Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner Meets the Media

Published

6 years ago

January 18, 2019

New Orlando Pride head coach Marc Skinner met with the media for a roundtable discussion today and discussed a number of topics, including his philosophies, his transition from Birmingham City to the NWSL, how he worked behind the scenes during the NWSL College Draft, and much more.

Here is what the new gaffer had to say:

On when he finally arrived in Orlando:

I got in yesterday, so I arrived at the hotel. I actually got to sleep. I woke up with the worst headache today because I probably had more sleep than I’m used to. But now it’s down to business. I’m here for five days, doing a little bit of scouting around the area so I know things for when I come over (permanently). As soon as visas are sorted and so on I’ll be back over to do it fully.

On how his hiring to lead the Pride came to pass:

We’d had contact prior to Christmas. I think it solidified towards near the start of January. And at that point I was obviously still with my club team in England and once the decision was made it was pretty swift. As soon as the decisions and the contracts were signed — which was going back and forth probably about seven to 10 days. I made my decision, handed in my resignation, and here I am. I just couldn’t turn down this opportunity. It’s such a great opportunity with such an up-and-coming team that could do great, great things.

On whether he’s had time to reach out to his players yet:

We’ve had initial contact. So, I always send the players an email with a questionnaire. The questions on there are just about them, very, very simple. Because I need to know what they’re like as people first and foremost before (learning how) they are as players. They’ve got until the 31^st of January to reply to me. I’ve had quite a few back already. And that allows me to read things about them before I meet them as footballers. I can’t judge what they’ve done on the field — I can see what they’ve done but I can’t judge it because what Tom would have asked them to do is different to what I will ask them to do. So, we’ve had that initial contact. And then before we start, have a one-to-one meeting with every single player. And that then, it’s not that initial meeting where we don’t know each other. I’ll have a little bit of background on them. They’ll have a bit of background on me. So it allows us to flow into conversation very quickly.

On his overview of the club:

One of the words that’s mentioned quite frequently — because I’ve just been around the offices upstairs — is that family orientation. So the family basis, the connection to the fans, how important they are to what we do. Because, and I’ll stress this: without them, we are nothing. We don’t exist. To play in that beautiful stadium empty every week would not be worth it. So I think that family orientation. Everybody’s important. Everybody’s a key part to what happens. It doesn’t matter what your role is. I think that’s really important because we have some of the world’s best talent, but everybody plays their part and I’ve got to make sure I connect to all of that. That’s my job, because everybody’s important. So, it was that that really drew me. Just being around the people upstairs and the back team staff, I’m even more excited than I was when I kind of just knew it was just the job. Because you work for these people too and everybody’s equally important.

On whether he can guide the Pride into the playoffs:

That’s my job, isn’t it? You’ll get to know me. I’m very, very accountable for my job. I’m not saying when I’m coming in it’s going to be easy to get the team to playoffs consistently and so on — I’m not saying that at all. It’s very tough. There are some exceptional teams in this league with exceptional managers and exceptional players. My job is to work every day to do that. When I first went into Birmingham, they were an underdog team, so they were successful but they needed the underdog status. They needed to have somebody say, ‘you’re not good enough, it’s us versus them.’ Where I took that off them. I said, ‘look, you want pressure situations so you have to be able to deal with them psychologically. So I’m going to make sure that this group are prepared to deal with the ideas of success.’ All these players are successful in their own rights and last but one season, they were in the playoffs. So it’s my job not just to be a flash in the pan, and I don’t just want to come here and go ‘right, let’s have a smash, there we go,’ and then it finishes a season later. It’s about consistency. I’ve got to build a foundation and that’s what I’m going to aim to do.

On whether he’s reached out to Tom Sermanni to discuss the team:

I’ll speak to Tom once I’m settled in. He’s been great, I know. You all know how personable Tom is and what a good guy he is. I’m hopeful that once I’ve settled in and spoken to all the players, I’ve got my own ideas, I can then rub ideas with him as well.

On working with Pride GM Erik Ustruck:

Almost like we’ve known each other for the most time. Erik’s so personable — and again I’d like to thank him for the opportunity to be here, because I think we can do wonderful things. With his guidance and his help and support, and obviously the club’s support, I think we can create something special. That’s the aim, anyway.

On his familiarity with the league and the Orlando Pride:

I think there’s a mixed response on that because you can watch games but there’s also the feeling side of the game. What’s it like on the raw emotion from the side. In England I quite liked to sit high on the side to see the game tactically. Whether you can or can’t do that with the connection with the fans is something I’ve got to experience when I’m here. Having watched it, it’s the best, most intense, physical league in the world, in my opinion, for women’s football. For me, I’ve got to look at ways in which we can control that physical battle to ensure we have a way of playing around that. I’ve watched near enough all of the games that Orlando played but I’ve got to do so much more work than that. I’ve got to be watching all the other teams as well.

