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How the 2024 Orlando Pride Stack Up against the Best Clubs in World Soccer

The Pride are off to a tremendous start to their NWSL season, but how do they compare to many of the other top clubs across the world?

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3 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

As someone who majored in mathematics in college, I love when I find an answer to a problem and it is undoubtedly and unassailably correct. I like the analysis and the problem-solving parts too, but for me the best part of any math problem is when I find the answer and I know that there is no more work to do for that problem. In mathematics there is a defined answer, and the only question is why did Dr. (Redacted) at the Harvard of the South Rollins College always take points off for not showing my work even though I had the correct answer all most of the time? I fear I may have gone off track.

Where I want to go this week is an evaluation of the Pride and whether the 2024 version is one of the best clubs in the world — a question that, unlike those math problems I like so much, does not have a simple, defined answer. I mean, in the end the answer will be either yes or no, which is about as simple as it gets, but the dreaded phrase “it is a matter of perspective” looms large over any question about “who is the best?”

Mathematicians like questions that end in “st,” like ones about answering who/what achieved the most, highest, farthest (though not furthest, thank you Finding Forrester), fastest, or was the least, lowest, nearest, or slowest, but even though best qualifies as ending in those two letters, there is no simple mathematical way to show best in most cases. State fairs and the Winchester Dog Show’s judges may disagree with their Best in Show awards, but when it comes to the “best” teams in women’s soccer, we can try to quantify, but we also have to qualify, because women’s soccer does not yet have a true global competition pitting leading clubs against one another.

In the last two years we have had an incredible Olympic tournament and World Cup in the women’s game, both viewed by millions across the world, and both of those tournaments will play a large role in my evaluation of how to determine which club teams are the best right now in 2024. While we have a limited sample of club vs. club games that we can use to compare teams from different leagues all over the world, what we can do is look at the players who are on high-performing teams and look at collections of talent to compare those against one another.

I looked at the rosters of all the club teams across every women’s league tracked on fbref.com, which includes the following (apologies for the long list, but it is important to see for perspective): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. There are of course many other women’s leagues across the world, including some with outstanding teams, but I am relying on the available data to evaluate teams, and Opta, the company that tracks all the data and provides it to fbref.com, has not yet decided to track women’s leagues in China, Mexico, Portugal, Scotland, and many others.

Across all of those tracked leagues are nearly 200 women’s teams, and that includes the leagues that have produced most of the winners of the continental competitions in Europe and South America for as long as they have existed (Europe since 2001 and South America since 2009). Asia and North America are both rolling out continental women’s “Champions Leagues” for the first time in 2024 and 2025, and Africa has had a women’s Champions League since 2021, but aside from the leagues in Japan and the United States, none of the leagues in Africa, Asia, or North America are tracked in as easily accessible places. I hope this changes soon, and once more data is available, I will certainly use it when I compare players, leagues, and teams.

That said, I do have a working database of nearly 200 women’s club teams for this season (2023-2024 for the leagues where their season has finished and 2024 year to date for the clubs that are currently in season). I also have a thorough database of all the players who played in the 2024 Olympics and in the 2023 World Cup, since tracking is much better at the national team level. Looking at the 190+ teams, here are the total players in each league who competed in either, or in some cases both, tournaments (Notes: a player like Grace Chanda, who has not yet dressed for the Pride, does not count toward the NWSL’s totals; Medal winners means the teams that finished first, second, or third):

Looking at this list, which was sorted by the count of participants who competed in the 2023 World Cup, there is a clear top three among the leagues when looking at which leagues produced the most participants in the last two major international tournaments. Some of this data may include a little double counting, as players may have played for multiple teams during the season, so they show up in the same league multiple times, but I do not believe there would be any major shifts were I to get the fine-tooth comb out. And I have shaved my head since 2006, so in all honesty I would have to get my son’s comb and that one is designed for boys, so it would be so fine toothed it might not even allow any data to stay. I think we just move on.

England’s WSL, Spain’s Liga F, and the NWSL in the U.S. all are top three in Olympians and World Cup participants, and while that does not mean that they have all of the best (and again, how is best defined?) players in the world, it does mean that they have the most (ah, a beautiful word with a clear definition) players who were selected to compete on behalf of their nations in the two most recent major tournaments.

