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Orlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Final Score 2-0 as Pride Concede Latest Goal in NWSL History

Pride concede two latest goals in NWSL history to fall 2-0 to NJ/NY Gotham FC.

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2 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Orlando Pride (0-3-0, 0 points) experienced more late-game drama, falling 2-0 to NJ/NY Gotham FC (2-1-0, 6 points) at Exploria Stadium. Midge Purce converted a penalty after a controversial handball in the box and Lynn Williams sealed it for the visitors with the latest goal in NWSL history.

The big surprise in the Pride lineup tonight was the inclusion of Kaylie Collins in goal. Regular starter Anna Moorhouse wasn’t in the team at all and Carly Nelson, the team’s primary backup, was on the bench. 

“We had a few minor injuries. Kaylie’s been with the team for a while now and she’s waited for an opportunity,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about starting his 23-year-old goalkeeper. “It’s given her exposure. It’s her time. So again, we’re always challenging players, we’re questioning players for places and to be in the starting 11. That continues with the goalkeepers as well.”

“Excited to get the start,” Collins added. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity. Honestly, it’s just the start so I’m feeling good about that.”

The rest of the lineup was as expected, including Kylie Strom, Emily Madril, Caitlin Cosme, and Haley McCutcheon in the back, Kerry Abello, Mikayla Cluff, Adriana, Marta, and Erika Tymrak in the midfield, and Messiah Bright up top.

The game was pretty even to start with a giveaway in the back providing Gotham with the first chance. But the shot was right at Collins, who easily grabbed it. The Pride had a chance of their own a minute later when Abello shot from the top of the box, but Gotham goalkeeper Abby Smith was there to make the save.

In the sixth minute, Strom made a nice overlapping run and received the ball from Marta on the left. The outside back sent a cross into the box for oncoming attackers, but it was too close to Smith, who had no trouble collecting it.

The game settled down after the first six minutes as both teams attempted to build an attack. The next chance came in the 14th minute when Ifeoma Onumonu charged down the right sideline. She made her way into the Pride box, but Cosme was there to block the cross out of play.

In the 19th minute, Adriana was played behind the Gotham back line. She attempted to play it across for Marta, who was making a run into the Gotham box, but sent it a little too far ahead of her. Gotham was unable to clear and Marta regained possession for the Pride. She sent a lovely ball into the six-yard box where Adriana had made a run, but her header was just wide of the target.

Shortly after, the Pride appeared to have another good chance when Tymrak played a diagonal ball from the left for Adriana. The Brazilian raced Smith to the ball outside of the box, but the goalkeeper got there first, clearing it away.

After serving as a game-changing substitute against Angel City, Bright was quieter in this one. However, she had a chance in the 25th minute when the rookie turned her defender twice, creating enough space to get a shot off. Unfortunately, the Gotham defense did well to keep someone in front of her, and her shot was blocked.

Two minutes later, Adriana attempted a cross into the box, but it was blocked by Mandy Freeman. The ball bounced back out to Abello, who shot from the top of the box. But she didn’t get much on it and Smith was able to make the easy stop.

In the 31st minute, McCutcheon played the ball forward for Adriana, who was making a run into the box. Adriana’s first touch was a low cross for Bright, at the top of the six. The rookie striker got her foot to the ball, but it went off the post and out of play. Despite the close attempt, it wouldn’t have counted as the assistant referee had raised his flag for offside.

Gotham finally got another chance in the 33rd minute when Onumonu dribbled down the right and into the Pride box. She was well defended by Strom, who drove her towards the end line. The forward ended up taking a shot from a tight angle, but it was right to Collins.

The last chance of the first half came in the 42nd minute when Abello took a long-distance shot. It wasn’t very hard and caused no trouble for Smith, sending the game into halftime scoreless.

Despite Gotham kicking off, the Pride got off to the better second-half start. Less than a minute into the second period of play, Tymrak played Marta forward. She attempted a shot from the left of goal, but it was right to Smith, who made the stop.

Gotham nearly opened the scoring in the 50th minute when a clearance landed at the feet of Kelley O’Hara well outside of the Pride box. The left back sent in a cross that appeared to be heading just inside the back post. It forced Collins into a dive to tip it wide of the goal.

The visitors had another chance in the 54th minute when a poor touch by Madril gave Yazmeen Ryan the ball near the top of the box. Kristie Mewis ended up with it and shot, but it was well high of the target.

In the 61st minute, Hines made his first change of the game. Still coming back from her ACL tear last season and a hamstring injury that kept her out of the 2-1 loss to Angel City, Marta was replaced by Viviana Villacorta. The appearance was Villacorta’s first since she left the Aug. 26, 2022 game against OL Reign in the same stadium.

“We knew that Marta was restricted, missing last week and still coming back from an ACL,” Hines said about the substitution. “So that substitution was always going to happen.”

Gotham had a pair of great chances in the 65th minute when Collins lost the ball to Williams, who took it right off her foot. She found Sinead Farrelly, but her shot was blocked by Cosme. The deflection fell to Ryan, who took a shot of her own, but McCutcheon was there to keep it from going in.

