Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 2-2 as the Pride Pull Out a Late Draw
The Orlando Pride (1-1-1, 4 points) drew the Kansas City Current (0-2-1, 1 point) 2-2 at Exploria Stadium tonight in a game with a pair of stoppage-time goals. After going up 1-0 in the 51st minute, the Pride fell behind 2-1 before Toni Pressley converted a penalty with nearly the last kick of the game. Gunny Jonsdottir scored the other Orlando goal, while Elyse Bennett and Kristen Hamilton scored for the visitors.
Orlando is now on a modest, two-game unbeaten streak (1-0-1).
For the first time this year, the Pride had the same starting lineup in back-to-back games. This is partly due to the availability list being the same as it was last week when the Pride beat Angel City FC 1-0 in Los Angeles. Regardless, it provided some consistency to the lineup as the team looked for its second consecutive win.
Tonight's starting lineup 🚀 @orlandohealth | #ORLvKC pic.twitter.com/X4vBzSZUVD
— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) May 14, 2022
The Pride got off to a good start, creating all of the chances in the first 15 minutes. In the eighth minute, Sydney Leroux was looking to feed Courtney Petersen with a through ball but the defender didn’t seem ready to make the run.
Two minutes later, the Pride got a great chance. A Jonsdottir free kick went toward the back post and was sent back across the six by the head of Carrie Lawrence. Leroux was right in front of goal to redirect it on frame but her header was right at Kansas City goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, who made the easy save.
In the 12th minute, Leah Pruitt sent a long ball for Darian Jenkins on the left. She initially got behind the defense but Jenna Winebrenner did well to recover and deflected Jenkins’ shot, allowing Franch to simply pick it up.
After spending the first 15 minutes defending, the Current made their way into the game. In the 18th minute, Victoria Pickett chipped the ball behind the Pride back line for Addie McCain. The left back got behind the defense but Erin McLeod did well to come out and collect it before McCain could shoot on goal.
Just a minute later, Kansas City had another chance when quick passing allowed for another ball over the top, this time for Pickett. McLeod came off her line again but this time Pickett used her first touch to get a shot off. Fortunately for the Pride, the ball rolled wide right of the post.
The best first-half chance for the Pride came in the 23rd minute when Hailie Mace fell, allowing Pruitt to take control of the ball in the Kansas City third. Franch forced Pruitt to the outside, but the Pride striker was able to get a shot off. Unfortunately, the ball hit the post and the Current were able to clear.
In the 27th minute, Jenkins had a chance on goal when Pruitt played her the ball at the top of the box. The midfielder’s first touch was a shot but it sailed well high of the target.
While the Pride had some chances on goal, they also squandered some opportunities for additional shots. In the 26th and 30th minutes, balls into the box by Jenkins were behind Jonsdottir in the box. Both would’ve been opportunities for the Icelandic international to shoot from a close distance.
The Current nearly opened the scoring just before the half when Lo’eau LaBonta’s shot was tipped over the crossbar by McLeod. The ensuing corner kick by Alexis Loera was headed down into the six by McCain. However, McLeod did well to collect it before any Kansas City players could get to the ball.
The Pride had more chances in the first half than the Current but the inability to put those shots on target cost them. At the break, the Pride had more shots (7-3) and crosses (11-6). This was despite having less possession (51.1%-48.9%) and fewer passes (177-164). What kept the Pride from leading after 45 minutes was that they only put two of their first-half shots on target.
Kansas City was the stronger team immediately after halftime. In the 47th minute the Current had an early breakout, but Lawrence did well in defense to keep them from getting a shot off. After a short clearance, the Current sent a cross into the box but it was too close to McLeod, allowing her to catch it.
While the visitors got off to a better second-half start, it was the Pride that struck. In the 51st minute, Jenkins sent a cross toward the back post. The ball landed at the foot of Leroux, whose beautiful first touch played it back to Jonsdottir. While the midfielder didn’t get all of the ball, she got enough of it to put it past Franch into the far corner.
