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USA vs. Brazil, Tournament of Nations: Final Score 4-1 as Yanks Win Competition

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8 years ago

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The United States Women’s National Team fell behind early but fought back to win convincingly, capturing a physical 4-1 win over Brazil at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL. The Yanks knew they needed a two-goal win (or better) to win the Tournament of Nations after Australia’s win over Japan in the early game eliminated Brazil, and they got it.

Rose Lavelle, Julie Ertz, Tobin Heath, and Alex Morgan brought the U.S. back after a Tierna Davidson own goal put the Brazilians ahead in the early stages. The Americans unseated the Matildas as Tournament of Nations champs on goal differential, with both teams finishing 2-0-1 and on seven points. The U.S. finished with a plus-5 goal differential compared to Australia’s plus-four and also would have held the goals scored tiebreaker (9-6).

Morgan started up top once again for the Yanks and wore the captain’s armband for Jill Ellis’ squad. Lavelle got her first start of the competition, lining up in the midfield, and Davidson rotated back in at center back in place of Abby Dahlkemper.

Orlando Pride starters Marta and Monica were in the starting XI, while Camila and Poliana were on the bench.

The U.S. attack in the first half was just a bit out of sync in the final third. Just six minutes in, Tobin Heath fizzed a cross out of Morgan’s reach. The ball found Megan Rapinoe but her shot was blocked behind for a corner. Lavelle nodded over the bar on the ensuing set piece.

Lavelle wasted a good opportunity in the ninth minute, opting to shoot from a severe angle with three runners in the box. She waved in apology for it afterward, but it was a missed chance for the U.S. to get on the board. Two minutes later, Rapinoe cut inside and fired a poor shot from outside the area that didn’t come close, in a repeat of a similar play from Sunday.

In the 14th, the USWNT should have taken the lead. Rapinoe centered a cross for Julie Ertz and from point-blank range she fired a shot right at goalkeeper Leticia when literally anywhere else on frame would have been a goal. Two minutes later, Lindsey Horan tried to find Heath in the box but her cross was behind and allowed Brazil to break and open the scoring.

A passing sequence up the left flank was crossed into the area where Davidson deflected it past Alyssa Naeher and into her own net to open the scoring in the 16th minute, as Brazil led, 1-0.

The U.S. tried to respond immediately, with Rapinoe cutting in on her right foot and having her shot blocked in the 18th minute. Four minutes later, Rapinoe sent in a wicked shot that Leticia got a fingertip on to keep out. The U.S. cycled the ball back in and Crystal Dunn fired over the bar from inside the area.

Brazil nearly doubled the lead in the 27th minute as Debinha was sprung on the counter attack. She got in behind the defense and Emily Sonnet caught her at the last minute. Debinha still got her shot away and forced a crucial save from Naeher to keep it at 1-0.

The U.S. leveled the match in the 33rd minute. After a corner was cleared out of the area, the ball found its way to Horan, who crossed it into the box. Lavelle was there to slice home a great shot on the half volley to make it 1-1.

After the goal, Lavelle got in behind and fired wide and high on the left side from the top of the area. Two minutes later, a long ball in found Rapinoe, who did well to control it in traffic and put it in the net. The offside flag came up but Rapinoe wasn’t off. Two other U.S. players were behind the back line but Rapinoe was never looking to pass the ball and went straight at the goalkeeper. The goal should have counted. It was the second time in the game that the assistant referee raised the flag on Rapinoe when she wasn’t the player offside and hadn’t tried to involve anyone who was.

Rapinoe again didn’t get a call when she went down under contact in the box in the 45th minute. It did appear she was tripped up by a Brazilian defender but she got no penalty call, instead getting a finger wagged in her direction by the referee.

The match was all even at 1-1 after the first half.

Brazil had the first good opportunity after the restart, winning a foul just outside the area in the 47th minute. Marta stepped up and curled a free kick that sailed just over the bar.

Two minutes later, Morgan got her first look at goal, getting into the box, spinning, and firing a left-footed effort that Leticia kicked away with a good reaction save. Morgan was a lot more active in the second period, getting into the box moments later on a ball in and taking an arm to the face for her trouble. Then she fired from distance in the 52nd minute but it didn’t trouble Leticia.

A minute later, the U.S. finally got rewarded for all the pressure. Heath found herself on the right side of the area with the ball on her feet. With Rapinoe in front of her, she lifted a cross to the back post, where the onrushing Ertz made solid contact with it on the bounce, sending it into the net and giving the USWNT its first lead of the night, 2-1.

