Orlando Pride vs. Seattle Reign FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (6-0-3, 21 points) take on Seattle Reign FC (2-6-1, 7 points) in the Pacific Northwest. This is the first of two games the Pride and Reign are scheduled to play during the 2024 NWSL regular season. They are slated to finish the season against each other in Orlando on Nov. 2.

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

History

The Pride and Reign have met 16 times since the Pride joined the league in 2016. The Pride hold a 2-7-7 record in those meetings and have yet to beat tonight’s opponent away from home, with an all-time record of 0-5-3 out west against the Reign.

The most recent meeting was on Sept. 3 at Lumen Field in Seattle. The Pride got off to a terrible start when Anna Moorhouse was sent off in the third minute. Carly Nelson came in and did well, but Jordyn Huitema scored in the 49th minute as the Reign won 1-0.  The game on July 7 at Exploria Stadium featured one of the best performances of the year for the Pride, as they had more shots and shots on target than the opposition. Julie Doyle beat her defenders and found the head of Messiah Bright in the 16th minute for the game’s lone goal as the Pride won 1-0 for their second all-time win over the Reign.

The teams played for the first time last season on Aug. 26 in Orlando. Meggie Dougherty Howard gave the hosts the lead, and the Pride tried to hold onto that one-goal advantage, but Megan Rapinoe found Bethany Balcer for an equalizing header. The visitors pushed for a win and Rapinoe got a goal for herself two minutes into second half injury time, lifting the Reign to a 2-1 win, snapping Orlando’s seven-match unbeaten run.

The return game was on Oct. 1, 2022 at Lumen Field in Seattle. The Pride had already been eliminated from playoff contention and it looked like it as OL Reign dominated the game. Rapinoe opened the scoring just eight minutes in, Huitema doubled the hosts’ lead soon after, and Balcer made it 3-0 after 31 minutes. The Pride held the Reign scoreless in the second half, but fell 3-0.

The teams played twice during the 2021 season and the first game was on July 24 in Orlando. The Reign scored a goal in each half, with Jess Fishlock scoring early and Tziarra King doubling the lead just after the break on the way to a 2-0 win. On Sept. 26 in Tacoma, WA, Balcer opened the scoring in the third minute and Eugenie Le Sommer scored a brace, giving the Reign a 3-0 lead at halftime, ultimately beating the Pride by that score.

COVID canceled the teams’ meetings in 2020, but they played three times in 2019. On April 21 in Tacoma, Alanna Kennedy gave the Pride an early lead. But Balcer equalized and the teams drew 1-1. They met again on Sept. 7 in the same location. This time, the Reign took the early lead as Darian Jenkins scored twice inside the first 12 minutes. Beverly Yanez made it 3-0 soon after, effectively putting the game away early. Camila converted a late penalty but the Reign won 3-1. The final meeting that year came on Oct. 12 in Orlando. The Pride scored first through Rachel Hill, but Jenkins and Jodie Taylor gave the visitors a 2-1 lead going into halftime. Marta equalized late and the teams drew 2-2.

The first meeting in 2018 came on April 28 in Orlando. Allie Long gave the Reign a first-half lead, but Marta equalized, resulting in a 1-1 draw. On June 3, the teams met in Seattle but neither team could find the back of the net as they ended in a scoreless draw. The final meeting that year was on July 21 in Orlando. Toni Pressley gave the Pride a first-half lead but Taylor equalized with 20 minutes remaining and the teams drew for the third time that year.

The 2017 season saw the Pride and Reign play twice, first meeting on May 21 in Seattle. Yanez gave the hosts the lead just before halftime but Marta scored just after the break and the teams drew 1-1. They met again on Sept. 7 in Orlando in a game that looked to be ending scoreless but took a surprising turn. Alex Morgan gave the Pride the late lead in second-half injury time, but Fishlock equalized two minutes later and they drew 1-1.