😈 ORLANDO IN FRONT! 😈
Jenkins ➡️ Leroux ➡️ Gunny#ORLvKC | #CueTheChaos pic.twitter.com/OYB933JVcK
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 14, 2022
“She has a nose for the goal,” Head Coach Amanda Cromwell said about the Icelandic international. “I mean, she’s committed to get in the 18, she’s committed to get on the end of crosses, and you’ve seen it, and she’ll sacrifice her body. So we’ve told her — I’ve told her many times — look for the goal. Be dangerous.”
The Pride made a couple of early second-half changes, which Cromwell attributed to heavy legs and minor injuries. At halftime, Kylie Strom came on for Celia and Kerry Abello replaced Pruitt in the 63rd minute.
Just after the second change, Winebrenner sent a ball into the box. LaBonta attempted a diving header after losing Petersen, but the attempt went just wide of the target.
The Current had another good opportunity in the 67th minute when Desiree Scott sent a low ball into the box. It got to the middle of the six but only Lawrence was there and she sent it away.
In the 71st minute, Scott sent another cross into the box, this time looking for Kristen Hamilton. A good first touch by the midfielder allowed her to turn Strom and volley the ball on goal. However, McLeod was once again up to the task, tipping the shot over the crossbar.
In the 76th minute, an Isabel Rodriguez corner found LaBonta, who put a shot on goal. It went through several players, but was deflected out of play for a corner kick. Once again, the Pride narrowly escaped and were able to clear.
A minute later, Elyse Bennett got behind Petersen on the right. As she wound up to shoot, Petersen stuck her leg out in desperation and got enough of it to send it out of play.
The ensuing corner went all the way across to LaBonta, who sent it toward the Pride’s far post. Bennett beat Petersen to the ball again, but this time got her head to the ball and put it past McLeod for the equalizer.
.@TheKCCurrent pull level! ⚡️@Elyse_Bennett99 gets on the end of the cross for the equalizer!#ORLvKC | #CueTheChaos pic.twitter.com/JJherd7Zp7
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 15, 2022
Following the goal, Kansas City continued the attack and pushed for a second. In the 82nd minute, Hamilton received a ball from Pickett and did well to turn Pressley. Her first touch flicked the ball up, forcing her to volley the ball towards the far post. Fortunately, it went just wide of the target.
In the 83rd minute, Chardonnay Curran’s cross was headed back down into the box for oncoming attackers. However, McLeod got to it first.
In the 86th minute, Hamilton found herself one-on-one with McLeod in the Pride box after a bad giveaway by Petersen. The Canadian goalkeeper came off her line well and made herself big, forcing Hamilton to shoot right into her body for the save.
Hamilton attempted to be the facilitator in the 89th minute when she darted down the left with two teammates charging into the box. It should’ve been the visitors’ second goal but her cross was a little too far in front and the ball went harmlessly out of play.
It seemed as though it was only a matter of time before the Current would take the lead and they did a minute into injury time. Bennett beat Petersen again and sent a low cross towards the top of the six-yard box. The ball went through the legs of second-half substitute Kate Del Fava, who left it for Hamilton to put in for what appeared to be the game-winning goal.
Is it a late winner from @khamilton17?! ⏰@TheKCCurrent are in front for the first time tonight!#ORLvKC | #CueTheChaos pic.twitter.com/CJV35DtCL1
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 15, 2022
In the dying minutes, the Pride desperately pushed forward looking for an equalizer. Two minutes into injury time, Strom fired on target but Franch tipped it over the crossbar.
About a minute later, Strom was tripped up near the edge of the box. Initially, referee Alex Billeter indicated that the foul occurred outside the box. However, fourth official Alejo Calume said it was inside and Billeter pointed to the spot.
“Scott recklessly charged an opponent in the back,” the official word was about the incident. “The referee received information from a crew member to determine that the foul was inside the penalty area.”
“I didn’t see the replay,” Cromwell said about the call. “Apparently the replay was on the big screen and the fourth saw that it was I think in the ear. That’s my take on it.”
With Leroux having already departed the game, Pressley stepped up to take the kick. The center back powered the ball past Franch and into the roof of the net for the last-minute equalizer.
