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Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars: Final Score 3-2 as Mistakes Gift Visiting Chicago a Win

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7 years ago

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The Orlando Pride’s modest two-game unbeaten streak is over. Sam Kerr scored a hat trick in her return from the World Cup as the Pride (1-8-2, 5 points) continuously gifted the Red Stars (4-4-2, 14 points) chances in a 3-2 win over Orlando at Exploria Stadium.

Sam Kerr turned three Orlando turnovers into Red Stars goals to lead the visitors to victory. The Pride got goals from Chioma Ubogagu and Marta — from the penalty spot — to keep the game within reach but despite a late barrage of possession which produced a few chances, the hosts could not equalize.

Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner talked at length about the team’s mistakes after the match.

“Look, we can’t give away the goals that we’ve given away and win a game,” he said. “We’ve again — third consecutive game — scored two goals and lost the game. It’s not acceptable.”

“I wish the result was different, but we’ll still keep working hard to improve more to find a way to start to win the games,” Marta said.

Skinner wasted no time inserting Marta back into the starting lineup, slotting her up top next to center forward Rachel Hill, with Ubogagu on the left in her normal slot. With Dani Weatherholt out, the midfield (left to right) consisted of rookie Marisa Viggiano, Bridget Callahan, and Joanna Boyles. The back line in front of Haley Kopmeyer remained unchanged: Erin Greening, Morgan Reid, Toni Pressley, and Carson Pickett.

Back from the World Cup, Kerr made her presence felt immediately. A terrible back pass from Reid was too slow, allowing Kerr to run in and take it away, round Kopmeyer and fire it into the net for a 1-0 lead.

The Pride nearly pulled the goal right back. Marta sent in one of her patented stellar crosses that found Pickett making a run from the left. Pickett got a touch on it but Emily Boyd made a huge reaction save to preserve Chicago’s lead.

Callahan was forced off after a midfield collision with Yuki Nagasato as the two players clashed heads. After treatment on the field, Callahan was escorted directly to the locker room by the training staff and Camila subbed on in the 16th minute.

Six minutes later the Pride equalized. A back pass to Boyd ended up with the goalkeeper taking a heavy touch. Ubogagu beat Boyd to the ball and slotted into the empty net to make it 1-1 in the 22nd minute.

Kopmeyer made a nice save to deny Casey Short in the 32nd minute after the Chicago right back nutmegged Pressley on the perimeter, walked right around her and fired.

After a brief hydration break, Orlando went on the attack and Ubogagu got into the box but slipped and fell before she could shoot or find a teammate in the 35th minute.

The Red Stars sank a dagger into the Pride in first-half stoppage time. Kopmeyer sent a short goal kick that Nagasato headed back toward Orlando’s goal. Kerr was ready but the Pride defense was not. The Chicago star striker won the race to the loose ball and slotted home past Kopmeyer, who had come off her line too late to have any effect on the onrushing Kerr, letting the visitors take a 2-1 lead just before the break.

Chicago out-shot the Pride 8-2 in the first half (5-2 on target), held 51% of the possession, and was the more accurate passing team (78%-73%).

Orlando continued making mistakes after the break. Greening got beat down the wing shortly after the restart and the ball ended up with Vanessa DiBernardo at the top of the area, but her shot went wide. In the 51st, another poor back pass by Pressley was picked up by Kerr, but this time Kopmeyer was able to save it. The rebound was left for Chicago but the follow-up shot was wide.

Kerr completed her hat trick in the 55th minute off another turnover. The Australian international received the ball after a Greening turnover and cut across the field, blazing past Pressley with speed and powered a shot back against the grain to beat Kopmeyer, building the lead to 3-1.

Chicago took control of the game for about the next 20 minutes. Kopmeyer was forced into making a few saves on shots from distance. The Pride also continued to turn the ball over carelessly. A Pickett turnover nearly led to Kerr’s fourth goal of the game but the Aussie sent her shot wide and into the side netting in the 71st minute. A minute later Pickett cleared a Kerr header off the line off a cross into the box.