Injuries do play a role here, as Mallory Swanson, for example, would have played in the 2023 World Cup except for an injury, and she is but one of likely double digits’ worth of players who play on a club today but did not make their national team due to injury. Some national teams are extremely deep as well, so a player like Alex Morgan did not make the U.S. team for the Olympics but she almost certainly would have made the roster for several, if not many, of the other nations that qualified.

That said, the numbers are the numbers, and looking at them you can see that the three deepest leagues seem to be the ones at the top of that chart. This will be critical when we try to compare team performance across leagues, because being at or near the top in a league full of elite players is much different than being at or near the top in a league where only a few teams have all of the elite players.

Now, let’s take a look at that same chart, but looking at club teams instead of leagues (Note: there are five other clubs that also had six World Cup participants, but none had as many Olympians as did the Pride so I did not include all of them on the chart):

The Pride are tied for 19th for World Cup participants, which is pret-ty, pret-ty good. And if you look at the total medal wins for the Olympics plus the World Cup, the Pride have five (you are welcome for me doing the tough addition of five plus zero for you), which ranks them tied for seventh. I mentioned earlier that I was not able to pull in every league and club into my dataset, but I did look at every Olympic and World Cup medal-winning player, and there are no clubs from other leagues that would rank higher than the Pride for medal winners, though there are some clubs like Benfica of Portugal and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa that had more than the Pride’s six World Cup participants.

So the Pride are looking pretty good for participants in recent major tournaments, but tournaments have qualification rounds and sometimes good teams have a bad spell and miss a tournament. A better indication might be looking at FIFA’s list of the top-ranked national teams, since that is determined by all games played by a national team and not just in the two most recent major tournaments. Zambia, for example, played in both the World Cup and the Olympics but is currently ranked 64th in the world, so having a player on Zambia, as the Pride do, may actually not be as impressive as having a player on Iceland, which is ranked 14th in the world but did not qualify for the World Cup or the Olympics.

Looking at clubs in this manner changes the analysis quite a bit, and the Pride fall from being a team in the top 20ish to a team in the top 40ish if I change the evaluation to be clubs with players on national teams ranked in the top 25 of FIFA’s rankings. The Pride have five players who have played on top 25 national teams this season — Adriana, Angelina, Marta, and Rafaelle from Brazil and Emily Sams from the U.S. — but there are 15 clubs that have twice that number or more, and the list is topped by Chelsea (22), Arsenal (20), and Barcelona (18). Going back from club to full league and ranking the leagues by count of players on top 25 national teams, the list still is led by England, but now the gap is even larger, and Germany has surpassed Spain into the top three. There really is a clear number one and then four sitting tightly bunched behind, and then another gap after that:

Looking at the data this way again shows the depth of the league in England, with well more than 100 players who play on top 25 national teams and who also ply their trade in England’s Women’s Super League, and that is across a league of only 12 teams. By contrast the NWSL had less than half as many players who play on top 25 national teams and our league has 14 teams.

As I mentioned previously the Pride have five players on top 25 national teams, which ranks them tied for fifth in the NWSL, behind San Diego (10), Gotham (9), Portland (8), and Washington (6) and tied with Kansas City, Chicago, and Houston. In fact every NWSL team except for Louisville has a player on a top 25 national team, and 10 of the 14 teams have at least three. Only the leagues in England and the U.S. have 10 or more teams with at least three top 25 national team players, which leads me to my next chart.

The Pride have earned 79% of the possible points they could earn this season (38 points out of a possible 48), but the team only has five top 25 national team players out of the NWSL’s total of 63, for a total of 8%. That 79% number seems like pretty high percentage of total points earned, but it actually ranks 20th among the 189 teams among all the 2024 leagues I have been writing about thus far, as you can see below:

There were two other takeaways from this chart:

  • A total of 12 of the 16 leagues have at least one team that earned a higher percentage of points than the Pride, who are leading the NWSL thus far this season and are well ahead of the pace of last year’s champions, the Wave, who finished the season earning 56% of their possible points.
  • The Pride are leading the NWSL but with a much lower percentage of top national team players on their roster, meaning that: a) the top teams in other leagues are disproportionately heavy with elite national team players (all leagues have at least 10 teams, so if players were evenly dispersed, the expected percentages would be closer to 10% or lower), and b) the makeup of the Pride is markedly different than most of the other highly performing teams.

