The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has sent forward Amanda Allen on loan to USL Super League side Lexington SC. The loan is for the 2024-25 USL Super League season, which runs through May, and includes a right to recall.

“Amanda has shown her potential and maturity during her time here in Orlando and we’re happy to find an opportunity for her to get more minutes on the field,” Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “Amanda has played an important role so far this season and we are happy to be able to give her the opportunity to compete in Lexington.  We look forward to watching her play and will continue to support her from afar during this loan spell.”

The Mississauga, Ontario, native joined the Pride on April 3, 2023 on a three-year deal running through the 2025 season. She made her debut on May 6, 2023 against Racing Louisville FC, becoming the youngest player to play for the Pride at 18 years, two months, and 15 days old.

In her two years in Orlando, Allen has made 17 appearances with two starts while recording 293 minutes with one assist in all competitions. That includes 11 NWSL regular season appearances, three Challenge Cup appearances, and three NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup appearances. Her assist came in this year’s season opener in a 2-2 draw against Racing Louisville when she found Summer Yates for the late equalizer.

Allen has spent time with the Canadian National Team and the youth squads. The 19-year-old forward is currently at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, where she started in the team’s first two group games.

What This Means for Orlando

The Pride have two primary forwards this season in Barbra Banda and Ally Watt, with the other forwards usually being left on the bench or out of the matchday squad. Even veteran and Argentina international Mariana Larroquette has found it hard to see the field. The club views Allen as part of the future of this team, but she was unlikely to see much more time this year in the regular season or postseason.

This loan gives the 19-year-old an opportunity to see first-team minutes at a high level, as the USL Super League is a first division league. The team was already heavy on forwards, resulting in the waiving of rookie Alex Kerr on Aug. 29. This move clears more space at the position while stating that Allen is part of the future of the team.

The Orlando Pride (13-0-5, 44 points) continued their unbeaten streak by defeating NJ/NY Gotham FC (10-4-4, 34 points) 2-0 tonight at Inter&Co Stadium. Adriana netted a first-half brace, which held up for 71 minutes as the Pride extended their winning streak to five games and unbeaten run to 19 matches.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made one change to the team that beat the Houston Dash 1-0 on Aug. 23. Summer Yates, the goal scorer in that game, replaced Julie Doyle in the midfield. The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, and Cori Dyke. Haley McCutcheon and Angelina were the defensive midfielders behind Yates, Marta, and Adriana with Barbra Banda up top.

The game was originally scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., but storms in the area pushed the start time back to 7:25 p.m. The Pride came out flying once the game began, taking control in the first 20 minutes. Adriana scored in the sixth minute and again in the 19th minute, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead. That was enough as Gotham only put two of its 16 shots on target, both of which were saved by Moorhouse.

Gotham created the first shot of the game in the third minute when the inability of the Pride to clear gave Delanie Sheehan space outside of the box. The midfielder tried to guide the ball inside the far post but was unable to get around it, resulting in the ball sailing harmlessly wide.

The first chance for the Pride gave the hosts an early lead. In the sixth minute, Yates’ cross to the six-yard box was converged on by Strom, Nealy Martin, Jess Carter, and Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. Despite being outnumbered, Strom got her head to the ball, putting it down for a wide open Adriana to finish and giving the Pride a 1-0 lead.

Adriana made this look incredibly easy 😮‍💨

(Spoiler Alert: It's not….) pic.twitter.com/jYDXRn5zvB

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 1, 2024

During the play, Berger accidentally punched Strom while trying to reach the ball and Martin also went down with a head injury. Both players received treatment but were eventually able to continue.

The Pride doubled their lead in the 19th minute when Yates played a great, long switch across the field to Adriana with space. The Brazilian took Jenna Nighswonger one-on-one, eventually creating enough room for a shot towards the far post. Berger couldn’t get close to the attempt and Adriana had a brace in less than 20 minutes, giving the Pride a commanding 2-0 lead.

ADRIANA CANNOT BE STOPPED! 😱 pic.twitter.com/fTqf1MDjmS

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 1, 2024

“It was a great moment for Adriana. She’s been looking forward to getting on the score sheet,” Hines said about the brace. “She’s been working extremely hard with her finishing, and she had a night tonight.”

As you might expect, the Pride were trying to find Banda in the box with space and the striker finally got the ball in the box in the 27th minute. The team’s leading goal scorer took a touch inside to create space from the defender before taking a shot at goal. However, the attempt was right at Berger, who made an easy save.

