Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (0-3-1, 1 point) return home to face the Washington Spirit (2-3-0, 6 points) for their last home Challenge Cup game of 2023. This is the second and final Challenge Cup match between the two teams this season.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

The Pride and Spirit have faced off 22 times since the Pride joined the NWSL in 2016. Orlando has a record of 7-8-7 in all competitions against Washington. This includes a 1-2-1 record in Challenge Cup play and a 5-2-4 record in Orlando.

The two teams have already met three times this season, facing each other on May 10 at Audi Field in the NWSL Challenge Cup, May 20 at Exploria Stadium, and July 1 at Audi Field in the regular-season play. The most recent meeting saw the Pride dominate the Spirit away from home. Julie Doyle got the Pride off to a great start, scoring a brace inside 16 minutes. A Tara McKeown own goal in the second half secured the 3-0 win.

The meeting prior to the July game capped off the Pride’s four-game unbeaten run in May. Marta converted a penalty to give Orlando the lead, but Sam Staab equalized five minutes later. Kylie Strom’s goal gave the Pride the surprising win over one of the top teams in the league.

The teams were heavily rotated in their Challenge Cup game 10 days prior. However, the Pride got off to a great start when Tori Hansen scored on a backheel in the 10th minute. But the hosts took over late in the first half with long-distance goals by Lena Silano, Staab, and Marissa Sheva. Ally Watt got one back early in the second half, but Ashley Sanchez put it away in second-half injury time, resulting in a 4-2 loss for the Pride.

The last regular-season clash was on July 17, 2022 at Audi Field. The Spirit dominated the game statistically, with more possession, shots, and shots on target, but they couldn’t find the back of the net, resulting in a scoreless draw.

The previous game was on May 27 at Exploria Stadium. Trinity Rodman gave the Spirit the lead early and Ashley Hatch doubled the lead after halftime. As the game entered second-half stoppage time, it appeared as though the Pride would fall for the second straight time, but a pair of late goals by Mikayla Cluff and Darian Jenkins stunned Washington with a 2-2 draw.

Prior to the draw in May, the Pride and Spirit played two games in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. The first was on March 19 in Orlando. The Pride had less possession and fewer shots, but a strong defensive effort allowed them to come away with a scoreless draw. The second Challenge Cup meeting came on April 3 at Audi Field. Gunny Jonsdottir scored the team’s first goal in four games. However, the Spirit already had a 3-0 lead. Rodman scored a late goal to put the game away as the Pride fell 4-1.

The two teams played four times during 2021. The first was on April 21 in the Challenge Cup. Sydney Leroux’s goal was the only scoring as the Pride won 1-0. Just two games later, the Pride opened their regular season by hosting the Spirit on May 16. Hatch gave Washington the lead, but Alex Morgan equalized to claim a 1-1 draw. The second regular-season meeting last year was on June 6 in Washington. Hatch opened the scoring, but Taylor Kornieck equalized minutes later, resulting in a 1-1 draw. The final meeting of 2021 came Aug. 22 at Audi Field. Marta gave the Pride the lead but Hatch equalized just two minutes later. It looked like it would be a third straight 1-1 draw but Sanchez won it for Washington late.

Due to the pandemic, the Pride and Spirit didn’t play in 2020 but faced off three times in 2019. The first was on July 6 in Orlando. Marta scored a brace in the second half, leading the Pride to a 4-3 win. They played again on Aug. 24 in Washington. Crystal Thomas gave the hosts the lead and Marta equalized. But Hatch’s goal lifted the Spirit to a 2-1 win. The final game was supposed to be the following weekend, but was postponed due to Hurricane Dorian. Instead, the game was played Oct. 9 in Orlando. The Spirit dominated the rubber match, beating the Pride 3-0.

The first of two meetings in 2018 was on March 31 at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Hatch scored a goal and added an assist in a 2-0 win for the Spirit. The Pride got their revenge in the second game in the same location. Alanna Kennedy’s goal was the difference as the Pride won 1-0. The final meeting that year was on July 7 in Orlando. Hatch gave the Spirit the lead, but Leroux scored just before halftime and Marta’s goal gave Orlando the win.