On reaching out to Utah Royals coach Laura Harvey:

She’s been brilliant. So Laura and my partner Laura are from the same village. So she was back prior to Christmas and we were having a conversation just about the league and so on, and she’s reached out and she’s helped me. She’ll help me with just the little things that you don’t really know about…which obviously the guys here will help me with anyway. And she’s talked about the league. I know she’s tried to adapt a slightly different style than what’s already been tried in the U.S. It’s just those little insights I think are really, really valuable and I’m going to listen to as many of those as I can because they’re maybe the little golden nuggets that I need to be aware of.

On his coaching philosophy and style, and whether or not he has a preferred shape for the team:

I’m going to make bold statements here but I think people rely on shapes too much and I think they think that’s the be-all and end-all. For me, it’s about having a series of principles and foundations that players can play from, so that when they’re in a situation they can make an effective decision. If you ask a coach what’s one of the most sellable factors of a player, it’s that they make the correct decisions. So, for me, I have to work on the decision-making process and that’s habitual work in training. So that takes a little bit longer, but with that, I want them to do that so they have the ability to adapt to shape within the game. So if I said to them, ‘play three at the back now for the next 15 minutes’ — and I’m a big, big fan of people like Maurizio Sarri and Pep Guardiola and they adapt within the game to the needs of the game. I think if you look at it through a different lens, you learn to control the spaces on the field rather than the players on the field and that’s how I look at it. If we were to sort of talk about what would success look like for me, can my players, with the simplest of instructions, adapt the shape to be effective on the field. So that’s the shape that I’d go with, whether we need two at the back, one at the back, three at the back, if we’re chasing, if we’re controlling counter-attacks. If we can do that, then I will have been effective at my job.

On the fact that a good chunk of the team will be missing for the World Cup and whether he’s already started preparing for that:

There are some things that we’re looking at and discussing, and that’s why coaching is so, so important. So, I’m not just here to coach a shape and put it on the field. I’m here to effect people and effect players and make them better, regardless of their stature within the game. We have a shortfall of players if all are selected, hopefully, for the World Cup. My job is to make sure that the (players) that are holding the fort while they’re out are already playing and improving, and if I can do that, we’ll be fine in that short period that we won’t have them for. But in the meantime, we are looking at different strategies.

On naming his assistant coaches on the staff:

For reasons that are out of our control at the minute, we can’t name who they are but they are already identified, contracts have already been signed, so they’ll be in and working. So you’ll know in due course who that is. Just for other reasons I can’t tell you who that is at the moment. But yeah, that’s all in place and we’re ready to go.

On whether missing his international players will be his biggest coaching challenge in 2019:

That will definitely be one of them. There’s going to be so, so many challenges — adapting to the style of play, adapting to the league and the way that we want to play, personalities, conversations. There’s so many challenges but I think if you take them all at once, it would be silly. So we have to break them down individually. But we’ll have plenty of players ready if there is a shortfall within that window. But again, a lot of things can happen between now and that period. Having a partner that’s played in the World Cup, I know how important it is for people to do that. I’ve just got to make sure we’re going to have to look after the club and I’ll do that as I see fit based on the information I receive over the next couple of months.

On his main attribute in landing the Orlando Pride job:

Do you know what I think it was? We literally had to do everything. We’re a club with a budget that was quite low compared to some of the competitors we had and we had to build a competitive team. I’ve done everything with the club so I think I’ve worked from the ground up, and there are some amazing people at Birmingham. And it feels like there are some amazing people here, so that’s going to be a good transition for me. So, I think that my grounding and my background at what we had to achieve and what we did achieve — although we didn’t win anything (trophy-wise), which is something I would have liked to have seen out of the project, but when this opportunity came, I just couldn’t turn it down. I think that we can create something special and that’s what I’ve got to try and do.

On the Pride hiring a general manager in Ustruck and what it means:

I think it shows the progressive nature of soccer in America as well, but Orlando especially. Just seeing the intentions upstairs to make this a special place and make it a hub of football goes a long, long way. And I think my experience prior to understanding a general manager role — because I think in England, it’s slightly different of an experience. I would usually negotiate contracts with players, lengths and that, so I’ve done all of that work. Erik will take that part off me so I can concentrate solely on getting a good team on the field. So it’s a testament to Orlando just the resource they’re putting into making a successful team.