Yates tried to send McCutcheon through on goal in the 30th minute, but the ball was a bit too far in front of her, and Berger was able to clear it away. The Pride maintained possession, resulting in a cross attempt by Adriana that Nighswonger knocked out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece found the head of Banda, but the striker couldn’t get much on it.

Gotham had a good chance in the 43rd minute when Emily Sonnett played a great ball across the field from the midfield line into the Pride box. The cross went just over the head of Sheehan to Yazmeen Ryan on the far side. Taking Dyke on one-on-one, Ryan created enough space for a shot but sent the attempt over the goal.

It looked like the Pride might have a third goal in the 45th minute when Abello and Yates combined to play McCutcheon forward. Banda was making a diagonal run and McCutcheon played her in on goal. The Pride striker opened her body before firing for the far side of the goal, hitting the post. It wouldn’t have counted anyway as the flag came up for offside.

In the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Adriana sent a long ball across the box that Banda headed to the top of the six. Yates was making a run, but Sonnett got there first to knock it out for a corner kick. Marta’s set piece was cleared away, ending the threat.

The final chance of the half came in the eighth minute of injury time when Rose Lavelle played Ryan forward. Rather than dribbling into the box, the attacker shot from outside the 18, sending the attempt wide.

The Pride led most of the statistical categories in the first half, including possession (52%-48%), shots (7-4), shots on target (3-0), corner kicks (3-0), and crosses (10-4). The hosts also had better passing accuracy (88%-85%) in the first 45 minutes.

“We always mention it at halftime. You know, 2-0 is a dangerous score line at halftime,” Hines said. “Two halves are never the same. And especially when we’re dominating so much in the first half and creating some really good opportunities in the first half and played some really good football. A team like Gotham is going to adjust things.”

“We say it all the time, 2-0 is a very dangerous lead,” Strom added. “So we knew that they were going to change something. We weren’t sure what. So, we just needed to problem solve and adapt and, you know, try to figure out how to beat the press in the second half.”

The only halftime substitute was Esther Gonzalez coming on for Martin and the Spanish international tried to make an immediate impact. Seconds after the restart, she won the ball from Strom and attempted to chip Moorhouse. It was an ambitious attempt that went over the target.

The Pride had their first chance of the second half in the 48th minute when Abello sent Banda long down the left. The forward found an open Adriana in the middle and the attacker volleyed the ball with the outside of her right foot right to Berger.

Gotham had a good chance to get one back in the 52nd minute when Lavelle lifted the ball over a leaping Yates for Carter making a run towards the back post. The defender sent the ball across the face of the goal where Gonzalez was making a run, but the forward couldn’t get her foot to it.

The visitors had another good chance in the 54th minute when Nighswonger sent an excellent ball to Dunn making a run towards the back post. Dunn had gotten behind the back line and tried to volley the ball on goal, but hit the attempt over the crossbar.

Gotham nearly scored an own goal in the 59th minute when Tierna Davidson got to an Abello cross before Marta. She redirected the ball over Berger and it looked like the ball would cross the line, but it hit the bottom of the crossbar instead. It was enough to keep it out and allow Berger to collect it.

Hines made his first change of the night in the 65th minute with Doyle coming onto the field for Yates.

Gotham continued to try to find a goal that would get them back into the game. In the 70th minute, Davidson sent a long ball for Gonzalez that got her behind Strom. The forward’s second touch was a shot from a tight angle that went over the crossbar.

A minute later, pressure from a Pride goal kick created a chance for Nighswonger. McCutcheon received the ball near the top of the box but quickly gave it away to Katie Stengel. The second-half substitute played Lavelle forward and the U.S. international found Nighswonger with more space. The defender was aiming for the far post but sent the attempt wide.

Pressure in the back created problems for the Pride again in the 77th minute when a weak pass from Strom to Sams enabled Stengel to take possession. The substitute dribbled around Sams to create space for a shot, but McCutcheon came flying in to block the shot out of play.

After the first corner kick was cleared out of play, the second resulted in a shot from long distance by Nighswonger. However, Moorhouse was up to the task, blocking it behind her goal. It wasn’t until the fourth consecutive corner kick that the Pride were able to clear.

The Pride immediately went the other way, trying to create something of their own. The number of Gotham players forward enabled the Pride to create a counterattack when Marta chipped the ball for Doyle and the midfielder sent Banda forward. Banda was looking to take Bruninha one-on-one and was taken down by the Brazilian when a teammate got back.

