Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Final Score 2-1 as Pride Increase Unbeaten Run to Four Games
Marta’s goal and assist lifted the Pride to their third win in four games.
The Orlando Pride (3-4-1, 10 points) handed the Washington Spirit (4-1-3, 15 points) their first loss of the 2023 NWSL season, beating them 2-1 at Exploria Stadium. A 23rd-minute penalty by Marta gave the Pride the lead, but the Spirit answered in the 28th minute through Sam Staab. The Pride found a winner in the 77th minute when a Marta corner found the head of Kylie Strom, securing the team’s fourth consecutive result.
Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made one change from the team that had remained the same for the last three games. Kerry Abello got her first regular-season start since April 15, replacing Erika Tymrak. He also changed from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-3-3 setup. Anna Moorhouse was in goal in front of the now-normal back line of Strom, Emily Madril, Megan Montefusco, and Haley McCutcheon. Mikayla Cluff, Viviana Villacorta, and Abello were in the midfield behind a forward line of Marta, Adriana, and Messiah Bright.
“We had to respect Washington and there are some really good individuals on that team and we changed the way that we pressed tonight,” Hines said about the team’s formation and style. “It was a little bit different. We went with a 4-3-3, and it does require a lot of work in that pressing, but, you know, the players fully bought into what we’re trying to do. And it was a little bit unusual for them because they hadn’t experienced it and we did some work in training leading up to this game.”
Despite facing a Spirit team atop the NWSL standings, the Pride created more chances in this game. However, they were unable to hit the target with most of those chances, keeping the opposition close. Fortunately, Moorhouse had arguably her best game of the year to maintain the lead and eventually claim the win.
The game got off to a rough start when McCutcheon collided with Trinity Rodman eight seconds after kickoff. McCutcheon’s elbow appeared to contact the back of Rodman’s head, so Washington’s medical staff came on to look at the star forward. After taking her off the field for a few minutes for a concussion test and to test her mobility, she returned to the field.
The Pride had the first dangerous attack in the eighth minute when Cluff won the ball near midfield. Bright picked it up and dribbled down field, attempting to play it around Tara McKeown. She beat the center back, but Amber Brooks did well to catch up from behind and clear it away.
In the 18th minute, the Spirit got their first chance of the game, when Paige Metayer lifted the ball to the far post from the top of the box. Ashley Sanchez was left unmarked and shot on goal from a tough angle. But Moorhouse was there to make the easy save.
A minute later, Bright had a chance on the other end. Dribbling into the box on the right, the striker’s first shot was blocked by Staab. But it went right back to the rookie, providing a second attempt. Similar to Sanchez’s shot, it was from a tight angle, enabling Aubrey Kingsbury to make the relatively easy stop.
The Pride broke through when Adriana made a nice run down the left in the 21st minute. She used her speed to beat Brooks, forcing the right back to make a desperate dive to stop the Brazilian. Adriana immediately went to the ground and referee Thomas Snyder pointed to the spot.
Unsurprisingly, Marta stood over the ball, ready to take the penalty. Kingsbury dove to her left and the Pride captain sent the ball the other way, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead. It was the Brazilian’s first goal since she tore her ACL during the 2022 Challenge Cup, keeping her out all of last season.
“I’m so happy that I scored my first goal,” Marta said about her first goal for the Pride since 2021. “You know, I just didn’t think about it so much, maybe because of the moment in the game. And I just think like, ‘Yes, we score.’ I scored a penalty, you know? I think it’s more like double pressure because if you miss, you don’t know how the game is gonna be for you and for your team. So I was so happy that I did (score).”
“Any forward wants to get that feeling back, and it’s a testament to her and her recovery coming back from a longterm injury,” Hines said about Marta’s penalty. “And you don’t want anyone else stepping up for that penalty other than her. She’s been in them moments so often, on the biggest stage, so we have full confidence in her hitting the back of the net in that moment.”
It’s the second time this year that the Pride have scored first against the Spirit. On May 10, it was Tori Hansen scoring a backheel in the Challenge Cup. This one was more expected, as it was created and converted by two of the Pride’s best attacking players.
Unfortunately, the lead didn’t last long as the Spirit answered right back. In the 28th minute, Marta wasn’t quick enough to the ball near the top of the box, giving the ball up to Brooks. The right back’s cross was deflected out by Adriana for a corner kick.
Ashley Hatch took the corner, playing it short to Ines Jaurena. The French midfielder sent a cross into the box that found the head of Staab. Cluff was defending the center back, but fell as the ball came in. Since Cluff was between Montefusco and Staab, the center back couldn’t challenge for the ball, and Moorhouse initially decided to come out, then changed her mind, getting caught in between decisions, as Staab put it past her to even the game at 1-1.