Pressley from the spot! 🎯@ORLPride grab a late point from 12 yards out!#ORLvKC | #CueTheChaos pic.twitter.com/Foud3gSuHz
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 15, 2022
“Honestly, I was thinking just get this in the net for the team so we can get a point,” Pressley said about taking the penalty. “At least, we never want to drop points at home. We want three but to come and get the tie in the last minutes of the game. I think that’s what I was really thinking about and focusing on.”
Following the early second-half goal, Kansas City dominated the remainder of the game. As a result, the Current had more possession (52.1%-47.9%), shots (12-10), shots on target (8-5), and corners (6-2).
“The first half, I thought we played well,” Cromwell said about the game. “I thought we should have controlled the tempo more. We were hitting too many long balls, were getting too stretched, and I think wasting energy to be quite honest. And then you can see that energy that was wasted in the first half kind of come around in the second half with some tired legs, some knocks. So we were trying to protect some players with little minor injuries knowing we have a three-game week as well and hoping we could see it out.
“In hindsight, there were some decisions we could have made differently. We wanted to keep possession better and we just lost. We got overrun the last 20 minutes and we need to be better with seeing it out and being more condensed because we got way too stretched.”
While the Pride would like to have gotten three points out of this game, a draw will be a satisfying result. The Current dominated the last 20 minutes and could’ve put the game away on several occasions.
With four points in their last two games, the Pride will now travel north on short rest to take on the North Carolina Courage Wednesday night.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Final Score 3-1 as Banda Brace Leads Pride to Victory
Barbra Banda bags a brace and an assist but goes down injured late in the victory.
After dropping two games to expansion teams and stealing a win in San Diego, the Orlando Pride looked to enter the summer break on a good note. The Pride (5-5-2, 17 points) had never lost to Bay FC (3-6-2, 11 points) and used a second-half burst to maintain that winning record and won 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium.
Barbra Banda opened the scoring in the fourth minute and followed it up in the 51st minute with her second. She added an assist to Cori Dyke in the 55th minute to close out the Pride scoring. Caroline Conti scored the lone Bay FC goal at the seven-minute mark.
“No better gift than a 3-1 victory at home in front of our fans,” Pride Head Coach (and birthday boy) Seb Hines said after the game. “It feels good that we’re ending this period on a high. I think it’s the first time this season we’ve got back-to-back victories.”
The Pride made one change in the lineup, giving Kerry Abello her first start of the season over Julie Doyle. Anna Moorhouse started in goal with Abello, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Oihane on defense. Haley McCutcheon and Ally Lemos played midfield in front of them with Mace, Luana, and Nicole Payne attacking from the midfield. Banda and her leading-leading nine goals played alone up top.
After an hour weather delay, the Pride went with the in-vogue start these days by kicking the ball straight out of bounds deep on the start and pressing high. It led to an opening three minutes of play in which the Pride kept the pressure up and forced the ball to stay on the Bay FC side. In the fourth minute, Luana headed a ball towards the center which Banda controlled, bodied Bay FC’s Joelle Anderson off the ball, and slotted the opening goal with her left foot.
Bay FC fought right back in the seventh minute as the visitors didn’t have to fight through the press off their kickoff. Claire Hutton crossed the ball into the box, Abello deflected it wide but there was no Pride defender there and it fell to Caroline Conti. Abello tried to fight all the way over but Conti was able to put it past Moorhouse before any help arrived.
The entire back line got pulled to the right on the play and Mace could not get back to help out wide.
“Hailie Mace came into NWSL as a winger. She’s got some tendencies that fit a winger profile. We knew Bay FC had a high back line. How do we get behind that back line? Having someone to support Barbra and not just Nicole but add in another player who can get into the attack,” Hines said regarding the switch.
In the 16th minute, Rachael Kundananji beat Oihane and crossed the ball to Hannah Bebar, who headed it into the net, but Cristiana Girelli was in an offside position threatening the goal, so the assistant referee ruled that it put Moorhouse off enough to interfere with the play.
The teams settled down a bit and traded possession until the 27th minute when Oihane centered the ball to Payne, who scuffed the shot high. One minute later, Luana sent a through ball for Banda to run onto and she went down in the box in a collision with Brooklyn Courtnall. It was fairly evident, however, that Banda got her leg into Courtnall’s to either try to control the ball or draw a foul, and the referee, Jaclyn Metz, saw it the same way.
