The Orlando Pride (7-8-1, 22 points) had their best performance of the year in their first game after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup break, crushing the Chicago Red Stars (5-10-1, 16 points) 5-0. Rafaelle and Mariana Larroquette both scored on their debuts for the team and Messiah Bright scored the first brace of her young career. The fifth goal was by midfielder Mikayla Cluff.

The return of the World Cup participants meant that Marta and Adriana rejoined the lineup. Rafaelle also entered the lineup at center back, replacing Megan Montefusco and making her Pride debut. The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Kylie Strom, Emily Madril, Rafaelle, and Haley McCutcheon. Viviana Villacorta and Kerry Abello were in the defensive midfield behind Julie Doyle, Marta, and Adriana, with Bright up top.

And now, your Pride Starting XI 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/ROgZEnQROJ

— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) August 20, 2023

Similar to their first meeting in Illinois on May 27, the Pride dominated this game from start to finish. Other than a brief flurry of blocked shots in the first half, Chicago couldn’t get anything going offensively. However, while the Pride were unable to hit the target in their first meeting, they put five behind Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher in this one.

The Pride dominated possession in the opening minutes, creating all of the opportunities in the opposing end. In the 11th minute, Marta attempted to play Bright behind the Chicago defense, but the rookie striker wasn’t expecting it. Two minutes later, Rafaelle sent a terrific ball behind the back line for Bright. Unfortunately, her first touch was too heavy, allowing Naeher to collect it.

The first shot of the game came in the 13th minute, when Doyle, who the Pride were constantly playing to outside early, sent a low cross into the box. It looked like the defense would easily clear, but there was some miscommunication. Marta took advantage, reaching in to put the ball on goal. However, the close-range shot was right to Naeher.

The Pride finally took the lead in the 14th minute from a corner kick. Adriana and Marta stood over the ball, with Adriana stepping over it. Marta’s cross was outside of the six-yard box and beyond the back post, where Rafaelle got her head to it. The newly-signed Brazilian sent the ball towards the opposite post where it beat Naeher for the opening goal.

STORYBOOK GOAL FOR @Rafaelleleone!

9 years after her last NWSL appearance
15 minutes into her Orlando debut pic.twitter.com/oRY49HcS4x

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 20, 2023

“Obviously, Rafa is a world class center half,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about the opening goal. “And you know, she’s been threatening in her career off set pieces, and it’s nice to get that early goal. Nice for her to get that goal early on as well.”

Less than a minute later, McCutcheon nearly doubled the Pride’s lead. She attempted to play the ball across for Bright, but it was blocked right back to her. The right back’s second ball was a shot towards the far post that sent Naeher diving, but it went just wide of the post.

Marta came close to scoring in her first game back with the team in the 19th minute, when Doyle’s low cross was cleared out by Kayla Sharples. The clearance went to Marta outside of the box and the Pride captain took an ambitious shot on goal. It was a good strike, but went just over the crossbar.

The Pride doubled their lead in the 24th minute when McCutcheon blocked a long-distance attempt by Penelope Hocking — Chicago’s first shot of the game. She played the ball forward for Doyle, who immediately sent Bright into the Red Stars half. Hocking slid in with a very late challenge on Doyle, but referee Anya Voigt waved play on. Taylor Malham was on the striker, but left her too much space. Bright took advantage of the room, sending the ball inside the far post to give the Pride a 2-0 lead.

Watching this unreal @messiah_bright goal on repeat 🔁 pic.twitter.com/9aYijy6sJj

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 20, 2023

“I think when you just think about it in the moment and think it’s just picking your moments, I’m usually more of an attacking player that looks to go in the box,” Bright said about her first goal of the night. “So I think just trusting myself with my shot and knowing that I do have the range to kick it outside of the 18 as well. So I just took a chance and just really just had a good technique on it.”

“I think we’ve had games before where we’ve had those chances in the first 15, 20 minutes and we haven’t put them away,” Madril said about scoring two goals early. “And then it just puts more pressure on us to try to get that goal and then we have to work harder to just get those goals. So I think it’s great to get those two goals early and kind of let things calm down and kind of play or composed soccer and keep the ball and have Chicago chase the whole time.”

Before the Red Stars could restart, Voigt went back to the challenge on Doyle, issuing Hocking a yellow card for the late challenge.

Bright had a chance for a first-half brace in the 29th minute when a quick give-and-go between the rookie and Marta sent Bright behind the Red Stars defense. She got herself in position to shoot as she entered the box with Malham closing in, but the attempt was right to Naeher.

After only taking one shot in the first 34 minutes, the Red Stars had two good chances in the 35th minute. Strom attempted to shield St-Georges from the ball near her own end line, but St-Georges was able to play it back for Ava Cook. The forward took a touch to create space from Rafaelle and shot. Fortunately, Madril was backing her fellow center back up and blocked it. The rebound went right back to Cook, who laid it off for Yuki Nagasato behind her. Nagasato’s shot beat Rafaelle, but was blocked by Strom.

A minute later, the Red Stars forced Moorhouse into her first stop of the game when Casey Krueger found Hocking to her left. Hocking had some space for a shot and tried to beat Moorhouse to her near post, but the Pride goalkeeper got down to block it out of play.

The Red Stars had one more first-half opportunity in the 36th minute, when Nagasato found Julia Bianchi outside of the Pride box. The midfielder took a shot from distance, but Madril stepped in front of it for the block. The small flurry of chances was the only Chicago threat in the first half and the Pride were able to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

After 45 minutes, the Red Stars had more possession (51.7%-48.3%), but the Pride had more shots (9-5), shots on target (4-1), and crosses (11-7), and better passing accuracy (85.5%-81.2%). Both teams had two corners in the first half.

