Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs Washington Spirit: Final Score 1-0 as the Pride Earn First Win Since August 2019
The Orlando Pride beat the Washington Spirit 1-0 at Exploria Stadium in NWSL Challenge Cup play for the club’s first win since Aug. 21, 2019. Alex Morgan connected with Sydney Leroux in the 10th minute of the match for the game’s only goal and Ashlyn Harris had a big game in net to lead the Pride (1-1-1, 4 points) to the victory. Washington (1-2-0, 3 points) had chance after chance in the second half, but the Pride somehow kept a shutout.
“A much better situation to sit in for a result but the best thing for me was the resiliency the group shown,” said Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner. “I don’t think at times that we were the best team. There’s a lot of pressure we had to face. What we showed tonight was the resilience that’s going to be needed for this group to win ugly. And that’s a clean sheet for the first time in a long, long time. And that’s because our goalkeeper came up big. Our defenders came up big and midfielders and our forwards. It was a whole team collective. The substitutes that came in made an impact to the group.”
Both Morgan and Gunny Jónsdóttir were included in the starting XI in their first game back from international duty. Skinner only sent out three natural defenders — Ali Riley, Phoebe McClernon, and Ali Krieger — but Jónsdóttir slotted in at right back. She got forward on the attacking end often, and the Pride looked to play more of a back three while in possession. While defending, it looked like a 4-2-3-1.
“What I love so much about Gunny, and you know not many people know this, but she was put into the position to play right back last minute, and she didn’t have any preparation whatsoever in the position,” said Harris. “But she said, ‘hey it’s football!’ And I think she took on this role incredibly and she played amazing and she always puts the team first. So, I’m really just happy with her performance coming in here and doing whatever she can for the team.”
Jade Moore, Marisa Viggiano, and Taylor Kornieck started in midfield, with Marta, Morgan, and Leroux up top.
The starting XI for tonight's match. @orlandohealth | #ORLvWAS
— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) April 21, 2021
The Pride started the match fast. In the 10th minute, Morgan stole the ball from Dorian Bailey in the middle of the field. The striker looked straight down the field and played a perfect through ball to Leroux, who took one touch to send the ball behind a diving Aubrey Bledsoe and give the Pride the 1-0 lead.
Full bars for the Alex-Syd connection 📶#ORLvWAS | https://t.co/0LtSAUsqkW | #CC21 pic.twitter.com/1NYJeO3Kut
— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) April 21, 2021
There was some drama in the 25th minute. The Spirit won a free kick, took it quickly, and scored. Washington celebrated, but the referee appeared to be talking to her assistants. The referee called the goal back after a minute and the Spirit had to take it again. Harris made an easy save on the retake. After the game, the referee stated:
“The free kick should have been a ceremonial free kick as the referee marked the spot of the ball. The whistle (mandatory when a free kick is ceremonial) was never blown to restart play when the goal was scored so the direct free kick was retaken.”
Neither team had any significant chances in the rest of the half. The Spirit struggled in possession. They held the ball well in their own areas but were sloppy in the attacking third. Trinity Rodman looked like the best player for Washington in the first half but often did not have any options.
Orlando got players forward when in possession. Often, the Pride’s front four — Leroux, Marta, Morgan, and Kornieck — were all lined up with the Washington defenders.
The halftime stats were fairly even. Washington led in shots (8-7) but both teams had two shots on target. The Spirit also had a bit more possession (53%-47%) but did not create many chances with it.
Washington came out of the break with a ton of energy in the send half. After a brief spell of Orlando possession, the Spirit continuously pressed the Pride starting about 10 minutes after the restart. They won the ball up high, and Orlando struggled to cope. Washington had six corners in the first 15 minutes of the half. Harris came up with a couple of saves, but her best was another penalty stop.
“Yeah we had a good conversation [at halftime],” said Leroux. “We thought that we needed to come out strong again. And I feel like we did and then we were kind of on our back foot for a little while. We dealt with a lot of corners and a lot of pressure. And of course, Ash made a beautiful PK save and beautiful saves throughout the game. She stood on our head for us.”
After a McClernon foul in the box, Ashley Hatch stepped up for Washington. She shot to her right, and Harris was there to deny Hatch. Harris, however, saved it with her leg and stayed down after the play. She looked to be in pain and stretched often for several minutes but was able to stay in the match. After the game, she said she fell on her knee making the save and had a dead leg for a bit that took a while to work itself out.
