Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Angel City FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (0-1-0, 0 points) face Angel City FC (0-1-0, 0 points) in their home opener at Exploria Stadium (5:30 p.m., FOX 35 Plus and Paramount+). This is the first of two games the two teams are scheduled to play this season, with the second in Los Angeles taking place on Sept. 21.
Here’s what you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
Angel City was one of the NWSL’s two expansion teams entering the league in 2022. As a result, tonight’s opponents have only played twice. The first took place on May 8, 2022 in Los Angeles. In the third minute, Gunny Jonsdottir’s cross was tipped by Angel City goalkeeper DiDi Haracic, but it went right to Sydney Leroux. The Pride striker fired right at Morgan Reid standing in front of goal. The ball bounced off the defender and went in to give the Pride an early lead.
The Pride dominated the first 15 minutes, before Angel City took over. The hosts controlled the final hour, but the Pride held on for 87 minutes to claim their first win of the season.
The teams met again on Aug. 7 in Orlando. Former Pride defender Ali Riley opened the scoring in the 40th minute with a wonderful strike from the left side. The Pride responded in the 64th minute through Julie Doyle, three minutes after she entered the game. After a Doyle corner, Savannah McCaskill attempted to play an ill-advised pass back to Paige Nielsen. Doyle took advantage of the weak pass, winning possession and putting it in the roof of the net to even the game at 1-1.
The visitors took another lead in the 72nd minute when Cari Roccaro beat Viviana Villacorta to a corner kick, putting it past Erin McLeod. The Pride equalized for a second time in the 90th minute. Doyle and Nielsen raced for a Thais Reiss cross, with the defender reaching it first. But Nielsen’s attempted clearance went into her own net, allowing the Pride to claim a 1-1 draw and extend their unbeaten run to five games.
Match Overview
It was a difficult beginning to the Seb Hines era for the Pride as they were demolished 4-0 by the Portland Thorns at Providence Park last weekend. The hosts dominated the game, but the Pride didn’t do themselves any favors. The young center back pairing of Emily Madril and Caitlin Cosme struggled at times to get the ball out of their own end and were fortunate not to concede additional goals.
Morgan Weaver opened the scoring for the Thorns in the 16th minute and Sophia Smith doubled their lead in the 22nd minute. The Pride held off the dangerous Thorns attack for the rest of the first half, only trailing 2-0 at the break. But Hina Sugita scored just four minutes into the second half, effectively putting the game away. Second-half substitute Michele Vasconcelos scored a fourth for her team in the 76th minute for good measure.
Angel City got off to a much better start in their home opener against NJ/NY Gotham FC as former Pride midfielder Dani Weatherholt set up Alyssa Thompson, the first overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, for the opening goal in the 11th minute. However, a pair of U.S. internationals clawed Gotham back as Midge Purce scored in the 55th minute and Lynn Williams netted the winning goal 10 minutes later.
While tonight’s guests don’t have the same firepower as the Thorns, Angel City can be threatening going forward. The team’s front line features the young and dangerous Thompson, as well as Scottish international and former Pride attacker, Claire Emslie. However, the real danger of Angel City is in its midfield. McCaskill and Weatherholt are joined by Japanese international Jun Endo, creating chances for the attacking line.
The Los Angeles-based team’s strength is on defense. The back line in front of DiDi Haracic features Riley, Sarah Gorden, Morgan Reid, and Paige Nielsen. All but Gorden, who was injured during last season, return to the experienced back line that conceded just 27 goals in 2022 — tied for fourth in the NWSL. Gorden is now healthy and her presence only strengthens an already difficult defense to break down.
“Last year, we know we didn’t win enough games at home,” Hines said leading up to the home opener. “That’s not good enough. We want to make (Exploria Stadium) a fortress. We want to make it a difficult place for teams to come and play, and what better way to do it (than) in your home opener in front of a good crowd against Angel City. So, we also need to bounce back from this weekend, and I think everyone’s excited to get out there and play again.”
To get their home schedule off on the right foot, the Pride need to create more solid chances. They were outshot 27-9 in Portland and 16-1 in shots on goal. While Angel City isn’t at the same level as the defending NWSL champions and has flown across the country for this game, it will be a good challenge for what is still a young Pride team.
Carrie Lawrence (knee surgery) is once again the only Pride player out for this game. Additionally, Marta (hamstring) is listed as questionable. Angel City is missing five players, including Angelina Anderson (thigh), Sydney Leroux (ankle), Merritt Mathias (knee), Mackenzie Pluck (thigh), and Christen Press (knee).
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Kylie Strom, Emily Madril, Caitlin Cosme, Haley McCutcheon.
Defensive Midfielders: Kerry Abello, Mikayla Cluff.
Midfielder: Adriana, Erika Tymrak, Julie Doyle.
Forwards: Ally Watt.
Bench: Carly Nelson, Haley Bugeja, Megan Montefusco, Celia, Tori Hansen, Jordyn Listro, Brianna Martinez, Summer Yates, Messiah Bright.
Angel City FC (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: DiDi Haracic.
Defenders: Paige Nielsen, Morgan Reid, Sarah Gorden, Ali Riley.
Midfielders: Savannah McCaskill, Dani Weatherholt, Madison Hammond.
Forwards: Alyssa Thompson, Jun Endo, Claire Emslie.
Bench: Brittany Isenhour, Scarlett Camberos, Simone Charley, Katie Johnson, Clarisse Le Bihan, Lily Nabet, Jasmyne Spencer, Mary Vignola.
Referees
REF: Danielle Chesky.
AR1: Matt Trotter.
AR2: Joe Suchoski.
4TH: Luis Diego Arroyo.
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic.
AVAR: Maggie Short.
How to Watch
Match Time: 5:30 p.m.
Venue: Exploria Stadium — Orlando.
TV: FOX 35 Plus.
Streaming: Paramount+ (U.S.), TSN+ (Canada), NWSLsoccer.com (International).
Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow @TheManeLand and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).
Enjoy the match. Go Pride!