Connect with us

Uncategorized

USA vs. Brazil, SheBelieves Cup: Final Score 1-0 as the Yanks Finish Second in the Tournament

Published

8 years ago

on

TAMPA, FL — In the final match of the 2019 SheBelieves Cup, Tobin Heath scored the only goal to lead the United States Women’s National team to a 1-0 win over Brazil in front of 14,009 fans in Raymond James Stadium. That is a record crowd in Tampa for the USWNT. After England’s 3-0 demolition against Japan, the tournament was already wrapped up. However, the win for the U.S. ensured a second-place finish for the Yanks. 

“The fans are always great here,” said Orlando Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris. “I always hear them. I hear them cheering my name behind me and it feels so good because I work my ass off everyday to have moments like these. To know I have the city, the state, this country behind me, it means a lot.”

The Orlando Pride’s Alex Morgan got the customary start up top and captain’s armband, while Harris got her first start of 2019 and 20th international cap. With 99 international goals to her name, Morgan was hoping to reach the century mark just a short drive away from Orlando, with many Pride fans in attendance. Morgan did not have many chances in front of goal though and will have to wait for that landmark achievement. 

“I think we were better defensively then we had been,” Harris said. “I think we made it really difficult for them and I was really proud of the squad. We gave up quite a few goals this tournament and to have a clean sheet is, collectively, something to be proud of.”

The U.S. came out fast and had two golden opportunities in the first minute. A Brazil turnover led to Tobin Heath dribbling down the right-hand side of the field. She cut the ball back and passed to Mallory Pugh. The 20-year-old looked to be taken down from behind, but referee Carol Chenard waved it off.

Seconds later, the Yanks were back on the attack. The ball fell to Julie Ertz at the top of the box, but her shot went wide of the post. 

The Americans looked to have taken the lead in the 13th minute. Morgan drew two defenders, which led to Heath wide open over the top. Brazil reacted too late, and all the defenders closed in on Heath. This left Megan Rapinoe open on the back post, and she booted the ball past Brazilian goalkeeper Aline. Rapinoe wheeled away in celebration but was correctly called offside.

The Americans kept up the pressure and Brazil rarely threatened. The U.S. was obviously trying to play balls out wide and catch the Seleção with numbers down in the back. After a few failed attempts, the Yanks finally found the breakthrough in the 20th minute. 

Morgan had the ball at the top of the box, and it looked certain that she was going to earn her 100th goal. However, Aline rushed out and smothered Morgan’s shot. The ball fell right to Heath’s feet, though, and she buried it into the top corner. 

In the 34th minute, Pugh cut in and put a great ball into the box for Kelley O’Hara. The defender’s diving header went right at Aline. The U.S. stayed in control, though, and Pugh had a chance to double the lead, but her shot went sailing over the bar. 

Immediately following Pugh’s miss, Brazil had an excellent opportunity. Beatriz dribbled in on the left side of the box. The forward used nifty footwork to get by O’Hara and into the box. She couldn’t keep her footing though, and the chance ended. 

In the 40th minute, it was Sam Mewis’ turn to have a look at goal. Once again it was Pugh who put a terrific ball into the area. Mewis just had to redirect the ball, but her header went wide, and the score remained 1-0.

The U.S. dominated the first half. Harris was forced to make just one save, and Marta was kept quiet. On the defensive end, the Yanks kept things very compact and shifted well as a unit. When they won the ball back, the Americans immediately looked to the right wing. Pugh and Heath continuously got the ball out wide, and the only thing that was missing was the final shot.  

“I’ll see Marta tomorrow,” said Harris. “This one is going to sting for her, I’m sure, for awhile because she’s a competitor. But I’m very proud of the shutout and I’m proud of the performance.”

Both teams made one change to start the second half. Debinha was replaced by Geyse for Brazil, and Jill Ellis replaced Pugh with Christen Press. The U.S. started the second half similarly to the first. The Yanks high pressed Brazil and attempted to win the ball back close to the Seleção’s goal. 

The first real chance of the second half came in the 56th minute. The U.S. won the ball back in its own half. Press played a cross-field ball to Heath, who broke free of everyone. Brazil’s Andressa recovered nicely but then impeded Heath’s progress, earning a yellow. Rapinoe took the free kick from 20 yards out and hit the wall. 

Much of the second half was played in the middle third of the field, and neither team had many good looks on goal. Marta was isolated with Crystal Dunn often, but when the Brazilian got the ball, she could not find a teammate in the box. Press had a handful of takeaways in the middle of the field, but then the U.S. struggle to keep possession afterward. 

“The second half we kinda shifted a little bit,” said Morgan. “Press came in at the 10, and we had two sixes. So it was a little bit of a formation switch, but I think that Brazil wanted to keep it compact and maybe assume that the game was going to stretch out. I think we just had less chances in the second half.”

The main difference between the first and second half was decision making. The U.S. held onto the ball for too long and was sloppy in possession. Instead of finding players out wide and quickly getting down the field, the Americans spent more time building up play. This nearly worked a few times, but there was little space in the box as Brazil had six players inside the 18 defending. 

Brazil should have leveled things in the 74th minute. Marta put a perfect cross into the box. Ludmila flicked it on, but Harris came to the rescue with a diving, one-handed save. The crowd reacted by chanting Harris’ name.

Six minutes later, Harris was needed again. Dunn fouled Marta about 25 yards from goal. Marta took the free kick aiming for the near post. Harris had it covered all the way though, and the Yanks kept the 1-0 lead. 

The Americans were able to hold off Brazil’s late push and earn their first shutout of the SheBelieves Cup. The Yanks held 49% possession, but dominated Brazil in most other stats. The Yanks out-shot Brazil, 18-11 (6-3 on target) and committed 11 fewer fouls. The teams were tied with two corner kicks apiece. With the victory, the U.S. finished in second place and Brazil, which lost all three games, came in last.

“I think that if we would have paid attention to the details a little more in the Japan game or the England game, I think that we would have been on the podium,” said Morgan. “We had Japan and England on their heels in the last 10 minutes of the games, pushing for a goal, and just didn’t get it. Now we need to just watch England hoist that trophy and hope that we never have to see that again.”

The USWNT will next play on April 4 at 9 p.m. against Australia in Commerce City, CO.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

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

on

October 28, 2026

By

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.

Continue Reading

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

on

September 30, 2026

By

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.

Continue Reading

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

on

July 22, 2026

By

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!

Continue Reading

Trending