In the 33rd minute, Oihane was subbed out for Hannah Anderson. Oihane had been laboring a little and may have picked up a knock somewhere.
The Pride couldn’t re-establish the high press so they turned into a lot of possession by Bay FC. Any attack by the Pride ended in a turnover off a bad pass or ill-conceived long shots as Orlando’s attackers were impatient in building play. Turnover after turnover plagued the Pride for the remainder of the half as they did not threaten at all until the 45th minute, when Banda took on Maddie Moreau and Kundananji, shook them both loose, and then crossed the ball into an empty area at the back post with no one to finish.
It was a fitting final piece of sound and fury, signifying nothing, as the half wrapped without any plays of interest. The Pride weren’t able to lead any of the statistics, tying Bay FC in shots (4-4), while Bay FC led in shots on target (3-1), possession (53%-47%), and passing accuracy (85%-83%). Neither team was able to force a corner in the first half.
To start the second half, Hines subbed in Summer Yates for Abello, which pushed Mace back to the back line. In the 48th minute, Kundananji got behind when Anderson got caught out and was sizing up a one-on-one with Moorhouse. Dyke hustled back and blocked the shot.
“We started the game super strong, super intense, but I think we fell off towards the end of that first half,” Dyke said. “We got a little too stretched between the lines and weren’t getting enough pressure on the ball and we talked about that at halftime. We needed to stay more compact and then pick our moments to go.”
Go they did. Three minutes later, Yates sent a through ball angled behind Banda which allowed her to run onto the ball unopposed. She beat goalkeeper Emmie Allen, who came out of the box aggressively to defend, and then passed the ball into the net in the 51st minute.
Four minutes later, Banda pressured Allen, forcing the goalkeeper into a clearance out of play. On the ensuing throw-in, Banda held off Bebar in the box, spun, and crossed the ball to Dyke, who put the ball in off the crossbar. The ability of the Pride to retain possession and work the ball in against a lesser opponent opened up the scoring and turned the game on its head.
Bay FC didn’t have a lot to do over the next stretch of time and Taylor Huff went down with an injury in the 61st minute, prompting a change as she was subbed out for Karlie Lema. Dorian Bailey came on for Joelle Anderson in the same stoppage but at the 62nd minute.
The teams went back and forth for a bit until the Pride drew a corner in the 71st minute. It deflected off a Bay FC defender and fell to Rafaelle at the far post, who headed it just wide. Three minutes later, Jacquie Ovalle and Zara Chavoshi wrapped up the Pride substitutions by coming in for Payne and Mace. Bay FC also took the stoppage in the 74th minute to sub two players in, bringing on Keria Barry and Onyeka Gamero for Kundananji and Girelli.
Unfortunately, in the 81st minute, Banda was dribbling down the left side when she pulled up lame and went to the ground off the pitch. She stayed there until tended to and was obviously upset. We’ll have to wait for any injury news on her. Bay FC made its final substitution in the ensuing stoppage in the 82nd minute, bringing on Kelli Hubly for Conti.
The injury to Banda left the Pride playing with only 10 players for the remaining 15 minutes (including added time) due to using up all three substitution windows. They stayed fairly solid in defense and played a lot of keep-away ball to see out the victory while playing short.
“A great way to finish this part of the season with a win at home. I think we were consistent today and we took the chances we created,” Luana said. “We’ve been having highs and lows in this part of the season but we bounced back in these two wins and it brought us a lot of confidence.”
Orlando City was ahead in the only stat that matters, goals, but trailed in every other major stat. Bay FC finished ahead in shots (14-8), shots on target (5-4), possession (54%-46%), passing accuracy (85%-84%), and corners (4-1).
The Orlando Pride now will be off until early July for the NWSL World Cup break. The next match is scheduled for July 3 in Los Angeles against Angel City FC.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride return home to face Bay FC in their final game before the FIFA World Cup break.
Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (4-5-2, 14 points) return home from a three-game road trip to take on Bay FC (3-5-2, 11 points). This is the first of two meetings between the two teams with the return game scheduled for Sept. 27 in San Jose.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
Bay FC is one of two expansion teams that entered the NWSL for the 2024 season. The teams have met four times, with the Pride holding a 3-0-1 record and a 1-0-1 mark at home in the series.