Markedly different does not mean worse, it just means in a different manner. The Pride have an elite level talent in Barbra Banda, who plays for her national team but that national team is not an elite team, even though she is an elite talent. And speaking of elite talent, since 2021 ESPN has used a panel of experts to rank the top 50 players in women’s soccer, and during the three seasons (2021, 2022, and 2023) when the outlet has put out these rankings, the Pride are one of fewer than 30 clubs in the world that currently have at least one player who was ranked in the top 50 during at least one of the last three years, and as you surely guessed, that is Marta, who was in the top 50 in 2021, though not on the 2022 or 2023 versions of the list.

When ESPN comes out with its 2024 list, I expect that Barbra Banda will be ranked high on it, meaning that in most games the Pride are rolling out one player who is currently considered one of the world’s best (Banda), one who was in a recent year and who is still playing at a high level (Marta), four others who are on elite-level national teams (Adriana, Angelina, Rafaelle, and Sams), one who was recently called into the camp of an elite national team (Anna Moorhouse), one who can successfully dribble through a hospital full of people chasing her while also interrupting an MRI, a surgery, and physical therapy without hurting anyone (Kerry Abello — I believe she is the only player in the world who has done this), one who made the roster for the U-20 USWNT World Cup squad (Ally Lemos), and then a full rest of the roster that has contributed to an undefeated start and taking 79% of the possible points from a league that is deep with talent from top to bottom. This is a strong team.

There is one site I found that does have a ranking of women’s teams across the world, and you can find its 2023 club ranking here. The site does not disclose its algorithm, but it did rank the 2023 Pride tied for 132nd in the world, and that was a team that did not win a game in the NWSL Challenge Cup and did not make the 2023 playoffs either.

The 2024 Pride are objectively much better than the 2023 Pride, and in looking at their record (top of the league) and goal differential (+20 overall, +1.25 per game played) in a league that is clearly one of the three, and debatably one of the two, best leagues in the world, as well as the pedigree of the players the Pride have on their team, I think that I can answer the question in the title of this story with a yes. The 2024 Pride are one of the best clubs in the world, and I think they are likely in the top 10-15%.

How close are they to the top of the list, though? That is for another article…at the end of the season.

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Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit, NWSL Championship: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Win Club’s First League Title

The Pride defeated the Washington Spirit 1-0 to become NWSL champions.

Published

8 hours ago

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November 23, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride finished their historic season tonight by capturing the club’s first NWSL Championship with a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, MO. Barbra Banda gave the Pride the lead in the 37th minute and, despite defending almost the entire second half, held on to take the title.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines deployed the same lineup that beat the Kansas City Current 3-2 Sunday afternoon to advance to this championship game. The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, and Cori Dyke. Haley McCutcheon and Angelina were in the defensive midfield behind Ally Watt, Marta, and Adriana with Banda up top.

For the first time since 2019, the NWSL Championship was between the two teams with the best records in the league. Despite being the lower seed, Washington was the more aggressive team in this game and created multiple early chances. However, the Spirit struggled to put attempts on target, enabling the Pride to take the lead before halftime. The second half was all Spirit, as the Pride sat behind the ball, desperately holding onto the one-goal lead. They were able to keep the opposition at bay and Banda’s goal stood as the Pride claimed their first-ever league title. It caps a season in which the Pride took home both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship, becoming the first team to win the double since the 2021 Portland Thorns.

The Spirit got off to an attacking start, putting the Pride on their heels in the opening minutes. Rosemonde Kouassi received the ball on the left in the third minute and beat Dyke to create enough space for a shot. However, it was from a tight angle and right into the arms of Moorhouse.

The Pride went the other way and created their first chance of the game seconds later. Banda was able to get a shot off, but it was deflected out of play by Hal Hershfelt. The ensuing corner was cleared and the Pride didn’t cause any trouble for Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury.

