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Orlando Pride vs. Angel City FC: Final Score 3-0 as Adriana’s Brace Helps Pride Stay Unbeaten

The Pride continued their perfect record in Los Angeles and unbeaten start to 2024.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride (10-0-5, 35 points) extended their 2024 unbeaten run to 15 games with a 3-0 win over Angel City FC (4-8-3, 15 points) tonight at BMO Field in Los Angeles. Adriana scored a first-half brace and Barbra Banda made it three in the final minutes as the Pride kept pace with the Kansas City Current atop the NWSL standings.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made one change to the team that beat the Utah Royals 6-0 on June 21. Carrie Lawrence, who came on for Bri Martinez in the 67th minute of that game, replaced Martinez in the starting lineup. The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, and Lawrence. Haley McCutcheon and Summer Yates were the defensive midfielders behind Julie Doyle, Marta, and Adriana with Banda up top.

The biggest note from the starting lineup was the inclusion of Lawrence. The defender was a regular starter before she tore her ACL during the 2023 preseason. As a result, this was her first start since Oct. 1, 2022.

Despite flying across the country, the Pride were the better team in this game. Both teams created chances, but the Pride’s were more clear-cut. The attacking unit of Doyle, Marta, Adriana, and Banda caused headaches for the Angel City defense throughout the 90 minutes in one of their best performances of the year. The hosts had some chances in the game, but the 3-0 final score is a fair result.

The Pride had the first attack of the game in the third minute on a corner kick. Marta sent the set piece into the box where it met the head of Lawrence. However, her header popped up and landed in the arms of Angel City goalkeeper DiDi Haracic.

The hosts got their first chance in the seventh minute when Alyssa Thompson ran onto a long diagonal ball. Getting behind the back line, the forward attempted a low shot towards the back post that missed just wide. Sydney Leroux was close to getting onto the end of it, but wasn’t close enough to reach the ball.

Banda had her first chance of the game in the 12th minute when Marta made a long run across the top of the box. The Brazilian’s last touch was a little too strong, but Banda was there to pick it up. The striker attempted a first-touch shot that went straight to Haracic for the easy save.

In the 15th minute, Madison Hammond took a shot from outside the box that didn’t cause any trouble for Moorhouse. Angel City quickly won back possession, sending it wide for Claire Emslie. The attacker sent a cross into the box that found the head of teenage midfielder Kennedy Fuller, but the attempt was wide of the near post.

Banda had her second chance of the game in the 17th minute when Yates intercepted a pass in the Angel City half of the field and went the other way. She played Banda behind the back line, enabling the forward to get her second shot of the game. Unfortunately, it was from a tight angle and close to goal, hitting the outside netting.

The Pride broke through in the 20th minute from their Brazilian connection. It started near midfield when Thompson tried to return a pass from Rocky Rodriguez. Marta intercepted the ball, beat Rodriguez, and sprinted down the field. She sent it across to Adriana on the far side, continuing her run into the box. Rather than finding Marta or Banda, Adriana found space for a shot from just outside the box, beating Haracic to the far side and giving her team a 1-0 lead.

“This is a hard place to come and play, so I think just getting that first goal really changed the momentum and silenced their crowd a little bit,” Sams said about getting the first goal. “And it kind of gave us that little extra bit of oomph to keep going and to get that second goal in the first half as well.”

“We wanted to come here and set a tone early on. We wanted to quiet the crowd and the best way to do that is to score goals,” Hines added. “So it’s a terrific finish from Adri. You know, it’s good for confidence as well. In the last game, Barbra, Marta, and Ally (Watt) all got on the goal sheet. Even Summer (Yates), and so to get Adri scoring as well, it adds a couple layers to our game.”

Abello did well in the 24th minute to read an Emslie pass for Thompson into the box, knocking it out for a corner kick. The Pride were able to keep the hosts from getting off a shot and quickly went the other way. Banda darted forward into the Angel City half, sending the ball to Doyle. The left-sided midfielder used a couple of moves to create space for a shot, but sent it straight to Haracic.

