Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride look for their first home win of 2023 as they welcome Racing Louisville to Exploria Stadium.
Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (1-4-0, 3 points) return to Exploria Stadium to face Racing Louisville FC (0-1-4, 4 points). This is the first of two games the two teams will play against each other, with the return game in Louisville, KY taking place on Oct. 6.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
This is the third season of existence for Racing Louisville. The two teams have played six times so far, with the Pride going 1-2-3 (1-2-2 in NWSL games and 0-0-1 in the NWSL Challenge Cup).
The most recent meeting between the two teams was on Sept. 16, 2022 in Louisville. The Pride got off to a quick start, but Louisville struck first when Nadia Nadim was left open in front of goal for a tap-in. The hosts doubled their lead in the 50th minute with a great strike by Savannah DeMelo from outside of the box and the Pride fell 2-0.
The first meeting last year was in a unique setting, taking place at Daytona International Speedway on July 3. The game was a part of the 2022 Daytona SoccerFest and was the first time a soccer game was played at a racetrack. Emina Ekic gave Louisville a halftime lead and DeMelo doubled the lead in the 51st minute. However, the Pride fought back with goals by Kylie Strom and Darian Jenkins, pulling out a 2-2 draw. The game launched a seven-game unbeaten run that pulled the Pride back into the playoff race.
The first year the two teams met was in 2021 during the NWSL Challenge Cup in Louisville. CeCe Kizer gave the hosts the lead in the 12th minute but Taylor Kornieck equalized just before halftime. It looked like the Pride would win when Abi Kim scored late but Brooke Hendrix equalized in second-half injury time and the teams drew 2-2.
The teams played three times in the 2021 regular season, with the first meeting coming on July 9 in Orlando. Ebony Salmon gave Louisville the lead but Sydney Leroux scored to force a 1-1 draw with a goal in second-half injury time. The second meeting was on Sept. 11 in Orlando. The Pride took a 2-0 lead into the break with goals by Leroux and Marta. Kizer got one back, but Alex Morgan’s conversion sealed three points for the Pride.
The final meeting of 2021 was in the penultimate game of the year for both teams. The Pride needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and they got off to a good start when Jodie Taylor scored in the third minute. However, the game slipped away as Salmon and Katie McClure scored on either side of halftime and Yuki Nagasato made the final 3-1.
Overview
After losing their first four league games and drawing the North Carolina Courage 1-1 in the Challenge Cup, the Pride finally got their first win of the season last weekend in San Diego. It was probably their best performance of the year, and a breakout game for Adriana.
Prior to last weekend’s game, the Pride had only scored one league goal and two in all competitions. They fell behind early and it looked like it would be a long night, but the Pride responded well, scoring three goals to win 3-1. It was a welcome sight for Pride fans, who had seen the offense struggle mightily to start the season.
It was also a strong performance by the defense, which had conceded multiple goals in every league game this season. However, questions remain about who Seb Hines’ starting goalkeeper will be and the best center back pairing. Anna Moorhouse, who started the season as the number one, returned to the starting lineup last weekend, and Emily Madril partnered Megan Montefusco for the first time this season.
Tonight, the Pride have a good opportunity to claim points in their second consecutive game as they welcome Racing Louisville to Exploria Stadium. Louisville has had a similar start to the 2023 NWSL season. The only difference is that tonight’s opponent hasn’t conceded some of the latest goals in NWSL history, allowing the team to take home four draws.
Offensively, Louisville has distributed its six goals pretty evenly. DeMelo is the only player with multiple goals this year, scoring twice. Ary Borges, Kristen Davis, Abby Erceg, and Paige Monaghan all have one goal so far this season. However, the visitors will be without DeMelo tonight after she was sent off against OL Reign last weekend.
Defensively, Louisville still has last year’s starting goalkeeper, Katie Lund. However, tonight’s visitors added Erceg and former Pride defender Carson Pickett, who had been regular starters for the Courage. Along with Lauren Milliet, most of the back line has remained the same in every game. However, Erceg has had three different center back partners in five regular-season games so far this season.
“(Louisville) is a different team than previous years. They’ve added more to their roster with more experience with Erceg and Pickett, so it’ll be a difficult game,” Hines said about tonight’s contest. “Every game is a difficult game in this league and that’s why we love it. Every game is a challenge and they’re looking for their first win, so it should be a competitive game, a good game for both teams. We have to go and get a win in front of our fans because our fans deserve that as well, so we’re looking forward to it.”
In addition to Carrie Lawrence (knee) and Julie Doyle (ankle), who are out long-term, the Pride have two inclusions to this week’s injury report. Kerry Abello is back available but Maliah Morris (head) is listed as out. Celia returned last weekend, but is out with an excused absence for this game.
Louisville enter this game without multiple key players, including DeMelo (suspension), Elli Pikkujämsä (thigh), Emina Ekic (ankle), Jessica McDonald (excused absence), and Nadim (knee). Additionally, goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer (back) is listed as out.
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Kylie Strom, Emily Madril, Megan Montefusco, Haley McCutcheon.
Defensive Midfielders: Viviana Villacorta, Mikayla Cluff.
Midfielders: Adriana, Marta, Erika Tymrak.
Forwards: Messiah Bright.
Bench: Carly Nelson, Caitlin Cosme, Haley Bugeja, Jordyn Listro, Kerry Abello, Brianna Martinez, Amanda Allen, Ally Watt, Thais Reiss.
Racing Louisville (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: Katie Lund.
Defenders: Carson Pickett, Julia Lester, Abby Erceg, Lauren Milliet.
Midfielders: Kayla Fischer, Jaelin Howell, Ary Borges.
Forwards: Paige Monaghan, Uchenna Kanu, Wang Shuang.
Bench: Zaneta Wyne, Thembi Kgatlana, Jordan Baggett, Parker Goins, Kristen Davis, Rebecca Holloway, Alex Chidiac, Satara Murray, Olivia Sekany.
Referees
REF: Jeremy Scheer.
AR1: Ricardo Ocampo.
AR2: Brian Marshall.
4TH: Jasmine Peralta.
VAR: Kevin Broadley.
AVAR: Joel McKell.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Exploria Stadium — Orlando.
TV: None.
Streaming: Paramount+ (U.S.), NWSLsoccer.com (International).
Twitter: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @ManeLaneSean and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).
Enjoy the match. Go Pride!