The lead shouldn’t have lasted long. Marta got down the left in the 56th minute and slid a perfect cross through the area that Thais should have finished but she somehow fired over the bar from point-blank range. The warning shot didn’t go unheeded. Heath smashed a knuckler toward goal in the 61st minute that Leticia somehow held onto. Seconds later, Heath got her goal from the top of the area off an assist from Morgan.

With a 3-1 lead, the U.S. now had what it needed to win the tournament, but the Yanks didn’t go into a defensive shell. Ertz sent a ball into the area that Leticia punched away under pressure from Morgan in the 68th minute. Five minutes later, Morgan made a nice touch on the ball to get around the defense and would have been in alone on goal if not for a foul from behind by Tayla. As the last defender, it was perhaps an offense worthy of a red card but Tayla only saw yellow. Rapinoe missed the near post by inches on the set piece, rippling the outside netting in the 75th minute.

The physical nature of Brazil finally paid off for the U.S. in the 77th. After numerous fouls by the Brazilians — including several by the Pride’s Camila, one of which got her booked — the USWNT scored off a set piece. Rapinoe delivered a good ball into the area to Morgan, who flicked it home to score her 90th career international goal.

From that point on, the U.S. was content to defend and counter. Morgan had a shot blocked in the 84th, then Horan’s shot was saved by Leticia. The last opportunity for either team was a Camila drive from distance in the 89th that sailed wide.

The end was marred a bit by Morgan getting stretchered off with an apparent left ankle injury, but she was able to walk up to the podium after the match on her own to collect her winner’s medal.

The U.S. will next be in action on Aug. 31 and Sept. 4 against Chile in a pair of friendlies in the final tuneups before World Cup qualifying begins in the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship in October.

Australia 2, Japan 0

The Aussies finished unbeaten at the Tournament of Nations for the second consecutive year, blanking Japan, 2-0. The match was scoreless after the first half but it took only two minutes into the second period for Orlando Pride star Alanna Kennedy to give Australia the lead on a superb free kick.

Sam Kerr added an insurance goal in the 81st minute to help the Matildas finish the competition with a 2-0-1 record. Through six matches and two Tournament of Nations events, nobody has beaten the Aussies.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 144: Gotham Rewind, Seattle Preview, and More

The Pride finished their home schedule with a loss to Gotham and hope to finish their road schedule with a win in Seattle.

Published

1 week ago

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October 28, 2026

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Image of Solai Washington running onto a ball behind the Gotham defense.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride tried to send their fans home happy in their regular-season home finale, but despite an impressive overall performance against the league leaders, the Pride wasted numerous chances in front of goal and paid for two big mistakes at the back in what ultimately ended as a 2-1 loss in a season filled with far too many defeats. Solai Washington did so many things well, but despite a month’s worth of chances, she could only muster one goal. Still, it was a promising outing albeit in a developing story that won’t continue much longer this year.

We discuss the key plays, players, and moments, look back at our score predictions from last week, and select our Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Marta, the reasons for the Pride’s struggles in 2026, and more. 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 look ahead to Sunday’s season finale at the Seattle Reign. The Pride opened their 2026 season with a home loss to the Reign but would like to close it with a road win over Seattle to enter the off-season on a positive note. It won’t be easy, as the Reign are clinging to the last playoff spot and trying to catch rival Portland as multiple teams are trying to catch them. We look at Orlando’s attempt to play spoiler, check back on the series history, compare the teams’ positions in the table, provide our key matchups, and more.

Here’s how Episode 144 went down:

0:15 – The Pride finished their home schedule with a good performance but another poor result against the league’s top team.

20:07 – Our mailbagbox has questions about the GOAT.

38:26 – Seattle was the first 2026 opponent and will be the last 2026 opponent. We preview for the last time this season.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 140: Bay FC Rewind, San Diego Preview, and More

The Pride keep their playoff hopes alive by eliminating Bay FC but things get tougher with San Diego visiting Friday.

Published

1 month ago

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September 30, 2026

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Image of Jacquie Ovalle dribbling toward the Bay FC defense.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

The Orlando Pride remained perfect on the road against Bay FC with a 3-1 win on Sunday. Deuces were wild, as Haley McCutcheon, who wears jersey No. 2, scored in the second minute of both halves, and her two goals in California gave the midfielder her second brace of both the 2026 NWSL season and her career. Barbra Banda figured heavily in pulling defenders out of position on two of the three Orlando goals and assisted on Jacquie Ovalle’s right-footed thunderbolt in stoppage time to put the game away. But make no mistake, it’s not as if the Pride played well, turning the ball over often and conceding 28 shot attempts to the hosts.