Two minutes later, the Pride doubled their advantage. Building out of the back, Doyle sent Banda down the left and behind the Angel City back line. The striker’s shot was deflected by Sarah Gorden and blocked by Haracic. The Angel City defenders were slow to react, enabling Adriana to get there first and put it in for her second goal of the game.

The Pride nearly scored a third goal in the 35th minute when Yates recovered a turnover in the Angel City defensive third. The attacking midfielder’s shot from long range bounced hard off the crossbar. It went right to Doyle just outside the six-yard box, but her header was over the top.

The hosts had a great opportunity a minute into first-half stoppage time when Yates fouled Thompson near the top of the box. Merritt Mathias and Emslie initially stood over the ball, but Mathias eventually backed off. Emslie’s shot was straight into the wall, enabling the Pride to clear.

In the final seconds of injury time, Thompson entered the Pride box and took Abello on. The second-year forward beat the left back and shot towards the near post, but Moorhouse was there to catch it. That was the last first-half chance for either team as the Pride took a 2-0 lead into halftime.

Angel City had more first-half possession (53%-47%), but the Pride had more shots (9-7), shots on target (7-5), and crosses (7-6). The hosts had more corner kicks (3-1) and both teams had an 81% pass completion percentage in the first 45 minutes.

“I told the players at halftime I sound like a broken record because there’s been multiple occasions where we’ve had a 2-0 lead,” Hines said about his halftime message. “We go into halftime and, you know, it’s the same message. 2-0 is a dangerous score line. Next goal really matters.”

“I think at certain points in the season, we’ve struggled with our mentality coming out of the locker room at halftime,” Sams added. “So I think, you know, we’ve made that a point to try to change that around and I think we’ve done well.”

The Pride created the first second-half chance less than a minute after the restart. Banda took possession after McCutcheon lost the ball, carrying it towards the end line. Her cross into the box ended up with Abello and the defender took a shot from distance. It wasn’t a bad attempt but went over the crossbar.

Banda looked to create another chance in the 50th minute, dribbling to the end line and sending a cross into the box. She was looking for Marta near the penalty spot and the Pride captain was loading up to shoot, but Rodriguez did well to track back and knock the ball away before Marta could touch it.

Angel City had its first chance of the second half in the 53rd minute. It started when Emslie’s cross was blocked out of play by Marta for a corner kick. The Pride cleared it away, but only to Fuller. The 17-year-old rookie shot from distance, not causing any trouble for Moorhouse.

Three minutes later, Fuller created her own opportunity, taking the ball off McCutcheon. She decided to shoot from distance, sending it directly to Moorhouse.

In the 57th minute, Doyle used some fancy footwork to dribble through a pair of Angel City defenders and into the box. Adriana was making a trailing run and Doyle found the attacker. The Brazilian’s eyes lit up as she looked to net the first hat trick in Pride history, but sent it over the crossbar.

Leroux had a great chance to cut the lead in half in the 62nd minute when she was sent long by Mathias. The forward was defended by Sams, but the center back fell, enabling Leroux to take an uncontested shot. The former Pride striker was aiming for the far post and missed just wide.

Immediately after the miss, both teams made substitutions. The Pride replaced Yates with Angelina and Messiah Bright replaced Leroux. It was the second time Bright faced her former team since departing following the 2023 NWSL season.

In the 66th minute, Fuller played a give-and-go with Bright, sending the rookie into the box. She was defended by Lawrence and Sams on either side of her, eventually going down. Angel City players felt they should’ve had a penalty, but referee Elijio Arreguin disagreed.

Sams cleared the ball to Banda on the left, who went on a 60-yard sprint into the Angel City box. Mathias did well to get a body on the forward, causing her shot to sail wide of the near post.

Hines made two more changes in the 73rd minute. Rafaelle and Ally Watt entered the game for Lawrence and Doyle. It was Rafaelle’s first appearance for the Pride since May 24, as she’s been out with a leg injury.

Angel City had a good opportunity in the 76th minute when Gisele Thompson got behind Sams, causing the defender to push her down, earning her a yellow card. Emslie stepped up to take the free kick from just outside of the box, sending a soft ball around the wall that appeared to be a pass. But nobody was making that run and Moorhouse easily collected it.