The Pride had a decent chance to regain the lead in the 39th minute, when quick play between Marta and Abello resulted in the latter attempting a cross. Gabrielle Carle blocked it out of play for a corner kick. Adriana’s cross found Montefusco at the near post, but her header was wide.
Less than a minute later, Rodman showed her skill and speed, dribbling past McCutcheon and into the Pride box. She had a split second before Madril came over for support, getting her shot off between the two. Rodman got over the ball, but it was right at Moorhouse, who caught the attempt.
The Pride had another chance in the 44th minute when Strom played the ball for Bright making a diagonal run in the box. Bright received the ball with her back to goal, but McKeown knocked it out for a corner. The ensuing set piece by Adriana found Strom near the back post, but she couldn’t get over the ball and it sailed over the target.
After 45 minutes, the Spirit had more possession (55.9%-44.1%), shots on goal (4-2), crosses (9-7), and passing accuracy (80.6%-72.5%). The Pride had more shot attempts (6-5), and both teams had three corner kicks.
The Spirit almost got the first chance of the second half when Sanchez played a great ball down the left for Rodman, sending her behind McCutcheon. The forward sent a dangerous ball through the Pride box, but nobody was there to get on the end of it.
The Pride’s first second-half chance came in the 49th minute when Bright made a long run from near midfield into the Washington box. She used her speed to get by Staab, but the center back was able to stay with her, forcing Bright’s shot into the side of the net.
Moorhouse has taken some criticism for her early-season play, but she came up with some big saves to keep her team in the game. In the 53rd minute, Jaurena found Rodman on the right and the forward sent Sanchez through on goal. Moorhouse came off her line to greet the attacker, taking it off her foot. However, the assistant’s flag went up for the initial ball to Rodman.
Two minutes later, Andi Sullivan attempted a long-distance shot. It looked to be headed just under the crossbar, but Moorhouse did well to tip it over.
The ensuing corner landed at the foot of Dorian Bailey, who came on at halftime for Brooks,. She attempted her own long shot, but Moorhouse dove to her right to knock it wide.
“She didn’t have a lot to do last week against Gotham, but today she came up massive for us,” Hines said about Moorhouse’s performance against Washington. “It’s so important that everyone does their job. You know, the work that the players in front, have to run, have to battle, have to fight, and she’s there as a safety. And the saves that she made really, they were so important for us to get the three points today.”
The Pride had their own close attempt in the 63rd minute. After Bailey knocked the ball out for a corner, Adriana sent the ball to the near post where Strom was charging in. The left back got her head on the ball, flicking it towards the far post, but missed just wide.
In the 66th minute, Strom sent a long ball into the box for Bright, just missing the striker. That was the last action for the rookie, as she was replaced by Ally Watt, the Pride’s first substitution of the game.
The Pride retook the lead in the 77th minute from a set piece. It started when Adriana’s shot was blocked wide by McKeown. Marta’s corner was perfectly placed, sailing just over Lena Silano and finding the head of Strom at the back post. The left back’s header was past Kingsbury, giving the Pride a 2-1 lead.
“We’ve been working on that exact play,” Strom said about the game-winner. “(Pride Goalkeeper Coach) Paul (Crichton) has drew that up time and time again, every game, scouting set pieces, so credit to him. Marta, absolutely perfect service. I really honestly didn’t have to do too much. I was just in the right place at the right time. And yeah, it was great. Great delivery, great goal.”
“Today it was not my best day with the set pieces, especially in the corner. Maybe I have three or four on my side and two was so bad,” Marta said about her assist. “And then I come to the third one, and then I talked to myself and talked to God and say, ‘Hey, I know I can do that.’ And then I put the ball in the right place and then she was there to score.”
In the 84th minute, the Pride had a chance when McKeown pushed Adriana down from behind near the Spirit box, picking up a yellow card in the process. Marta stepped up to take the kick, sending a low shot towards the bottom of the near post. But Kingsbury did well to get down and save it.
On the other end, Carle had a chance when she got behind Marta. She moved in towards goal from the left, allowing Marta to catch up to her. The Brazilian deflected the shot into the arms of Moorhouse at the near post.
The Spirit had one last chance at the end of the game when McCutcheon fouled Rodman just inside their own half of the field. Stabb sent the set piece into the box, but Moorhouse came out to catch and fall on it. That was the last play of the game as Snyder blew the final whistle.
