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Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns: Final Score 6-0 as Pride Suffer Worst Loss Ever

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3 years ago

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The Portland Thorns put the Orlando Pride on full blast, breezing to a 6-0 win at Providence Park that could easily have been even more lopsided. Despite some good saves by Erin McLeod and some wasted shots by the Thorns, it was still Orlando’s worst loss in the team’s existence. Hina Sugita, Becky Sauerbrunn, Sophia Smith (twice), Natalia Kuikka, and Taylor Porter all scored for the Thorns (4-1-4, 16 points).

The Pride (2-5-2, 8 points) have now lost three consecutive matches — all via shutout — and are winless in their last four games (0-3-1) heading into the international break. Orlando has been outscored 12-0 in the last three matches and have been shut out three straight times for the first time since the team’s expansion season, when the Pride were blanked from May 28 to June 18 of 2016 by FC Kansas City, the Western New York Flash, and the Washington Spirit. Like the current stretch, those matches were all on the road.

Orlando had been beaten three times by five goals but this was the first six-goal loss and tied the team record for most goals conceded in a match. The Pride fell to 2-10-2 in the all-time, regular-season series against Portland and 2-11-2 in all competitions.

“I thought we got beat by a better team today and not only because they were better in possession, but fundamentals,” acting Pride coach Seb Hines said after the match. “Their ability to put us under pressure at the right moment, their willingness to run and battle and compete. And then with their creativity, they created multiple chances, and that’s something that moving forward we need to be better. We need to be better at the fundamentals — tackling, competing, running.”

Hines started McLeod in goal behind a back line of Courtney Petersen, Toni Pressley, and Megan Montefusco, with Darian Jenkins and Kerry Abello playing in sort of wingback roles. Meggie Dougherty Howard slotted into the midfield with Gunny Jonsdottir and Angharad James, with an attacking line of Abi Kim, and Julie Doyle. There were no center backs or strikers on the Pride bench.

The danger from Portland started early with Kuikka making a bombing run down the right, speeding past the Pride midfield and getting to the top of the box, where she nutmegged Pressley with a pass to Smith, who fired a shot that took a slight deflection and skipped inches wide of the left post.

The ensuing corner kick fell for Sugita, who was completely unmarked on the back side, but she got under her volley attempt, which sailed harmlessly well over the goal.

The first great chance for the Pride happened in the 17th minute. Kim made a good cross in from the right that Dougherty Howard chested down into her own path. She got a good look 1-v-1 with Bella Bixby, who made a huge save to keep the game scoreless.

“We created a great opportunity at nil-nil where it comes from a cross. Meggie takes a great touch and Bixby makes a save,” Hines said. “We’re talking about a (potential) one-nil lead, which can change the outcome of the game.”

The Thorns went right down the field after the save and Smith got in behind the defense but Montefusco did well to stab the ball away from behind. Sauerbrun was unmarked by Abello on the ensuing corner and McLeod made a sensational save in the 18th minute to keep the game at 0-0 — for the time being.

Three minutes later, Portland broke through. Abello’s attempted pass was easily picked off by Janine Beckie, who crossed into the box. The ball found Sugita — who got in behind Jenkins — on Portland’s left side, and she made no mistake this time, putting the Thorns up 1-0 in the 21st minute.

It took just four minutes to double the lead. Jonsdottir conceded a free kick on a handball, trying to protect herself from a point-blank cross. Although her arm was near her body, the referee ruled it wasn’t in a natural position. The free kick was sent in low and hard and McLeod tried to catch it rather than punch it away, but she couldn’t handle it and the rebound fell for 37-year-old defender Sauerbrunn, who was not tracked by anyone. Sauerbrunn smashed the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-0 in the 25th minute.

“That second goal was a killer,” Hines said. “It comes from a free kick, where Becky Sauerbrunn’s gambled because she’s confident and she’s got a tap-in. Them little defining moments can change a result of the game.”

Things could have gotten worse in the 31st minute when Smith danced past three Pride players with no trouble whatsoever, and sent a pass to Rocky Rodriguez at the top of the box. The midfielder sent her shot just wide.

Orlando survived a couple of late set pieces and the Pride entered the locker room down only 2-0 despite being dominated. Portland had more shots (10-2), shots on target (5-1), Possession (57.8%-42.2%), corners (3-2), and passing accuracy (85.7%-77.4%).