The Pride held plenty of possession as the game entered the final 10 minutes, but their crosses were easily cleared. In the 83rd minute, they were given a good chance when Marta was fouled by Meggie Dougherty Howard near the top of the box. Marta and Adriana stood over the ball with the former taking the set piece. However, she sent it straight into the wall.

Two minutes after the attempt, Hines made his final change of the game, replacing Adriana with Cori Dyke.

In the 88th minute, a long ball by Dougherty Howard for Alyssa Thompson was knocked out for a corner kick. The set piece was headed on goal by Megan Reid, but Moorhouse was able to tip it over the top at the last second. The second set piece came off the back of Dougherty Howard and should’ve been an easy save by Moorhouse. However, the goalkeeper bobbled the ball, nearly scuffing it into her own net. Fortunately, she grabbed it before it crossed the line.

When play stopped, Arreguin was called to the monitor by the video assistant referee for a potential penalty. It appeared as though Watt grabbed Reid and pulled her down on the second corner kick. However, the referee determined that there was a foul on Dougherty Howard before the foul by Watt and awarded the Pride a free kick.

In the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time, the Pride scored their third goal of the game, ensuring there wouldn’t be a comeback. A careless back pass to Gorden was a bit off line, enabling Banda to get to the ball first and speed past her with only Haracic behind. Banda dribbled in on goal and around Haracic. It looked like she might’ve taken too long to shoot, as Reid nearly got in position to block it, but Banda put it in to give the Pride a 3-0 lead.

“To get the third goal right at the end, again, really, really important,” Hines said. “I think, looking forward, getting those late goals will probably pay dividends in where we stand at the end of the year.”

The goal was Banda’s 11th of the season, tying her with the Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga as the league leader.

Gorden went down and required some treatment following the play, extending an already lengthy stoppage time. However, Moorhouse was able to fall on the ball to run out the clock and the Pride took all three points with a 3-0 win on the road.

Angel City led most statistical categories in this game with the advantage in possession (51%-49%), corner kicks (6-2), crosses (12-11), and passing accuracy (78%-77%). The Pride had more shots in the game (15-13) and both teams put 10 chances on frame. However, it was the finishing ability of the Pride that made the difference, especially the first-half goals by Adriana.

“Very good all round. It’s nice to come away from home and get three goals and a clean sheet. Really important that we continue those clean sheets,” Hines said about the performance. “But it’s nice to see Adri get on the scoresheet with two goals. Unlucky not to get a hat trick. Caused them a lot of problems in possession and I love the defensive effort. It takes everyone, not just the goalkeeper, the back line, but the collective effort to keep Angel City at zero.”

The Pride continue their perfect record in Los Angeles, winning all three games between the two teams in Southern California. The first two meetings were 1-0 wins for the Pride at BMO Stadium and they added the 3-0 result tonight.

“It’s a great environment to play in,” Hines said. “Angel City have a great backing with their fans. I think it was close to a full house tonight. And so I think we thrive off that. I think we enjoy being the spoilers here.”

This was a potential trap game for the Pride. Coming off a 6-0 demolition of the Royals last weekend, they travel to Kansas City Saturday in a battle of the unbeatens. Despite the upcoming contest, the Pride remained focused on the task at hand and came away with all three points.

“I honestly don’t think it matters who we play, whether it’s top of the table or bottom of the table. This league is so competitive and you have to make sure that you turn up on the day and give it your all,” Hines said. “The league doesn’t owe you anything. We know that. We know the struggles of going to tough environments. And so we approach every game the same, whether it’s Utah at home or Angel City away, or even next week when it’s against Kansas. We’re going to go out there and give our all, and we always try to get three points. It was nice today that we managed to get three points.”


The three points keep the Pride even with the Kansas City Current atop the NWSL standings and they’re now even on goal difference. The Current remain in first on the goals scored tiebreaker. However, barring a draw, the deadlock will be broken Saturday night when the two teams face off at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Must Improve Attack During Summer Break

The Pride have been great defensively but struggled offensively this season. That must change.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The Orlando Pride got the 2025 season off to a flying start. But, while the defense has largely been great, the team has struggled in the attack. It’s something that must be fixed during the summer break if the Pride hope to repeat as NWSL champions.