The Pride ended the game with more shots (14-9), but the Spirit had more possession (55.9%-44.1%) and shots on target (6-4). Additionally, the Pride had more corners (7-5) and the Spirit had more crosses (18-17).
“We knew it was gonna be a tough game,” Hines said about the performance. “You know, Washington are unbeaten in the league. Very physical and I thought we managed the game really well. Pleased with the goals. You know, we changed shape, we changed our formation, having played them earlier on in Challenge Cup, so we knew what they’re capable of. We knew that they were threatening and I thought it was a big collective effort to get the three points.”
With this win, the Pride have now won three of their last four regular season games and their last two at home. After losing their first four games, they’re now on a four-game unbeaten run (3-0-1), lifting them up to seventh in the NWSL standings, with 10 points from eight games.
Having beaten the NWSL’s first-place team, the Pride will now look to continue their unbeaten run against the team at the bottom of the standings, when they face the Chicago Red Stars next Saturday night in Illinois.
The Orlando Pride have announced the club’s 2025 preseason roster consisting of 30 players, with one of those (Mariana Larroquette) currently out on loan in Argentina. Another player, forward Amanda Allen, was formerly on loan with the USL Super League’s Lexington Sporting Club, but that loan was terminated when Allen was placed on the Season Ending Injury list on Dec. 9, 2024, with a torn labrum.
The Pride return all of their core players from the 2024 team that won the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship, including 98% of the player-minutes from last season and all of the team’s goal-scoring from a year ago. Almost all of the players who competed in the team’s incredible season are back from a team that broke league records for points, wins, clean sheets, consecutive shutout minutes, consecutive wins, and consecutive games unbeaten.
New faces for 2025 include two off-season signees — goalkeeper Kat Asman and defender Zara Chavoshi, the first player the Pride signed directly out of college since the league’s removal of the NWSL Draft.
The roster is made up of four goalkeepers, just eight defenders (compared to 12 a year ago), nine midfielders, and nine forwards. One of those forwards, Larroquette, is on loan with Newell’s Old Boys Women of the Campeonato de Fútbol Femenino in Argentina’s top flight.
The 30-player roster includes three non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.
DeAira Jackson was the 2024 WAC Goalkeeper of the Year and a member of the All-WAC first team following her last collegiate season. After playing two seasons at Cal State Fullerton, she transferred to Grand Canyon University and became the school’s all-time shutout leader with 16 in just two seasons. Nine of those came in her senior campaign, which set the school record for most clean sheets in a season. She was also the Outrigger No Ka Oi Tournament MVP and a two-time WAC Player of the Week in 2024. The Fontana, CA native appeared in 43 matches for Grand Canyon across two seasons, compiling a record of 25-11-7, the aforementioned 16 shutouts, a 0.89 goals-against average and a save percentage of .781, facing 415 shots in 3,754 minutes.
Mahrt played three seasons at the University of Wisconsin, appearing in 62 games (61 starts) and playing 4,503 minutes. The Milwaukee, WI native scored 21 goals and added 15 assists, putting 78 of her 114 shots on target. Eight of her goals were game winners. Mahrt started all 21 games in her senior season, leading the Badgers in goals (10) and assists (4). She has represented the United States at the youth level with both the U-14 and U-16 sides. Her soccer lineage includes a great grandfather who played for the Malaysian National Team.
Simone Jackson is a Redondo Beach, CA native who played four seasons at USC, appearing in 73 games (51 starts), scoring 22 goals, and adding 13 assists. In 4,204 career minutes, she fired 192 shots, putting 88 on target and scoring six game winners. She was a member of the All-Big Ten third team following the 2024 campaign, a first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2022, a third-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2023 and 2021, and a 2021 Pac 12 All-Freshman Team honoree. She has represented the U.S. at multiple youth levels, including at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, in which she scored for the United States in a 3-1 loss to Japan. Jackson has also participated at every level starting at U-14.
Simone comes from a family with a tremendous athletic pedigree. Her grandfather, John Jackson, was USC football’s running backs coach and offensive coordinator from 1976-81; her father, John Jackson Jr., played both football and baseball at USC from 1986-89 before brief stints with four NFL teams in the 1990s and playing minor league baseball. Her brother, John Jackson III, played wide receiver at USC and is currently with the Chicago Bears organization.
The club’s two Zambian players — Barbra Banda and Grace Chanda — are the only ones listed as internationals. Unlike previous years, no players are listed as not yet reported.
The Pride will kick off their 2025 campaign with a rematch of the 2024 NWSL Championship as they face the Washington Spirit in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup on March 7.