Kopmeyer made the save of the game in the 77th minute. Pressley’s turnover gifted Danielle Colaprico with an opportunity and her rocket toward the far post seemed to be headed in until Kopmeyer got her hands on it to push it wide.

A minute later, the Pride got a lifeline. Marta sent a gorgeous ball to the left side to Camila, who cut in between two defenders and was tripped by Brooke Elby. Marta stepped up and smashed the penalty kick home to make it 3-2 in the 79th minute.

Orlando did get the ball in and around the penalty area in the final minutes of the game but couldn’t produce a clear-cut chance. In fact, the opposite almost happened, as Kerr jumped on a Pickett giveaway and nearly scored from near midfield but Kopmeyer ran back and got a hand to it just in time to keep it out.

Chicago out-shot the Pride, 20-6 (12-4 on target), out-possessed Orlando (53%-47%), and passed more accurately (78%-72%). In the end it was the turnovers that doomed the Pride in this one.

“We’re still going to keep playing out from the back,” Skinner said. “I’ve never known anybody to get better at a skill if you stop doing it, so for me, to be better at things, even though they’re higher risk, you only see the beauty of it after you’ve gone through the pain.”

“I think we need to trust more. I think we need to have more confidence,” Marta said through a club interpreter. “I think it was unacceptable the goals that got scored. It was just too easy. I just feel like if it was me having all those balls (that Sam Kerr got) I would have scored as well.”

Marta explained to the assembled media that soccer boils down to two basics — trapping and passing — and said the team needs to work on just doing those simple basic skills in order to progress.

Orlando still hasn’t earned a single point at home and the team’s performances and the afternoon heat kept the Exploria Stadium crowd to a disappointing 3,906.

The Pride will welcome the Washington Spirit to Exploria Stadium next Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

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Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Sign Jamaican International Forward Solai Washington

The Pride add attacking depth by signing former Florida State forward Solai Washington.

Published

1 day ago

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January 19, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has signed Jamaican international forward Solai Washington. The former Florida State Seminole  through the 2027 season with a mutual option for the 2028 season.

“Solai is a player we’ve had an eye on for a while during her two years in college,” Orlando Pride head coach Seb Hines said in a club press release. “Her composure on the ball, her ability to break lines, and the maturity she showed at Florida State make her a fantastic fit for what we’re building here. She brings energy, versatility, and a real competitive edge, which is what we look for in players. We’re excited to have her here in Orlando and to see the impact she can make in our environment both on and off the field.” 

The 20-year-old attacker from Atlanta made 35 appearances in her two years in Tallahassee, scoring eight goals and adding four assists while helping the Seminoles win the 2025 NCAA national championship and the 2024 ACC tournament. Washington was a member of the 2024 ACC All-Freshmen Team, the 2024 All-ACC Academic Team, and was named to TopDrawerSoccer’s postseason Top 100 Freshman list (at No. 42).

On the international stage, Washington has already represented Jamaica at the senior level on the biggest stage, making three appearances with the Reggae Girlz at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, debuting in a scoreless draw with France.

What It Means for Orlando

The Pride’s need for depth in the attacking positions is well documented, and Washington is a young player with a ton of upside in an area of need. From that perspective alone, this is a signing that makes sense. While it would be nice for the club to sign some proven NWSL-level scorers to provide depth for Barbra Banda, Marta, and Jacquie Ovalle, it’s always good to develop young talent. Since the abolition of the NWSL Draft, teams must work harder to secure the services of players like Washington.

It will require some time to know whether Orlando’s faith in Washington will be rewarded, and she wasn’t the most prolific scorer at FSU, but it says something about a player that they can get minutes at age 17 in a World Cup. It will be up to Hines and his staff to develop Washington, who will have no shortage of great mentors as teammates.

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Orlando Pride Announce 2026 NWSL Schedule

We now know who, when, and where the Pride will play during the 2026 NWSL regular season.

Published

6 days ago

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January 15, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

The National Women’s Soccer League schedule was announced this morning, telling us who, where, and when the Orlando Pride will play this year. The 2026 season will once again feature a balanced schedule with all teams playing the other 15 teams once at home and once on the road. The addition of Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC will see each team play 30 games, making it the longest regular season in league history.

