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Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Final Score 3-0 as Turnovers Kill the Pride

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6 years ago

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After a brief 30-minute delay to start the match, the Orlando Pride (6-5-4, 22 points) committed countless turnovers. North Carolina (11-1-3, 36 points) did not fail to capitalize on these opportunities and beat the Pride 3-0 in Orlando City Stadium in front of 4,017 fans. This win just solidifies North Carolina’s lead at the top of the table, but results later in the day could see the Pride drop down to fourth place.

“Frankly, we were just beat by a team that is better than us,” said Head Coach Tom Sermanni. “Significantly better than us on the day, probably in all areas of the field. They were quicker to do things, they were more dynamic, they were more alert, they did things, football fundamental things, better than we did and we got ourselves a little bit rattled.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game. Probably the real disappointing thing of the performance was the manner and timing of losing the three goals. Particularly, the reaction to the first goal and then the reaction to the second goal. For a team of our caliber and professionalism is very poor. Sometimes you have to walk away from a game and say the other team was better and North Carolina this year have been better than everybody and today they showed it.”

After missing the past four games, Ali Krieger returned to the starting XI after suffering a right knee sprain in Orlando’s 5-2 win against the Chicago Red Stars. Sermanni brought Rachel Hill and Sydney Leroux into the starting lineup, after using them as substitutes on Wednesday, but Hill lasted just 45 minutes.

“Obviously, I have to be smart. As I get older, too, my body has changed over the year, but I’ve always been a fast healer,” Krieger said of her return. “As soon as I was injured I knew that process immediately started the next day, even after the game. I had a new job to do and that was my nine-to-five recovery, and doing my PT [physical therapy] and being on-field and doing my running. And as soon as I could I did everything I could, even at home, all the little details.”

It took just eight seconds into the game for North Carolina to get a shot off and it looked like it was going to be ugly from the start. However, the Pride hung in there early on and made a game out of it. Still, the visitors were on the attack for most of the first half. 

The Pride found the back of the net in the 21st minute off a corner. Marta put the ball in and it deflected in off a North Carolina defender, but Alex Morgan was called for a foul and the game remained 0-0. Orlando stuck with it, won another corner, and this time, on the third ball in, Shelina Zadorsky got a shot away, but it was too soft and Katelyn Rowland had no trouble with it. 

North Carolina kept the attack going but the Pride were defending well until the 37th minute. Monica and Emily van Egmond both failed to clear the ball and Debinha took a quick shot that rolled under Ashlyn Harris. 

Two minutes later, Krieger made a great pass to the wrong team and Denise O’Sullivan started the counter attack that ended with Merritt Mathias taking a shot from distance that deflected off Poliana and put the Courage up, 2-0.

Just a minute after the second goal, Dunn put a perfect through ball that fed McDonald into the area and one-on-one with Harris. Harris had no chance and McDonald flicked the ball into the upper 90. With her goal, McDonald became the second player in NWSL history to score 40 goals.

The Pride tried to bounce back after going down 3-0 and Hill did some work down the right hand side, however, the visitors defended well and the first half ended 3-0. North Carolina took just eight shots, compared to the 17 in the first half in the previous meeting, but scored on three of them. Possession was fairly even with the Pride holding 48% but it was turnovers that put them in a hole. 

Sermanni made a change at half, opting to take out Hill for Dani Weatherholt. Weatherholt immediately came in and brought a much-needed energy with her.

“I think we saw what Dani [Weatherholt] brings to the team. She brings energy, she brings running, she brings changes, she breaks things up, she starts moves off, she chases the front line, she chases the back line, and she just brings that extra energy to the team and I think you saw that in the second half,” said Sermanni. “We need more Dani Weatherholts to do that to change the game. And in fairness to Rachel [Hill], I could have taken 10 players off at halftime. The reason we took Rachel off was we had to tweak the shape a little bit.”

The Pride looked a better team in the opening of the half and had a plethora of chances. Van Egmond’s header off a corner went wide in the 50th minute. Three minutes later, Poliana’s shot from distance went into the arms of Rowland. Orlando then had four corners in the next three minutes, including one that Marta nearly put directly in but Rowland got a slight touch on it and it hit the crossbar. 

Morgan took a pass from Leroux and nearly got Orlando on the board in the 60th minute but Rowland again got just enough of the shot to knock it off the woodwork.

Orlando did a decent job of keeping possession for most of the second half but, on a three-goal lead, North Carolina was clearly happy with the game. Instead, the league leaders just waited for Orlando to make mistakes and turn it over. The game plan worked perfectly as the Pride continuously gave the ball right to the opposition and this led to North Carolina counter attacks, though nothing came of them. 

“I just think our mentality changed [in the second half]. We are not about to roll over and die, we want to fight until the end. But obviously I think that needs to happen from the start,” Alanna Kennedy said. “Not that we didn’t go out and weren’t prepared and weren’t mentally ready to give it a go. It was more so that it took those goals for us to give that extra gear, and I don’t think that’s what we need to be doing. We need to be starting the game like that.”

After Sermanni used all of his substitutions, Morgan walked off the field in the 81st minute and the Pride played the rest of the match with 10 players. TV reports from Lifetime said Morgan told the trainer she could no longer sprint. The Pride were unable to do much after Morgan left the field and the game ended 3-0 after a scoreless second half.

“[Morgan] felt her calf being tight,” said Sermanni. “It doesn’t look too serious. I don’t know at this state but it wasn’t something that she felt pull. She just started to feel it real tight. When that happens and the game is in the state that it was, there’s no point in keeping someone in the game that could do themselves more severe damage. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious and we get her fixed up quickly.”

With so much more of the ball in the second half, Orlando won the possession battle, holding it 55% of the game. The Pride had the better passing accuracy (76%-70%) on 70 more passes, and shots were even at 15 apiece, although the Courage had the edge in shots on target (7-5).

“We just need to be better and when we do go down a goal, not to drop our heads, and I think, obviously, the second half was much better,” Kennedy said. “We fought til the end but you’ve got to give credit to the Courage. They are a good team but I think we just made it real hard for ourselves tonight.”

The Pride return to action again on July 7 when they take on the Washington Spirit to close out what has so far been a disappointing 0-2-0 home stand.

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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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5 hours 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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22 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.

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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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