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Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars: Final Score 4-2 as the Pride End a Busy Week With Defeat

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3 years ago

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The Orlando Pride (2-2-1, 7 points) were dominated by the Chicago Red Stars (2-1-0, 6 points), falling 4-2 at Exploria Stadium. The Pride didn’t get their first shot until the 61st minute, at which point they were trailing 2-0. A late flurry saw three goals and two penalty saves in six minutes before the game ended.

Pride Head Coach Amanda Cromwell displayed a much different team tonight compared to the one that played Wednesday night against the North Carolina Courage. The Courage were missing several key players due to COVID protocol, which allowed the Pride to come away with a 2-1 win earlier this week. Tonight, the team was similar to the one that beat Angel City FC and drew the Kansas City Current last weekend. The only difference was that Viviana Villacorta returned to the lineup, replacing Mikayla Cluff.

After claiming an unlikely point in North Carolina, the Pride were expected to have a great showing in front of their home crowd. But they were flat from the jump and were never a threat in the game, even when they scored two late goals.

“I think there’s some chemistry issues with the lineup,” Cromwell said after the game. “Actually, Michelle Akers turned to me right before the game and was like ‘I really liked this lineup.’ But it didn’t come to fruition. So I think we had a look at some of the partnerships and why they don’t work. Because clearly there was a partnership that didn’t work.”

Despite deploying a more experienced lineup, the Pride found themselves defending from the start. The game’s first attempt came in the second minute when a giveaway by Megan Montefusco allowed Yuki Nagasato to send Ava Cook into the box with a chip. The forward had the time to get a shot on goal, but it was well off target.

While Chicago played with high pressure early in the game, it was the poor passing by the Pride that created the most trouble. Rather than sending balls into spaces where a teammate could reach it, most balls went directly to the opposition. It was a problem that plagued the team all night.

After failing to convert on their first chance, the visitors opened the scoring in the 11th minute. For the second time, Chicago got behind the Pride defense as Zoe Morse played a through ball for Vanessa DiBernardo. The Red Stars captain played Sarah Griffith into the box right in front of goal. Carrie Lawrence blocked the initial shot, but it went right back to the midfielder and she put it in, giving the Red Stars the early lead.

Griffith got behind the Pride defense again in the 16th minute, sent through by Danielle Colaprico. She had a decent angle to shoot on Erin McLeod, but the shot wasn’t taken very well and she sent the ball well wide of the far post.

In the 22nd minute, Sydney Leroux turned the ball over on her own side of the field, resulting in a break by Chicago. Griffith’s shot from outside the box was on target, but McLeod did well to block it over the crossbar for a corner kick.

Former Pride forward Rachel Hill got in on the action for Chicago in the 25th minute, taking a shot from just outside the box. However, Lawrence was there again to make the block.

A minute later, DiBernardo took a shot that was blocked before regaining control of the ball and heading towards the end line. As a result, the midfielder’s second shot was from a very difficult angle and McLeod made the relatively easy save.

The Pride finally got a chance in the 29th minute when Courtney Petersen received the ball on the left and sent in a low cross. She had teammates in the box, but the cross wasn’t hit well and went straight to Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. Leroux and Jenkins also had crosses in the 37th and 38th minutes, but both were easily cleared away.

A poor clearance by Celia just outside the box in the 42nd minute traveled into the middle of the field and Griffith took over directly in front of goal. Fortunately, Lawrence was there again to make a good challenge and Griffith was unable to get a shot off.

It was a dominant first-half performance by the Red Stars. At the break, they had more shots (7-0), shots on target (3-0), corners (1-0), passes (303-219), and better passing accuracy (85.8%-78.5%). The only stat led by the Pride were crosses (5-4) and duels won (20-19).

“The possession to me was the number one thing that caused the chaos in the first half,” Cromwell said after the game. “But I thought we were lucky to get out of there. One nil, I mean, right off the bat. I think they had a chance in the first five minutes.”

“I feel like we did come out a little slow,” forward Leah Pruitt added. “I don’t know if it’s like a lack of chemistry, because I think we all wanted to work for each other.”

Chicago started the second half where they left off the first, dominating possession and the chances. In the 53rd minute, halftime substitute Mallory Pugh dribbled through the Pride back line, finding enough space for a shot on goal. McLeod blocked the shot away, but it was right at Hill, who fired from close range and hit the post.