On his role with the Pride on draft day:

I was sitting on the sidelines but the players that were selected were my players. I selected them. If you noticed they’re on the phone…I’m on the phone. I’m the one on the other end. I’m watching it live on YouTube through our TV. So I was part of everything. I made the decisions. And then the two girls we selected, Erin (Greening) and Marisa (Viggiano), I see them for the qualities they have that people potentially overlook because of the nature of the league — because they’re that ingrained in what the league does but I’ve got a fresh set of eyes on the league and that’s where I selected those players. And I’m sure with work we can really make them ready for this league.

On whether his identifying talent where others might not see it is something he’s done through his career:

We had to. Before my time as first team manager at Birmingham…what I ended up doing was identifying players, and there’s no bigger satisfaction than bringing players through and growing with you and the club because that’s the identity that the club wants. And I suppose it’s the same for like the draft system even though you get them a little bit older, because you took the chance on them. They become part of your club and they’re ingrained in the fabric of your club, and there’s so much benefit to that. I look at them differently because of the way I want to play, potentially, but I still see the value in everything that the players already here have and now it’s just about adaptation. The biggest skill set that I’ll use is adaptation. For me, the players will have to adapt to be the best players going forward.

Orlando Pride

Top 10 Moments: Orlando Pride Win NWSL Shield

In our No. 2 moment of the year, the Pride’s regular-season dominance culminated in the winning of the NWSL Shield.

Published

16 hours ago

December 30, 2024

S. Andrew DeSalvo

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

As we count down to the new year of 2025 — which will be Orlando City’s 11th in MLS, the Orlando Pride’s 10th in the NWSL, and OCB’s third in MLS NEXT Pro — and say goodbye to 2024, it’s time to look back at the club’s 10 best moments of the year as selected by The Mane Land staff via vote.

I usually do not compare myself to Ernest Hemingway, as the comparison is not very flattering to one of us. It is not important to delineate to whom it is not flattering, but suffice it to say one of us has significantly more writing talent than the other. Either way, I am going to borrow, and slightly modify, a line of Hemingway’s from The Sun Also Rises that I think perfectly encapsulates how the Pride won the NWSL Shield in 2024:

“How did you win the Shield?” Andrew asked. “Two ways,” Seb said. “Gradually and then suddenly.”

The actual question from the novel was about how a character went bankrupt, but the 2024 Orlando Pride were, as the kids say, money all year long, gradually stacking up point after point until Oct. 6, when they defeated the Washington Spirit 2-0 and suddenly they were the NWSL regular-season champions.

In order to get to that night in October, however, the sun had to also rise (sorry, that line was right there) on 22 other game days, and during that run of 22 games the Pride were better than any team in league history, going undefeated with 16 wins, six draws, and a +27 goal differential. For some context, only two NWSL teams had ever even won 16 games in a full season prior to 2024, and neither of them opened with 54 total points in their first 22 games.

In looking back at that season-opening stretch, it is somewhat amusing to see that the Pride drew their first two games, and neither of the teams they drew against (Racing Louisville and Angel City) made the playoffs. They then drew with Chicago, which ultimately made the playoffs as the lowest seed, and then, after whipping off a league-record eight straight wins, the Pride drew with San Diego…which also did not make the playoffs. So in a 12-game opening stretch, the Pride won eight games and drew four, and those four draws were with the teams who ended up ranked ninth, 12th, eighth and 10th of 14 total teams.

It is almost certainly not a coincidence that there were draws in the first three games and all three were played without FIFPRO World Best XI superstar Barbra Banda, but in looking back at the season, it is a bit of a stunner to see that the team that won the league started so meekly.

The Pride finally got their first win of the season in Game 4, against another non-playoff team, the Utah Royals, and that became the first of the eight wins in a row I mentioned earlier. Banda dressed for the first time in the next game, and with her in the lineup, the team scored 15 goals in the next seven games and put the entire league on notice that something special was happening in Orlando.

San Diego put a stop to the eight-game winning streak when the Pride traveled west for a Friday night matchup, but the Pride held on for a 1-1 draw despite playing without a few key players who had just returned from international duty. The team then traveled all the way back across the country for its next match, a hard fought 0-0 draw at North Carolina, becoming the first team all season to take a point from the Courage in their home stadium.

That took the Pride to a season-opening lucky number 13 straight games without a loss and also had the entire league looking ahead and salivating at a possible undefeated team vs. undefeated team matchup in Kansas City in a few short weeks. The Pride held up their end of the bargain, smashing Utah 6-0 and Angel City 3-0, and Kansas City did its part as well. Orlando went into the matchup at Kansas City undefeated through 15 games and tied on points with the Current, who also were 10-0-5 at that point.