The Pride will begin the season at home, facing the Seattle Reign on March 15. This season begins with a two-game homestand, ending with the club’s first-ever match against the Summit and the return of Ally Watt. The first road game will occur on March 25 when the Pride face Chicago Stars FC in Evanston, IL.

The Pride’s home schedule will end on Oct. 25 when they face NJ/NY Gotham FC. They’ll then travel west to face Seattle on Decision Day in the return game on Nov. 1, concluding the team’s 11th season in existence.

Orlando’s games this year are well distributed among the league’s various broadcast partners. The Pride will play nine times on Victory+ — the league’s new free streaming partner. Additionally, they’ll play six times on Prime Video, five times on Ion, twice on CBS Sports Network, once on ESPN, and once on ESPN2. The remaining games will be available on NWSL+.

Should the Pride qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive year, the quarterfinals will take play Nov. 6-8, followed by the semifinals on Nov. 14-15. The championship game will take place on Nov. 21 at a location yet to be determined.

The longest homestand this year is two games and will occur three times. As previously mentioned, the Pride begin with a pair of home games against Seattle and Denver on March 15 and March 20, respectively. They’ll host the Washington Spirit and North Carolina Courage on May 2 and May 8, respectively; the Kansas City Current and Boston on July 10 and July 15, respectively; and Utah Royals FC and the Houston Dash on Aug. 29 and Sept. 6, respectively.

The longest road trip this year is a three-game swing in May. Orlando will face Boston at Gillette Stadium on May 12, Denver on May 16, and San Diego Wave FC on May 24.

The league will take a month-long break during June as the country hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Pride’s final game before the break is on May 29 at home against Bay FC and they will return to action on July 3 against Angel City FC in Los Angeles.

The busiest months of the season will be May and July, when the Pride will play six times in each month. They’ll play four times in March, August, and September, three times in October, twice in April, and once in November.

Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of the regular season:

  • March — 4
  • April — 2
  • May — 6
  • June — 0
  • July — 6
  • August — 4
  • September — 4
  • October — 3
  • November — 1

The most common day the Pride will play this year will be Friday (11 times), the same as last year. They’ll play nine games on Sunday, seven on Saturday, two on Wednesday, and one rare Tuesday match.

Here’s the Pride’s breakdown by day for the regular season:

  • Monday — 0
  • Tuesday — 1
  • Wednesday — 2
  • Thursday — 0
  • Friday — 11
  • Saturday — 7
  • Sunday — 9

For fans that follow Orlando City and the Pride, the teams will play on the same day five times. However, two of the days won’t see the games overlap. On May 2, the Pride hosts the Spirit at 4 p.m. and the Lions face Inter Miami away at 7 p.m. On Sept. 19, the Pride host the Portland Thorns at 4 p.m while City plays at the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. 

The teams’ games will overlap on three occasions, but they never start at the same time. On May 16, Orlando City hosts Atlanta United at 7:30 p.m. before the Pride play in Denver at 8:45 p.m. On Aug. 15, Orlando City hosts FC Cincinnati at 7:30 p.m. and the Pride play in Portland at 8:45 p.m. On Aug. 29, the Pride host the Royals at 7 p.m. and Orlando City faces Minnesota United FC away at 8:30 p.m.