We have no words.@Ashlyn_Harris is out of this world.#ORLvWAS | https://t.co/0LtSAUsqkW | #CC21 pic.twitter.com/zu9l9idr5d
— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) April 22, 2021
The Pride remained on the back foot for much of the rest of the half. The Spirit were dangerous on the attack but struggled to connect on the final ball. Orlando, meanwhile, did almost nothing on the attacking side. The Pride sent balls forward, but no one was there.
However, Orlando did get an excellent chance to double the lead shortly after Harris recovered from her injury. Marta sent an excellent pass in to Morgan in the area and she seemed certain to score with her first touch, but Bledsoe got over to make a vital diving save to keep the score at 1-0.
Brickwall Bledsoe 🧱 #ORLvWAS | https://t.co/0LtSAUsqkW | #CC21 pic.twitter.com/P8kcbJ6AO8
— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) April 22, 2021
Harris was the key player for Orlando. She made nine saves on the night, and was the obvious choice for the Player of the Match.
There was some chaos in the dying minutes of the match. Krieger went down in the Pride’s box after a nasty fall. She looked to be in a considerable amount of pain and had to be subbed out. At the same time, the Pride quickly got down the field. Kelley O’Hara, who was issued a yellow card moments prior, got a second yellow after a foul on Morgan to break up a counter. The Spirit played stoppage down a player.
And Kelley O'Hara gets her second yellow card for this foul on Alex Morgan, and she's sent off in stoppage time!#ORLvWAS | 1-0 pic.twitter.com/cvww42pwbE
— The Equalizer (@EqualizerSoccer) April 22, 2021
Orlando was able to hold on and get the win. It was the first win in nearly a year and a half, and just the fifth in the Skinner era. It was also just the second shutout since July 20, 2019. Orlando was out-shot by a wide margin (20-8), thanks to the strong second half from Washington. The Spirit also had more shots on goal (9-3) and more possession (52%-48%).
“It feels great,” said Harris. “I think we’re going to celebrate this and we’re going to enjoy this but come tomorrow when we wake up, it’s time to put in the work and continue building for success. And continue doing whatever it takes to put the team first and this winning mentality we want to keep pushing and moving forward.”
The Pride now have a little break. Orlando next plays on Saturday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. on the road against the North Carolina Courage to close out the NWSL Challenge Cup group stage. They need a lot of help, but the Pride are still mathematically alive to win the East.
Orlando Pride
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Kylie Strom
In her fourth season in Orlando, the veteran changed positions to help the NWSL’s best defense.
The Orlando Pride originally signed Kylie Strom from Atletico Madrid in July 2021. Prior to her time overseas, Strom spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons in the NWSL with the Boston Breakers. Her initial contract in Orlando was through 2022 with an option for 2023 that was exercised prior to that year. Despite being briefly out of contract this past off-season, Strom, now 32 years old, re-signed for the Pride, extending her stay in Orlando through the 2026 season. This ended up as one of the most important moves of the off-season, as Strom went on to partner Emily Sams in the league’s best defense, earning an NWSL Defender of the Year nomination and playing in all but one game of the 2024 season.
Let’s take a look back at Kylie Strom’s 2024 season, her best in Orlando so far.
Statistical Breakdown
Strom made 25 appearances for the Pride in the NWSL regular season, starting 24 times and playing 2,158 minutes, less than 200 minutes from playing the entire regular season. Most of the game time she missed was due to the red card and one-match ban she picked up on opening day at Louisville. Strom only took six shots in the regular season with two on target and no goals scored. She contributed her lone assist against Gotham at home in September. In possession, Strom completed 1,298 of her 1,503 passes (86%), the highest number of completed passes in the squad and the third-highest completion percentage among the regular starters, closely following Sams and Morgan Gautrat. She recorded 10 key passes, no completed crosses, and 46 successful long balls. Defensively, she succeeded in 20 of her 40 tackles (50%), contributed 39 interceptions, and won 73 headed duels. She was fouled 23 times, committed 17 of her own, and earned two yellow cards in addition to the previously-mentioned red card.
Strom started and played every minute of Orlando’s three NWSL playoff wins (270 minutes). She attempted no shots but did provide an assist for Barbra Banda’s goal against the Kansas City Current. In the playoffs, Strom completed 144 of her 169 pass attempts (85%), with one key pass, no completed crosses, and four successful long balls. In defense, she added four tackles and six interceptions without committing a foul, suffering a foul, or receiving a card.
Strom also started all three matches in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, playing 239 minutes in total. She did not take a shot and thus could not score a goal in the tournament, nor did she record an assist. The defender completed 136 of her 158 passes (86%) without a key pass or successful cross, but she managed 11 accurate long balls. She added three tackles in four duels (75%) and four interceptions with one headed duel won on the defensive end. She also committed two fouls and was on the receiving end of two herself, but she was not shown a card.