Orlando had a better chance in the 15th minute when the ball popped out to Banda and the striker turned her defender before sprinting down the field. She had Adriana on her left and Marta on her right, ultimately playing it wide to the Pride captain. Marta took a touch inside to find space to shoot between a pair of defenders, sending the ball into the arms of Kingsbury.

Ashley Hatch made an overlapping run in the 22nd minute, receiving the ball from Tara McKeown. Receiving it on the right, Hatch sent a low cross into the six-yard box. However, it was too close to Moorhouse, who collected it.

In the 33rd minute, Kouassi made a run to the top of the Pride box, swerving through multiple defenders before getting a shot off. She was aiming for the near post, and Moorhouse dove for the attempt, but it went just wide.

The Pride took the lead in the 37th minute from the only player that caused problems for the Spirit defense. It started when Angelina won the ball from Leicy Santos, pushing the Colombian in a physical battle to win possession. She then sent Banda down the right, and the Zambian took on defender Esme Morgan one on one. Moving inside to get enough space for a shot, she beat Kingsbury with her left foot to her near post for the opening goal.

“I think that was a great moment for me,” Banda said about her goal  “As that ball came through me, I don’t hesitate. I always want to take on the defenders. So I saw that opportunity and I had to put the ball at the back of the net because I saw the positioning of the goalkeeper. So it was great for me.”

Kingsbury took responsibility for the goal in the Spirit’s postgame press conference, confessing Banda’s shot caught her off guard as she was expecting a cross from that position. The quick shot with her off foot fooled the former Pride shot stopper and got between her leg and the post for the game’s only goal.

Marta tried to create something on her own in the 43rd minute, using multiple stepovers to beat Casey Krueger. The Brazilian sent the ball towards goal from a tight angle, forcing Kingsbury to tip it wide for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece was cleared and it remained a 1-0 Pride lead.

Strom conceded a corner kick in the 45th minute and the Spirit nearly found an equalizer. McKeown’s set piece was towards the penalty spot where Hatch and Dyke jumped for the ball. The forward outjumped the right back, getting her head to the ball and sending towards the corner. It was behind Moorhouse but off the post and the Pride barely survived the attack.

Possession was evenly split in the first 45 minutes, but the Spirit created more shots (8-4). However, the Pride put more of their chances on target (3-1). While the Pride had more corner kicks in the first half (3-2), the Spirit had more crosses (9-8) and better passing accuracy (74%-70%).

Similar to the first half, the Spirit were the more dangerous team in the opening minutes of the second half. In the 47th minute, Kouassi got her head to a Trinity Rodman cross at the top of the six-yard box, forcing Moorhouse to push it away for a corner kick. 

The short set piece resulted in Marta fouling Kouassi just outside of the box. Makenna Morris’ free kick found Hatch, who was left alone in the middle. The forward got her head to the ball and sent it towards the far post, but the attempt was wide.

The Spirit continued to put pressure on the Pride, creating a pair of chances in the 52nd minute through Morris and McKeown, but the Pride were able to clear the danger without conceding.

It looked like the Pride might double their lead in the 58th minute when Banda used her strength to turn McKeown and sprint into the Spirit third of the field. The striker slowed down as she approached Morgan and decided how to attack the center back. That gave McKeown time to get back and win the ball for Washington.

The Pride were finally able to cause some problems for the Spirit in the 61st minute when their press forced a turnover in Washington’s defensive third of the field. Watt took possession and played it back for McCutcheon, who lifted the ball for the far post. Unfortunately, she was unable to get around the ball and it sailed wide.

A minute later, Banda played the ball back for Marta, who sent a low shot towards the far post. Watt was making a run, stopping when the shot was taken. Adriana let the shot go through, and the ball bounced wide. It appeared like Watt also might have gotten on the end of it had she continued her run. Instead, it was a goal kick for the Spirit.

Hines made his first change of the game in the 66th minute, replacing Adriana with Summer Yates.

Hatch had several good chances in front of goal, and she had another in the 68th minute. McKeown received a loose ball on the right and sent the cross into the middle of the box. As she had all night, Hatch beat the Pride defenders to the ball, redirecting it on goal. However, the header was directly at Moorhouse.