The Pride started the season about as strong as you could hope. It began with a 6-0 thumping of the Chicago Stars, followed by wins over NJ/NY Gotham FC and San Diego Wave FC, two of the best teams in the league. The Pride outscored their competition 10-1 in those first three games, netting multiple goals in each.

However, things have gone downhill on the attacking side since then. Only twice in the last 10 games have the Pride scored multiple goals — a 3-2 comeback win over Angel City FC on April 25 and a 3-1 win over the Utah Royals on May 23.

The attack has largely been placed on the foot of striker Barbra Banda, who has eight goals this season. However, five of those eight goals were in two games — a brace against Chicago and a hat trick against Utah.

Marta is second on the team this season with three goals, with her last coming in the April win over Angel City. Since that game, only three players have scored. Adding to Banda’s four goals, Prisca Chilufya and Cori Dyke have netted one each — their only goals of the season.

A big problem for the Pride this year has been support up top for the star striker. Too often Banda ends up alone in the opposing third surrounded by defenders. The Zambian does her best to create space, but usually slams a shot into a defender or takes an off-balance attempt that sails wide and high of the goal.

Making this situation more confounding is that the Pride often have the fastest player in the league on the field. Ally Watt can outrun any player in the NWSL, including Banda. But the team-wide defense often sees the speedster defending in her own box. It’s something Pride Head Coach Seb Hines prioitizes.

Defending as a team has been a focal point since Hines took over partway through the 2022 season. It’s been successful, as the Pride have built a reputation as one of the best defensive squads in the league. They conceded a league-fewest 20 goals last year and lead the league again this season with just 10 allowed.

While putting numbers behind the ball keeps the opposition from scoring, it hurts the team going forward. The Pride has a tendency to take the route one appraoch of sending Banda into the opposing half. But since everyone else is behind the ball defensively, nobody is supporting the striker, leaving her to take on the entire opposing defense on her own.

As the Pride enter the lengthy summer break, the task for Hines and Haley Carter is clear. The duo must find a way to improve the number of goals scored.

One option is to change the attacking strategy. Turning Watt from essentially a midfielder into a strike partner and keeping her further upfield will provide some help for Banda. Since Banda likes to attack the opposition on her own, they can also push the striker to use her support when it arrives.

Another option is to change the typical starting lineup. Hines has turned Angelina from a defensive midfielder into an attacking midfielder this season — a position she can, and has played, but not necessarily her best role. While the Brazilian has played well, she doesn’t have the pace of Julie Doyle.

Doyle and Watt have flanked Marta in the attacking midfield before, causing problems for defensive back lines. The duo are the two of the fastest players on the team and could provide more support for Banda.

Doyle has been working back to form after returning from a knee injury suffered on March 14. The attacker has been on and off the availability report, listed as questionable Friday night in Louisville. But the extended break could see her ready for action when the season reconvenes.

Regardless of their decision, something has to change for the Pride in the second half of the season. The defense will likely contnue to be among the best, but you can’t expect the team to keep opponents to one goal or fewer every game.

If the Pride can find a way to score goals, they have a great opportunity to catch the Kansas City Current for the NWSL Shield and compete for a second consecutive league title. Whether that happens may depend on if the team can fix its offensive woes.

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Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville: Final Score 2-0 as Pride Still Can’t Win in Kentucky

The Pride lacked quality but not effort in a frustrating 2-0 road loss at Louisville.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride were looking to end the first half of the season on a high note, but ended up doing just the opposite in a forgettable performance at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville. Orlando (8-4-1, 25 points) continued to waste scoring opportunities, but instead of playing the stalwart defense of the last couple of games, the Pride also failed to mark at the back post on a set piece and conceded an unnecessary penalty to gift the hosts a two-goal advantage in a 2-0 loss to Racing Louisville (6-5-2, 20 points).

Center back Arin Wright scored her first goal of the season and Taylor Flint added a penalty kick goal for Racing. The Pride dropped to 0-4-1 at Louisville since the series began and fell eight points adrift of first-place Kansas City, although the focus for now should perhaps be on finding their offense rather than catching the Current.