The most recent meeting took place on Sept. 13, 2025, in Orlando. The visitors took the lead just before halftime when Racheal Kundananji headed in a long pass by Caprice Dydasco. The Pride equalized in the second half, when Ally Watt headed a Jacquie Ovalle cross past Jordan Silkowitz to claim a 1-1 draw.
On June 13 of last year in San Jose, CA, Bay FC led almost every statistical category, but the Pride defense held strong until Barbra Banda scored shortly after halftime. The Pride withstood attack after attack, coming away with a hard-fought 1-0 win.
The teams met twice in 2024, with the first-ever game between the clubs occurring on May 11. Just prior to the half-hour mark, Banda dribbled inside and Deyna Castellanos attempted an ill-advised challenge, resulting in a foul in the box and a Pride penalty. Adriana put the ball into the bottom left corner for the only goal, lifting the Pride to a 1-0 win. It was the sixth win in an NWSL-record, eight-game win streak.
The teams met for the second time on Sept. 20, 2024. It looked like the game might be headed for a scoreless draw until Banda got her head on the end of a Carson Pickett cross, redirecting it past Katelyn Rowland to give the Pride the 1-0 win.
Overview
The Pride return home tonight after a difficult road trip that saw the team fall 2-1 to Boston Legacy FC and 3-1 to Denver Summit FC. Having already lost to both expansion teams, they headed west to face San Diego Wave FC, a team near the top of the standings. But Nicole Payne’s first professional goal lifted Orlando to a 1-0 win.
Despite not scoring in two of the last three games, Banda still leads the league with nine goals in 10 games this season. She has a two-goal lead on Ashley Sanchez, who is second in the league. Haley McCutcheon is the only other Pride player with multiple goals, scoring twice in the same game. Ovalle, Marta, and Hannah Anderson have the team’s other three goals. The assists have been spread out much more evenly with Ovalle, McCutcheon, and Rafaelle all sharing the team lead with two.
The clean sheet against San Diego was big for the back line as the team has conceded too many goals recently. Dating back to their 3-2 loss to Racing Louisville FC on April 24, the Pride have conceded multiple goals in four of the last six games. The only other game in which they didn’t concede at least twice was a 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage on May 8, their last home game.
Tonight is the Pride’s last game before the league breaks for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After the game, they won’t play again until July 3 and won’t play at home until July 10. That makes getting a quality result tonight essential for momentum going through the remainder of the season.
If you’re looking for a team to win against, Bay FC is one of the most likely candidates. The Bay -area side sits 13th in the NWSL on 11 points, just four points ahead of Louisville for last place. Tonight’s visitors are currently on a four-game winless run (0-2-2) and a two-game losing streak. Their last win was a 1-0 victory against San Diego on May 3. The club’s most recent games are a 2-0 loss to Portland Thorns FC on May 20 and a 1-0 loss to Chicago Stars FC on May 24.
Bay FC has struggled this year on both ends of the field. Its eight goals are second fewest in the league and Bay is one of three teams with single-digit goals this year. Meanwhile, the team’s 14 goals conceded are sixth in the league. The California side has been better defensively overall than the Pride, who have conceded 16 goals, but worse offensively, as the Pride have scored 15 goals so far this year.
Bay FC has been led in the attack by Alex Pfeiffer and Dorian Bailey with two goals each. Kundananji, Taylor Huff, Keira Barry, and Joelle Anderson have one apiece. Pfeiffer also leads the team in assists with two, tied with Cristina Girelli. Huff and Sydney Collins are the only other players with assists this season.
It should help the Pride tonight that Bay FC will be missing two key players. Silkowitz and starting center back Aldana Cometti were sent off against Chicago Sunday, meaning they’ll miss tonight’s game.
However, the Pride have their own key absences. In addition to injuries that have accumulated this season, Angelina was handed an additional game’s suspension after being sent off on May 16 for pulling Delanie Sheehan’s hair.
