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Orlando Pride at Portland Thorns: Final Score 2-1 as Pride Are Dominated on the Road

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5 years ago

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The Orlando Pride (4-3-4, 16 points) fell 2-1 to the Portland Thorns (6-3-1, 19 points) in a game they were never really in. The Thorns dominated the game but failed to convert on most of their chances.

The Pride displayed the most unique back four so far this season. With Phoebe McClernon recovering from an injury and Ali Riley with New Zealand for the Olympics, Amy Turner and Kylie Strom received their first starts for the Pride. Other than those two changes, the lineup was pretty much as expected.

The first half hour of the game was all Portland, with the Pride unable to maintain any possession. While the Pride defense was able to intercept passes into the box, more often than not they would immediately give it back to the Thorns for another chance.

The Thorns nearly opened the scoring in the 21st minute by forcing an own goal. Rocky Rodriguez found Morgan Weaver in the box. Gunny Jonsdottir was able to deflect the pass, but the deflection got past Ashlyn Harris and nearly into the corner of goal. Fortunately for the Pride, it hit the post and Turner was able to clear it.

While the Pride was able to clear the danger, it went right back to the Thorns and they responded with three great chances. First, Weaver was sent through and nearly had a shot but Turner beat her to the ball. Seconds later, another dangerous ball was sent through but Courtney Petersen sent it out of play.

In the 24th minute, Kelli Hubly found herself with a golden opportunity. Celeste Boureille found Hubly alone at the top of the six. With only Harris in front of her, the defender sent a shot toward goal but it soared over the crossbar.

Two minutes later, the Thorns finally broke through with a wonderful individual effort. Sophia Smith was able to win the ball in her own third and carried it all the way to the Pride’s box with little resistance. Her long-distance strike beat Harris to the near post for the game’s opening goal.

The Thorns nearly scored a second in the 33rd minute when Smith found Marissa Everett in the box. It would’ve been a breakaway on goal but Everett was judged to be just offside. It was a break for the Pride as replays appeared to show Everett was even with the defender and VAR isn’t used in the NWSL.

In the 38th minute, a poor challenge in the box by Strom gave Meghan Klingenberg the opportunity to go down. Rodriguez stepped up to take the penalty but it was poor and Harris was able to get down to make yet another penalty save.

The penalty save seemed to wake the Pride up a little as they quickly created a couple of chances. In the 36th minute, Sydney Leroux sent a dangerous cross into the box but it was just a bit high for Jonsdottir. In the 42nd minute, Petersen found Leroux in the box but her header was just over the crossbar.

A head injury to Taylor Kornieck extended injury time and the Thorns nearly took advantage. Nine minutes into added time, Smith was sent through on goal. Harris came off her line and forced Smith into a poor shot that traveled wide of the goal.

“First half we weren’t near it in terms of tackling, we weren’t near it in terms of game plan,” Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner said after the game. “It was a poor half from us, the first half. It took us too long to react.”

The start of the second half was similar to much of the first half with the Thorns dominating. They had a couple of blocked shots at the top of the box before an errant shot gave the Pride the ability to clear via a goal kick.

After very little action around her net, Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby was finally forced into action in the 52nd minute. Crystal Thomas made a nice run to the end line and sent a cross into the box. It was intended for Abi Kim, who had come on for Erika Tymrak at halftime, but Bixby came off her line to catch it.

After several chances, the Thorns were finally able to double the lead in the 58th minute. The initial free kick was cleared, but it went right to Klingenberg, who sent it right back in. Weaver beat Turner to the ball inside the six and headed it on goal. Harris got a hand to it, but it wasn’t enough as the ball was deflected into goal.

Weaver was a headache for the Pride all game long and nearly created a third goal for the Thorns in the 71st minute. A great run allowed her to find second-half substitute Yazmeen Ryan at midfield. Ryan was behind the Pride defense with only Harris to beat but her second touch was far too strong, allowing the Pride goalkeeper to collect.

Three minutes later, the Pride had a great opportunity to get back into the game. A nice cross by Petersen found the head of Kornieck at the top of the six-yard box. Kornieck directed the ball towards goal, but it went wide of the target, just beyond the outstretched arm of Bixby.

The Pride did end up getting a consolation goal late. Five minutes into the second half’s stoppage time, Kim found Marisa Viggiano at the top of the box. The midfielder’s second touch was a rocket past Bixby, cutting the Thorns lead in half.

“The ball got played down the right flank,” Viggiano said about her goal. “Abi Kim made a great run to get on the end of it. Syd made a great run near post and Abi crossed it. They drew a lot of attention. And I just yelled at her to leave it. I found myself at the top of the box, took a touch, shot it, and it went in.”

The goal was too little, too late for the Pride as they didn’t leave enough time to complete the comeback. The Thorns held possession over the remaining few minutes and defeated the visiting Pride 2-1.

“When we got back into the second half, and once we started to exact the game plan, we found lots of spaces that we needed to occupy and created some chances,” Skinner said about the second 45 minutes. “We started to have some momentum towards the end.”

“It’s an intimidating place to come,” he continued. “It’s a place where the players knew exactly what they needed to do. We were slightly off at moments and paid for that first half.”

Despite the close score, this game was all Portland. The Thorns led the Pride in possession (54.3%-45.7%), corners (12-4), total passes (384-318), shots (20-6), and shots on target (6-2). The Pride did come out on top in duels won (72-50) and tackles won (14-11). But those Pride accomplishments were because they spent most of the game defending.

The Thorns and the Pride entered the game tied at the top of the NWSL, but the result sent them in opposite directions. While the Thorns are now alone atop the league standings, the Pride find themselves down in fifth. The Pride will take the field again next Saturday night when they host OL Reign at 7 p.m. at Exploria Stadium.

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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.

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18 hours 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.

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5 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

5 days ago

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January 15, 2026

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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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