“Obviously disappointed with the result,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said after the match. “It’s come down to two set pieces.”

Hines’ starting lineup included goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse behind a back line of Cori Dyke, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, and Ohihane. Haley McCutcheon and Angelina were the central midfielders with Summer Yates and Ally Watt outside and Marta and Barbra Banda up top.

Louisville came out pressing high and pinning Orlando back in its own end. The Pride eventually settled into the game, worked hard and seized the advantage in terms of possession and chances. However, they were wasteful with their few clear-cut opportunities, and rather than build an early lead, Orlando ended up gifting Racing an early advantage and had to play catch-up — something the Pride simply couldn’t do on this night.

Marta was called for an early foul that she knew little about, jumping up between two defenders. Ary Borges backed into her space, and there was contact, with Marta getting saddled with the foul. Sarah Weber got her head to the cross on the free kick, sending it just inches over the crossbar and onto the roof of the net in the fourth minute.

Orlando’s first shot came in the seventh minute after the Pride broke Racing’s pressure. The ball found Banda, who cut inside from left to right and fired from the top of the box. The Zambian international left her shot too close to goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer, who got down and made the save.

The Pride suffered a blow moments later as Oihane went down without contact trying to keep a ball in play at the sideline. She was clearly in a lot of pain and had to be subbed off. While waiting for the sub, the game played on with Orlando using just 10 players.

Racing kept the pressure on and that resulted in shots from distance as the Pride left too much space just outside the area. Taylor Flint had a go from 30 yards out but sent her rising effort over the bar in the 11th minute. A minute later, Savannah DeMelo sent a shot from the top of the area over the goal.

Hines was finally able to send Kerry Abello on in the 13th minute, slotting her in on the left and moving Dyke to right back.

McCutcheon’s foul near the left corner of the box just past the quarter-hour mark gave Louisville a dangerous set piece shortly after the substitutions. DeMelo fired the free kick on target, and Moorhouse caught it and then got bundled over by Ary Borges who was pressed from behind by Sams.

Orlando started to settle into the game a bit after that, but did not execute well in the attack. Banda allowed Ellie Jean to knock the ball away from her in the box in the 17th minute. Moments later, Marta’s set piece delivery into the box from near the right corner of the penalty area was too low and easily cleared.

The Pride started winning corners but took all of them short, possibly to avoid Racing’s height, but they created nothing with the opportunities except a few long-range shots. On the first, Yates was knocked down in the box in the 23rd minute after getting to the end line, but the referee ruled it was a fair challenge.

Orlando should have scored in the 28th minute. Watt put in a fantastic cross to a wide-open Yates at the back post. With plenty of open net to shoot at, Yates pushed her free header wide of the left post, wasting a sitter.

“I mean, goals change games,” Hines said. “We had a chance just before their set piece (goal) where the ball gets to Ally (Watt), she takes on Courtney Petersen, puts in a really good cross. And (Yates) gets her head on it, but it wasn’t on target. And I think if that had gone in, it might have changed the trajectory of the game. You know, you’re then asking Louisville to be even more aggressive. There’s more space for us to manipulate.”

A minute later, the game turned in Louisville’s favor. Banda was too indecisive after receiving the ball in the attacking third. Leaving the ball at her feet and trying to head fake, Racing easily dispossessed the forward and broke in transition, winning a corner at the other end. Louisville paid off the set piece when Orlando left two players completely unmarked at the back post. Unlike Yates earlier, Wright got her head on the ball and didn’t miss the net, putting the hosts up 1-0 in the 30th minute. Former Pride fullback Courtney Petersen got the assist for her delivery.

Angelina fired from outside the box on a couple of short corners but the first, which may have been a back-post pass to Nadaner, went wide and out of play in the 34th minute.

Orlando again should have scored in the 35th minute. Watt did well to steal the ball in the attacking third and immediately played it to Banda. The goalkeeper was caught out, but Banda was deliberate in lining up her shot. Once she did, she missed the net entirely.