Best Game
Looking at her availability, passing, and defending, Strom was remarkably consistent in 2024, across all competitions. This makes it difficult to pick one game from the bunch, so it would be tempting to pick any shutout against high-profile opponents, such as the NWSL Championship game or the NWSL Shield-clinching game, both wins against the Washington Spirit. Instead, the best game and best representation of Strom’s work was the 1-0 victory over the struggling Utah Royals on the road in April, the first win of the year.
In the victory over Utah, Strom completed 61 of her 68 passes (90%). She also added two tackles and four interceptions en route to holding Utah to just 0.1 expected goals per FBRef.com. With Marta coming off the bench in this match, this was also the first time Strom wore the captain’s armband for Orlando, though she went on to wear it for six additional starts in the NWSL.
Final Grade
The Mane Land staff gave Strom a composite grade of 7.5 out of 10 for the 2024 season, a significant improvement over her score of 6 out of 10 in 2023. Previously, Strom received a grade of 4.5 in 2022 and an incomplete during what was a rough stretch run in 2021 after joining the club midseason.
Going into the 2024 season, it was assumed that Rafaelle would be the primary center back partner for Sams, and Strom would play at fullback, her natural position to that point in her career. Instead, Rafaelle struggled with injuries, including at the start of the year, so Strom paired with Sams for four of the first five games, with the Pride having to employ a four-fullback back line in the second game due to player unavailability. Rafaelle then played with Sams in the middle for one match, before Seb Hines pushed Sames out to right back with Rafaelle and Strom paired together for the next five matches. From that point on, it was Sams and Strom in the middle the rest of the year.
The new position suited Strom and accentuated her strengths as a soccer player. She defended well as a unit with Sams and the fullbacks, using her physicality to win many tackles and headed duels while cutting out the mistakes she’d previously made when playing out wide. In possession, she was steady in building play through short- and medium-distance passes without taking too many risks. She was a vocal leader on the pitch and adept at snuffing opposition attacks before they could materialize. That she was able to adapt so quickly to a new role in the latter stages of her career is all the more impressive.
2025 Outlook
Strom has two more years on her contract going into 2025. Orlando will hope to get healthier in defense in the off-season and may sign some reinforcements, as both Megan Montefusco and Carrie Lawrence retired. But Strom has earned the starting center-back spot next to Sams. Given Cori Dyke’s late emergence at right back, there is less of a need to move Sams out wide. At the same time, Kerry Abello’s Best XI Second Team performance throughout 2024 would make it difficult to move Strom back to fullback on the left. It will be interesting to see how a position group that has become a strength of the team.
Regardless of how it unfolds, the goal for Strom moving forward should be to continue to play at the level she did during Orlando’s championship season, and given her consistency all year, this is a reasonable expectation for the player.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
- Amanda Allen (11/28/24)
- McKinley Crone (11/29/24)
- Sofia Manner (11/30/24)
- Mariana Larroquette (12/1/24)
- Viviana Villacorta (12/2/24)
- Luana (12/3/24)
- Evelina Duljan (12/4/24)
- Cori Dyke (12/5/24)
- Carson Pickett (12/6/24)
- Brianna Martinez (12/7/24)
- Ally Watt (12/8/24)
- Summer Yates (12/9/24)
- Ally Lemos (12/10/24)
- Haley McCutcheon (12/11/24)
- Julie Doyle (12/12/24)
- Morgan Gautrat (12/13/24)
- Anna Moorhouse (12/14/24)
- Kerry Abello (12/15/24)
- Angelina (12/16/24)
- Emily Sams (12/17/24)
- Rafaelle (12/18/24)
- Marta (12/19/24)
- Adriana (12/20/24)
Orlando Pride
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Adriana
The Brazilian attacker was a key player in the Pride’s magical 2024 season.
The Orlando Pride signed Brazilian international Adriana on Jan. 19, 2023 to a three-year contract through the 2025 NWSL season. One of the brighter spots of the Pride during the 2023 season, it seemed Adriana was on the verge of becoming a dominating NWSL player. Seb Hines again deployed her mainly as an attacking player, particularly on the wing, but sometimes as a second forward. While she was still a key player for the Pride in 2024, there were some bumps in the road when she would disappear from games and consistency was sometimes an issue.
Let’s take a look at Adriana’s second NWSL season.
