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USA vs. Australia, International Friendly: Final Score 5-3 as U.S. Offense Explodes in Second Half

Published

8 years ago

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In the final test against a top 10 team before the start of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the United States Women’s National Team exploded for four second-half goals to beat No. 6 Australia 5-3 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO. Orlando Pride striker Alex Morgan opened the scoring and contributed to one of Mallory Pugh’s two second-half goals, with Tobin Heath and Megan Rapinoe also chipping in on the offensive explosion.

Morgan became the seventh player in U.S. history to reach 100 goals, tying Tiffany Milbrett on the all-time list.

The U.S. snapped a two-game winless streak against the Aussies and improved to 26-1-3 in the all-time series. The Yanks are now 3-1-2 in a 2019 filled with opponents that are already World Cup-bound.

Jill Ellis deployed these players to start the game in the usual 4-3-3:

Orlando Pride teammates Alanna Kennedy and Emily van Egmond both started for Australia, along with former Pride forward Lisa De Vanna.

The United States won some early corners and hemmed Australia into its own end but couldn’t really threaten goal in the opening minutes. The game then settled into a struggle between the boxes for about 10 minutes before Morgan broke the deadlock.

On a Crystal Dunn ball sent over the top, Morgan out-muscled Clare Polkinghorne to take possession, then dribbled into the area, losing Kennedy in the process. With only goalkeeper Lydia Williams to beat, Morgan fired a right-footed effort into the far side of the net from the left side, scoring her 100th career international goal and putting the USWNT up 1-0 at the 15-minute mark.

The Matildas nearly pulled that goal right back only seconds later. Sam Kerr found the ball at her feet in the area but fired over the bar, letting the U.S. defense off the hook.

Morgan tried to help her team double the lead in the 22nd with a great cross into the area that Lindsey Horan headed down for Heath, but the ball was just a smidge too far in front and she couldn’t get on it.

Australia leveled the game in the 29th. The Matildas broke four-on-four down the pitch and for some reason Emily Sonnett had strayed so far from her right back position that she looked like she was playing center back. Australia saw the gaping hole on the left and got the ball to De Vanna, who had time to scope out where she wanted her shot to go and deposited it inside the far post, beating Alyssa Naeher and making it 1-1.

Rapinoe should have restored the lead in the 32nd minute. Heath drove to the end line, slowed the game down, then sent a cross in to the middle. Rapinoe hit her shot right at Williams, who spilled it to her right. As the spin of the ball was carrying it into the goal, Ellie Carpenter swept it off the line to prevent Australia from conceding.

A minute later, Kerr nearly put the Matildas on top. De Vanna curled a cross in behind the U.S. back line and Kerr got away from Becky Sauerbrunn. She got a foot on the cross but could only knock it wide of the back post.

Horan then forced a Williams save on a high shot in the 35th that would have gone just under the bar. That set up a series of corners on which Rose Lavelle nearly scored, only to see Williams get a touch on her shot and send it spinning wide.

The Aussies got another good chance in the 39th. Van Egmond sent a long ball to Kerr, who got in well behind the defense but somehow stayed onside. Her shot was deflected and Naeher couldn’t reach it but fortunately it bounced just wide of goal. Kennedy then sent a free kick over the bar in the 43rd.

The last good opportunity of the half was on Heath’s foot as she torched Kennedy and cut toward goal but had almost no angle from which to shoot. Heath shot anyway, chipping Williams, only to see it float tantalizingly close to the goal line but stay out as it made its way across the face of the net.

The teams went to the break tied at 1-1.

It only took two minutes for the Aussies to take the lead after the restart. A midfield turnover on a ball intended for Morgan started a quick counter that ended up on the foot of Caitlin Foord. She made a quick move that forced second-half sub Sam Mewis to slip, then took advantage of Abby Dahlkemper’s poor closeout, beating Naeher to the far post to make it 2-1 in the 47th.

The U.S. knotted things up in the 53rd minute. Morgan had just sent a cross through the area for Heath but the Portland Thorns star couldn’t reach it for the easy tap-in. The Yanks stayed with it and Sonnett sent the ball back across the area where Heath nodded home to equalize at 2-2.

The Heath goal started the U.S. onslaught. Rapinoe worked from left to right across the top of the box in the 61st minute and finally squared and fired home to restore the U.S. lead.

Three minutes later, Sam Mewis headed wide on a great cross from Morgan out on the right side. Rapinoe pulled up with an apparent calf injury on the play and was subbed off for Pugh, who officially entered in the 66th minute at the next stoppage in play.

All the Washington Spirit star did was score on her first touch. Morgan pushed the ball into the area for Sonnett with a beautiful backheel pass. Sonnett laid off for Pugh, who fired home to make it 4-2 in the 67th minute.

Christen Press forced a diving save out of Williams in the 73rd minute as the U.S. continued to find holes in the Australia defense. Williams palmed the ball away to her right where her defense got to the ball before any of the attacking U.S. players could.

The Matildas pulled pack a goal in the 81st. Press overcommitted trying to defend, which allowed a free cross into the area for Kerr to head home. Dahlkemper and Crystal Dunn were near(ish) to Kerr but they allowed far too much space for arguably the world’s most dangerous striker.

The U.S. tried to close out the game defensively but a series of really odd substitutions — including not playing Ali Krieger when the team didn’t have another natural right back on the bench — allowed Australia to keep prolonged pressure in the Yanks’ end. The Matildas ultimately couldn’t find the final ball to equalize and the U.S. put it away in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Naeher booted a long kick over everyone and Pugh was the first to arrive, chipping Williams on nearly the last kick of the game to complete her brace in front of her hometown crowd in Colorado.

While Australia is going to be one of the toughest teams in the World Cup, the United States must be better defensively. It was not a banner night defensively for Sonnett or Dahlkemper, and it’s clear this team has no better plan than “outscore the other team” at this point. But Ellis isn’t helping matters with the substitutions, taking Dahlkemper off for Carli Lloyd at one point and sliding Julie Ertz into the back line. This was shortly after putting Tierna Davidson on for Sonnett and moving Dunn to right back with Krieger available.

The USWNT will be back in action Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET against Belgium.

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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.

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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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