2026 Orlando Pride Schedule (All Times Eastern)

  • Sunday, March 15 — vs. Seattle Reign FC, 4 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Friday, March 20 — vs. Denver Summit FC, 8 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Wednesday, March 25 — at Chicago Stars FC 8 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Sunday, March 29 — at NJ/NY Gotham FC, 7 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Friday, April 3 — vs. Angel City FC, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Friday, April 24 — at Racing Louisville FC, 5:30 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Saturday, May 2 — vs. Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. (ION)
  • Friday, May 8 — vs. North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Tuesday, May 12 — at Boston Legacy FC, 8 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Saturday, May 16 — at Denver Summit FC, 8:45 p.m. (ION)
  • Sunday, May 24 — at San Diego Wave FC, 7 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Friday, May 29 — vs. Bay FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
  • Friday, July 3 — at Angel City FC, 10 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Friday, July 10 — vs. Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Wednesday, July 15 — vs. Boston Legacy FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
  • Saturday, July 18 — at Utah Royals FC, 8:45 p.m. (ION)
  • Friday, July 24 — vs. Chicago Stars FC, 8 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Friday, July 31 — at North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Saturday, Aug. 8 — vs. Racing Louisville FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
  • Saturday, Aug. 15 — at Portland Thorns, 8:45 p.m. (ION)
  • Sunday, Aug. 23 — at Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
  • Saturday, Aug. 29 — vs. Utah Royals FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
  • Sunday, Sept. 6 — vs. Houston Dash, 7 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Friday, Sept. 11 — at Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Saturday, Sept. 19 — vs. Portland Thorns, 4 p.m. (ION)
  • Sunday, Sept. 27 — at Bay FC, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
  • Friday, Oct. 2 — vs. San Diego Wave FC, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Sunday, Oct. 18 — at Houston Dash, 1 p.m. (CBSSN)
  • Sunday, Oct. 25 — vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 3 p.m. (CBSSN)
  • Sunday, Nov. 1 — at Seattle Reign FC, 5 p.m. (TBD)
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How the Orlando Pride Can Return to the Mountaintop

What needs to happen for the Pride to win hardware in 2026?

Published

6 days ago

on

January 15, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

A fall-off after winning the double in 2024 was probably inevitable, yet the Orlando Pride still managed to come within minutes of playing in a second straight NWSL championship match. Many of the pieces are still there, and there are resources to get more. However, there have been some big changes in personnel on and off the pitch.

What needs to happen for the Pride to challenge for another double in 2026?

Reinvigorate the Attack

The return of Barbra Banda is the balm to soothe the worries of Orlando Pride fans. Even when the Pride struggled before she was injured, Banda scored plenty of goals. The biggest problem is she was left on an island as the team tried lobbing the ball up the field to her, hoping she’d do it all herself. Jacquie Ovalle didn’t take the NWSL by storm as we hoped, but it sometimes takes time for a player to adjust to a new league and club. If they had been able to work together, it’s likely the Orlando attack wouldn’t have faltered. Ovalle’s ability to deliver the ball into the box, combined with Banda’s ability to put the ball in the net, is a dangerous combo.

Of course, the Pride will need more than the two of them if the club is to win some trophies in 2026. I made this point several times last season, but Marta needs to find her form from 2024. With Banda and Ovalle in the attack, it should allow Marta the freedom she needs to be creative without having to carry the offense. Additionally, the Pride need other attackers to also find their 2024 form. I’m looking at Julie Doyle and Summer Yates in particular.

Fill the Roster

Haley Carter didn’t leave the cupboard bare when she departed for the wicked Washington Spirit. As such, Seb Hines and new Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Caitlin Carducci don’t have too much to do. But, the transfer of Emily Sams did create a need at center back. Fortunately, the Orlando Pride received $650,000 in intraleague transfer funds for Sams. That kind of cash can go a long way to filling the gaps in the roster.

With Kylie Nadaner on maternity leave and Rafaelle seemingly always on the verge of injury, finding a replacement for Sams is a priority. Some might point to Zara Chavoshi, but unless she levels up quickly, Carducci will need to look elsewhere. Offensively, as important as Banda is, adding another striker is necessary for quality depth. The departures of Ally Watt and Prisca Chilufya mean there’s a spot for an even better backup striker. I’m also not opposed to a quality left back.

Find the Grit

In 2024, the entire Pride team was personally offended if the opposition scored a goal. The level of defending up and down the pitch was a big factor in breaking records and winning hardware. The players need to pick up the chip and put it back on their metaphorical shoulders. I somewhat addressed this with the need to replace Sams, but there’s more to it than that. The Pride wore teams down over the course of a match, meaning it wasn’t necessary to score tons of goals. Of course, it’s not just the back line that needs to be better, but the entire team. Fortunately, Hines knows a thing or two about defenses. The Pride still have Marta to motivate them, and that — while not everything — is not a small advantage.

Those are the things I will be looking for in 2026. Let me know your thoughts or ideas in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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