Statistical Breakdown
Adriana appeared in 23 regular-season games, starting 19 and playing a total of 1,688 minutes. She scored six goals, which was third most on the team, and added one assist. It is notable that two of her six goals came from the penalty spot, where she went two-for-two in the regular season. She completed 71% of her 557 passes, which was a slight dip from a year ago, with 31 key passes, seven completed crosses, and 14 successful long balls. Defensively, Adriana chipped in nine tackles, 13 interceptions, and 18 headed duels won. She committed just 10 fouls while drawing 30 on the opposition, and she did not receive a card.
In the playoffs, Adriana appeared in all three of the Pride’s games, starting two and logging 197 minutes. She did not make a goal contribution, attempting six shots with only one of those hitting the target. Her passing wasn’t up to its usual level in the postseason, as she connected on just 63.9% of her 36 passes, including only two of nine in the NWSL Championship. She tallied five key passes and one successful long ball, but no accurate crosses. On defense, she finished the postseason with three tackles and an interception. The Brazilian international committed five fouls, suffered two, and was not booked.
Adriana was away at the Olympics during the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, so she did not play in the competition.
Best Game
Adriana had several big games in 2024, but perhaps her best was Orlando’s 2-0 home win over Gotham FC. She scored both Orlando goals in the match, lifting the Pride to their 19th straight game without a loss, tying the club’s single-season record for home wins (7), and pushing Hines past Tom Sermanni and into sole possession of the most coaching wins in club history (26). It didn’t take long for her to get involved, scoring just five and a half minutes after the opening kickoff. Angelina’s ball into the box was knocked into the air, and Adriana ran onto it and volleyed a blast into the net to make it 1-0 with one of the most impressive Pride goals of the season.
Not content with just one goal, Adriana struck again in the 19th minute. Summer Yates switched the play to send Adriana down the right side, where she took on USWNT defender Jenna Nighswonger, then used Barbra Banda’s presence in the box to create space for her shot, which she placed perfectly inside the left post to make it 2-0.
Adriana played the full 90 minutes in the match and fired six shots in all against Gotham that night, putting all six of them on target and giving her a season high in the latter statistic. She led all players in the match in both categories. She completed 87% of her 23 passes on 48 total touches, with one key pass, one accurate cross, and two successful long balls. Defensively, she made three recoveries, and she committed one foul while drawing two and did not pick up a booking. It was a great performance by the attacking midfielder against one of the NWSL’s elite defensive clubs.
2024 Final Grade
The Mane Land staff gives Adriana a composite score of 7 out of 10 for her 2024 campaign. This is a slight dip from the 7.5 we gave her last season, but there were times when she struggled to find her game in 2024. When she was on her game, she was outstanding, but there were games and even stretches of matches when she didn’t provide her usual quality. Her form isn’t the only reason she was dropped at times from the starting XI, because some of her teammates elevated their own, but it was a factor. While she increased her goal total by one, it came in more appearances and minutes, and her assist total fell, despite having a better cast around her. The Brazilian is capable of more, but the staff still felt it was a solid season.
2025 Outlook
Like her Brazilian teammate Rafaelle, Adriana’s contract runs through the 2025 season, so she’ll be working hard to earn a new deal beyond the upcoming season. If she starts the season well, the Pride will no doubt offer a new contract midseason if there’s not already a new deal in place before opening day. At 28 years old, Adriana is in the prime of her career and can still be an effective player. With the Pride improving, she’ll need to play more consistently or at a higher level to keep starting with this club, but she’s capable, and I expect her to fight to hold onto her starting spot in Hines’ XI.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
- Amanda Allen (11/28/24)
- McKinley Crone (11/29/24)
- Sofia Manner (11/30/24)
- Mariana Larroquette (12/1/24)
- Viviana Villacorta (12/2/24)
- Luana (12/3/24)
- Evelina Duljan (12/4/24)
- Cori Dyke (12/5/24)
- Carson Pickett (12/6/24)
- Brianna Martinez (12/7/24)
- Ally Watt (12/8/24)
- Summer Yates (12/9/24)
- Ally Lemos (12/10/24)
- Haley McCutcheon (12/11/24)
- Julie Doyle (12/12/24)
- Morgan Gautrat (12/13/24)
- Anna Moorhouse (12/14/24)
- Kerry Abello (12/15/24)
- Angelina (12/16/24)
- Emily Sams (12/17/24)
- Rafaelle (12/18/24)
- Marta (12/19/24)
Orlando Pride
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Marta
Marta showed why she’s the GOAT in her eighth season with the Pride.
In case you forgot, Marta first signed with the Orlando Pride way back in 2017. She has been the constant for the club through ups and mostly downs. That all changed this season as she captained her club to two trophies. Back in 2022, she signed a new two-year contract, taking her through 2024.
