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Orlando Pride vs. OL Reign: Final Score 3-0 as Pride Fall in Season Finale

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2 years ago

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The Orlando Pride (5-10-7, 22 points) ended their 2022 NWSL campaign with a 3-0 loss to OL Reign (11-4-7, 40 points), getting dominated from start to finish and closing the season on a six-match winless streak (0-5-1). Megan Rapinoe, Jordyn Huitema, and Bethany Balcer gave the Reign a three-goal lead inside 31 minutes and held it for the remainder of the game. With the win, OL Reign jumped over Portland and won the NWSL Shield.

Pride Interim Head Coach Seb Hines made two changes to the team that drew 2-2 with San Diego Wave FC last weekend. Celia and Thais Reiss started this game on the bench, replaced by Kylie Strom and Darian Jenkins.

The back four in front of Erin McLeod was Courtney Petersen, Carrie Lawrence, Toni Pressley, and Kylie Strom. Megan Montefusco and Haley Hanson shared the defensive midfield for the second-consecutive game behind Gunny Jonsdottir, Meggie Dougherty Howard, and Darian Jenkins. Leah Pruitt started the game up top.

OL Reign took control of the game in the second minute and didn’t let up. The Pride were slow in defense, had poor clearances, and were unable to maintain control of the ball. As a result, the game was pretty much over in the 31st minute when the Reign increased their lead to three goals.

The hosts had the game’s first chance in the second minute when a good ball by Huitema looking for Rose Lavelle was cleared out of play by Pressley for a corner kick. The ensuing corner ended up at the foot of Quinn, but the shot was blocked by Lawrence.

The Reign got a second good chance when Lawrence lost the ball in her own end, creating a chance for Jess Fishlock, but the shot was wide. In the fifth minute, Quinn found Balcer out wide and the forward played a great cross for an unmarked Rose Lavelle. It appeared that Lavelle didn’t realize how much time she had, immediately heading it rather than bringing it down. However, she was a little further back and the header went just wide of the target.

OL Reign opened the scoring in the eighth minute, largely because of a Pride mistake. Quinn attempted to send the ball forward from a midfield position but it went right to Strom. The defender tried to clear the ball, but it went off the side of her foot and right to Huitema. The Canadian quickly played it into the middle where Rapinoe was left unmarked, on the quick counter, putting it past McLeod to give the Reign an early 1-0 lead.

“You dig yourself a hole eight minutes in. That’s pretty tough,” Montefusco said about conceding so early. “Especially knowing that they weren’t going to stop. We kind of felt that right out the gate. They were down our throats and I think we were saying to each other in those moments just stay composed and weather the storm. And the storm was continuing to come and we didn’t do that well, but that’s another learning experience for this young team.”

“I think we came out flat and our style of play, which I thought we did really well last game — we’re a pass-and-move type of team, short passes — we started a little bit frantic, including some of the passes that I made,” McLeod added. “And they had an incredible atmosphere here and I think we kind of started a little bit on our heels. We weren’t as sharp as usual.”

The hosts nearly doubled their lead in the 12th minute through a great individual effort by Balcer. Huitema found the forward at the top corner of the box. After a stepover to beat Petersen, Balcer tried to chip McLeod. She sent the ball just over the crossbar. Three minutes later, Fishlock sent a ball for Balcer in the box. Petersen was able to get her head to the ball, but sent it to Huitema in the center of the area. The attacker quickly got a shot off but sent the ball just wide.

The Pride finally got their first chance of the game in the 22nd minute. After Strom’s corner was cleared out of play by Reign goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, the Pride took a second corner. This one allowed Lawrence to get a header towards goal but didn’t get much power on it and it was easily cleared. The Pride kept the ball in the Reign third and Pruitt ended up with a shot, but she took it with the outside of her foot. Instead of bending it inside the far post, she sent it well wide of the target.

Two minutes later, the Reign doubled their lead. Quinn picked up the ball at midfield and sent a long, low ball past the Pride defense. Huitema easily beat Pressley to the ball, dribbled around McLeod, and passed it into the net to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.

