Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride cap off their 2023 NWSL regular season campaign against the Houston Dash with a playoff spot on the line.
Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (9-11-1, 28 points) wrap up the 2023 regular season hosting the Houston Dash (6-7-8, 26 points) at Exploria Stadium. This is the second time the two teams will meet this season and both teams are fighting for a playoff spot.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
The Pride and Dash have played 19 times since the Pride joined the NWSL in 2016. Orlando has a 6-9-2 record against the Dash in regular-season play and a 4-4-1 record in home regular-season games. Additionally, the teams played two Fall Series games in 2020, both of which were won by the Dash.
The most recent matchup between the two teams was on June 3 in Houston. The Pride had trouble playing the ball out of the back and were hit on the counterattack, leading to a difficult night. Sophie Hirst gave the hosts the lead in the sixth minute and Michelle Alozie doubled the advantage just before halftime. Despite having more possession and shots, the Pride fell 2-0 for their second consecutive loss.
The first meeting in 2022 was on June 3 in Houston. The hosts were led by a Nichelle Prince hat trick, while Rachel Daly and Alozie added goals in a 5-0 Dash win. It was the last game the Pride played before Head Coach Amanda Cromwell was placed on administrative leave. The return game was on July 8, 2022 in Orlando. Ally Prisock’s own goal was the only scoring as the Pride took the 1-0 win, the second result in a seven-game unbeaten run.
The Pride and Dash played twice during the 2021 season. The first game was on June 26 in Houston. Maria Sanchez and Veronica Latsko gave the hosts a 2-0 lead. Gunny Jonsdottir got one back, but it wasn’t enough as the Dash won 2-1. The second meeting came on Sept. 5 at Exploria Stadium. The Dash took an early lead through Daly. However, Taylor Kornieck equalized late, resulting in a 1-1 draw.
The 2020 NWSL season was canceled due to COVID but these two teams were matched up in the Fall Series. On Sept. 26, 2020 in Houston, Prince put the Dash ahead, but Marisa Viggiano responded just before halftime. Sophie Schmidt gave the hosts another lead and Shea Groom put the game away as Houston took a 3-1 win. The two teams played again on Oct. 9 at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee — the only time the Pride have played at the venue. Groom opened the scoring early and Latsko soon made it 2-0. Sydney Leroux got one back for the hosts, but Houston held on for a 2-1 win.
The Pride and Dash played three times in 2019, with the Pride going 0-2-1. During the first game in Houston on May 5, the Pride only recorded one shot on target. However, Houston only got one goal through Kealia Ohai in a 1-0 win. The second game on June 15 was also in Houston. Joanna Boyles scored her first professional goal to give the Pride the lead, but the Dash scored twice to take the advantage. A Danica Evans conversion allowed the Pride to escape the Oven with a 2-2 draw.
The third and final meeting in 2019 occurred on Aug. 10 in Orlando. The Pride ended the game with nine players as Julie King was sent off in the 61st minute and Marta was sent off in the 85th minute. However, the Dash were only able to convert once — a late penalty by Daly — and won 1-0.
The teams played three times during the 2018 season. The first game was on April 22 in Orlando. Chioma Ubogagu scored the lone goal, leading the Pride to a 1-0 win. They met again in Orlando on June 27. Alex Morgan opened the scoring and the Pride held that lead at the break. But the second half was all Houston, as Ohai and Sofia Huerta scored, resulting in a 2-1 Houston win. The final meeting that season was on July 11 in Houston, where Daly’s brace led the Dash to a 3-1 win.
The Pride and Dash played twice during the 2017 season and the visiting team won both games. The first was on June 17 in Houston. Camila and Alanna Kennedy added to a Marta brace as the Pride took a commanding 4-0 lead. The Dash tried to come back with goals by Poliana and Prince, but the Pride took home a 4-2 win. A week later in Orlando, Carli Lloyd and Daly scored in a 2-0 Houston win.
The teams met four times during the 2016 season — the Pride’s first in existence. The first meeting was the Pride’s first-ever regular-season home game on April 23. An Andressa own goal gave the Pride the lead just after the half before Lianne Sanderson and Morgan made it 3-0 for the hosts. Andressa scored one for her own team, but that was it for Houston as the Pride won 3-1 in front of a then-NWSL record 23,403 fans.
The second meeting was in Houston on May 20. Kristen Edmonds scored the only goal in the 81st minute as the Pride won 1-0. The third meeting that year came on June 23 in Orlando. Jasmyne Spencer broke the scoreless deadlock in second-half injury time as the Pride won 1-0. The fourth and final meeting came on Sept. 3 in Houston. The Dash took a 3-0 lead with goals by Janine Beckie, Poliana, and Ohai. Morgan and Edmonds got the Pride back into the game, but Ohai put it away with her second in a 4-2 Dash win.
Overview
After a four-game losing streak to start the season, the Pride have fought their back into the playoff hunt. They inched closer to the coveted sixth position with a hard-fought 1-0 win away to Angel City FC on Oct. 2, but blew a 2-0 lead to Racing Louisville FC the following Friday night, falling 3-2.