Bruninha was booked for the challenge and Banda required attention. Hines took the opportunity to make another substitution, replacing Banda with fellow forward Ally Watt. Adriana stepped up to take the free kick but it was stopped by Berger.

Watt had a chance to make her impact on the game in the 84th minute when McCutcheon sent her behind the Gotham back line. However, she took too many touches, enabling Berger to come off her line and block her attempt at goal.

In the 90th minute, Pickett pulled back Jessica Silva near the top of the Pride box, giving the visitors a good chance. Lavelle’s free kick was headed on goal by Stengel, but Moorhouse was there to make the catch.

Doyle did well to shield the ball from Carter in the second minute of stoppage before splitting a pair of defenders to enter the box. Adriana, who initially gave Doyle the ball, continued her run into the 18 and Doyle found her. The midfielder shot in an attempt to score the first hat trick in Pride history, but it was directly at Berger.

On the other end, Gotham had a good chance to convert in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Stengel won a header between Sams and Dyke. It set up perfectly for Taryn Torres, who sent her shot for the far post. Moorhouse had no chance at stopping the attempt, but it went just wide of the far post.

It looked briefly like the Pride had a third in the ninth minute of stoppage time when Doyle dribbled inside and towards the top of the box to create space from two defenders. The midfielder’s strike was a beautiful one, getting just over the outstretched arm of Berger and into the roof of the net. Unfortunately, the flag went up for offside.

That was the last chance for either team as the Pride won 2-0. At full time, Gotham had more possession (50.5%-49.5%), shots (16-13), corner kicks (6-3), and crosses (12-10). However, the Pride put more shots on target (9-2) and converted twice. Both teams completed 82% of their passes.

“I think every game that we’re playing in is always going to be a challenging game, but it’s just a testament to the players and their attitudes,” Hines said about the performance. “We wanted to start the game on the front foot. We wanted to start with intensity and to take the lead after 20 minutes, I thought we were terrific. I thought we played some really good football. I think the second goal epitomizes what we’re trying to do. And, you know, Adri takes both goals really well. And then, obviously towards the end, as they’re pushing more numbers forward, trying to get back into the game. Again, talk about mentality, and attitude, and throwing your body on the line to keep the ball out of the net was brilliant to see. And again, it’s another clean sheet against a good opponent.”

The clean sheet was the Pride’s fifth in the last six games, a remarkable record for a team that has featured the best defensive unit in the league.

Even more impressive than the clean sheets is they’ve done it with changes on the back line. Rafaelle was injured in the Olympics, causing Sams to move to center back and Dyke to enter the starting lineup. Despite the changes, the Pride continue to avoid conceding goals.

“I just think it speaks to the depth of this team,” Dyke said about the defensive success. “We just have such a talented roster of players that could play 90 minutes on any given day. And I think that makes a really competitive training environment. So, I think just the way we’re pushing ourselves every day in training and holding each other to that high standard allows us to continue to have those clean sheets.”

“I think we just take a lot of pride in our defending. And when we say defending, it’s not just our back line or goalkeeper, it’s front to back,” Strom added. “So, we just want to make things predictable. We want to lock them to one side. We want to end it when it gets wide. And when we do that, we have a lot of success.”

In a season full of new team and league records, the head coach set a new one tonight. The win was Hines’ 26th as Pride head coach, surpassing Tom Sermanni for most wins in team history. Since neither coach has a win outside of league play, the record is for NWSL and all competitions.

“It’s cool, I guess,” Hines said about setting the team record. “You know, I don’t even think about it. I’m just one who lives in the moment and I’m already thinking about the next game. So, yeah, we’ve said it all season long, records are great. The winning streak, the unbeaten streak, winning as coach, they’re all great. But we have an objective that we want to achieve this year and we’ll continue it.”

The Washington Spirit drew 1-1 with the San Diego Wave and the Kansas City Current lost 2-1 to the North Carolina Courage 2-1 tonight. As a result, the Pride increased their lead on the field to six points.

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After a brief stop at home, the Pride will now head back out on the road as they face the Chicago Red Stars next Sunday.

The Orlando Pride (12-0-5, 41 points) return home for the first time since Aug. 1 and first NWSL match at Inter&Co Stadium since June 21, as they welcome NJ/NY Gotham FC (10-3-4, 34 points). This is the first of two meetings between the two teams this season with the game in New Jersey scheduled for Oct. 20.

