Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs Portland Thorns: Player Grades and Player of the Match
The Orlando Pride kicked off their fourth season on Sunday, and came out a bit slow and looking like deer caught in headlights. As they entered the middle of the second half, things started to settle, but it wasn’t enough and the 2-0 loss resulted as the final seconds ticked away.
Nonetheless, welcome back Pride fans! I’m glad to be back, and glad to have you around to talk about all the things we saw. If you are new, feel free to chime in, especially if you disagree. I’ll make it apparent time and time again, if your perspective was different, I want to hear about it!
One last thing of note: I do things a bit differently. A five is my average rating. A four might look harsh, but it’s just below average, as a six is just above average. Ideally, a player will get their best score for their best game, so I tend to be a bit conservative at the start of the season, hoping we haven’t seen the best of a player yet, especially this first match. Without further delay, I’ll break it down and find my player of the match.
Starters
GK, Ashlyn Harris, 7.5 (POTM) — It didn’t take long for Harris to come up big. In the fourth minute, she touched a Christine Sinclair screamer over the bar, and from there, she didn’t relent. She made save after save up until just before the first half whistle. At that moment, Caitlin Foord slotted it home in a crowded box. A few minutes into the second half, a lack of urgency by the Pride defenders gave Tobin Heath a brief moment to put a brilliant flick on the ball that spun it out of Ashlyn’s reach. Last year, I was typically critical of her ball movement, but in this first game, I thought she was pretty consistent. All of this was enough for her to take Player of the Match for me.
D, Ali Krieger, 6.5 — Early, Heath was giving Krieger a hard time, and I thought she was a step off defensively, but it was largely a “bend, don’t break” style, and after about 20 minutes, she was commanding that side better. Offensively, she had a handful of great long balls that, on any other day, would have resulted in a goal or two.
D, Joanna Boyles, 5.5 — Boyles was drafted 32nd overall in 2018 by the Boston Breakers. Well, we know how that worked out, and she spent last year on Chicago’s reserve squad. For her professional debut against the likes of Foord, Sinclair, Heath, and Lindsey Horan, she was pretty solid. Early on, I thought she was great, winning 50/50s, making Heath miss big on a tackle, and getting the ball to midfield. It was just a few times where I didn’t see urgency, and two of those times, the Thorns’ possession led to goals.
D, Shelina Zadorsky, 6.5 — Shelina would have been my Player of the Match if not for the poor back pass that led to the first goal. Portland was relentless in the attack, and as many as Harris stopped, the Canadian international was right there too, blocking and snuffing out several attacks. She also had several passes that sprung the team offensively. If not for that particular error in judgement, it would have been a very decent night for number four.
D, Carson Pickett, 5.5 — I didn’t see a lot from Carson defensively, as Portland generally flows through Heath on the other side of the field, but she was always there to help maintain possession. I think she has a good eye for getting the ball forward, but was sometimes slow to see the run. Hopefully this works out as the season goes on.
MF, Rachel Hill, 5.5 — Rachel would go silent for portions of the match, and then show up at the perfect time to put you on the edge of your seat. Unfortunately, she was always a step behind in the attack in key moments. There were two crosses from Marta that were just a step away from being goals for Hill. She had great hustle though, and kept rushing Portland’s decision making, which went a long way.
MF, Dani Weatherholt, 5.5 — There were some bright moments from one of my 2018 favorites, but it all seemed to pale compared to what we are used to, so that’s why I settled on just above average. Occasionally, there was some awesome pressure from her, and she had a great clearance in the 43rd that sprung the offense, but there just seemed to be, yet again, a lack of urgency from time to time.
MF, Bridget Callahan, 5.5 — Yet another 5.5 from me. I thought she was pretty great on the ball, but lacked awareness on defense from time to time. In the first half alone, Horan came close to having a field day, settling right into her space and taking the shot from outside the box. There was quite a bit of promise though, and I loved her calm demeanor on the ball.
MF, Marta, 6 — Marta seemed a bit off to me. Not because of the result, or lack of shots even, but she just didn’t reach those Marta heights for most of the match. She did have an almost brilliant 1-v-5 late in the game that would have been amazing, but it was too much, even for her. She was close to a couple of assists — the already mentioned Hill ones, and another to Camila, that wasn’t even placed on frame — so, like a few others, she was on the brink of having a great match.
F, Chioma Ubogagu, 4 — Several of my notes are along the lines of “poor final touch” or “dribbling with her head down, misses open player.” She is great at putting herself in position to do something or be a part of something dangerous, but pretty much none of it worked out Sunday evening.
F, Alex Morgan, 6.5 — Alex was a few inches away from having a great night. That’s sometimes how it goes, unfortunately. Besides being a part of a consistent long ball threat, she would often drop back and do a bit of creating herself. In the 18th, she could have gotten an assist when she warded off a Portland defender and got the ball to Chi’s feet, but Chi took a second to fire it off and it was blocked. She also did some solid work on the defensive side of the ball.