Hines’ second change came in the 74th minute as Julie Doyle came into the game for Watt.

The Pride were on their back foot most of the second half, so it didn’t help when they needlessly gave the ball away in their own third. In the 85th minute, the ball slipped out of Abello’s hands as she threw it in, going straight to Kouassi. The attacker played it forward for Morris, whose cross was blocked by Sams.

Santos took possession and took a step forward before shooting, but Strom was there to block it. The ball went to Hatch at the top of the box, and the forward took a shot of her own. This time, McCutcheon was the one who got in the way, enabling the Pride to clear without Moorhouse having to make a save.

Hines made his final two changes of the game in the 86th minute, as the Pride looked to see out the win. They were defensive moves, as Carson Pickett and Morgan Gautrat came into the game for Abello and Angelina.

Kouassi was active in the final third all game and had a chance in the 88th minute. The Ivory Coast international cut to get past Pickett and shot for the near post, sending the attempt just wide.

The Spirit wanted a penalty as the game entered six minutes of stoppage time when Hatch dribbled around Gautrat and into the box. Gautrat extended her arm as Hatch entered the 18 and went to the ground. However, Hatch was already slipping and referee Alyssa Nichols determined that to be the case.

Rodman was sent down the right in the third minute of stoppage time before playing it back to Morris behind her in the box. The rookie sent her right-footed shot between a pair of defenders and towards goal, but it curled away from the target.

The Spirit felt they should’ve had a penalty again in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Kouassi won the ball from Banda and cut to split McCutcheon and Yates before going down. However, Kouassi seemed to go down easily and Nichols again let play continue.

The final chance for the Spirit came in the eighth minute of stoppage time when Kouassi’s shot was blocked and Gabrielle Carle crossed the ball towards the back post. Rodman and Dyke went up for the ball with the final touch going off the Pride right back.

Kingsbury came up as Rodman sent the ensuing corner kick into the box. The goalkeeper headed the ball towards the goal, but Gautrat was there for the block. Despite protests it was a corner kick, Gautrat’s clearance was blocked out of play by McKeown for a goal kick. That was all the Pride needed to see out the game.

The Spirit dominated the game statistically with the advantage in possession (58%-42%), shots (26-9), shots on target (5-3), corner kicks (8-3), crosses (25-11), and passing accuracy (79%-69%). However, the Pride were able to stay strong defensively and Banda’s first-half goal held up.

As the stats show, the Spirit dominated play in the second half, forcing the Pride to show the defensive prowess that led them to their 14th clean sheet this season. They’ve been more porous in recent games, but were solid in this one. It’s largely due to the play of center backs Sams and Strom, something the rest of the team noticed.

“Our back line was incredible today, but nothing that they didn’t do before. It was like that the whole season,” Marta said about the defending. “Like, Em (Sams) won the best defender of the year, and I think she deserves it. I’m a little bit sad because I did see Kylie in one of the teams, the best teams. But for us, for Orlando, both are so important. And both inside and outside the field, they just proved, they just show this kind of stuff every single game. And for me, they’re the best defenders in this league.”

“Tremendous,” Hines added about the center backs. “You know, I think you forget that Em is only a two-year pro. What she’s done this year is unimaginable. She’s won an Olympics, she’s won an NWSL Shield, she’s won an NWSL Championship, she’s (NWSL) Defender of the Year. You know, to replicate this year is incredible. And so, I’m very grateful for her trust in me and my experiences as a center back and Kylie as well. You know, (Strom) transitioned from a left back into center back. It’s not something that we planned at the start of the year, but it’s a testament to these players and doing a job for the best of the team.”

The Pride defense especially showed its abilities in the final 15 minutes. While the Pride defended most of the second half, the team was put under tremendous pressure in the final moments. It took some desperate defending, including diving in front of shots, to keep the clean sheet and come away with the win in 90 minutes.