The loss in Kentucky means it all comes down to tonight. The Pride got almost all the help they needed following their game, so a win will likely see them clinch a playoff position for the first time since 2017. The North Carolina Courage and Washington Spirit both sit two points ahead, but they play each other, so three points will see the Pride pass one of them. The only way the Pride can win and miss the postseason is if they only pass one team and Angel City makes up the goal difference. However, there are multiple ways the Pride can clinch a playoff spot.
Houston comes into this game after a devastating home finale last weekend against Angel City. The Dash took a 1-0 lead just before halftime and conceded in the 68th minute when rookie Alyssa Thompson scored. The game looked to be headed for a draw, the perfect result for the Pride, but Savannah McCaskill’s goal in second-half injury time allowed the Los Angeles-based team to take all three points.
The Dash are the best defensive team in the league, so scoring won’t be easy. They’re the only team to concede fewer than 20 goals (17) this season and have given up five fewer goals than the next team. Three points tonight will largely depend on the play of attacking midfielders Adriana, Marta, and Julie Doyle, setting up opportunities for the forward. Adriana came off before halftime against Louisville after suffering a knock leading up to the game, but Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said it was a precaution.
On the attacking end, Houston has scored the fewest goals in the NWSL this year, netting just 16. That’s seven fewer than NJ/NY Gotham FC, which sits next on the list. The Houston attack has come from three players this season, and it’s the three you would expect. Alozie and Maria Sanchez both have four goals and Diana Ordonez has three. Sanchez has been the main playmaker for the team this year, contributing a team-leading four assists. Keeping the Mexican international in check will be a focal point for the Pride defense tonight.
“We’re feeling good,” Hines said heading into tonight’s game. “We’ve had a couple of training sessions since the trip from L.A. to Louisville. They feel ready to go. It’s one game and that’s what it comes down to. We’ve put ourselves in a terrific position and, yeah, we are going to leave everything out on the field and that should be enough.”
The Pride will play this game without Carrie Lawrence (knee), who has been out all year, and Viviana Villacorta (knee), who suffered a season-ending injury during training last month. They’re joined by Thais Reiss (hip), but everyone else is available for selection.
Houston is without several injured players tonight, including Ella Dederick (knee), Emily Curran (knee), Shea Groom (knee), and Havana Solaun (foot). Devon Kerr and Allysha Chapman are also away with excused absences.
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Kylie Strom, Rafaelle, Emily Madril, Haley McCutcheon.
Defensive Midfielders: Kerry Abello, Jordyn Listro.
Midfielders: Erika Tymrak, Marta, Adriana.
Forward: Messiah Bright.
Bench: Carly Nelson, Ally Watt, Mikayla Cluff, Celia, Mariana Larroquette, Julie Doyle, Megan Montefusco, Brianna Martinez, Summer Yates.
Houston Dash (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Jane Campbell.
Defenders: Sarah Puntigam, Natalie Jacobs, Katie Lind, Caprice Dydasco.
Midfielders: Maria Sanchez, Marisa Viggiano, Andressa, Sophie Schmidt.
Forwards: Nichelle Prince, Michelle Alozie.
Bench: Emily Alvarado, Joelle Anderson, Madelyn Desiano, Ryan Gareis, Sophie Hirst, Barbara Olivieri, Diana Ordonez, Courtney Petersen, Ally Prisock.
Referees
REF: Natalie Simon.
AR1: Katarzyna Wasiak.
AR2: Brian Marshall.
4TH: Marie Durr.
VAR: Adorae Monroy.
AVAR: Tom Felice.
How to Watch
Match Time: 5 p.m.
Venue: Exploria Stadium — Orlando.
TV: None.
Streaming: Paramount+ (U.S.), NWSLsoccer.com (International).
Twitter: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @TheManeLand and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).
Enjoy the match. Go Pride!
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride Announce 2025 NWSL Schedule
We now know who, where, and when the Pride will play in 2025 as they seek to defend their two shiny trophies.
The National Women’s Soccer League schedule was released this afternoon, telling us who, where, and when the Orlando Pride will play this year as they look to defend their NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship. The 2025 season once again includes a balanced schedule with each team playing the other 13 teams once at home and once away. As previously announced, the Pride will take part in the NWSL Challenge Cup against the Washington Spirit on March 7 at 8 p.m. at Inter&Co Stadium prior to the regular season.
The Pride will open the season at home against the Chicago Red Stars at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 14. The first road contest will take place on Sunday, March 23 at NJ/NY Gotham FC. Like last year, the season will end with a Decision Day matchup at home against Seattle Reign FC on Sunday Nov. 2 at a time to be announced later.
The postseason will start with the quarterfinals taking place Nov. 7-9, with matches televised on ESPN/ABC, CBS/Paramount+, and Prime Video. The semifinals will be played the weekend of Nov. 14-16 and broadcast on CBS/Paramount+ and ESPN/ABC. The final will take place in primetime and will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
The Pride’s longest homestand this season will be just two games, which happens four times if counting the Challenge Cup match against the Spirit and season opener against the Red Stars. Orlando will host Washington and Angel City on April 19 and 25, respectively; the Utah Royals and Racing Louisville on Aug. 3 and 9, respectively; and Bay FC and the North Carolina Courage on Sept. 13 and 19, respectively.