Watt had a chance to cross into the box in the 38th minute but sent her service right at Bloomer. Angelina fired a good effort from distance in the 40th minute. The dipping shot was on target but Bloomer was able to knock it out for a corner. Orlando played it short again and Angelina fired from distance only to see it deflect out off a defender. The Brazilian then ended up with yet another shot from range on the next corner, but sent it right at Bloomer.

Banda had a chance to play Marta in alone in the first minute of stoppage time, but she didn’t get enough on the pass. Flint was able to close down and knock it out for another corner. Nothing came of that one either, and moments later the half was over with the Pride staring up at a 1-0 deficit in a game they probably should have led.

The Pride finished the first half with the advantage in possession (57%-43%), shots (9-7), shots on target (4-2), corners (6-1), and passing accuracy (82%-79%). But the wasted opportunities and moment of inattentive set piece defending had the hosts out front at the break.

Hines made his second change at the half, sending Carson Pickett on for Yates. After the match, Hines said Yates hadn’t been feeling well and needed to come off, so she became the second unexpected substitution of the match.

“It kind of disrupted the momentum that we had in the first half going into the second half,” Hines said of sacrificing Oihane and Yates. “But we have good players who can adapt, and so I thought we still put them under pressure going to the second half, playing through the press.”

Louisville started the second half much like the first — as the aggressor. Emma Sears blasted wide just after the restart. On the ensuing goal kick, Orlando quickly turned it over and Borges ended up in alone on goal with the ball. With just Moorhouse to beat, the Brazilian smashed the ball off the right post, wasting an opportunity to make it 2-0 in the 49th minute.

Orlando’s first attack of the second half came in the 50th minute and it quickly broke down. Banda tried to find Pickett as she approached the box, but she made a mess of the pass and the defense cleared. The ball went to Marta at the top of the area, and the Pride captain saw her shot blocked. The rebound found Banda, who send a soft shot straight at Bloomer.

“I just think at this moment in time, everyone’s kind of adapted to us,” Hines said. “We’re getting into really good, promising positions, and we just need to execute in that last final part.”

Wright did well to keep a cross from reaching McCutcheon at the back post in the 53rd minute. Both players needed treatment after a clash of heads and were off the pitch for a few minutes.

Sears nearly made it 2-0 in the 61st minute, losing Dyke in the corner, cutting inside and must missing the far post by about a yard.

Louisville put the game away a few minutes later. On a routine throw-in, Sams was positioned well behind Weber just inside the box near the right sideline. Rather than hold her position, she tried to muscle her way around the Louisville forward, pulling her down. The referee pointed to the spot immediately.

Former Pride midfielder Flint took the spot kick. Moorhouse guessed correctly, but Flint placed the shot well to make it 2-0 in the 68th minute.

Shortly after the second goal, Hines pulled Marta, McCutcheon, and Dyke, subbing on Morgan Gautrat, Ally Lemos, and Simone Jackson, who made her NWSL debut. Those three were not likely to provide the missing piece of the attack, and they didn’t, as Orlando continued to struggle in the offensive third.

Banda put a shot on frame from a tight angle on the right in the 78th minute, but it was a comfortable save for Bloomer. The ball fell in the box near the end line where Wright was prone. Banda ran in to try to win it, but Wright wisely knocked it out off the Zambian for a goal kick.

Weber nearly made it 3-0 on another Louisville corner kick opportunity in the 80th minute. This one was slightly more contested than Wright’s and Weber put her shot wide.

Down the stretch, Orlando wasted a couple more short corners and simply couldn’t find any lethality. Banda missed the net four times in the game’s final minutes on what was an apparently frustrating night for the Golden Boot contender.

Orlando’s statistical advantage was not reflective of the final score. The Pride finished with the edge in possession (64%-36%), shots (16-14), shots on target (7-3), corners (11-3), and passing accuracy (82%-74%).

“I learned that nothing’s given, no matter what rank you are as a team,” Jackson said after making her pro debut. “So, it’s like everyone is coming after you. You have a target on your back when you wear this badge. So, I think it was wake-up call for a lot of us, and I think that I’m excited for the second half of this season.”


The Pride have a long break to stew in this performance, as the NWSL schedule won’t resume for several weeks. Orlando’s next NWSL is Aug. 3, when the Utah Royals visit Inter&Co Stadium.