Substitutes
MF, Camila (65’), 4.5 — A few minutes in, Camila had the chance to make a huge impact when Marta put the ball right at her feet for a nearly wide open shot, and she couldn’t get it on frame. After that, she faded away a bit and was never really a threat again. The all-time leader for the Pride in yellow cards kept a firm grip on that title by collecting another in stoppage time.
MF, Erin Greening (74’), 4.5 — One minute in, with her second touch, she passed it right to Heath, who almost chipped it over Harris for another goal. She did have a great interception late in the game, and got the ball to Camila. Aside from that, there wasn’t much action from her the rest of the night.
MF, Kristen Edmonds (76’), 4.5 — Edmonds brought some great energy to the pitch, and played a bit more aggressively than usual, which I thought was great. She had a fantastic chance in the closing minutes to bring some excitement to the crowd but sent a ball from inside the box right over the top of a wide open net.
There it is, folks. It was definitely not the opener we wanted, but we are blessed (yes, blessed!) with a short turnaround and get to right all the wrongs on Wednesday night with a trip up to North Carolina. Now vote for your Player of the Match and let me hear all about it in the comments below!
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Ashlyn Harris | 23 |
| Shelina Zadorsky | 2 |
| Ali Krieger | 4 |
| Alex Morgan | 2 |
| Other (comment below) | 1 |
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride Transfer Adriana to Saudi Side Al Qadsiah FC
The club has secured one of the highest transfer fees in NWSL history for the Brazilian attacker after she requested a transfer.
The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has secured a club-record transfer fee from Al Qadsiah FC of the Saudi Women’s Premier League in exchange for Brazilian international attacking midfielder/forward Adriana. The club announced that the sale was one of the three highest in NWSL history, with Jeff Kassouf of The Equalizer reporting the fee as $500,000.
“We are incredibly grateful for Adriana’s contributions to the club, and while we will miss her presence both on and off the pitch, we are happy to support her in this next chapter of her career,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “At the Pride, we believe in empowering our players to pursue opportunities that align with their personal and professional goals. The record transfer fee we received reflects both Adriana’s exceptional talent and our commitment to building mutually beneficial relationships in the global transfer market. These resources will help us continue to attract world-class talent to Orlando as we build for the future. We wish Adriana all the best and she will always be part of the Pride family.”
The move, which was requested by Adriana, comes shortly after the start of training camp as the Pride prepare to defend their NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship titles.
“I want to thank the Orlando Pride, my teammates, and especially our amazing fans for making Orlando feel like home,” Adriana said in the club’s release. “This club gave me an incredible opportunity to grow as a player and person, and I will always be grateful for my time here. The Pride organization has been very supportive of my desire to take on this new challenge overseas. They worked hard to make this move possible while ensuring it benefited everyone involved. Orlando will always hold a special place in my heart, and I look forward to watching the club continue to grow and succeed.”
The Pride signed Adriana almost exactly two years ago on Jan. 19, 2023, from Brazilian giants Corinthians. That deal was through the 2025 season, meaning her contract would have been up at the end of this year. As Orlando typically extends players’ deals before they expire, the timing makes some sense, despite it happening during the Pride’s preseason.
In two seasons with Orlando, Adriana was a key player for the Pride with the versatility for Seb Hines to deploy her in multiple ways. She was primarily used as a winger during her time in Orlando, appearing in 46 NWSL regular-season games with 38 starts, logging 3,333 minutes. She scored six goals and added four assists, sharing the team lead in those categories in 2023. Her contributions in 2024 raised her career regular-season totals with the Pride to 12 goals and five assists across two seasons.
Adriana appeared in all three of the Pride’s playoff games during her stay in Orlando, starting two and logging 197 minutes. She did not make a goal contribution, attempting six shots with only one of those hitting the target. She tallied five key passes and one successful long ball in the Pride’s run to the title.
Additionally, the Brazilian made one appearance in the NWSL Challenge Cup, playing just eight minutes off the bench in 2023 without a goal contribution. She was on international duty during four of the Pride’s six matches in that competition. Adriana was away at the Olympics during the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, so she did not play in that competition.
What It Means for Orlando
Losing a player of Adriana’s caliber does not make a team better, but the club got a big return for an attacking piece that had started splitting time with Summer Yates during Orlando’s final stretch of the season in 2024. The Pride’s younger players are starting to demand more minutes with their performances, and while the team’s depth takes a hit with Adriana’s departure, the club has the resources to find a roster replacement.
Someone will have to replace Adriana’s six goals per year. Yates scored five in her second season in the league, but a jump to 11 in her third year seems unrealistic. However, more minutes for Yates may mitigate some of Adriana’s lost offense. Others who can contribute to replacing those goals include Grace Chanda, Simone Charley, Ally Watt, and Julie Doyle. The first two on that list are talented, but still have yet to play their first game for the Pride. It’s also conceivable that Barbra Banda can score more goals in her second NWSL season.
In Adriana, the Pride also lost one of the team’s better penalty takers. Adriana was two-for-two from the spot in 2024. Someone else will need to step up and take up the secondary penalty-taker role (to Marta) in 2025.