The Portland dominance continued to start the second half, despite the introduction of Viviana Villacorta by Hines, replacing Kim. The Thorns continued to ping passes and crosses around. Kuikka and Rodriguez each had shots blocked at the top of the area early in the second period. James then gave the ball away in her defensive third, allowing Beckie a free shot from outside the area that skipped wide.

Beckie then managed to beat both Abello and Petersen in the 56th minute to get a dangerous cross in to Smith, who got a shot deflected and McLeod was able to collect. Two minutes later, it was Beckie firing just wide on the counter. The Pride immediately turned it over again and this time Smith fired just wide.

Bixby made a second big save to keep the Pride off the board in the 60th minute. Jenkins stepped into a shot from a long way out that required the Portland keeper to make a flying save, as she got a hand to it to knock it wide. Pressley’s header came close on the ensuing corner but just missed the target at the near post.

Hines made a pair of substitutions in the 61st minute, bringing on Kylie Strom and Jordyn Listro for Abello and Montefusco. Those changes definitely helped — Portland. The Thorns finished with four more goals in the final half hour to turn a loss into a humiliation.

The Thorns went back on the attack after the substitutions. Everyone on the Pride backed off to give Sam Coffey a clean look at the top of the box in the 62nd minute but she fired her shot right at McLeod. However, the Pride conceded seconds later. After McLeod’s save, the Pride didn’t even make it out of their own half — again — and Portland came back on the attack, with Smith making a good turn that gave her several yards of clearance on Pressley. She then finished well to make it 3-0 in the 63rd minute.

“Confidence plays a major factor in performance,” Hines said about the team’s struggle to play out of their end in recent matches. “You know, when you’re confident you see them things a little bit quicker. You feel like, ‘Oh, I can play it through that line and get it to a midfielder.’ Right now, in the position that we’re in, we’re just lacking that element.”

Petersen sent in a cross or a shot in the 67th minute that Bixby did well to come out and catch. Jenkins then fired a shot at Bixby moments later as Orlando searched for a consolation goal. But then Orlando reverted to playing passively again. Smith nearly made it 4-0 in the 73rd minute but McLeod made a good save. Olivia Moultrie then fired a shot right at McLeod three minutes later.

Kuikka then did make it 4-0 in the 79th minute. She started with the ball on the left, then made a short pass and ran into the box, but no one bothered to go with her and Kuikka was left all alone in front of goal. The ball found its way back to her and she had no trouble slotting past McLeod.

“We definitely need to learn from this,” Pressley said. “There are situations where we do need to mark in the box and deny crosses and block shots, and that’s certainly something that we can work on and get better at. So, moving forward, that will help us. So, certainly I think there are a lot of things to take away from this game defensively. And we need to be better.”

Smith nearly made it 5-0 seconds later, as the Pride wasted no time giving the ball back to the Thorns on the restart. The ball hit an Orlando player and went out for a corner. No matter, as Smith added the fifth goal in the 86th minute — just two minutes after Yazmeen Ryan was left all alone on the right and fired over the net. Smith wasn’t closed down outside the area so she simply let fly to make it 5-0.

Taylor Porter added her first career goal before the final whistle. Again, nobody bothered marking her — or multiple other Thorns players — on a set piece that was played short, in an utterly embarrassing display.

That was, mercifully, all the scoring. Portland stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with more shots (26-6), shots on target (12-3), possesson (52.3%-47.7%), and passing accuracy (80.1%-79.2%). Each team earned four corners, which is one of the few statistical categories where the Pride matched up with their hosts.

“We tried our best and tried to stick to the game plan and it just really didn’t fall our way,” Pressley said.

“No one likes to lose in that manner,” Hines said. “There’s a lot going on. It’s difficult for the players, for staff — we’re obviously short-staffed right now. But I’m now in a position that this has to change. The habits and training need to change. The habits in games need to change, so we’re not walking off the field with regrets. You know, six-nil hurts everyone, and I take responsibility for that being the interim head coach. But moving forward, we will remember this as a turning point in our season.”

The Pride are off until July 3, when they’ll head over to Daytona to “host” Racing Louisville FC at Daytona International Speedway as part of Daytona Soccer Fest.

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Orlando Pride Offense through the Lens of Goal-Creating Actions

Can an analysis of the Pride’s offense in 2024 using goal-creating actions help project how they will perform in 2025?

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1 week ago

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February 15, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

We are one week away from the season opener for Orlando City and three weeks away from the season opener for the Orlando Pride, wrapping up what has felt like a long off-season. Oddly enough, both off-seasons were the shortest in club history, but they have felt extra long, probably because of the elongated conversations around several players and whether these players would stay in Orlando, leave Orlando, or come to Orlando.