The first-ever meeting between the two teams occurred on May 8, 2016 in Orlando. Sarah Hagen gave the Pride an early lead and Lianne Sanderson made it 2-0 late, which was the final score. The return game in Seattle was on July 23 and was the highest-scoring game between the two teams. Kim Little and Fishlock made it 2-0 Reign at halftime. Manon Melis scored a third for the hosts. Jasmyne Spencer scored, but Kendall Fletcher made it 4-1 four minutes later. A Pressley own goal and late strike by Kristen Edmonds added one more goal to each team’s tally in a 5-2 Reign win.

Overview

The Pride are off to unquestionably the best start in team history. After drawing their first three games, they’ve gone on a team-record, six-game winning streak. Five of those six wins have been decided by one goal and four have been 1-0 results. They capped off their sixth win last Saturday night, defeating Bay FC 1-0 through an Adriana penalty.

While the Pride were playing well already, Barbra Banda has been everything the Pride hoped for when they agreed to the second-highest transfer fee in NWSL history to bring in the Zambian international. She scored four goals in her first three starts and has drawn two penalties. She didn’t score against Bay FC, but drew the penalty that resulted in Adriana’s goal.

The Pride have also been exceptional defensively, conceding seven goals in nine games. Only NJ/NY Gotham FC has conceded fewer goals than the Pride, giving up six in its first eight games this year.

The Reign are off to a poor start this season, claiming seven points from their first nine games. They currently sit in 13th in the 14-team league, only ahead of the Utah Royals. Tonight’s opponent has struggled offensively and defensively this season. Their seven goals scored this year is third fewest in the NWSL and one more than Gotham and Utah. Meanwhile, they’ve conceded 14 goals, fourth most in the league. As a result, they’ve had trouble coming away with results in the early part of the season.

Balcer has led the Reign in goals this season, scoring three so far. Only three other players have scored, and all have done it just once each. The other goals have come from Ji So-Yun, King, and the Reign’s leading goal scorer last season, Veronica Latsko. Three of the team’s goals have been assisted, two coming from So-Yun and one from Fishlock.

“They’re a good team. They’ve got an experienced coach there as well who has won a lot in this league,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s opponent. “And so we have to be mindful of Seattle and what they can create and it’s going to be a challenging game for us because our record is not great away at Seattle. So that’s something that we want to improve and continue this momentum that we’ve showed early on in the season.”

The Pride will play tonight without Angelina (knee), Celia (hip), Simone Charley (right leg), Luana (illness), Megan Montefusco (right heel), and Viviana Villacorta (left knee). Additionally, Mariana Larroquette (lower leg) is listed as questionable. Meanwhile, the Reign will be without Claudia Dickey (knee), Jordyn Huitema (back), and Quinn (knee).

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Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Rafaelle, Emily Sams.

Defensive Midfielders: Haley McCutcheon, Ally Lemos.

Midfielders: Summer Yates, Marta, Adriana.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Ally Watt, Julie Doyle, Evelina Duljan, Amanda Allen, Alex Kerr, Carrie Lawrence, Brianna Martinez, Cori Dyke.

Seattle Reign FC (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Laurel Ivory.

Defenders: Alana Cook, Lauren Barnes, Phoebe McClernon, Sofia Huerta.

Midfielders: Angharad James-Turner, Ji So-Yun, Jess Fishlock, Olivia Van der Jagt.

Forwards: Bethany Balcer, Tziarra King.

Bench: Maia Perez, Ryanne Brown, Lily Woodham, Shae Holmes, Nikki Stanton, Olivia Athens, Veronica Latsko, Emeri Adames, McKenzie Weinert.

Referees

REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Seth Martin.
AR2: Salma Perez.
4TH: Iryna Petrunok.
VAR: Shawn Tehini.
AVAR: Kaili Terry.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 6 p.m.

Venue: Lumen Field — Seattle, WA.

TV: Bally Sports Florida.

Streaming: NWSL+.

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow @TheManeLand and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).

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Enjoy the match. Go Pride!