I do not think it is hyperbolic to say that the anticipation before the game was as big as any regular-season game in NWSL history. The game was played in prime time on Saturday night, with no other games going on when it kicked off, and the opening 40 minutes of the game were everything everyone had hoped for, including goals from Banda and Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga, who each had been on fire during opening half of the season. A red card on Orlando’s Carrie Lawrence in the 42nd minute changed the tone of the game, but in the second half Adriana earned a penalty kick that Marta converted, and the Pride held on for a gritty 2-1 victory while playing the entire second half down a player. Kansas City did not like the Pride’s postgame celebrations, although someone with two thumbs and who is writing this article certainly did.

That win over the Current opened up a three-point gap at the top of the table for Orlando, a lead the Pride would never relinquish. After a month-long break for the Olympics and the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, the Pride returned to NWSL regular-season action and proceeded to win three straight games in shutout fashion. They then tied the Current at home (another shutout) before going on another two-game win streak, though sadly the Houston Dash (another team that did not make the playoffs) were able to score a goal to break up the run of shutouts. The win over the Dash took the Pride to a record of 16-0-6 and brings us back to the night of Oct. 6, when the Pride won the NWSL Shield suddenly, after having set themselves up to win it gradually.

At this point of the NWSL season, there were only two teams remaining that could win the league — the Pride and their opponents on the night, the Washington Spirit, who entered the game trailing the Pride by seven points. A win for the Pride would put them up 10 points with only three games remaining, clinching the Shield.

“It’s number one versus number two, so we expect a very competitive game,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said going into the match. “Washington has been in a good run of form, as well as us, so I would expect both teams going out to get a win.”

The Mane Land’s Sean Rollins wrote an excellent recap of the match, and this paragraph of his really encapsulates how the match went:

This was a dominant performance by the Pride. They took the game to the Spirit early and didn’t let up. There were some moments when it looked like the visitors might find a way through, but the Pride took a deserved lead when Marta scored from the spot in the 53rd minute. An Adriana shot in the 73rd minute was deflected in by Tara McKeown and determined to be an own goal. The second goal ensured the Pride would take all three points and secure the shield.

Washington did not go down quietly, creating a few chances in the final 15 minutes of the game, but they were unable to get anything past the outstanding Orlando defense, and when the whistle blew, the Pride had their first-ever piece of NWSL hardware. If you have not seen the NWSL Shield in person, you need to find a way to get to a Pride game and see it, because it would give Captain America’s a run for its money. The NWSL and Tiffany & Co. were not messing around with this design.

“I mean, a lot of praise has to go to the players and what they’ve done. They’ve been incredible, their efforts and what they’ve put into this year,” Hines said after that match. “And, you know, I said to them before, it wasn’t our time last year. They were bitterly disappointed how the season ended and it just wasn’t meant to be. And so they took that into fuel going into this year. And, you know, I can’t doubt them. They’ve been absolutely amazing from start to finish. And I’m so happy for them that they finally got the job done in front of our own fans.”

Marta, who famously was a little loose with her tongue after winning the NWSL playoffs a few weeks later, was able to keep her postgame comments rated PG after this one. “We worked so hard from the beginning and every single game,” Marta said. “And we looked to have this moment, especially here in our house. You know, in front of our fans and families and friends. It’s unbelievable. Something that I dreamed about.”

The Sun Also Rises was Hemingway’s first novel, and it is considered by many to be his finest work. This was the Pride’s first-ever league championship, and while it remains to be seen whether it will eventually be considered their finest, there is no doubt whatsoever that it was an amazing season and one that will be remembered for a long time. Interestingly, Hemingway thought that a later novel, The Old Man and the Sea, was his best work, so perhaps there is another epic season coming for the Pride as well, and they will catch the their version of a giant marlin, the full undefeated season.

That would be a fish tale for another day, but on this day we celebrate a season-long dominant performance by Orlando, and one that culminated with the Pride celebrating their reign in the rain on Oct. 6, holding the NWSL Shield aloft as 2024’s regular-season champions.

Come back through New Year’s Eve as we count down the remainder of the top 10 moments of 2024 for Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and OCB.

Previous Top Moments of 2024

10. Orlando City’s massive second-half surge clinches top-four spot in Eastern Conference.

9. The Orlando Pride sign Zambian international striker Barbra Banda ahead of the 2024 season.

8. Facundo Torres scores his 47th goal for Orlando City, breaking the Lions’ all-time goal record.

7. Marta’s magical goal pushes the Orlando Pride past Kansas City and into the NWSL Championship.

6. Orlando City wins nervy three-game MLS Cup playoff series to advance past Charlotte FC.

5. Orlando Pride pick up the club’s first-ever playoff win in their first-ever time hosting a postseason match.

4. Orlando Pride rewrite club and NWSL record books throughout 2024 season and playoffs.

3. Orlando City dumps rival Atlanta United to advance to the club’s first-ever MLS Eastern Conference final appearance.

Orlando Pride

Top 10 Moments of 2024: Orlando Pride Rewrite Club, League Record Books

The Orlando Pride set so many club and league records in 2024. We collected them as one truly special No. 4 “moment” for the club this year.