2025 Orlando Pride Preseason Roster (as of Jan. 20, 2025):
Goalkeepers (4): Kat Asman, McKinley Crone, Anna Moorhouse, DeAira Jackson (NRI).
Defenders (8): Kerry Abello, Zara Chavoshi, Cori Dyke, Brianna Martinez, Carson Pickett, Rafaelle (SEI), Emily Sams, Kylie Strom.
Midfielders (9): Angelina, Grace Chanda (INTL – Zambia, SEI), Morgan Gautrat, Ally Lemos, Luana (SEI), Aryssa Mahrt (NRI), Marta, Haley McCutcheon, Viviana Villacorta.
Forwards (9): Adriana, Amanda Allen (SEI), Barbra Banda (INTL – Zambia), Simone Charley (SEI), Julie Doyle, Simone Jackson (NRI), Mariana Larroquette (LOAN), Ally Watt, Summer Yates.
Key
INTL: International Player
NRI: Non-Roster Invitee
NYR: Not Yet Reported
SEI: Finished 2024 on the Season-Ending Injury list
LOAN: On loan
Orlando Pride
Pride Ready to Make a Run for the 2025 Title with a Core from 2024
Comparing and analyzing the percentage of returning minutes and goals for the Pride to those of previous NWSL playoff champions.
During my son’s soccer practice earlier this week I was walking around the park and came upon a basketball court where there was a game going on. One team made a basket to win the game, and a player from the losing team immediately yelled out a phrase that is familiar to anyone who has ever played pickup. “Run that back,” the player said, indicating that they wanted to play another game right away with the same players. The winning team acquiesced, and off they went. Off I went as well, as I did not want to make it awkward by standing there continuing to watch 10 people I did not even know playing pickup hoops in Winter Park.
It was probably already awkward. Oh well.
It was fitting, however, that those players were talking about running it back while I was around a soccer practice, because just a few miles away — in Sylvan Lake Park — the Orlando Pride are preparing for their 2025 NWSL season. And now that Marta has re-signed with the club for two more seasons, the Pride are bringing back nearly every player from the 2024 season. It is not everyone, but the Pride are bringing back a cool 98% of all the minutes played during the 2024 NWSL regular season.
Only four players who played any minutes during that season have departed — Carrie Lawrence (288 minutes), Evelina Duljan (174), Celia (74), and Mariana Larroquette (52), though she is only on loan and is scheduled to be back in the summer, taking their combined five starts and 593 minutes with them — but that leaves more than 25,000 of the 2024 minutes played returning to the Pride for 2025.
Throughout the 2024 season we received indications that the front office really liked the makeup of the group already on hand, as during the year they signed McKinley Crone, Julie Doyle, Cori Dyke, Morgan Gautrat, Brianna Martinez, Viviana Villacorta, Ally Watt, and Summer Yates to new contracts. Most of these were completed in the early to middle part of the season, so even before the team had clinched the regular-reason title and entered the playoffs it was clear that the club felt like it had a good mix of players for the present and the future.
All of these players already being under contract through at least 2025 have made for a very quiet off-season for the Pride so far, and then when Marta made her announcement last week, it cemented the incredibly high percentage of returning minutes. “How high,” you ask in your best Redman or Method Man voice? I already mentioned it was 98%, but of all the NWSL teams who have ever won a championship, that 98% ranks first for returning minutes and represents one of only two seasons when the champion brought back more than 90% of the team’s minutes played from its championship season.
Because the Pride brought back nearly all of their minutes played, it should not be a surprise that they also brought back nearly all of the goals they scored. Except they did not bring back nearly all of the goals they scored, they brought back all 43 of the goals (excluding own goals) they scored during the 2024 season. All of them! The Pride are the first playoff champion in NWSL history to return 100% of the goals scored during their championship season, as you can see from this chart below, which details each playoff champion and the percentage of minutes and goals that returned for the subsequent season. It also shows what place the team finished during the subsequent regular season and playoffs:
The 2018 Courage are clearly the closest proxy to the 2024 Pride, and I like what I see when I look off to the right in that chart, because that team brought back almost all of its minutes and goals and then went ahead and finished first during the subsequent regular season and won it all during the playoffs. I am not saying that the Pride will do the same in 2025, but I am not not saying it either. Give me a few weeks to get my preseason predictions in order and I may actually say it loudly and (being that they are the Pride) proudly.
There are counterexamples as well, as the 2016 Western New York Flash (who became the North Carolina Courage in 2017), 2021 Washington Spirit, and 2022 Portland Thorns all brought back more than 80% of their minutes and 90% of their goals and did not win the playoffs, but both teams were highly successful during the subsequent regular season and won playoff games, though they did not repeat as champions.