In the 31st minute, the Reign scored the third goal of the first half. Fishlock sent a great ball into the six-yard box from the left side where Balcer beat her defender to the face of goal. The forward volleyed the ball with her shin guard, but she didn’t need much to tap it in and give the hosts a commanding 3-0 lead.

The third goal was the last chance for either team. During the final 14 minutes of the half, OL Reign controlled most of the possession but weren’t in a hurry to go forward. When the Pride had possession, the Reign remained behind the ball and allowed the Pride to pass it around the back.

“This is why we play the game. This is why we grow up wanting to play these occasions and play in these stadiums with fans and against the top teams and I felt that we got a little bit of stage fright,” Hines said about the first half. “Almost deer in headlights kind of feelings.”

At the end of the first half, OL Reign had more possession (54%-46%), shots (9-2), shots on target (3-0), crosses (7-4), and passing accuracy (80.5%-78.4%). The only attacking statistic the Pride led in was corners (2-1) and both came during the same attack.

“It was just focused on the details,” Montefusco said about the halftime message. “Want the ball, get on the ball, check your shoulder, scan. I think we were just turning into people and they were playing faster and getting in the spaces quicker than we were and we were just playing a little bit too slow. So I think we just had to get on the ball and be confident on it and do the little things right and I think we definitely did that in the second half and picked up the speed of it to match their pace of the game.”

The Reign got the first chance of the second half in the 46th minute when Lawerence fouled Rapinoe, creating a free kick. The set piece ended up with Fishlock, who took a shot, but the shot aimed for the top left corner just missed.

Hines didn’t make any changes at halftime, but brought on three substitutes in the 56th minute. Julie Doyle, Celia, and Jordyn Listro entered the game for Pruitt, Pressley, and Hanson. He made another change in the 65th minute when Haley Bugeja came on for Jenkins.

The Reign got the second shot of the half in the 73rd minute when Tziarra King created a chance seconds after coming on for Rapinoe. Fishlock found the substitute on the left side and the forward used a nice touch to flick the ball over the head of the defender to find space. She was aiming for the far post but it missed wide.

The Pride finally got their third shot of the game in the 76th minute from Listro. The second-half substitute found enough space for a shot from outside of the box but it was right at Tullis-Joyce and didn’t provide any trouble for the Reign goalkeeper.

The Pride had a couple of chances late to get a goal in the game. In the 87th minute, Dougherty Howard took a shot from outside of the box but it sailed over the crossbar. Two minutes later, Celia found Kerry Abello in the box. The substitute got her head to the ball but sent it just wide of the near post.

The Pride had much more possession in the second half, resulting in the visitors ending the game with slightly more time on the ball (50.4%-49.6%) and better passing accuracy (76%-73.7%). But the Reign had more shots (14-5), shots on target (3-1), and crosses (10-8). Additionally, both teams ended the game with a pair of corner kicks.

“Obviously, disappointing start to the game,” Hines said about the performance. “It’s never good going three goals down at halftime. But I felt that we were better in the second half. But, you know, it was too late by that time.”

With Racing Louisville’s 1-0 win over the Kansas City Current earlier in the day, the Pride dropped to 10th in the standings, finishing one point behind Louisville. They ended the season three points ahead of the Washington Spirit and nine points ahead of NJ/NY Gotham FC.

“We spoke about them,” Hines said about what he said to the players after the game. “They’ve been through hell and they saw a bit of light when we were in that run. And the message was don’t let this last end of the season dictate how far you’ve come and what you’ve gone through and the adversity that you’ve shown and the togetherness that you’ve had to bring this group together and have a direction.”

The Pride’s seventh NWSL season is over and there will be more changes in this off-season. The roster, as it stands, was not good enough to consistently compete in 2022, especially against most of the league’s better teams. There are some holes to fill up and down the roster.

The off-season should be an interesting one.

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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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