“We’ve been put through those moments. If you ever watched us throughout the year, you know, you would have seen a team who’ve had to deal with those moments in the last 15 (minutes),” Hines said about his team’s defending. “And I’m not sure if this is still a record as well, but I think we’ve conceded the least amount of goals in that last 15. And so nothing changed in that last 15. You could see the players throw their bodies on the line, working together, tracking back, trying to stop the service to Orlando getting close to them, blocking shots. And so it’s no different to what we’ve done all season long, especially in this championship game.”

Despite the defensive performance, it’s no surprise that the game’s MVP award went to Banda. The Pride striker scored the lone goal and was a problem for the Spirit back line. The clean sheet was impressive, but it was a team effort.

This win is especially meaningful for Marta. The Brazilian joined the Pride in 2017, playing in the club’s first playoff game that season. She went through some terrible years and a complete roster overhaul, being the lone player from the club’s only successful campaign to experience the rebuild. After eight years with the Pride, she’s finally a champion.

Arguably the best player in the history of women’s soccer, Marta showed how much this win meant to her when being interviewed on stage after the game. “I f***ing wait eight years for this moment!” she yelled into the microphone.

“I’ve been in Orlando for so long, and then I see players come and then leave, come and leave,” Marta said after the game. “We had ups and downs. Some seasons we were okay, but not good enough. And I always ask myself what I’m looking for, because I’m still staying in Orlando. I was not satisfied with all of the other seasons, and I feel like I don’t want to leave this place without doing something really big, because it was like that in every single place that I’ve played.”

“I was just so happy for her,” Hines said about Marta finally winning the championship. “You know, she’s put everything into this club. She’s never played for any other team than Orlando Pride since she moved over to the U.S. So, I was just so happy for her to just share that moment. It’s a moment that she has been waiting for so long, and just to give her a hug at the end of the game, just meant the world to me. And obviously the club in general, because the players are working so hard for her to have that moment.”

In a season full of breaking records, the Pride had some more in this game. Moorhouse became the first international goalkeeper to win an NWSL Championship, Sams became the first player to win an Olympic goal medal and an NWSL Championship in the same year, Angelina became the first international player to record an assist in a NWSL Championship game, and Seb Hines became the first Black head coach to win an NWSL Championship.

“I appreciate it,” Hines said about being the first Black coach to win the NWSL Championship. “Obviously. I think it’s a historic moment for America, the NWSL. You know, my journey has been a different one. I started as a volunteer, I finished my career. I had a great playing career. I finished that journey and then transitioned to coaching. I want to be that role model for other people to get the opportunity that I got. It’s a big responsibility. I fulfilled a lot of joy in this, in this opportunity, and so I just want to continue to be an advocate for more Black coaches and create a more diverse league within the NWSL.”

Additionally, Banda scored four goals in three games during the postseason. That makes her the leading goal scorer in a single NWSL postseason in league history.

It’s not just an historic occasion for the Pride, but for the city of Orlando. The Pride are the first major professional sports team in the city to win a league championship. The NBA’s Orlando Magic have been to two NBA finals — losing in both — and Orlando City has never made it past the Eastern Conference semifinals of the MLS Cup playoffs.

“It’s massive. I obviously did my research. When I took this job on, I’d seen that Orlando had never won a championship between City, Pride, Orlando Magic, just to name a few,” Hines said about the accomplishment. “And so, yeah, I always wanted to have that open bus (ride) through the streets of Orlando. I think it’s a monumental moment for the city of Orlando, because they’ve been through so much since I’ve been here. You know, I’ve been here 10 years and I’ve seen a lot of things. Not only with the Pride, but Orlando in general. And so, to give back to the city is a massive achievement for everyone.”

This is only the beginning of the celebrations for the Pride. The city of Orlando has planned a parade that will start at 4:30 p.m. on Orange Avenue and arrive at City Hall for a celebration ceremony on Monday.

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Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride prepare to take on the Washington Spirit for the NWSL Championship.

Published

21 hours ago

on

November 23, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride/Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview as the Orlando Pride face the Washington Spirit in the NWSL Championship in Kansas City, MO. This is the third time the top two teams in the NWSL will face each other this year.

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

History

The Pride and Spirit have faced off 25 times since the Pride joined the NWSL in 2016. Orlando has a record of 9-9-7 in all competitions against Washington and an 8-6-6 record in NWSL play. This is the first time the two teams will meet at a neutral site and the first time the sides have met in the postseason.