Opinion
Three Orlando Pride Games to Circle on the Calendar
Let’s take a brief look at three games to pay extra attention to during Orlando’s upcoming NWSL campaign.
We got the release of the Orlando Pride’s 2025 schedule on Wednesday, which means we’re that little bit closer to the start of the season on March 7. The nature of the 14-team National Women’s Soccer League means that there are fewer scheduling quirks than with the 30-team Major League Soccer, with each team playing the other 13 clubs twice each. Still, there’s plenty to dig into with regards to how the scheduling shakes out, and now that I’ve had time to examine what 2025 holds, I’ve got three games in particular that I’ve got circled on my match calendar. Behold.
March 7 — vs. Washington Spirit
You had to know this was coming, right? There’s so much to like about this game. Not only is it the home opener, but as the NWSL Challenge Cup match, it’s also a chance to win another piece of silverware in a rematch of last year’s NWSL Championship game. This game sells itself on just about every level imaginable. The Pride return almost everyone from a wildly successful 2024 season, and while there aren’t a ton of new signings to familiarize ourselves with, getting healthy versions of Grace Chanda and Simone Charley is essentially like getting two brand new players. It’ll be our first chance to gauge where the Pride stand as they try to continue on from the high standards that were set last year, and we should also get a couple new banners hoisted into the rafters. You can hardly ask for more than all that.
Aug. 16 — at Kansas City Current
The Current were excellent in 2024, finishing fourth and boasting the league’s best attack, with 57 goals scored in 26 games, for an over two goals per game average. The Pride, meanwhile, had the league’s third-best attack, with 46 goals, and the joint-best defense with just 20 conceded. Orlando never lost to Kansas City in 2024, as the Pride drew and won the regular-season contests and then won again in the semifinal matchup between the two teams. The pair have made a habit of putting on entertaining affairs, and with the match placed as one of the first ones to occur after the league’s July break, it might go a long way towards setting the tone for the back half of Orlando’s season.
Nov. 2 — vs. Seattle Reign
The NWSL is bringing back Decision Day this year, and the Pride have been blessed with a home game on the league’s final day of regular-season play. On paper, Orlando has also been handed a favorable matchup against a Seattle team that struggled last year and is in the midst of a rebuild. Given how tight the margins tend to be in the upper reaches of the league, every point takes on added importance, and playoff scenarios can swing wildly when everyone is playing at the same time. It’s always nice to be able to play at home in a situation that variable, and it can make for a truly memorable atmosphere that will (hopefully) set Orlando up for another postseason run on the right note.
It feels a little cheap to highlight the first and last games of the season, but I can’t help liking what I like. Are there any games that you’re especially looking forward to this season? Be sure to have your say down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!
I know that it probably seems greedy to ask for anything more after the Orlando Pride won both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship in 2024, but I’m still going to do so. If the Pride want to repeat their success in 2025, they will need a little bit more than in 2024. Let’s look at my wish list for the defending champs.
No Banda Slump
Barbra Banda scored 12 goals with five assists in her first 12 matches with the Pride. She then scored one goal with one assist in the next 10 regular season matches. I know that players have slumps. Strikers in particular tend to be streaky when it comes to goal contributions. I’m just asking that Banda not have another slump quite that big in 2025.
It might be that teams did a better job of double- or triple-teaming her on defense. Perhaps she just got a little unlucky during the slump. Whatever the reason, I hope that her familiarity with her teammates, the league, and Seb Hines’ style of play allows her to significantly increase her goal contributions this season.
A Healthy Chanda and Charley
Neither Grace Chanda nor Simone Charley were able to see the pitch much for the Pride last season. That hopefully changes in 2025. Adding these two players is almost like signing new players, except they’ve been there for everything. There’s no need to adapt to the culture of the club, as they are already a part of it all.
Chanda not only brings international experience, but she has played with Banda for the Zambian National Team. I expect she’ll be able to make an immediate impact when she integrates into the attack. As for Charley, she will be yet another speedy striker the Pride can utilize in their potent attack.
Adding Depth Contributions
The 2024 season saw some players step up a level. Ally Watt had one of her best seasons, Summer Yates impressed everyone, and Cori Dyke earned a starting spot after an appearance on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast. If we can have other young players make the same type of jump in 2025, it bodes well for the club.
Despite having the best defense in the league, the Pride are a little light along the back. I’d like to see Brianna Martinez and new signee, Zara Chavoshi, make some noise on the back line when they get some minutes. There’s also the possibility of a non-roster invitee impressing enough to get a contract. Depth is incredibly important for a team looking to repeat.
Overcoming History
Winning back-to-back anything in any sport is difficult. Every other team will bring their best against you. The weight of expectations can also be very heavy. That being said, if any club can do it, this Pride team can.
The coaches and players already dealt with the pressure of the undefeated streak last season. They dealt with the pressure of winning the NWSL Cup after winning the NWSL Shield. They have dealt with plenty of pressure. Now, they will need to find the proper motivation to propel them to the top yet again. There will be no sneaking up on the league this year.
Those are some of the things I want to see in 2025, but I want to know your thoughts on these points. Perhaps you have some wishes of your own. Let me know in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
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