The 2017 season was the first time the teams played three times in a year. Their April 22 meeting was the Pride’s first home game that year. Line Sigvardsen-Jensen gave the visitors the lead, but Danica Evans answered as the teams drew 1-1. They met for the second time that year in Maryland on July 8 when Marta and Mallory Pugh both scored braces in a 2-2 draw. The final game in 2018 was on Aug. 8 in Orlando. Marta, Camila, and Morgan all scored as the Pride ran away with a 3-0 win.

The Spirit swept the first two meetings in 2016, winning 2-0 in Maryland and 2-1 in Orlando.

Overview

Prior to the World Cup break, the Pride won back-to-back games against the Spirit and OL Reign. The break came at a bad time for the Pride as they had started climbing up the standings. Due to postponements earlier in the season against NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Pride had four Challenge Cup games remaining. They’ve gotten off to a rough start with a 3-1 loss to Gotham and a 5-0 drubbing by the North Carolina Courage last weekend in Cary.

The top team in each of the three divisions and the top second-place team advance to the semifinal. The loss in North Carolina officially eliminated any possibility that the Pride could advance in this tournament. Nonetheless, they have two remaining games until the regular season restarts on Aug. 20.

To be fair to the Pride, they’ve been without some key players who have been away at the World Cup. Marta and Adriana have been with Brazil, who were eliminated earlier this week. Rafaelle and Mariana Larroquette are new signings and have also been in Australia and New Zealand, but have been eliminated.

Tonight’s opponents are fifth in the regular season but third in the East division. They’re currently without six players who are at the World Cup. Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury, midfielder Andi Sullivan, and attackers Sanchez and Rodman are with the United States. Riley Tanner and Sheva have been with Panama and Ireland, respectively.

The Spirit are led offensively by Hatch, who many feel should’ve been with the U.S. National Team, but has been leading the Spirit after being left off the USWNT roster by Vlatko Andonovski. However, the Spirit are without two of their three key attacking players while Sanchez and Rodman are away.

Despite losing their starting goalkeeper to the World Cup, the Spirit still have most of their starting back line. But they’ve conceded eight goals in their last two games. The Pride have only scored once in the two games during the World Cup break, so the lack of defensive success might not be too concerning for the visitors.

This is the last Challenge Cup game for the Spirit and the penultimate game in the competition for the Pride. Both teams have been eliminated but would like to build some momentum heading back into league play near the end of the month.

“We need a reaction from our last performance,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s game. “The game against North Carolina wasn’t good enough and we need to react off that and put on a performance in front of our fans against Washington Spirit.”

The Pride have three players out injured this week. Carrie Lawrence (knee) is still out for the season and joined on the injury list by Thais Reiss (abdomen) and Celia (thigh). The Spirit have five players injured, including Anna Heilferty (knee), Civana Kuhlmann (knee), Ines Jaurema (knee), McKeown (lower leg), and Ouleymata Sarr (lower leg). They’re also without their four players on international duty with the U.S. — Kingsbury, Rodman, Sanchez, and Sullivan.

---

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Kylie Strom, Emily Madril, Caitlin Cosme, Brianna Martinez.

Midfielders: Kerry Abello, Jordyn Listro, Mikayla Cluff.

Forwards: Julie Doyle, Ally Watt, Summer Yates.

Bench: Carly Nelson, Megan Montefusco, Amanda Allen, Messiah Bright, Tori Hansen, Maliah Morris, Erika Tymrak, Viviana Villacorta, Haley McCutcheon.

Washington Spirit (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Nicole Barnhart.

Defenders: Maddie Elwell, Sam Staab, Jordan Thompson, Dorian Bailey.

Defensive Midfielders: Paige Metayer, Amber Brooks.

Midfielders: Lena Silano, Chloe Ricketts, Camryn Biegalski.

Forwards: Ashley Hatch.

Bench: Lyza Bosselmann, Annaig Butel, Nicole Douglas, Bayley Feist, Tori Huster, Mariana Speckmaier.

Referees

REF: Brad Jensen.
AR1: Melissa Beck.
AR2: Kendall McCardell.
4TH: Richonne Clark.
VAR: Alyssa Nichols.
AVAR: Eric Weisbrod.

---

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Exploria Stadium — Orlando.

TV: None.

Streaming: Paramount+ (U.S.), 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!