At this point, the rosters are probably pretty close to being locked in to what they will be when the seasons open, but there still may be some final changes, and if there are, hopefully they will be positive ones for the teams in purple.

Several weeks ago, I wrote about how the Pride were bringing back all of their goals and nearly all of their minutes played from 2024, and while that has changed now with Adriana’s departure to Al Qadsiah FC in Saudi Arabia, the Pride are still bringing back most of their goals and minutes and will likely be among the favorites, if not the favorite, when sportsbooks start posting their NWSL futures odds. As of this moment, I cannot find anyone who has odds posted, and very few sites have released their season previews and power rankings, but I have a hunch that the defending champions, bringing back nearly every key contributor, will be near the top of those lists. And they should be because, and let’s revel in this once again, they are the defending champions!

The Pride are bringing back two players who combined for 28 goals in NWSL play last season. If we include the playoffs, then Barbra Banda scored 17 goals and Marta added 11, and they ranked second and fourth, respectively, for most goals scored. What interested me, however, was that they only combined together to create four of those goals as a partnership.

Using Opta’s tracking and fbref.com’s database of goals, I was able to create a ranking of the most prolific partnerships during the 2024 NWSL season. For every goal scored, Opta tracks what they call goal-creating actions, which are the two plays immediately preceding a goal that led to a player scoring a goal. For example, let’s flash back to the playoff semifinal when Banda gave the Pride a 3-1 lead against the Current by smashing a ball into the net harder than a home run off the bat of Elly De La Cruz (my son’s favorite baseball player). In related news, I am also excited for baseball season.

In the video below, Banda is the goal scorer, and the prior two plays are a completed pass by Haley McCutcheon to Kylie Strom and then the assist on a completed pass from Strom to Banda. Opta tracks those as the two goal-creating actions for Banda’s goals, with Strom’s pass being the final action preceding the goal.

Staying in that same game, I am sure you remember Marta’s wondergoal (wondergoal is still underselling how great of a goal this was — this was an all-time great run down the field) that made the score 3-1. On that play, Banda received the assist, as she passed the ball to Marta, but the two goal-creating actions were actually both by Marta as she beat multiple defenders and the goalkeeper off the dribble to get herself into shooting position. Opta’s tracking shows this goal as scored by Marta, from two consecutive goal-creating actions of Marta take-ons. Yes Banda passed the ball to Marta, but this goal was created by Marta’s magic, and the GOAT taking on and beating multiple defenders.

Opta tracks the following seven different types of goal-creating actions:

  • Fouled
  • Interception (stealing a pass)
  • Pass (live-ball)
  • Pass (dead-ball)
  • Shot
  • Tackle (stealing the ball directly from the other team’s player)
  • Take-On (beating a defender off the dribble)

During the 2024 NWSL season there were 502 total goals scored, including the playoffs and including own goals. Opta’s tracking does not have an assist for every goal, nor does it have a goal-creating action for every goal, and that makes sense for how soccer is played. Sometimes goals happen unassisted, as a player, usually a striker, makes a tackle or interception themselves and then is in on goal and scores unassisted, or a player wins a loose ball in the box and slots it home, or a player finishes a rebound and the official scorer does not give the asisst to the player who took the original shot.

Opta’s tracking shows 481 non-own goals in 2024, with 312 of those goals (approximately 65%) having an assist. Of those 481 non-own goals, 447 (approximately 93%) had a primary goal-creating action, and this also makes sense, as it is much more likely, based on the list of goal-creating actions, that there was one of those than there was a true assist. I am much more interested in the goal-creating actions than I am the assists, as I believe they are better descriptors of how goals happened.

Looking at the Pride, which I know is really why you are here, the following table lists the player combinations that led to more than two goals during 2024:

Player CombinationGoals
Adriana and Barbra Banda5
Barbra Banda and Marta4
Ally Watt and Barbra Banda4
Adriana and Marta3
Barbra Banda and Julie Doyle3

For these counts it does not matter who created the goal and who scored it, these were the two Pride players involved in the final product. It may be a bit of a surprise to see that the top combination was Adriana and Banda, but Adriana scored three goals in 2024 that came directly from a foul on Banda (5/11 vs. Bay FC), a rebound from a Banda shot (6/30 vs. Angel City), and a foul on Banda (10/20 vs. Gotham). Banda scored two goals that resulted from an Adriana live-ball pass (5/19 vs. Seattle) and a rebound from an Adriana shot (7/6 vs. Kansas City). Adriana and Banda’s five goal combinations tied them for fourth in all of NWSL in 2024, with the combination of Esther González and Yazmeen Ryan of Gotham FC leading the league with seven.

