The Orlando Pride further reinforced their claim as the team of 2024 on Sunday, defeating NJ/NY Gotham FC 2-0 in a late-season clash of NWSL heavyweights. The Pride left little room for debate, scoring early and holding Gotham to mostly distant chances to win the game and go six points clear at the top of the table at the end of weekend play.

Adriana was clearly Player of the Match, scoring a brace in the first 20 minutes. First she volleyed home Kylie Strom’s header stolen from Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger in the sixth minute. Then, in the 19th minute, she craftily put away a long diagonal after bringing it down at the corner of the 18-yard box and being afforded too much space. Angelina’s cross into the box on a recycled set piece helped create the first goal, while Summer Yates’ pinpoint switch in play turned into an assist on the second.

It seems that this season the Pride break records every weekend and Sunday’s win over Gotham was no exception. Records included:

• Extending Orlando’s single-season club points record (44).
• Extending Orlando’s two NWSL record unbeaten streaks (18 in a season, 19 overall).
• A new mark for managerial wins in club history (26) as Head Coach Seb Hines passed Tom Sermanni.
• A club record for the most players to score five or more goals in a season (Barbra Banda, Adriana, Marta, Yates) after Adriana’s brace helped her reach that total.

And, while not a record, as of Sunday, the Pride have held a clean sheet in half (!) of their games this season. The shutout against Gotham was the team’s fifth in its last six games.

The Pride will hit the road for their next match, visiting the Chicago Red Stars next Sunday at 6 p.m. The Red Stars are the only team the Pride have not yet beaten this season, after drawing Chicago at home 11 on March 24. Any points taken by the Pride or dropped by Angel City or Bay FC next weekend will clinch a playoff spot for the Pride for the first time since 2017.

We hope you enjoy these images from a signature win over the defending NWSL champions.

With seven players representing their various countries at the Olympics, the Orlando Pride had to find a different source of firepower against C.F. Monterrey in their second Summer Cup group match. The Pride seized their opportunity to show off the massive potential awaiting behind the normal starters, with Alex Kerr, Evelina Duljan, Cori Dyke, and Ally Lemos all demonstrating their promise for the full 90 minutes. Kerr and Duljan especially shone, consistently taking on and beating defenders throughout the game.

The Pride had to level twice — first through Kerr’s moment of brilliance and late on a Julie Doyle tap-in of a seeing-eye Celia cross to force penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw. Clearly the team practiced this week, confidently making all five attempts, with goalkeeper Sofia Manner coolly reading Merel van Dongen’s panenka attempt for an easy save to give the Pride the extra point.

Inexperience showed at times, and fitness was tested, but the youngest Pride players showed the grit that has become the hallmark of the Seb Hines era. Orlando will next face Racing Louisville on tonight to round out group play. Due to the strange structure of the tournament (only four of the five group winners will advance), the Pride really need a win in order to have hopes of advancing.

We hope that you enjoy the images of the Pride’s first match against an international opponent.

Orlando City opened its 2024 Leagues Cup group play, rebounding from a one-goal game against New York City FC and resuming its fine run of offensive form, winning 4-1 against CF Montreal on Friday. The Lions netted early and often in the first half, scoring three before the intermission and again after the break before Orlando City nemesis Josef Martínez got a consolation goal to dirty the otherwise clean sheet. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese got the last laugh, however, saving Martínez’s penalty attempt a short time later.

The Lions’ offense has been in sync for about a month, with dynamic attacking movement involving the entire team — the four goals were scored by four different Lions (Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, Facundo Torres, Ramiro Enrique and Martín Ojeda), while Wilder Cartagena and Luis Muriel both missed good chances by just inches. The Lions put away more chances than they missed, unlike the play characteristic at the start of the year.

Orlando next faces League MX side Atletico de San Luis in Leagues Cup East 2 group play next Sunday, Aug. 4.

We hope you enjoy the gallery of photos from the game. (And if you look closely, you might even learn a few words of Swedish!)