In the 74th minute, Madril played a nice ball out of the back for McCutcheon. The right back dribbled into the Gotham box and had enough space for a shot, but from a tight angle. As a result, the ball hit the side netting.

Three minutes later, Tymrak took the ball to the end line and played it back for Adriana. The Brazilian’s first touch got away from her, but it went right to Abello a few yards behind. The midfielder took a shot, but hit it over the crossbar.

As time wound down, Gotham began to keep more possession as the visitors searched for a late winner. Purce didn’t start the game, but came on in the 69th minute for Onumonu. In the 80th minute, the second-half substitute took her first shot of the game from outside of the box. It was on target, but Collins did well to get a hand to it, tipping it over the crossbar.

The visitors continued their attack and had another chance in the 83rd minute when Mewis and Williams both flicked the ball forward. But Collins did well to come off her line and gather it before any Gotham players could get a shot off.

After nearly getting the game’s first goal, Purce almost set up the opener in the 87th minute. Her cross nearly connected with the head of Mewis right in front of goal, but was inches high, and went out for a Pride goal kick.

Just before the game went into injury time, Hines made three more changes as the Pride looked to see out their first point of the season. Megan Montefusco, Jordyn Listro, and Summer Yates entered the game for Cluff, Tymrak, and Listro.

While the substitutes made their way onto the field, the fourth official held up nine minutes of added time. That was a major factor in the game’s final result.

Shortly into injury time, Williams dribbled into the box and attempted a cross, but it was deflected out by Montefusco. The ensuing corner kick bounced around the Pride box before referee Elvis Osmanovic blew his whistle for a foul on Gotham. However, he was alerted by the video assistant referee of a possible handball.

After sitting around approximately four minutes waiting for a decision, Osmanovic jogged over to the sideline monitor to review the play. Eventually, he came back and pointed to the spot, indicating a handball offense on Cosme.

“I think all of us were pretty shocked. You know, we’re new to VAR. And while it’s great for some things, it’s not so great when you’re on the opposite end of it,” Cosme said about the Pride’s reaction to the penalty decision. “I think that our discussion was we’re going to be fine. It’s taking this long to come up with the decision, must not have been clear enough. And then when the referee made that decision, I think we all were just like all right, here we go again. So not much discussion. I think we were all pretty confident that it wasn’t going to be a PK but sometimes it doesn’t go your way.”

Mewis held the ball at first while Osmanovic attempted to get everyone in the right positions for the penalty. However, Purce stepped up when it was time to take the kick. The substitute sent her penalty past Collins and into the roof of the net, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.

At 99:53, the goal was the latest goal in NWSL history, passing Angel City’s goal in the same stadium two weeks ago, which went in at 99:12. That gave the Pride the two latest goals conceded in league history. But they weren’t done.

The Pride had one chance to equalize as the game entered the 13th minute of second-half injury time. Looking to bounce back from her handball, Cosme sent a cross into the box that found the head of Montefusco. However, Smith was there to catch the header, maintaining Gotham’s 1-0 lead.

Following the save, Gotham gained possession and Williams continuously took the ball to the corner, shielding it from Pride defenders. But 17 minutes into second-half injury time, she went to goal instead. After receiving a pass from Purce, Williams dribbled into the Pride box and fired from the left of goal and towards the far corner. The ball curled around Collins’ outstretched arm and in, sealing the 2-0 win for Gotham.

At 106:44, Williams’ strike became the new latest goal in NWSL history. The Pride now have conceded the three latest goals in league history, all coming in their last two games.

Due to technical difficulties, there weren’t any stats prior to the 38th minute of the game and most of the domestic audience not at Exploria Stadium saw nothing of the match. However, after that point, Gotham recorded more possession (61.8%-38.2%), shots (15-6), shots on target (4-2), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (66.5%-54.3%).

“We’re in it the whole way and then a call doesn’t go our way and it just changes the result,” Hines said after the game. “We have a lot of opportunities to score, we don’t take them, leaves Gothem a chance to win the game. So, you’ve got to take your opportunities when they present themselves. But yeah, same old feeling after the game, disappointed with the result. Effort was great, as always. The players are really putting the effort in. Just want the result to really feel like they’re rewarded for their efforts.”

“I think we are all super disappointed,” Cosme added. “I think that we know that we should have put that game away. We also know that we need to stay focused for 90-plus minutes. That’s what this game is about, especially with VAR, people go down. And right now we’re not doing that. And I think the team needs to figure it out. I think we will figure it out. We’re still hopeful. You know, we believe in one another, but we understand that we need to be better. This is just the beginning of the season. So I think that we’re all excited to keep growing but definitely super disappointed with tonight’s result.”

As the 2023 NWSL season continues, the Pride continue to find new ways to lose. After getting destroyed by the Portland Thorns in the season opener, they’ve now set two new records for conceding the latest game-winning goals and three new records for conceding the latest goal in league history.

The team won’t have much time to dwell on this loss as the Pride welcome the North Carolina Courage into Exploria Stadium on Wednesday night as they open the NWSL Challenge Cup.

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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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1 day 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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