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

History

The Pride have faced Gotham 23 times since joining the NWSL in 2016. They’re 7-9-7 in all competitions and 3-7-2 in Orlando. The Pride’s record in NWSL regular-season games is 7-6-5 and 3-4-2 at home.

The most recent meeting between the two teams came on Aug. 9, 2023 in the Challenge Cup. Messiah Bright gave the Pride the lead in the first half, and the team was in line for all three points until Meleana Shim equalized in second-half stoppage time, resulting in a 1-1 draw. The July 23 meeting at Exploria Stadium was also in Challenge Cup play. A Megan Montefusco header gave the Pride an early lead, but they were unable to hold on. Jenna Nighswonger converted a penalty later in the first half and Gotham took over the second half with goals by McCall Zerboni and Yazmeen Ryan, beating the Pride 3-1. 

Prior to that loss, the teams played two regular season games in 2023. On May 14, the Pride were the better team and created more chances, but couldn’t find the back of the net and the game ended in a scoreless draw. The April 15 game at Exploria Stadium also looked to be headed for a draw, but Gotham struck twice in the dying minutes. Midge Purce converted a penalty 10 minutes into stoppage time and then assisted on Lynn Williams’s goal seven minutes later, setting a record for the latest goal in NWSL history as the Pride fell 2-0. The Professional Referee Organization stated publicly that the penalty given for a handball on Caitlin Cosme did not meet its standards for being clear and obvious enough for a review, but that didn’t change the result.

The two teams met four times during the 2022 season — twice in the NWSL regular season and twice in the Challenge Cup. The first was a Challenge Cup meeting on March 30 at Exploria Stadium. It looked to be heading for a 0-0 draw before Purce scored a late winner. The next Challenge Cup meeting was April 23 at Red Bull Arena. Gunny Jonsdottir gave the Pride the lead, but Toni Pressley got tangled up with Ifeoma Onumonu, resulting in a penalty. Kristie Mewis leveled the game from the spot just before the half. Neither team could find a winner and it ended 1-1.

The teams met in the 2022 NWSL regular-season opener on May 1 in Orlando. After two close matchups in the preseason tournament, this one was all Gotham, as goals by Zerboni, Purce, and Mewis lifted the visitors to a 3-0 win. On Aug. 20, they played for the final time in 2022 at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. Celia and Ally Watt built the Pride a 2-0 lead. Mewis got one back for the hosts, but the Pride held on for a 2-1 win.

The Pride and Gotham also met four times in 2021, with the first coming in the Pride’s inaugural Challenge Cup campaign. On April 14, Paige Monaghan’s goal lifted Gotham to a 1-0 win. The first regular-season game that year came on June 20 in Orlando. The visitors took the lead through Caprice Dydasco, but Courtney Petersen equalized, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

On Aug. 29, the teams played at Red Bull Arena. Erika Tymrak’s long-range goal lifted the Pride to a 2-1 win. The teams played one final, high-scoring game on Oct. 9. It was a bad start for the Pride as Gaetane Thiney scored a brace and Purce made it 3-0 late. The Pride came storming back with goals by Tymrak and Marta, falling just short in a 3-2 final.

The Pride and Gotham were in different groups for the 2020 Fall Series, so the last time they met prior to 2021 was in 2019, when the New Jersey-based club was still called Sky Blue FC. They first met that year on June 22 at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, NJ. Chioma Ubogagu gave the Pride the lead from the penalty spot and Sarah Killion equalized. The difference was a Gina Lewandowski own goal as the Pride won 2-1.

On July 20 they met at Exploria Stadium. Marisa Viggiano’s goal won it for the Pride, 1-0. The final game occurred on Sept. 29 in New Jersey. Shelina Zadorsky gave the Pride the lead, but Carli Lloyd equalized in a 1-1 draw.

The teams met three times in 2018, starting on June 16 in Orlando, when a Sydney Leroux brace led the Pride to a 3-2 win. They met again in Orlando on Aug. 5, with the Pride giving up a 1-0 lead after Marta’s opening goal. But Dani Weatherholt equalized in a 2-2 draw. The final meeting in 2018 came on Sept. 8 in New Jersey — the final game of the season. There was only one goal in this one as Lloyd won it for Sky Blue FC.

The 2017 season saw the Pride and Sky Blue meet three times. The first was May 27 in New Jersey, where the Pride lost 2-1. They met again in New Jersey on June 28 and the Pride won, 3-2. The final meeting was on Aug. 12 in Orlando and the Pride won by its largest margin in team history, beating Sky Blue, 5-0.