Published

3 days ago

December 28, 2024

Michael Citro

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

It seems odd to lump a whole heap of record-setting accomplishments into one “moment” of 2024, but the Orlando Pride set and/or tied so many new club and league marks that it’s impossible to separate them all out and give them each their own due. For the purposes of this “moment,” we were originally considering it to be the Pride setting new NWSL records in three vital categories — consecutive wins, consecutive games unbeaten, and consecutive shutout minutes. However, where’s the fun in limiting yourself? We ended up just throwing all the records we can think of at you, not only because it’s more fun that way, but also because it truly illustrates how remarkable this season was in terms of club and NWSL history.

The Pride struggled out of the gate to three consecutive draws to open the season and then really got going. By midseason, it seemed like Orlando was setting a new club or NWSL record every game — sometimes both in the same match. After a lot of thought about it, we decided not to break out individual records, putting them together as one shining example of what the Pride was able to accompish this season. Given that none of the records alone were bigger than the team achievements of winning the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship double, the combined records should simply stand up and be their own collective thing.

The first record the Pride set was a dubious one for two reasons. First, it was merely an extension of the team’s own mark. Second, it wasn’t good. The Pride began the season with a 2-2 draw at Racing Louisville on March 16, which extended Orlando’s streak of never having won on opening day. The club is 0-5-3 in regular-season openers since its inception. Because there was no regular season in 2020, that’s one fewer game than seasons of existence, but if you include the 2020 NWSL Fall Series — the only competition Orlando competed in that year — the Pride are 0-5-4 in their competitive openers across nine seasons. That’s not a good record. However, almost all the rest of the ones they set are either neutral or positive.

Orlando set a new club record and tied another one on March 29 in a 1-1 home draw against the Chicago Red Stars. When a corner kick from Angelina went in off Chicago’s Taylor Malham for an own goal in the 21st minute, it extended the Pride’s consecutive games streak of scoring on a set piece to three games, establishing a new club record. The draw itself was Orlando’s third in a row, tying a club record set from July 17 through Aug. 7, 2022. The Pride equaled that draw streak later in 2024 by tying each of their three NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup games.

On April 26, the Pride went to Audi Field and beat the Washington Spirit 3-2. That set a new club record for most consecutive games scoring at least one goal, extending the streak to 10 games dating back to Sept. 17, 2023. That streak eventually stretched out to 16 games, where the new club record now stands after a 1-1 draw at San Diego on June 7. The streak was snapped in a scoreless draw at North Carolina June 15.

On May 1, Barbra Banda appeared in just her third match since joining Orlando. It was her second start and she starred, scoring a brace and adding an assist. She becamse the first player in NWSL history to record both a goal and an assist in each of her first two starts as the Pride defeated the Courage, 4-1. It was the eighth consecutive result with a point (a win or a draw) in NWSL play for the Pride dating back to the 2023 season finale, another club record streak.

Just one match later, the record book expanded even more. The 1-0 home win over Racing Louisville on May 5 established a new club record for the longest streak of results from the start of an NWSL season (8), which continued to grow for nearly the entire season. It broke the old Pride mark of seven, established in 2021 when Orlando began the season 4-0-3 to kick off the NWSL schedule.

The Pride won a club-record sixth straight game May 11, beating Bay FC 1-0, thanks to an Adriana penalty drawn by Banda. That record also got extended before the streak ended.

The Pride broke its old mark of nine consecutive results across all competitions (set in 2021 with two in the NWSL Challenge Cup and the first seven games of the regular season) in Game 10 of the 2024 season, a 3-2 road victory over the Seattle Reign May 19. It was Orlando’s first road victory in the series against the Reign.

Just one game later, the Pride defeated the Portland Thorns 2-1 at home on May 24. The win was the last of eight consecutive by Orlando, setting new NWSL and club records. That streak came to an end in the next match June 7 at San Diego, but the team continued to get results, and after a pair of road draws, the winning and the records continued to pile up.

On June 21, the Pride piled up the goals in a 6-0 destruction of the Utah Royals. The Pride set or tied multiple records in the match, including the club marks for most goals in a game (6), goals in a half (4, second half), largest margin of victory (six goals), and largest shutout victory. The six-goal margin of victory tied an NWSL record. Banda scored a brace in the match, becoming the first NWSL player to score 10 goals in her first 10 appearances and setting the Pride’s single-season record for braces with her fourth.

