Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride wrap up the group stage of the Summer Cup as they host Racing Louisville FC.
Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (0-0-2, 3 points) wrap up the group stage of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup against Racing Louisville FC (1-0-1, 4 points) at Inter&Co Stadium. This is the final group game for both teams and, since they’ve already played twice in the league, it’s the final scheduled game between them this year.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
This is the fourth season of existence for Racing Louisville. The two teams have played 10 times so far, with the Pride going 3-3-4 (3-3-3 in NWSL games and 0-0-1 in the NWSL Challenge Cup). The Pride are 3-0-2 against Louisville in Orlando, all in league play.
The most recent meeting between the two teams was on May 5 in Orlando. In the 17th minute, an Emily Sams cross 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 this 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 last year 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 in 2022 was on Sept. 16 in Louisville. Racing Louisville 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
The Pride are playing the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup without six regular starters, who are currently at the Summer Olympics in Paris. Despite missing several key players, the Pride drew their first two games of the tournament, losing to the North Carolina Courage and beating CF Monterrey Femenil in the ensuing penalty shootouts.
After starting the regular season on a 16-game unbeaten run, the Pride are now undefeated in 18 games this year in all competitions. They currently sit in third in Group E, a point behind Louisville. North Carolina’s win over Monterrey Wednesday means the Pride can’t advance in the Summer Cup. Only four of the five group winners — those with the highest points totals — will advance to the semifinals according to the competitions unusual rules.
Despite that, the Summer Cup has been mostly successful for the Pride. The only negative has been a leg injury to Bri Martinez, who had to be carried off the field in the team’s tournament opener. The first two games of the competition have provided eight players with more minutes than they’ve seen in the NWSL regular season. Additionally, the team has gotten a good look at midfielder Claire Winter, who was signed as a National Team Replacement Player.
Tonight’s opponent has had more on-field success than the Pride, taking four points from their first two games. They opened with a 3-1 win over Monterrey and drew the Courage 1-1 before losing 5-4 on penalties. Both of those games were at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville.
Louisville is currently sitting in ninth in the NWSL, but the club’s four points in the Summer Cup places the team in a potential position to advance to the semifinal. Attributing to Racing’s success in this tournament is the team’s lack of players away at the Olympics. Only Milly Clegg and Kanu departed for the international tournament, enabling the team to feature players with plenty of professional experience.
The Pride would be heavy favorites in a regular-season clash, but the teams have different objectives for these games. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines is focused on protecting the health of key players and providing reserve players with valuable experience, something that will be useful as they continue their fight for the NWSL Shield. Louisville has used nearly its best possible lineup in both games as the team sees the Summer Cup as a chance to win something this year. The difference in experience between the two sides tonight will pose a challenge for this Pride squad.
“I expect a competitive match,” Hines said about tonight’s game. “Obviously we’re at home and we’ve done really well at home this year and we want to continue that momentum at home. But we know what Louisville are capable of doing. They had a good game against North Carolina, unfortunate not to get the three points, so they’ll want a reaction after that performance. And so yeah, without many players missing, we expect them to have a full strength team and it’s going to be a good challenge for us.”
The Pride still have six players listed as out for this game, including Simone Charley (leg), Luana (illness), Carrie Lawrence (excused absence), Bri Martinez (lower leg), Megan Montefusco (heel), and Vivana Villacorta (knee). Adriana (Brazil), Angelina (Brazil), Marta (Brazil), Rafaelle (Brazil), Barbra Banda (Zambia), and Emily Sams (USA) are on international duty at the Summer Olympics.
Louisville is missing Elli Pikkujamsa (knee), Olivia Sekany (knee), Kirsten Wright (knee), and Savannah DeMelo (lower leg) due to injury. Additionally, Yuuka Kurosaki and Carson Pickett will miss this game with excused absences. Milly Clegg (New Zealand) and Uchenna Kanu (Nigeria) are away at the Olympics.
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Cori Dyke, Kylie Strom, Kerry Abello, Celia.
Defensive Midfielders: Haley McCutcheon, Ally Lemos.
Midfielders: Julie Doyle, Summer Yates, Evelina Duljan.
Forward: Alex Kerr.
Bench: McKinley Crone, Morgan Gautrat, Ally Watt, Sofia Manner, Mariana Larroquette, Amanda Allen, Claire Winter, Kenna Caldwell.
Racing Louisville FC (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Jordyn Bloomer.
Defenders: Ellie Jean, Abby Erceg, Arin Wright, Lauren Milliet.
Defensive Midfielders: Taylor Flint, Ary Borges.
Midfielders: Jordan Baggett, Parker Goins, Elexa Bahr.
Forward: Reilyn Turner.
Bench: Katie Lund, Jaelin Howell, Kayla Fischer, Linda Motlhalo, Emma Sears, Marisa DiGrande, Maddie Pokorny.
Referees
REF: Emma Richards.
AR1: Juan Pablo Casas.
AR2: Colin Ashley.
4TH: Russell Miller.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.
TV: CBS Sports Golazo Network.
Streaming: Paramount+.
Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow @TheManeLand and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).
Enjoy the match. Go Pride!