Marta may not be as young as she once was, but she definitely made you forget it often enough this season. It was undoubtedly the best she’s performed in a few years, and it made a difference in the standings. Let’s take a look at the GOAT’s latest season in Orlando.
Statistical Breakdown
Marta was the leader and the heart of this year’s Orlando Pride team. Her teammates wanted to win, but they also wanted to win for Marta. She played most of the regular-season games, but missed the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup because she was with Brazil at the Olympics.
Marta made 23 appearances in the NWSL regular season, starting 19 games and recording 1,739 minutes. Marta was second on the team with nine goals on 40 shots, 18 of which were on target. Additionally, she completed 648 of her 878 passes (74%), including one assist, 52 key passes, nine successful crosses, and 75 completed long balls. Defensively, Marta posted 16 tackles, 27 headed duels won, and 12 interceptions on the year. She committed 12 fouls, suffered 45, and was booked four times (all yellow cards).
In the playoffs, Marta started all three games, recording 267 minutes. She scored two goals on 12 shots with five on target, and she completed 86 of her 108 passes (80%) without an assist, although she recorded six key passes, three accurate crosses, and 14 completed long balls. She was also active defensively in the postseason, with six tackles and two interceptions. She committed three fouls in the playoffs, suffered four, and was not booked.
Best Game
You might think that the one match in which Marta scored a brace would be her best match, but that isn’t the case. That match was the 6-0 beatdown of the Utah Royals, who were bottom of the table. I’m going with her performance in the 3-2 playoff semifinal victory over the Kansas City Current.
That goal summed up Marta’s season for me. She was not going to let this team lose when the Pride were so close to the championship. When needed, she could find the speed — even late in a match — and put two defenders on the ground in unison. It was a goal she willed to happen against one of the best teams in the NWSL.
In this match, Marta took four shots, with two on target, scoring the aforementioned goal. She completed 29 of her 38 passes (77%) on a total of 74 touches, and took all three Pride corner kicks. Defensively, she contributed four tackles and two interceptions. She committed one foul, did not suffer any fouls, and was not booked. She simply displayed the full range of her skill and leadership qualities, helping her team reach the final.
2024 Final Grade
The Mane Land staff gave Marta a composite grade of 8 out of 10 for her eighth season with the club. Her passion, drive, and leadership were a major reason why the club won the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship. This was the best Marta we’ve seen for several seasons, and she wanted to win more than almost anyone else in any given match. To illustrate how much better she was, we gave Marta a grade of 6 out of 10 last season. That came on the heels of an incomplete grade in her injury-shortened 2022 season. She also received a 6 in 2021 and a 6.5 in 2019. This year is the closest Marta has come to the 9 out of 10 we gave her back in 2017, when she had 19 total goal contributions and finished second in the league in both goals and assists. She turned back the clock and gave us much more of the vintage Marta in 2024 than we’d seen in a long time, which is why we considered her one of the best players on the team.
(Note: If you’re wondering why 2020 wasn’t mentioned, its’ because we did not give out grades because the Pride only participated in the Fall Series during that lost season because of the pandemic.)
2025 Outlook
Marta’s contract expired after the 2024 season, but she has stated that she wants to keep playing one or two more years. She will be 39 years old at the start of the 2025 season but had a very good 2024 season. I think that she wants to retire with the Pride, and I feel that the club will offer her a one-year contract. The Pride indicated in their postseason roster status update that the club was in negotiations with her about returning. If a new deal happens, and if she can keep up her current form, she will find a way to contribute as the Pride look to defend their titles. She will have to hang up the boots at some point, but I don’t think it will be this coming season.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
- Amanda Allen (11/28/24)
- McKinley Crone (11/29/24)
- Sofia Manner (11/30/24)
- Mariana Larroquette (12/1/24)
- Viviana Villacorta (12/2/24)
- Luana (12/3/24)
- Evelina Duljan (12/4/24)
- Cori Dyke (12/5/24)
- Carson Pickett (12/6/24)
- Brianna Martinez (12/7/24)
- Ally Watt (12/8/24)
- Summer Yates (12/9/24)
- Ally Lemos (12/10/24)
- Haley McCutcheon (12/11/24)
- Julie Doyle (12/12/24)
- Morgan Gautrat (12/13/24)
- Anna Moorhouse (12/14/24)
- Kerry Abello (12/15/24)
- Angelina (12/16/24)
- Emily Sams (12/17/24)
- Rafaelle (12/18/24)
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