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

The Pride head to Louisville to wrap up the first half of the NWSL season ahead of the summer break.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to your match preview as the Orlando Pride (8-3-1, 25 points) end the first half of the 2025 NWSL season against Racing Louisville (5-5-2, 17 points) in Kentucky. This is the first of two meetings with the second scheduled for Aug. 9 in Orlando.

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

History

This is the fifth season of existence for Racing Louisville. The two teams have played 11 times so far, with the Pride going 3-3-5 (3-3-3 in NWSL games, 0-0-1 in the NWSL Challenge Cup, and 0-0-1 in the NWSL x Liga MX Fememil Summer Cup). The Pride are 0-3-1 against Louisville on the road in league play.

The most recent meeting between the two teams occurred in the Summer Cup last year on Aug. 1, 2024. Evelina Duljan scored her lone Pride goal in the 38th minute to give the Pride the lead. However, Reilyn Turner equalized in the 67th minute, sending the game into penalties. The Pride took the early shootout lead when Jaelin Howell missed, but saves by Jordyn Bloomer on Morgan Gautrat and Ally Watt saw Louisville take the extra point.

On May 5, 2024, in Orlando, an Emily Sams cross in the 17th minute found the head of Barbra Banda at the back post for the game’s only goal in a 1-0 Pride win. The first game of the 2024 season was on March 16 in Louisville, the season opener for both teams. It looked like it would be a long day as Elexa Bahr and Uchenna Kanu gave the hosts a 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes. The Pride got on the board in the 24th minute with an own goal by Elli Pikkujämsä, but the task was made more difficult when Kylie Strom received her second yellow card in the second half. However, Amanda Allen and Summer Yates combined on a late goal by Yates, as the Pride pulled out an unlikely 2-2 draw.

The first game of 2023 occurred on May 6 at Exploria Stadium. Messiah Bright gave the Pride an early lead and the hosts held on for 69 minutes for the 1-0 win. It was the first home win of 2023 for the Pride and their second win of the season. The second meeting was on Oct. 6, 2023 in Louisville. The Pride got off to a great start with goals by Marta from the spot early and an excellent individual effort by Kerry Abello to make it 2-0. However, Bright took Savannah DeMelo down in the box just before halftime and Nadia Nadim converted the penalty. A five-minute swing started in the 70th minute with goals by Kristen Davis and an own goal by Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, resulting in the Pride losing the critical game 3-2.

The first meeting between the two teams in 2022 took place Sept. 16 in Louisville. Racing struck first when Nadim was left open in front of goal for a tap-in. The hosts doubled their lead on a great strike by DeMelo from outside of the box, and the Pride fell 2-0.

The first meeting of 2022 was in a unique setting, taking place at Daytona International Speedway on July 3. The game was a part of the 2022 Daytona SoccerFest and was the first time a professional soccer game was played at a racetrack. Emina Ekic gave Louisville a halftime lead and DeMelo doubled the lead shortly after the break. However, the Pride fought back with goals by Strom and Darian Jenkins, pulling out a 2-2 draw. The game launched a seven-game unbeaten run that pulled the Pride back into the playoff race.

The first year the two teams met was in 2021 during the NWSL Challenge Cup in Louisville. CeCe Kizer gave the hosts the lead early, but Taylor Kornieck equalized just before halftime. It looked like the Pride would win when Abi Kim scored late, but Brooke Hendrix equalized in second-half injury time and the teams drew 2-2.

The teams played three times in the 2021 regular season, with the first meeting coming on July 9 in Orlando. Ebony Salmon gave Louisville the lead, but Sydney Leroux scored to force a 1-1 draw with a goal in second-half injury time. The second meeting was on Sept. 11 in Orlando. The Pride took a 2-0 lead into the break with goals by Leroux and Marta. Kizer got one back, but Alex Morgan’s conversion sealed three points for the Pride.

The final meeting of 2021 was in the penultimate game of the year for both teams. The Pride needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and they got off to a good start when Jodie Taylor scored in the third minute. However, the game slipped away as Salmon and Katie McClure scored on either side of halftime and Yuki Nagasato made the final 3-1.