Two games later, the Pride met the Current in Kansas City and won 2-1 despite going a player down in the first half, claiming the battle of the only remaining two unbeaten teams in the NWSL. The win halted Kansas City’s league-record 17-game unbeaten run and Orlando tied that mark with the result, entering the Summer Cup and Olympic break riding plenty of momentum.

Orlando drew all three Summer Cup games, marking the first time the club had participated in a penalty shootout, doing so after all three matches. McKinley Crone was the goalkeeper of record for the Pride’s first shootout, which North Carolina won 5-4, despite Crone making two saves. Orlando’s first penalty shootout victory came in the second Summer Cup game, as the Pride capped a 2-2 draw against CF Monterrey with a 5-4 shootout win behind Sofia Manner, making her Orlando debut in the club’s first-ever competitive contest against international competition.

Returning to league play, Orlando set a new NWSL mark with its 18th consecutive game in the regular season without a loss, beating the Houston Dash 1-0 on the road on Aug. 23. The Pride set a team record for wins in a season with their 12th and a new record for points in a season (41), and Anna Moorhouse not only became the club’s career leader in clean sheets with her 15th, but she also set the single-season club record with her eighth. All of those numbers grew more by the end of 2024, starting with the very next game.

Seb Hines became the Pride’s all-time winningest coach Sept. 1 in a 2-0 home win over Gotham FC, passing Tom Sermanni by earning his 26th win as the Pride’s head coach. Orlando tied its single-season mark for home victories (7) in the match as well. The Pride picked up another shutout win at Chicago on Sept. 8 and then hosted the rematch against the Current, which ended in a scoreless draw. That 0-0 game Sept. 13 set a new Pride record for consecutive shutouts (4) as Moorhouse tied the NWSL record for most clean sheets by a goalkeeper in a single season with her 11th.

Every game continued to not only increase the Pride’s ongoing club- and league-record streaks, but also brought new marks in the process. Banda tied the NWSL record with her sixth game-winning goal of the season in the 1-0 win at Bay FC Sept. 20 and Moorhouse captured sole possession of the single-season NWSL shutout record with her 12th. The Pride clinched a home playoff game for the first time in franchise history and completed their fifth straight shutout, establishing a new club record for consecutive clean sheets while tying the NWSL’s all-time mark. It was Orlando’s eighth and final road victory of the regular season, setting a new club single-season record and tying the NWSL record. Banda, who scored the only goal of the match, tied the club record with her 13th regular-season goal of the year, equaling the record Marta set in 2017.

The Pride’s shutout streak ended in the 53rd minute of the next game when Yuki Nagasato scored for the Houston Dash in what was ultimately a 3-1 Orlando victory. The Pride established a new club Inter&Co Stadium attendance record with 17,087 fans in the stands to witness the victory. Those fans also saw Nagasato’s goal end Orlando’s new NWSL-record streak for consecutive shutout minutes (554). In addition, Moorhouse set the club’s new career record for goalkeeper wins (24).

It’s a bit of a shame Nagasato scored for Houston, because the Pride posted another shutout in the next game against Washington on Oct. 6. The Pride clinched the NWSL Shield with a 2-0 victory over the Spirit — the club’s first-ever trophy. Orlando equaled the league records for most wins (17) and points (57) in a season, which were obviously both new franchise marks, and those were extended in the regular-season finale. Moorhouse completed her 13th clean sheet of the season to set the NWSL single-season record. The victory turned out to be the final match of the team’s unbeaten streak, with the Pride setting the bar high. Orlando’s NWSL-record unbeaten streak finished at 24 matches (18-0-6) and the league record unbeaten streak from the start of a season was set at 23 games (17-0-6).

The Pride dropped their first games of the season on a two-game road swing against playoff qualifiers Portland and Gotham. Although an unbeaten season was spoiled, the players had achieved one of the goals they set out to accomplish at the start of the season, clinching home field throughout the playoffs. It’s understandable if there was a bit of a hangover afterwards, but more records were waiting.

Orlando hosted the Seattle Reign in the final game of the regular season, winning a hard-fought 3-2 match and establishing a new club record and tying the NWSL record for home wins in a season (10). The Pride’s 18th win set a single-season record for both the club and the league, as did the team’s 60 points earned across the regular season.