One of the more interesting things about the 2025 Pride will be that they will have tremendous continuity with all of their returning minutes and goals, but they will also have continuity with four players who were with the club in 2024 but did not play or barely played due to injury/illness. Neither Simone Charley nor Grace Chanda suited up for the Pride at all last season, but both are experienced players who had been expected to contribute to the team before their injuries. Luana and Viviana Villacorta both did play a little bit — Luana in the beginning of the season and Villacorta at the end. Luana had been starting before her diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma ended her 2024 season, and Villacorta played more than 1,000 minutes during each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons before an injury kept her out for most of 2024.
All four of these players are currently listed on the 2025 roster, and as they return to full fitness it will almost be like four brand new signings of players who are clearly NWSL quality players, providing not only depth but also pushing the starters to stay sharp, lest they lose their role to someone challenging for their minutes. Brand new signings often take time to settle in, but these four will be familiar with the club, the coaches, and their teammates, which a huge advantage for the Pride.
Former NBA coach and current front office executive Pat Riley coined the phrase “the disease of more” to reflect what often happens to championship teams during the year after they win their title, as players want more for themselves, be it credit, media coverage, playing time, money, status, etc. Riley said that “success is often the first step toward disaster,” and while I quibble with the word “often” in that quote, I do think it can be true in sports. The Pride will get everyone’s best shot (figuratively, and sometimes literally) in 2025, and to repeat as champions they will have to do a lot of what they did in 2024 while also evolving some as well.
Bringing back nearly all of the same players helps with the repeating of last season’s excellent form, and “adding” those injured players who did not play last season, plus rookie defender Zara Chavoshi and free agent goalkeeper Kat Asman, will bring some new vibes and claws-sharpening-claws energy to the 2025 squad.
The Pride’s season kicks off in early March, and while the roster could still change in the next seven weeks, I think that it is likely that who they have right now is who will be wearing purple in the opening match.
I am looking forward to seeing them run it back while going on a title run.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride Loan Forward Mariana Larroquette to Newell’s Old Boys Women
The Argentine forward is going home to get some minutes until July 1.
The Orlando Pride announced today that forward Mariana Larroquette is going on loan to Newell’s Old Boys Women in her native Argentina until July 1. The move will keep the seldom-used attacker out of the Pride lineup until midseason, but she’ll be able to get some playing time that could prove beneficial to Orlando in the season’s second half.
“We’re excited to find an opportunity for ‘Larro’ to gain meaningful minutes while also being an ambassador for the women’s game in her home country Argentina, as they get set to host the CONMEBOL Championships this summer,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “This will be a great move for her both professionally and personally, and we’re excited to see what she achieves while on loan.”
The Pride signed Larroquette on July 6, 2023 — just prior to her involvement in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup — on a contract through 2025. The former Club León, Sporting CP, and Kansas City forward and Argentine international was expected to bolster an Orlando attack that was in need of more goals. It hasn’t worked out that way, even though she scored her first Pride goal and added an assist in her first appearance with Orlando in a 5-0 destruction of the Chicago Red Stars at home on Aug. 20, 2023. That remains her only NWSL goal since joining Orlando.
The 32-year-old made just four appearances during the 2024 regular season — all off the bench — logging 48 total minutes. She did not contribute a goal or an assist or even attempt a shot. Larroquette completed just 41.2% of her 17 passes. She started once in three appearances in the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, playing 107 minutes without a goal contribution and attempting three shots. Larroquette did not appear in the Pride’s postseason run to the NWSL Championship.
In her Pride career so far, Larroquette has made just 12 appearances in all competitions, starting just one time, scoring one goal, and contributing one assist.
What It Means for Orlando
Ultimately, this is a chance for Larroquette to get some minutes and perhaps improve her form. Although she provided depth last season, she was rarely used. Playing for the Lepers (seriously, that’s the team’s nickname, which is even stranger than Newell’s Old Boys Women) will get Larroquette playing time in the Campeonato de Fútbol Femenino close to home. This could be the precursor to her departing Orlando for good if she isn’t a good fit for Seb Hines’ tactical approach. At 32, Larroquette is unlikely to bring a windfall to the Pride in a transfer, but she has shown she can be a useful player off the bench when needed in recent years, and has been able to contribute on the international level for Argentina.
This is a move that can help Larroquette re-establish her game and show whether she is still capable of providing offense to her club — whether that ends up being the Pride or another team. As she has not been seeing the field much, there shouldn’t be a big impact to Orlando while she’s away, and it is possible we’ve seen the last of her in a Pride uniform.
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