It looked like the Red Stars might get back into the game in the 49th minute when Krueger sent a long ball for Jenna Bike, who came on at halftime for St-Georges. Bike got behind the Pride defense, but Strom slid in to take the ball away. Hocking and Bike, who went down on the play, threw their arms in the air, claiming it should’ve been a penalty. But Voigt decided it was a clean challenge.

The Pride quickly went the other way with Adriana playing it forward for Marta. The Brazilian used the outside of her left foot to send Bright behind the Red Stars defense. Naeher came out of the box to challenge the striker, but Bright remained calm, dribbling around her and putting it in for her second goal of the night.

Simply in awe.

The @martavieiras10 pass. The @messiah_bright finish. pic.twitter.com/7Z5F8cspd5

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 21, 2023

“The main thing that was going through my mind was just making sure I stayed even with the back line so I wouldn’t be caught offside,” Bright said about the goal. “But also just having that separation as well to break off once she passed. It is quite amazing how she got the ball through there. It’s Marta, so I mean, couldn’t expect nothing less. But my main thing was once she played it, I saw Naeher coming out, so I just went around her and the goal was wide open. I was kind of getting off balance a little bit so my main thing was just placing it, putting a little heat on it, and just redirecting it in the goal.”

It was Bright’s sixth goal of the season, tying her for fifth in the league. It’s also her first career brace, something the rookie says she’s been aiming for.

“I’ve been searching for that career brace for a minute now,” Bright said. “So it was pretty, you know, good to just get that. And I was actually aiming for a hat trick but, you know, take it a game at a time.”

Chicago had a chance to get one back in the 59th minute when Bianchi’s long-distance shot was blocked out of play by Rafaelle. The ensuing corner kick got under the arm and Moorhouse, but, fortunately, the Pride were able to clear.

Hines made his first changes of the game in the 60th minute. Cluff, Larroquette, and Jordyn Listro entered the game for Doyle, Bright, and Villacorta.

It didn’t take long for Larroquette to make an impact as she scored 3:46 into her Pride debut. The new forward received the ball on the left side of the box from Cluff and cut inside to beat her defender. The Argentine placed her shot with her right foot past Naeher and into the top corner to give the Pride a 4-0 lead.

Mariana Larroquette checks in for her Pride debut 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/gWmZcs5HZu

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 21, 2023

“For Larroquette, you know, coming in and, you know, you can see the hunger that she brings to try and score.”Hines said about the new striker. “Every moment she wants to score.”

Four minutes later, the Pride scored a fifth and it was another substitute. Cluff played Adriana down the right and the Brazilian used some good footwork to beat Amanda Kowalski. Cluff continued her run into the box and Adriana found her. Cluff’s first touch was a soft shot inside the far post to give the Pride a 5-0 lead.

5️⃣ goals for Orlando tonight as Mikayla Cluff buries a pretty pass from Adrianna pic.twitter.com/I2W9s3H1sz

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 21, 2023

With the game well under control, the Pride made two final changes. Megan Montefusco came on for Rafaelle in the 70th minute and Summer Yates replaced Adriana in the 73rd minute.

The Pride nearly had a sixth in the 82nd minute when Abello beat her defender and sent a cross towards the top of the six-yard box. Naeher tried to knock the ball away, but only put it in front for Larroquette. Unfortunately, the Argentinian couldn’t get her foot on the ball and the Red Stars cleared.

Chicago had a chance to get on the scoresheet in the 85th minute when Ella Stevens sent fellow substitute Ally Schlegel behind the Pride defense. Schlegel’s first touch should’ve been a shot on goal, but it was a heavy one instead. Moorhouse came out to challenge and the two collided, resulting in the ball rolling out of play. Moorhouse was down briefly and required medical attention, but was able to continue.

The fourth official put up six minutes of second-half stoppage time, but the Pride were content with their five-goal lead. The only chance in the dying minutes came in the first minute of added time when Krueger did well to keep possession in the Pride box and send the ball towards the penalty spot. Cari Roccaro met the ball and took a shot, but Madril got in front of the attempt, blocking it wide.

The Red Stars finished the game with more possession (51.1%-48.9%) and corner kicks (6-4), but weren’t able to create much from them. The Pride had more shots (13-9), shots on target (7-1), and crosses (17-15), and better passing accuracy (85.6%-82.8%).

“The players were brilliant today,” Hines said about the performance. “From start to finish, the intensity of how they did everything, from attacking to defending. We talked heavily about taking our opportunities, end product in the final third. And, you know, they were brilliant. I can’t speak highly (enough) of them. You know, we’ve felt like that performance has been coming. But it’s nice to finally get a good score line at the end of it.”

The five goals are the most the Pride have scored in a game since May 26, 2018 when they beat the Red Stars in Illinois, 5-2. It’s their largest win since Aug. 12, 2017 when they won 5-0 over Sky Blue FC at Exploria Stadium. It’s also the first time that the Pride have beaten the Red Stars in Orlando, now with a record of 1-7-1 at home against tonight’s opposition.

In addition to team history, the Pride also set some league history tonight. They did that earlier this year by conceding the latest goals in league history, but this time it was positive. Brazilians Marta, Adriana, and Rafaelle all had a part in goals, the first time in NWSL history that three players from the same country other than the United States had goal contributions in the same game.

It was a clutch performance for the Pride as they attempt to qualify for the NWSL playoffs for the first time since 2017. Racing Louisville lost last night, so the Pride move in front of them into seventh place. The final playoff spot is currently held by San Diego Wave FC, which is three points ahead of the Pride after this weekend’s games.

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The win makes the Pride’s next match even more essential as they welcome the Wave to Exploria Stadium Friday night with a chance to climb even on points for the sixth and final playoff spot.