Playoff Record Epilogue

Orlando’s postseason included several records as well, which isn’t surprising since it was only the second time the club had reached the playoffs and the first time the Pride played in more than one playoff match in a single postseason. Banda set a league postseason record by scoring four goals. The Pride set new club single-season records for playoff matches (3), home playoff matches (2), wins (3), braces (1, by Banda), shutouts (1), penalty kicks (1), penalties conceded (1), and goals scored (8), as well as fewest goals conceded in a postseason (3). Orlando also established new club single-game playoff records for most goals scored (4), most goals by one player (2, by Banda vs. Chicago on Nov. 8), most penalties (1, Nov. 8 vs. Chicago), most penalties conceded (1, Nov. 17 vs. Kansas City), and fewest goals conceded (0, Nov. 23 vs. Washington). The Pride scored their latest goal in a playoff game with Marta’s 82nd-minute winner against Kansas City Nov. 17, however, Orlando also conceded the latest goal in NWSL playoff history with Vanessa DiBernardo’s penalty in the 13th minute of stoppage time in that same game.

The Pride also set a record for combined home wins in the regular season and playoffs (12) with the NWSL semifinal victory over the Current. Banda set a club record for most goals across all competitions (17).

The sheer number of club and league records that the Pride either set or tied in 2024 is astounding. Some of those may fall in 2025, while others may last for many years. Regardless of how long they last — and expansion will likely increase the number of games, making some of them more likely to fall — the 2024 Orlando Pride campaign was one of the most successful in the history of any team sport. Even those who took part in it could hardly have predicted the level of dominance and success the Pride achieved.

It simply made sense for us to honor the collective volume of the Pride’s firsts, records broken or tied, and history made into one of our top moments of 2024. We hope you enjoyed reliving all of the above, and we’re sure there were probably a few we missed.

Come back through New Year’s Eve as we count down the remainder of the top 10 moments of 2024 for Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and OCB.

Previous Top Moments of 2024

10. Orlando City’s massive second-half surge clinches top-four spot in Eastern Conference.

9. The Orlando Pride sign Zambian international striker Barbra Banda ahead of the 2024 season.

8. Facundo Torres scores his 47th goal for Orlando City, breaking the Lions’ all-time goal record.

7. Marta’s magical goal pushes the Orlando Pride past Kansas City and into the NWSL Championship.

6. Orlando City wins nervy three-game MLS Cup playoff series to advance past Charlotte FC.

5. Orlando Pride pick up the club’s first-ever playoff win in their first-ever time hosting a postseason match.

Orlando Pride

Top 10 Moments of 2024: Orlando Pride Capture Club’s First Playoff Win

In our No. 5 moment, the Orlando Pride make history twice by hosting a postseason match for the first time and getting their first playoff win.

Published

3 days ago

December 27, 2024

Michael Citro

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

It was 10 years in the making. A decade after the National Women’s Soccer League announced Orlando would become the league’s newest team, the Pride finally got to host a postseason game. It was only the team’s second playoff appearance ever, but the club left no doubt, going unbeaten until the NWSL Shield had been clinched, guaranteeing that every match in the postseason up until the final would take place at Inter&Co Stadium, where the team had become seemingly invincible in 2024. That remained the case in the playoffs, as Orlando kicked off its NWSL Championship run with a commanding 4-1 home win over the Chicago Red Stars.

Once the Pride defeated the Washington Spirit on Oct. 6, it was just a matter of waiting to see which team Orlando would host in the first round of the 2024 NWSL playoffs. It seemed destined to be Bay FC for a few weeks, but the Chicago Red Stars found themselves in the No. 8 spot after the final weekend of the regular season. Mallory Swanson, Alyssa Naeher, and company headed to Inter&Co Stadium on Nov. 8.

This wasn’t exactly the best possible news for the Pride, who have had their problems with the Red Stars since joining the NWSL. The Pride and Red Stars had played every season except the COVID-19 year of 2020. The teams had met 20 times in all, with the Pride going just 6-12-2 against Chicago. The Pride were even worse at home against the Red Stars, struggling to just a 1-7-2 home record in the all-time series.

Even in a dominating 2024, the Pride could not beat the Red Stars at home in the regular season. In fact, Orlando couldn’t even score a goal for itself in the match, relying on an own goal by Taylor Malham on a first-half set piece to get a result, scratching out a 1-1 home draw against Chicago on March 29.

That match — the team’s third consecutive draw to open the season — took place before Barbra Banda’s arrival. The Zambian striker was signed a few weeks earlier, but had to wait for international paperwork before traveling to the U.S. She then had to get acclimated to her new team and go through a few training sessions before eventually entering the lineup on April 19.

By then, the unbeaten/winless streak of draws had turned into just an unbeaten streak.

The Pride sometimes fought and sometimes cruised their way to an incredible 18-2-6 record and were never beaten at home. Still, as the Red Stars arrived for the first home playoff game in Pride history, there was that nagging fact that Orlando still had only beaten Chicago at home one time.

Orlando wasn’t interested in that narrative. The players blasted out to a fast start, creating chances from the jump. Banda missed just wide of the far post early and Ally Watt similarly missed the target moments later. Angelina joined in the wide-shot parade in the fifth minute, but the Pride were creating great chances and not allowing the Red Stars to settle into the match.