“We’re looking forward to it. Looking forward to being back home,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s game. “It’s been a long road trip. Excited to get in front of our own fans. Want to create that atmosphere, make it hostile for Bay FC. We know it’s a quick turnaround for both teams as well, so we want to make sure that we start off on the front foot, build on what we achieved last Sunday in San Diego, and finish this part of the season on a high.”
The Pride will be without Angelina (suspension), Cosette Morche (ankle), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Solai Washington (knee). Marta (thigh) and Ovalle (thigh) are listed as questionable. Bay FC will be without Cornetti (suspension), Abby Dahlkemper (maternity leave), Anouk Denton (lower leg), Dydasco (maternity leave), Heather Gilchrist (knee), Alyssa Malonson (knee), Emily Menges (maternity leave), Pfeiffer (knee), and Silkowitz (suspension).
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Oihane, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace.
Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Haley McCutcheon.
Attacking Midfielders: Kerry Abello, Luana, Nicole Payne.
Forward: Barbra Banda.
Bench: McKinley Crone, Zara Chavoshi, Hannah Anderson, Julie Doyle, Marta, Jacquie Ovalle, Summer Yates, Seven Castain, Simone Jackson.
Bay FC (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Emmie Allen.
Defenders: Sydney Collins, Joelle Anderson, Brooklyn Courtnall, Maddie Moreau.
Defensive Midfielders: Hannah Bebar, Claire Hutton.
Attacking Midfielders: Racheal Kundananji, Caroline Conti, Taylor Huff.
Forward: Cristiana Girelli.
Bench: Camryn Miller, Kelli Hubly, Jamie Shepherd, Dorian Bailey, Karlie Lema, Onyeka Gamero, Tess Boade, Keira Barry.
Referees
REF: Jaclyn Metz.
AR1: Art Arustamyan.
AR2: Adam Cook.
4TH: Edson Carvajal.
VAR: Anya Voigt.
AVAR: Katarzyna Wasiak.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.
TV: None.
Streaming: NWSL+.
Social Media: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @themaneland.bsky.social on Bluesky and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter (@ORLPride) or Bluesky (@orlpride.com) feed.
Enjoy the game. Go Pride!
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Pride need to do to earn all three points against Bay FC?
The Orlando Pride welcome Bay FC to Inter&Co Stadium this Friday night for the last match before the World Cup break. This is an opportunity to get a win over a team lower in the table and move up in the standings. What must the Pride do to earn all three points against Bay FC this weekend?
Keep the Chip
I have been asking all season on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast for the Pride to play with the chip on their shoulder that they had when they won the double in 2024. We saw that against the San Diego Wave. My hope is that the players have now remembered what that feels like and will execute with the same level of intensity going forward.
The task is potentially a little easier against Bay FC, as the California-based side has scored less than half the number of goals that the Wave have this season. Of course, that is the trap. The Pride cannot slack off against Bay FC. Having Rafaelle anchoring the defense is a big help, and moving Hailie Mace out to right back has proven effective. In 2024, this team hated — with a capital “H” — conceding goals. They took it personally. That is the passion I want again. The chip on the shoulder.
Overwhelm and Outscore
As I mentioned above, Bay FC is not a prolific scoring team. Friday’s visitors have also given up 14 goals this season. That’s not the best or the worst in the league, but they haven’t faced Barbra Banda yet. The Orlando Pride don’t have any trouble creating chances, but they have had trouble getting anyone other than Banda to finish them this season. Banda leads the league in goals, and she has an opportunity to maintain or extend that lead against Bay FC.
What will truly make the difference for the Pride against Bay FC is if any of the other players can contribute a goal. We saw the space that Banda can provide her teammates when Nicole Payne scored her first goal against San Diego. Now I want other players to take advantage of that space to provide some goals for the Pride.
More Luana
Luana got her first start since coming back to the squad cancer-free. I think we’ve forgotten that she was a starter on the 2024 squad before her Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis. She was a starter on a team that won the double. Now she is back and she is a leader and an inspiration for her fellow players.
Given Marta’s limited minutes, having Luana out there as a stabilizing presence is important. Obviously, she brings a different skill set than Marta but still a critical one. Much like the defense, the midfield was better last match, and I feel she was a big part of that.
That is what I will be looking for on Friday night. The Pride can head into the World Cup break on a high with a victory. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
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