It is a fair criticism of this statistic to say something along the lines of, “Well, Adriana did not intend to miss her shot and for Banda to score the rebound, so who really cares if it was an Adriana shot or someone else’s shot that Banda rebounded?”. Conversely, Adriana had to put a shot on target and have struck it well enough that it could not be saved and held, and Banda had to beat other players to the ball to score it, and both players had to have earned the right to be on the field at the same time.

I do not think goal-creating actions are the be-all, end-all, but I do think they tell more of a story than just assists. As another example, the action that immediately preceded five of Banda’s 17 goals was her winning a take-on against her defender. That total led the league in 2024, and she and Portland’s Sophia Smith were the only two players with more than three take-ons that led directly to goals in 2024. Two of those five goals for Banda had teammates credited with assists, but just as with the Marta goal against Kansas City when Banda was credited with the assist, the goals really came more from the effort by Banda as the goal scorer rather than from the pass that gave her the ball initially.

On a different note, those top combinations I showed tally up to 19 of the 54 goals scored by the Pride in 2024. The Pride benefitted from three own goals, meaning they scored 51 goals themselves, so those top combinations did not even account for half (37%) of the team’s goals last season. That is the sign of a team that is diverse in its attack, and even though Adriana is gone, they bring back everyone else who was involved in all of their goals, plus they will have Grace Chanda, Simone Charley, and Prisca Chilufya as additional offensive options in 2025. Losing Adriana will hurt, but I think the Pride will have her departure covered.

Goals are exciting, and of course are how teams win games, so as watchers and analyzers of soccer, we spend a lot of time thinking about how they happened. I like goal-creating actions as a statistic but I know on many goals there are different plays that happened in succession that led to the goal, and the goal-creating action stat only shows the final two plays. Those final two plays are critical though, so I think it is a good statistic to analyze, just in conjunction with others as well.

It is no accident that Banda was all over that list of top Pride combinations, she led the league in goal-creating actions and goal-creating actions plus goals, and with her available for the full season in 2025 I expect that she is going to be right near the top again this season, if not the league leader for the second consecutive season.

I cannot wait to watch the Pride’s offense this year. I think they are going to be creating goals and goal-creating actions at an even higher rate than last season.

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando Pride Acquires Spanish International Oihane Hernandez

The Pride have acquired Spanish right back Oihane Hernandez from Real Madrid Femenil, signing her to a two-year deal.

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1 week ago

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February 14, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Orlando Pride defensive signings continue, but this time it’s a new player instead of a new contract. The club announced the signing of Spanish international defender Oihane Hernández this afternoon to a two-year contract through the 2026 season with a mutual option for 2027.

“Oihane is a technically gifted defender who excels in both defensive organization and distribution from the back,” Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “She brings world-class experience and a championship mindset from her time with Spain’s national team. Oihane’s ability to perform in high-pressure situations and her tactical understanding and ability to read the game will be invaluable assets as we continue building a championship-caliber roster. We’re delighted to bring her to the City Beautiful.”

The 24-year-old has been a regular for the Spanish Women’s National Team and was a member of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup champions.

“I’m excited to join the Orlando Pride and begin this new chapter in my career,” Hernández said in the club’s release. “The club’s vision and ambition really influenced me to make the move to Orlando. “I am impressed by the professional environment and the enthusiasm of the staff, teammates, and passionate fanbase. I am ready to give everything for the badge and build on the team’s success.”

Hernández joins the Pride from Real Madrid Femenino for an undisclosed fee. The right back spent the last two seasons at Real Madrid, making 31 appearances and recorded a pair of assists. Prior to moving to the Spanish capital, she played for Athletic Club Femenino in Bilbao, representing the club from 2019 to 2023. She made 109 appearances for the club, scoring three times.

Internationally, Hernandez came up through the youth ranks with Spain, playing in the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, the 2017 UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship, and the 2018 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship. That led to her making her senior team debut on Sept. 2, 2022 in a World Cup qualifier against Hungary.

During the 2023 World Cup run, Hernandez played in six games for the eventual champions. She started in the round of 16 and quarterfinals before coming off the bench in the World Cup Final against England.

