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

Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (7-0-3, 24 points) welcome the Portland Thorns (6-3-1, 19 points) to Inter&Co Stadium. This is the first of two times these teams will face off, with the return game in Oregon scheduled for Oct. 11.

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

History

The Pride have struggled historically against the Thorns, with a record of 3-13-2 in 18 games (3-12-2 in league play and 0-1-0 in the playoffs). They’re 2-5-2 in Orlando against tonight’s opponent, all in regular-season matchups.

The most recent meeting between the two teams came on June 11, 2023 in Orlando. Sophia Smith gave the visitors the lead in the 20th minute, but the Pride took over after that. Adriana scored a brace and Messiah Bright’s 69th-minute strike lifted the Pride to a 3-1 win.  On March 26 at Providence Park, Morgan Weaver and Smith opened the scoring inside 22 minutes. Hina Sugita made it three, and Michele Vasconcelos wrapped up the scoring as the Thorns won 4-0.

The teams met twice in 2022, with the first coming on Sept. 9 at Exploria Stadium. Yazmeen Ryan gave the visitors the lead and Sugita doubled the advantage as the Thorns won 2-0. That was the second meeting of the season after the teams met on June 19 in Portland. In Seb Hines’ second game as interim head coach, the Thorns smashed the Pride, 6-0.

The teams met earlier in the year during the 2021 season, playing on May 26 in Orlando. The Pride won for only the second time against Portland since the team’s inception. The Pride won 2-1 and Orlando’s goals came from Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux.

The second meeting that year came on July 18 in Portland, and the home team won again. Smith gave the hosts the lead and Marissa Everett doubled the advantage. Marisa Vigginao got one back in second-half stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough as the Thorns won, 2-1.

They met a third time on Aug. 14. The Pride took an early lead when Courtney Petersen found Jodie Taylor for the opening goal. But Simone Charley equalized and the teams drew 1-1.

The Pride and Thorns didn’t play in 2020 after the season was canceled due to the global pandemic and they weren’t in the same group for the NWSL Fall Series. As a result, the most recent meeting prior to 2021 was in 2019.

The teams opened the 2019 season against each other in Orlando, but the Thorns got the better of the clash. The game was decided on either side of halftime as Caitlin Foord scored just before the break and Tobin Heath scored four minutes after the restart, lifting their team to a 2-0 win. They met again in Orlando on May 11 and the visitors won again. Toni Pressley gave the Pride an early lead, but it was all Portland after that. Dagny Brynjarsdottir equalized, Andressinha gave Portland the lead, and Foord finished it off.

The final meeting between the two in 2019 was a goal fest in Portland and another Thorns win. Hayley Raso gave the visitors the lead just three minutes into the game and Midge Purce’s goal made it look like it would be a dominant performance by the hosts. But Marta got one back to make it 2-1. Christine Sinclair made it 3-1, followed by a Thorns own goal by Emily Menges. It looked like the Pride would get a rare point through Erin Greening’s 90th-minute goal, but Tyler Lussi scored in second-half injury time, dooming the Pride to another loss in Oregon.

The teams faced off three times in 2018, which featured the Pride’s lone win in Portland. The Thorns won the first game, 2-1 on April 15. But on May 12, goals by Morgan and Christine Nairn gave the Pride a 2-0 lead. Sinclair got one back for the hosts, but the Pride held on for their only result at Providence Park. The third meeting went back to usual, with the Thorns winning 2-0 through Lindsey Horan and Raso.

The teams started the 2017 season against each other in Portland with the Thorns winning 2-0. They met again in the penultimate game of the season in Orlando, ending in a scoreless draw. The most important game between the two teams was the Pride’s only playoff appearance. Unfortunately, it was all Portland, as the Thorns beat the Pride 4-1.

The first meeting of 2016 was the Pride’s first-ever game. Steph Catley gave the visitors a surprising lead, but Brynjarsdottir equalized and Horan won it for Portland. They met again on June 26 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Two second-half goals by Brynjarsdottir and Horan lifted the Thorns to another 2-1 win.

Overview

The Pride are currently the hottest team — not just in the NWSL this season — but in league history. After drawing their first three games, they’ve won an astounding seven straight. Their 3-2 win over Seattle Reign FC Sunday tied the league record for most consecutive wins in NWSL history. Tonight, they’ll look to set a new league record and maintain their place atop the league standings.

Prior to last weekend’s win, the Pride had won back-to-back 1-0 games against Racing Louisville and Bay FC, both at home. In the team’s six home games this season, it has only scored multiple goals once, a 4-1 win over the North Carolina Courage on May 1. Despite the lack of goals at home, the Pride have drawn twice and won four times.

Standing in the Pride’s way of a new NWSL record are the Portland Thorns, a perennial powerhouse in the league. Once again this season, the Thorns are a team to be reckoned with. While they’re not at the top of the standings, they’re currently fourth and five points behind the Pride. Portland has a streak of its own, winning their last six. This will be the first match in NWSL history between two teams that are each on a winning streak greater than four games.

As expected, the Thorns are one of the best offensive teams in the league. Their 23 goals rank second behind the Kansas City Current. While they’re less successful defensively than the Pride, both teams have a positive goal differential of nine, second best in the league.

The biggest attacking threat for the Thorns is Smith, whose eight goals and six assists lead the team. Olivia Moultrie and Janine Beckie are tied for second with three goals, Sinclair, Payton Linnehan, and Sam Coffey have two goals each, and Weaver, Sugita, and Ana Dias have all scored one so far this year.

While the Thorns have conceded 14 goals this season, they gave up five in the opening game of the season against the Current. Since then, they haven’t given up more than two goals in a game, something that has occurred three times. Fortunately for the Pride, they’ve shown an ability this season to win low scoring and high-scoring affairs. They’ll need to continue that tonight in order to win their eighth straight game.

“It’s two teams who are on a winning streak and two teams that want to continue that winning streak as well,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s game. “Listen, it’s a big game for us. It’s going to be a tough game for us. Portland are one of the best teams in this league. You look around their roster, they’ve got internationals all over. So it’s a good challenge for us and we’re embracing it. Every game we’re embracing it. And it will be nice to do it in front of our home fans on Friday.”

The Pride have one addition to tonight’s availability report. Angelina (knee), Celia (hip), Simone Charley (leg), Luana (illness), Megan Montefusco (heel), and Viviana Villacorta (knee) are joined by Summer Yates (illness). The Thorns will be without Gabby Provenzano (Achilles), Bella Bixby (maternity leave), and Morgan Weaver (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: Morgan Gautrat, Haley McCutcheon.

Midfielders: Julie Doyle, Marta, Adriana.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Ally Watt, Amanda Allen, Ally Lemos, Mariana Larroquette, Alex Kerr, Carrie Lawrence, Brianna Martinez, Cori Dyke.

Portland Thorns FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Shelby Hogan.

Defenders: Marie Muller, Becky Sauerbrunn, Kelli Hubly, Reyna Reyes.

Midfielders: Hina Sugita, Jessie Fleming, Sam Coffey.

Forwards: Olivia Moultrie, Christine Sinclair, Janine Beckie.

Bench: Emily Alvarado, Isabella Obaze, Meghan Klingenberg, Nicole Payne, Olivia Wade-Katoa, Payton Linnehan, Marissa Sheva, Ana Dias, Izzy D’Aquila.

Referees

REF: Ekaterina Koroleva.
AR1: Matthew Rodman.
AR2: Joe Suchoski.
4TH: Wes Caouette.
VAR: Karen Coulson.
AVAR: Maggie Short.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

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!