The longest road trip this year will also be two games, occurring four times: at Portland and North Carolina May 3 and 10, at Bay FC and Louisville June 13 and 20, at Kansas City and Angel City Aug. 16 and 21, and at San Diego and Houston Sept. 26 and Oct. 3.
There are no regular-season matches scheduled in July, meaning the league is taking a break for any potential summer international friendlies/tournaments or an as-yet-unannounced cup competition. The Pride’s busiest month will be August, in which they’ll play five matches, with three at home and two on the road. There will be four Pride matches in March (counting the Challenge Cup), May, and September; three each in April, June, and October, and one — the regular-season finale — in November.
Here’s the month-by-month breakdown for the regular season:
- March – 3 (plus the Challenge Cup)
- April – 3
- May – 4
- June – 3
- July – 0
- August – 5
- September – 4
- October – 3
- November – 1
The most common day the Pride will play this year will be on Friday (11 times, or 12 times counting the Challenge Cup), including four consecutive Friday games late in the season. They’ll play 10 Saturday games, four Sunday matches, and once on Thursday (at Angel City Aug. 21).
Here is the Pride’s schedule by day in the regular season:
- Friday – 11 (plus the Challenge Cup)
- Saturday – 10
- Sunday – 4
- Thursday – 1
Pride games will air on various platforms again in 2025, including Prime Video, ESPN 2, ESPN, ION, NWSL+, Paramount+, CBS, and CBS Sports Network.
A new NWSL Rivalry Weekend has been added to the schedule in 2025. While the Pride have some rivalries growing naturally against Kansas City and Washington, they have been pitted against Racing Louisville for some reason. Both teams wear purple, I guess.
Fans who support both Orlando City and the Pride will be interested to know the teams play on the same day eight times this season, but only twice do the game times overlap — on May 3, when the Pride play at 7:30 p.m. at Portland and the Lions play at 8:30 p.m. at Chicago; and on May 10, when the Lions host New England at 7:30 and the Pride and Courage kick off in North Carolina at the same time. However, the teams cut it close a couple other times, with the Pride hosting the Washington Spirit at 5 p.m. April 19 and the Lions playing at Montreal at 7:30 p.m.; and on Sept. 13, with the Pride hosting Bay FC at 5 p.m. and Orlando City facing D.C. United at 7:30 p.m. The other four times the teams play on the same day, the kickoffs are at least three hours apart and as many as 10.5 hours apart (March 29).
2025 Orlando Pride Schedule (All Times Eastern)
- Friday, March 7 — vs. Washington Spirit, 8 p.m. (Prime Video) – NWSL Challenge Cup
- Friday, March 14 — vs. Chicago Red Stars, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
- Sunday, March 23 — at NJ/NY Gotham FC, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
- Saturday, March 29 — vs. San Diego Wave, 12 p.m. (ESPN)
- Saturday, April 12 — at Seattle Reign FC, 7:30 p.m. (ION)
- Saturday, April 19 — vs. Washington Spirit, 5 p.m. (ION)
- Friday, April 25 — vs. Angel City FC, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
- Saturday, May 3 — at Portland Thorns, 7:30 p.m. (ION)
- Saturday, May 10 — at North Carolina Courage, 7:30 p.m. (ION)
- Friday, May 16 — vs. Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
- Friday, May 23 — at Utah Royals, 9:30 p.m. (NWSL+)
- Saturday, June 7 — vs. Houston Dash, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
- Friday, June 13 — at Bay FC, 10 p.m. (Prime Video)
- Friday, June 20 — at Racing Louisville, 8 p.m. (NWSL+)
- Sunday, Aug. 3 — vs. Utah Royals, 6 p.m. (NWSL+/Paramount+)
- Saturday, Aug. 9 — vs. Racing Louisville, 7:30 p.m. (ION)
- Saturday, Aug. 16 — at Kansas City Current, 4 p.m. (CBS)
- Thursday, Aug. 21 — at Angel City FC, 10:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
- Friday, Aug. 29 — vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
- Sunday, Sept. 7 — at Chicago Red Stars, 3 p.m. (NWSL+/Paramount+)
- Saturday, Sept. 13 — vs. Bay FC, 5 p.m. (ION)
- Friday, Sept. 19 — vs. North Carolina Courage, 7:30 p.m. (NWSL+)
- Friday, Sept. 26 — at San Diego Wave, 10:30 p.m. (NWSL+/Paramount+)
- Friday, Oct. 3 — at Houston Dash, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
- Friday, Oct. 10 — vs. Portland Thorns, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
- Saturday, Oct. 18 — at Washington Spirit, 12:30 p.m. (CBS)
- Sunday, Nov. 2 — vs. Seattle Reign FC, TBA (broadcast platform TBA)
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride Announce 2025 Preseason Camp Roster
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.
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