We break down a road win that may have been more exhausting to watch than to play in (although I wouldn’t bet on it), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Haley McCutcheon, where to most strongly place the blame for the Pride’s disappointing season, and more. 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, when Orlando will host San Diego Wave FC, looking to both complete a season sweep and to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. We look at the series history, provide our key matchups for the contest, and make our predictions for the final score.

Here’s how Episode 140 went down:

0:15 – The Pride improved to 2-1-1 under Yolanda Thomas, but a lot of good Cosette Morche saves were required to get that second win.

20:00- The mailbagbox asks us to play the blame game.

33:36 – The Pride continue to face California-based competition, but Friday’s opponent is much higher in the table than Sunday’s was.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Orlando City restarts its 2026 MLS campaign late tonight out west at San Jose.

Published

4 months ago

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July 22, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda taking a shot in a friendly against FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a late night midweek matchup tonight between Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) at PayPal Park (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2026 and the first time the teams have met since 2024.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

Orlando City is 3-1-3 in the previous seven MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions got their only away win in the series in the last meeting and enter tonight 1-1-2 on the road against San Jose.

The teams last met on May 18, 2024, with Jack Lynn coming off the bench to score the game’s only goal. Lynn’s strike in the 89th minute broke the scoreless deadlock and lifted the Lions to a 1-0 victory.

The teams met in Orlando most recently way back on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.

Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.

The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.

The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.

In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.

The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.

Overview

The teams meet tonight to get their post-World Cup portion of the season started. Orlando City has been terrible on the road all season long, keeping only one MLS opponent under two goals all year away from home and allowing five goals twice (at New York City FC and Nashville) and six goals twice (at LAFC and in the team’s most recent match away at FC Cincinnati just before the break).

Orlando City is a putrid 1-6-1 on the road this season, and now the Lions must face the Western Conference co-leaders tonight before coming home to face Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at home on Saturday. They’ll have to play at least tonight’s game without Martin Ojeda, who is out with a thigh injury sustained some time between his first-half goal a week ago in a friendly against FC Dallas and the time the availability report dropped on Tuesday.

But it isn’t all bad news for the Lions, who should have both Antoine Griezmann and Dike in the lineup. Griezmann was the club’s highly prized and widely publicized summer Designated Player signing, while Dike’s return to Orlando came together more recently, following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. They’ll help the club’s offense, but the attack hasn’t been the issue in 2026 — it’s been the historically porous defense, which is on pace to shatter the MLS record for goals conceded.

Meanwhile, San Jose is one of the first half of the season’s biggest surprises, as the Quakes have been outstanding in 2026. Scoring 34 goals while conceding just 15, San Jose is among the league leaders in goals scored (tied for third), goals conceded (third), and goal differential (+19, third).

The Earthquakes are 4-2-1 at home and are coming off a 3-1 road win at Portland in their last game prior to the World Cup break. San Jose boasts Golden Boot challenger Preston Judd, who leads the Quakes with 11 goals, adding two assists in his 15 appearances. Ousseni Bouda has chipped in five goals and three assists. Niko Tsakiris leads the team with seven assists to go along with his two goals, but he’s still recovering from a lower body injury and is not available tonight. However, the arrival of Timo Werner (four goals and five assists in just seven games) has truly elevated Bruce Arena’s Quakes, and he’ll need to be one of the main focal points for the Orlando defense.

To have any shot at taking something from this game, the Lions will need to play better road defense than they have all season. Orlando can score goals, but with Ojeda out, Griezmann will need to adapt quickly, and someone other than the team’s leading scorer will need to find the net.

The Lions will play without Ojeda (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), Nolan Miller (knee), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archage (international duty). In addition, Marco Pasalic may or may not have returned to the team after the World Cup. He was not in training Monday, although interim head coach Martin Perelman said he expected the Croatian back soon. The Earthquakes will be without Nonso Adimabua (lower body), former Lion Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), and Tsakiris (you guessed it, lower body…come on, San Jose).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer

San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn.

Defenders: Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benjamin Kikanovic.

Defensive Midfielders: Beau Lerouox, Ronaldo Vieira.

Attacking Midfielders: Timo Werner, Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda.

Forwards: Preston Judd.

Bench: Jonathan Gonzalez, Dave Romney, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Jack Jasinski, Ian Harkes, Francesco Montali, Max Floriani, Darius Johnson.

Referees

REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Timothy Ford.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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