More recently, Hernandez played for Spain in four games of the 2024 Summer Olympics. She won a bronze medal in that tournament.

What It Means For Orlando

Hernandez comes in to be the starting right back for the Pride. It’s interesting that the signing comes on the same day that the club awarded Cori Dyke a new contract. During her 2024 rookie season, Dyke became the Pride’s starting right back, taking over when Brianna Martinez was injured and playing well in the stretch run and postseason.

This move creates more depth at a position that was already well stocked. Prior to this move, the players that would likely play right back other than Dyke were Martinez, Haley McCutcheon, and Emily Sams. However, this move allows McCutcheon to remain in the defensive midfield and Sams to remain at center back, where she won the NWSL Defender of the Year last season.

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Orlando Pride Extend Contract of Defender Cori Dyke through 2027

The Pride extend a second defender through 2027 in as many days with a new deal for Cori Dyke.

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1 week ago

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February 14, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Just a day after locking down defender Emily Sams through 2027, the Orlando Pride have done the same with defender Cori Dyke. The Pride announced this morning that Dyke’s contract has been extended through the 2027 season. This extension comes on the heels of an outstanding rookie season, in which she stepped into the starting right back role down the stretch, helping Orlando win the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship in 2024.

“Cori has consistently demonstrated her value both on and off the field since joining the Pride, and we’re thrilled to secure her future with the club,” Orlando Pride Vice President and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “Her tactical intelligence, versatility, and leadership qualities make her an integral part of what we’re building here in Orlando. Beyond her technical abilities, Cori embodies the culture and commitment to excellence that we strive for. This extension is a reflection of the hard work and dedication she brings to this organization every day and we’re excited to see her continue to grow and contribute to our team’s success.”  

The Pride selected Dyke in the second round (No. 22 overall) in the 2024 NWSL Draft out of Penn State. She signed a one-year contract on March 11, 2024. However, she impressed enough to inked a new deal through 2025 with an option for 2026 on July 10, 2024. Dyke has impressed the club in her short time with Orlando, earning yet another new deal.

The 24-year-old native of San Jose, CA made 21 appearances (11 starts) in the Pride’s 26 NWSL regular-season games during her rookie campaign, logging 1,095 minutes. She didn’t score a goal, but she notched one assist. Dyke attempted one (off-target) shot and completed 425 of her 542 pass attempts (78%) in her first professional season. Defensively, she finished with 20 tackles, 11 interceptions, and 23 headed duels. In the Pride’s playoff run, Dyke started all three games, playing 254 minutes, helping Orlando lift its second trophy of the season.

Dyke also appeared in two of the Pride’s three matches in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup last year, starting both and recording 180 minutes.

The Pride recorded a clean sheet in 12 of Dyke’s 26 appearances a year ago, including in the NWSL Championship match against Washington.

Dyke played in 108 games (all starts) for the Penn State Nittany Lions in her college career, recording 9,069 minutes, nine goals, and nine assists. She played as a central midfielder for the first four years in college, but moved to center back for her final season. Despite moving to the back line, the 2023 season was her most productive offensively, as she recorded five goals and six assists.

Dyke received several accolades during her five collegiate seasons. As a freshman, she was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and Freshman Best XI First Team by Top Drawer Soccer. During her final season in the midfield, she was named to the 2022 Big Ten Women’s All-Tournament Team. Dyke moved to center back for her senior season and was named Big Ten Defender of the Year. She was also named All-Big Ten First Team and the United Soccer Coaches named her a second-team All-American and first-team All-North Region.

On the international stage, Dyke has represented the U.S. Women’s National Team from the U-14 through U-23 levels, helping the U-19 team win a CFA Tournament in 2017. 

What It Means for Orlando

Carter locking up players she believes will be part of the team’s core moving forward is nothing new. Dyke was thrown into a difficult position as a rookie and helped keep some of the league’s best attacking players quiet in the second half of the 2024 season and throughout the playoffs. She provides plenty of versatility with major college experience in central midfield and at center back in addition to having shown her ability to play fullback at the professional level last season.

Any time you can extend the contract of a young, talented player, it can only be seen as a positive. Dyke’s role in 2025 remains to be seen, as the team is getting players healthy again and defender Carson Pickett is going through a full training camp under Seb Hines. The back line would be just fine if it remained as it was at the end of 2024, but there is some belief that it can be even better in 2025. Where Dyke fits in will be revealed when the season starts, but she is an excellent option whether starting or providing depth and pushing her teammates to be better.

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