Banda, who had only scored one goal in 10 matches with Orlando after returning from the Olympics, turned down an opportunity to shoot on Naeher in the 10th minute, instead trying to thread a ball through traffic to Summer Yates. Chicago cleared the pass, which was behind its intended target. The option wasn’t a bad one for most players, but Banda turning down a scoring chance made it seem as if the striker’s confidence was starting to waver after her scoring drought to end the regular season.

Whether that was the case didn’t end up mattering, because Banda’s teammates picked her up 16 minutes later, as Haley McCutcheon picked an outstanding time to score her first goal of the season. A shot by Angelina deflected to Watt off of Bea Franklin. The Pride forward tried a shot but didn’t get a clean hit on it, sending it sailing off line toward the back post. McCutcheon was in the right spot at the right time, redirecting it into the net with a well-placed header to open the scoring at 1-0 in the 26th minute.

Haley McCutcheon from in close 💪

The first goal of the #NWSLPlayoffs! pic.twitter.com/eCjeIciRhc
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 9, 2024

After nearly half an hour of domination without a goal, McCutcheon’s strike changed everything. The Pride seemed to relax and start playing their game. That helped in front of goal, as the team continued putting its chances away.

A good tackle in the midfield by Angelina resulted in Emily Sams getting to the ball and sending a quick, long pass through the defense in the 39th minute. Banda blasted past the back line, picked up the pass, and calmly beat one of the league’s best and most experienced goalkeepers to double the lead.

An unbelievable ball in and a calm finish from Barbra Banda 👊 pic.twitter.com/7LocBoxvAj
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 9, 2024

Banda fed off that goal, eventually scoring one more, but setting herself up repeatedly as the game went on, threatening to become the first Pride player to net a hat trick, but not quite getting there. Her 44th-minute try from the left beat Naeher but didn’t curl enough to find the inside of the back post. It seemed as if the Pride’s 2-0 lead would stand until halftime.

But Banda had other ideas. Watt played Banda down the left with a long ball in first-half stoppage time. The Zambian turned on the jets, getting to her heavy first touch just before Naeher, and scored her second goal of the night, extending the lead to 3-0 just before the break.

Barbra Banda’s brace via pitchside 🎥 pic.twitter.com/HdaniKtXB7
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 9, 2024

The big halftime lead, combined with a 13-0 halftime edge in shot attempts, had Pride fans feeling good. It was 45 minutes thoroughly dominated by Orlando.

The Pride didn’t let up despite the big advantage. Marta smacked the crossbar with a free kick just moments after the restart. A minute after that, Banda had a gaping net into which to complete her hat trick, slipping past Naeher but firing off the left post. Banda managed to help the team score its fourth goal shortly after that anyway, but it was Marta that scored it.

Banda blew past Hannah Anderson and into the penalty area. A helpless Anderson reached out and grabbed Banda’s shirt, pulling her back. Referee Alyssa Nichols played on but was sent to the monitor moments later by video assistant referee Ekaterina Koroleva. Upon reviewing the play, Nichols saw the clear infraction in the box and awarded a penalty. Orlando captain Marta stepped up to the spot and blasted her shot past Naeher to make it 4-0 at precisely the 56th minute.

Marta's first career playoff goal is a beauty 🎯 pic.twitter.com/8pmtR5LLfK
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 9, 2024

At that point, it was just a matter of the final score, and the rest of the game had a celebratory feel. Chicago, to its credit, fought hard to try to make a game of it. The Red Stars managed to score a goal, but even that came from a careless mistake by Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse as much as it did from the hustle of Chicago’s Jameese Joseph.

When the final whistle blew, Orlando had out-shot Chicago 27-8 in a thoroughly dominant performance. The Pride made history with their first-ever postseason win, rewarding the 11,496 fans who came out to witness Orlando’s first home playoff match. The performance they saw was one for the ages, and it was echoed in the words of Pride Head Coach Seb Hines in his postgame comments.

“Brilliant, brilliant from start to finish,” Hines said. “Started the game really well, created two opportunities within the first two minutes. You can see the hunger within the team. You can see the commitment and fully deserved. I think we were phenomenal today.”

Banda’s brace reignited the Zambian’s threat, as she went on to score in each of the team’s playoff matches, leading the team to its first league title and historic double. Every postseason championship starts somewhere, and that 4-1 win over the Red Stars started it for Orlando. That, combined with it being the historic first postseason win and first home playoff match, makes the win over Chicago a worthy top-five inclusion in the club’s best moments of 2024.

Come back through New Year’s Eve as we count down the remainder of the top 10 moments of 2024 for Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and OCB.