The 2016 season was the first time the two teams met, with the inaugural game coming on Sept. 7 in New Jersey. Alex Morgan and Sam Kerr swapped goals in a 1-1 draw. They met again three days later in Orlando, with Sky Blue winning, 2-1.

Overview

The Pride set several team and league records in their 1-0 win over the Houston Dash on Aug. 23. They extended their unbeaten run in regular-season play to 18 games (a new league record), recorded their eighth clean sheet of the season (a new team record), and recorded their 12th win of the season (a new team record).

More important than setting records, the win keeps the Pride atop the NWSL standings. The Kansas City Current lost to the Washington Spirit on Aug. 25, extending the team’s lead in the standings to four points. The Houston game was far from the Pride’s best performance of the year, and they got lucky when Andressa hit the post in the 86th minute. But they managed to keep the momentum going before returning home.

Tonight, the Pride play at Inter&Co Stadium for the first time since their final NWSL x Liga MX Femenil game on Aug. 1 and they’ll welcome one of the best teams in the league. Gotham was somewhat of an embarrassment to the league in its early years, struggling to acquire adequate facilities for its players and fans. But the club has become a problem for opposing teams in recent seasons, bringing in top players and winning the NWSL Championship last year.

Gotham currently sits in fourth with 34 points, three points behind the second-place Spirit. Similar to the Pride, Gotham’s success this year can largely be attributed to its defense. Tonight’s visitors have only conceded 13 goals, which is second-fewest in the league behind only the Pride. However, while the Pride have also been one of the best attacking teams, Gotham is in the middle of the table with 21 goals scored.

Gotham has spread its goals among multiple players this season. Ella Stevens leads the team with six conversions, followed by Rose Lavelle’s five, and Williams’ three. Ryan and Esther Gonzalez each have two. Similar to the goal scorers, the assists are also shared among multiple players as Stevens, Ryan, and Nighswonger each have three assists.

Tonight’s opponent is coming off a 2-0 win over the Portland Thorns at home in its first game since the Olympic break. Neither team was at full strength, missing some of their Olympic stars. Starting center back Tierna Davidson and starting midfielder Lavelle both came off the bench after helping the United States to the gold medal. Facing the best team in the league away from home, Gotham will likely have a stronger lineup.

“It’s a good opponent, last year’s NWSL champion. It’s nice to be home as well in front of our own fans, so we’re all excited for that,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s game. “But, again, it’s just continue the momentum. I thought you could tell that we’ve been apart for a bit of time (against Houston), so those connections weren’t quite there that everyone saw at the start of the season. But just really happy that we managed to get the three points away from home. Houston away is always a difficult game to play in, but it was a good game for us and a lot to build on and we’re excited with Gotham coming to our home stadium.”

The Pride have seven players missing tonight due to injury, including Grace Chanda (thigh), Simone Charley (ankle), Luana (illness), Sofia Manner (concussion), Megan Montefusco (heel), Rafaelle (foot), and Viviana Villacorta (knee). Additionally, Ally Lemos (USA) and Amanda Allen (Canada) are at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Gotham are without Svava Gudmunsdottir (excused absence), Sinead Farrelly (concussion), Sam Hiatt (foot), Maitane Lopez (hip), Midge Purce (knee), Abby Smith (lower leg), and Lynn Williams (lower leg).

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Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, Carson Pickett.

Defensive Midfielders: Angelina, Haley McCutcheon.

Attacking Midfielders: Summer Yates, Marta, Adriana.

Forward: Barbara Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Julie Doyle, Evelina Duljan, Morgan Gautrat, Celia, Mariana Larroquette, Carrie Lawrence, Carson Pickett, Ally Watt.

NJ/NY Gotham FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Ann-Katrin Berger.

Defenders: Jenna Nighswonger, Jess Carter, Tierna Davidson, Emily Sonnett.

Midfielders: Crystal Dunn, Rose Lavelle, Nealy Martin.

Forward: Crystal Dunn, Yazmeen Ryan, Ella Stevens.

Bench: Mandy Freeman, Esther Gonzalez, Jessica Silva, Cassie Miller, Kelley O’Hara, Bruninha, Katie Stengel, Taryn Torres, McCall Zerboni.

Referees

REF: Thomas Snyder.
AR1: Katarzyna Wasiak.
AR2: Tom Felice.
4TH: JJ Bilinski.
VAR: Elijio Arreguin.
AVAR: Jonathan Johnson.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 6 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: Bally Sports Sun.

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 game. Go Pride!