Overview

A month ago, the Pride’s season was in question. Despite a strong start, they were winless in three straight games and four out of five, falling down the NWSL standings. But they’ve responded well to that adversity, winning three straight.

It started on May 23 when Banda netted the first hat trick in Pride history in a 3-1 win over the Utah Royals. They returned home on June 7 to defeat the Houston Dash 1-0 and took advantage of a quick free kick against Bay FC for a second consecutive 1-0 win.

Banda’s goal in San Jose was her eighth of the season, placing her in a tie for second with Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga. The African pair are only one goal behind NJ/NY Gotham FC’s Esther Gonzlalez for the league lead in goals.

While Banda is one of the league’s top scorers, it’s the defense that has the team near the top of the NWSL standings. The win in California was the Pride’s fifth clean sheet this season. They’ve now won three games this year 1-0 and have still only conceded multiple goals in one game, a 3-2 win over Angel City FC on April 25.

The Pride now sit in second place, just five points behind the Kansas City Current and two points ahead of the San Diego Wave. More importantly, they’ve created momentum heading into the summer break for the 2025 Euros. They’ll desperately want all three points tonight, which would see them enter the break on a four-game winning streak. To do that, they’ll need to win somewhere they’ve never won.

Standing in their way is Racing Louisville, the seventh-place team in the league. Tonight’s opponent has been strong offensively, scoring 17 goals. But Racing’s 22 goals conceded are fourth most. Its -5 goal differential is also fourth worst in the league.

Louisville is led offensively by Emma Sears, who has six goals. Taylor Flint, Kayla Fischer, and DeMelo are tied for second on the team with two goals this season. Janine Sonis leads the team with three assists, followed by Arin Wright, Fischer, and DeMelo, each with two assists.

Louisville went into its last game with a pair of 3-2 wins over Angel City away and the Utah Royals at home. However, the Kentucky-based club went to Kansas City on June 14 to face the league leaders, falling 4-2.

“Physical game,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said ahead of tonight’s match. “I think what (Louisville Head Coach) Bev (Yanez) has done in the last five or six games is implemented a different style of play. A very aggressive, high-pressing team now and they’ve had a lot of success with it. They’ll be wanting to bounce back from their last result against Kansas and try to finish this period on a high leading up into the summer break.”

The Pride are still without Simone Charley (ankle), Luana (illness), Amanda Allen (shoulder), and Rafaelle (thigh). Julie Doyle (ankle) has been added to the availability report this week, listed as questionable.

Louisville is without Bethany Balcer (excused absence), Fischer (suspended), Katie Lund (hip), Maddie Pokorny (hip), Olivia Sekany (knee), and Kirsten Wright (knee).


Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Cori Dyke, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, Oihane.

Midfielders: Summer Yates, Angelina, Haley McCutcheon, Ally Watt.

Forwards: Barbra Banda, Marta.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Carson Pickett, Kerry Abello, Zara Chavoshi, Viviana Villacorta, Morgan Gautrat, Ally Lemos, Simone Jackson, Prisca Chilufya.

Racing Louisville (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Jordyn Bloomer.

Defenders: Courtney Petersen, Arin Wright, Ellie Jean, Lauren Milliet.

Midfielders: Ary Borges, Taylor Flint, Savannah DeMelo.

Forwards: Emma Sears, Sarah Weber, Janine Sonis.

Bench: Cristina Roque, Elli Pikkujamsa, Ella Hase, Angela Baron, Marisa DiGrande, Jordan Baggett, Avery Kalitta, Katie O’Kane, Uchenna Kanu.

Referees

REF: John Matto.
AR1: Stephen Milhoan.
AR2: Brian Marshall.
4TH: Race Williams.
VAR: Anya Voigt.
AVAR: Melissa Beck.


How to Watch

Match Time: 8 p.m.

Venue: Lynn Family Stadium — Louisville, KY.

TV: None

Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network app, NWSL+.

Social Media: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @themaneland.bsky.social on Bluesky and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter (@ORLPride) or Bluesky (@orlpride.com) feed.


Enjoy the game. Go Pride!

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