Just a minute later, the visitors did get their second goal. Bianca St. Georges was left with plenty of space on the right side of the Pride box and Pugh fed her the ball. The right back quickly shot on goal with no defenders near her, beating McLeod to her far post from a narrow angle.

It took 61 minutes before the Pride were finally able to get a shot off. Pruitt had space from long distance and decided to take a shot on goal. The shot wasn’t very close to the target, sailing well to the left, but it was the first attempt of the game for the home team.

The Red Stars got their third goal in the 64th minute. It started from an innocuous situation, with Amy Turner playing the ball out of the back. However, like many of the Pride’s passes in this game, the ball went straight to a Red Star. Pugh tipped the pass to Cook, who immediately gave it right back to her. Pugh’s accurate shot beat McLeod, making it 3-0 Chicago.

Pugh nearly scored another goal in the 69th minute. She found some space to the left of goal and fired on target, but McLeod did well to tip it over the crossbar.

It appeared as though the Pride might get one back in the 81st minute when Amanda Kowalski pulled Leroux down as she entered the box. The referee pointed to the spot and the Pride had the game’s first penalty.

Leroux stepped up to take the kick herself and appeared confident in her approach. However, it was a poorly taken penalty and didn’t take much for Naeher to make the stop. The goalkeeper guessed the right way and was able to block the kick with her leg, keeping the three-goal advantage.

The Pride were able to get one back two minutes later when Morse fouled Leroux just outside the box. Petersen stepped up to take the kick, sending it toward the far post. Turner was first to get her head to the ball, putting it past Naeher and making it 3-1.

The comeback didn’t last long as the Red Stars got their own penalty in the 85th minute. Receiving the ball in the box. Ella Stevens got behind the Pride defense and Petersen tripped her up near the corner of the box. The referee pointed to the spot and Chicago was issued a spot kick.

Pugh stepped up to the spot to take the kick. It was down the middle, allowing McLeod to block it away. Unfortunately, the ball went right back to Pugh, who quickly closed in and put it past her for her second goal of the game.

The wild sequence of events continued two minutes later when the Pride got its second goal. Abi Kim dribbled into the box near the end line, finding Pruitt between two defenders. The forward had a tough angle, but beat Naeher for her first Pride goal to cut the deficit to two.

“I’m a forward so I really want to score goals,” Pruitt said about the goal. “So it was nice to get my first one under my belt and hopefully there’s a lot more to come.”

The Pride continued to press in an attempt to score another goal before full time, but the attempted comeback was too late. That would be the last of the scoring as the Pride fell 4-2.

In the end, it was a dominant performance by the Red Stars. They had more possession (55.9%-44.1%), shots (14-5), shots on goal (9-3), corners (3-0), passes (492-376), and better passing accuracy (84.6%-78.2%). The Pride only ended the game with more crosses (11-8).

“Our passing percentage was poor, our pressure covered defense was poor, our ability to track. Obviously we had tired legs. We had three games this week, they did not, but there’s still no excuse for that at halftime,” Cromwell said after the game. “We rested players so we would be ready for this game. We had multiple players get minutes on the Wednesday game so the lack of energy is inexcusable.”

“We were watching the first 20 minutes and we’re like what is going on?” she continued. “It wasn’t even that we were under that much pressure. Some of the balls we were giving away. There was lack of movement for each other. It was very stagnant, very predictable, in the play. So it wasn’t just the player on the ball that was having an issue. I think our movement off the ball was poor. We didn’t work for each other, which is what we’ve been doing. The last three games we’ve been working really hard for each other. So that was lacking.”

“Tonight, we were really spread,” Montefusco added. “We didn’t have enough numbers around the ball defensively and offensively. So I think that it starts there. We need to work together. We can’t do this all individually and I think we kind of had some individual performances tonight and you can’t win in this league with just one or two people. You got to have numbers around the ball at all times.”

The Pride will now have to put this tough loss behind them and bounce back quickly. After playing three games in nine days, the team will have a short week as they host the Washington Spirit Friday night at Exploria Stadium. Cromwell says fans can expect a different lineup than the one that started tonight.

“We have to play a lot better for Friday, that’s for sure,” Cromwell said. “And the lineup will look different for sure.”

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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.

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12 hours ago

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December 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

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.

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2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Adriana

The Brazilian attacker was a key player in the Pride’s magical 2024 season.

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2 days ago

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December 20, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

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.

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2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Marta

Marta showed why she’s the GOAT in her eighth season with the Pride.

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3 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

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.

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