loss in North Carolina. While the team has struggled to score goals, the defense has been excellent in recent games. Two of the four losses have been 1-0 and the two wins were clean sheets.

The attacking problems are largely due to the absence of Banda and the lack of a secondary scorer on the team or an identity of how to play without her. The star striker leads the league with 12 goals this year, but she saw few minutes as she worked her way back to full fitness. Just before she was able to play significant minutes, she departed to represent Zambia in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

The impact of the 5-0 loss in North Carolina is on display in the NWSL standings. The Pride are tied on points with Angel City FC and Seattle Reign FC for the eighth and final playoff position. But their -4 goal difference is three behind Seattle and 11 behind Angel City. The poor goal difference is something that could haunt the team as the Pride look to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

The Pride desperately need wins and they should be able to claim three points against tonight’s opponent. Racing Louisville sits in 15th in the 16-team league. Tonight’s visitors have just 14 points from 17 games and a -13 goal difference. Their 21 goals are fifth-most in the league and their 34 goals conceded are the most in the league.

Similar to the Pride, Louisville has had a tough restart to the season. The Kentucky-based side suffered three crushing losses, including a 4-0 loss to the Portland Thorns, a 2-0 loss to Bay FC, and a 5-1 loss to the Current. However, while the Pride are looking to rebound from a devastating performance, Louisville is coming off a 2-1 win over Chicago.

Louisville is led in the attack by Kayla Fischer with four goals, followed by Weber and Flint with three goals each. Emma Sears, Katie O’Kane, Milliet, and Maja Lardner are the other players with multiple goals this year, recording two each. Sears, Fischer, and O’Kane also lead the team in assists with four, three, and two, respectively.

The assumption was that Louisville would improve on its defensive performance last season, which was good enough to claim seventh in the league. But, despite reutrning regular starters like Ellie Jean, Arin Wright, and Bloomer, Racing has been worse this season.

“They’re very direct. They use their goalkeeper. She’s part of their buildup play,” Hines said ahead of tonight’s game. “They’ve got some aerial threats and they’re going to make it a physical game. We always talk about how there’s no excuses, no matter how tall you are or how short you are. It’s the fight in the beast and stuff. And so we have to stand up to that challenge. We’ve got to make sure we’re challenging the first, winning the second, getting the ball down, play through their press, and create opportunities to score.”

The Pride are missing several players tonight, including Hannah Anderson (lower leg), Marta (head), Haley McCutcheon (suspension), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Oihane (lower leg), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Banda (international duty). Louisville will be without DeMelo (illness), DiGrande (maternity leave), Taylor Flint (thigh), Macey Hodge (arm), Natalia Mitchell (knee), and Taylor White (knee).

Projected Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Kerry Abello, Rafaelle, Zara Chavoshi, Cori Dyke.

Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Angelina.

Attacking Midfielders: Jacquie Ovalle, Luana, Solai Washington.

Forward: Julie Doyle.

Racing Louisville FC (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Jordyn Bloomer.

Defenders: Mirann Gacioch, Arin Wright, Ellie Jean.

Midfielders: Quincy McMahon, Katie O’Kane, Makenna Morris, Kayla Fischer.

Forwards: Emma Sears, Lauren Milliet, Sarah Weber.

Referees

REF: Muhammad Hassan.
AR1: Christian Clerc.
AR2: Adam Cook.
4TH: Benjamin Meyer.
VAR: Jaclyn Metz.
AVAR: Melissa Gonzalez.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: None.

Stream: NWSL+.

Social Media: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @themaneland.bsky.social and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter (@ORLPride) or Bluesky (@orlpride.com) feed.

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!

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SkoPurp Soccer Episode 132: North Carolina Rewind, Louisville Preview, and More

The Pride hit a new low for 2026 and must regroup for the upcoming Racing Louisville match.

Published

3 days ago

on

August 5, 2026

By

Image of Anna Moorhouse from 5-0 loss at North Carolina.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Just when you think the Orlando Pride have bottomed out and things might start to turn around, the team shows you there’s a new, lower level possible. The Pride played an apathetic and inept brand of soccer on the road against a struggling North Carolina Courage team, which put Orlando on full blast. The 5-0 loss could have been even worse, and the attack rarely created much threat for the Courage back line to deal with. If this is what life is like without Barbra Banda, the Pride are literally a one-player team, and that’s simply not good enough.

We look back at a lopsided loss for as long as we could bear it, checked our score predictions, deferred our selections for Player of the Match to any fan who sat through the entire game, and pondered what the club’s general manager is doing, whether the players have tuned out Head Coach Seb Hines, and what exactly the plan is to fix the mess that the 2024 double winners have quickly become.

This week’s mailbagbox is understandably bitter and cynical, although we did get to reminisce about shopping for school supplies and Trapper Keepers. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we looked ahead to Friday’s home game against Racing Louisville. Both of your hosts will be in the stadium as fans for that one (our first time seeing a match together), and we’re curious whether Orlando will show some…err…pride…after such a dreadful showing at North Carolina. We look at the series history, the teams’ relative positions in the standings, and who has been creating danger for Louisville. Then we provide our key matchups and score predictions.

If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.

Here’s how Episode 132 went down:

0:15 – The Pride were awful on Friday against the Courage.

14:40 – The mailbagbox has had it.

33:47 – Orlando prepares for Racing Louisville at home.

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