The last time these two teams met was on Oct. 6 in Orlando. Despite dominating the game, the Pride didn’t convert until Marta scored in the 53rd minute. An Adriana shot was deflected by Tara McKeown for an own goal in the 73rd minute, lifting the Pride to the 2-0 win and clinching the NWSL Shield. On April 26 in Washington, D.C., Angelina gave the Pride the early lead before Ouleymata Sarr equalized shortly before halftime. A Barbra Banda strike and a Summer Yates penalty conversion in the second half seemed to put the game away, but Anna Moorhouse dropped an easy catch from Ashley Hatch, giving the Spirit a second goal. Fortunately, the Pride held on for the 3-2 win, extending their early-season winning streak to three games.

The first meeting of 2023 was on May 10 at Audi Field in the NWSL Challenge Cup. Tori Hansen gave the Pride a surprising early lead, but late first-half goals by Lena Silano, Sam Staab, and Marissa Sheva made it 3-1 Washington at halftime. Ally Watt scored off the bench early in the second half and Ashley Sanchez put the game away in injury time as the Spirit won 4-2.

The first regular-season matchup of 2023 was on May 20 in Orlando. Marta converted a first-half penalty, but Staab equalized five minutes later. Kylie Strom netted the winner late, and the Pride won 2-1. The Pride dominated the Spirit in the second regular-season matchup on July 1. Julie Doyle had a brace in the first 16 minutes and a Tara McKeown own goal put the game out of reach as the Pride won 3-0.

The final meeting in 2023 was in the Challenge Cup on Aug. 4 in Orlando. The game appeared to be headed for a scoreless draw until Mariana Speckmaier scored eight minutes into second-half injury time, lifting her team to a 1-0 win.

The first game between the teams in 2022 came on May 27 at Exploria Stadium. Trinity Rodman gave the Spirit an early lead and Hatch doubled the advantage after halftime. As the game entered second-half stoppage time, it appeared as though the Pride would fall for the second straight time, but a pair of late goals by Mikayla Cluff and Darian Jenkins stunned Washington with a 2-2 draw. The teams met again on July 17 at Audi Field and the Spirit dominated the game statistically. They had more possession, shots, and shots on target but couldn’t find the back of the net, resulting in a scoreless draw.

Prior to the draw in May, the Pride and Spirit played two games in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. The first was on March 19 in Orlando. The Pride had less possession and fewer shots, but a strong defensive effort allowed them to come away with a scoreless draw. The second Challenge Cup meeting came on April 3 at Audi Field. Gunny Jonsdottir scored the team’s first goal in four games. However, the Spirit already had a 3-0 lead. Rodman scored a late goal to put the game away as the Pride fell 4-1.

The two teams played four times during 2021. The first was on April 21 in the Challenge Cup. Sydney Leroux’s goal was the only scoring as the Pride won 1-0. Just two games later, the Pride opened their regular season by hosting the Spirit on May 16. Hatch gave Washington the lead, but Alex Morgan equalized to claim a 1-1 draw. The second regular-season meeting that year was on June 6 in Washington. Hatch opened the scoring, but Taylor Kornieck equalized minutes later, resulting in a 1-1 draw. The final meeting of 2021 came Aug. 22 at Audi Field. Marta gave the Pride the lead, but Hatch equalized just two minutes later. It looked like it would be a third straight 1-1 draw but Sanchez won it for Washington late.

Due to the pandemic, the Pride and Spirit didn’t play in 2020 but faced off three times in 2019. The first was on July 6 in Orlando. Marta scored a brace in the second half, leading the Pride to a 4-3 win. They played again on Aug. 24 in Washington. Crystal Thomas gave the hosts the lead and Marta equalized. But Hatch’s goal lifted the Spirit to a 2-1 win. The final game was supposed to be the following weekend but was postponed due to Hurricane Dorian. Instead, the game was played Oct. 9 in Orlando. The Spirit dominated the rubber match, beating the Pride 3-0.

The first of two meetings in 2018 was on March 31 at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Hatch scored a goal and added an assist in a 2-0 win for the Spirit. The Pride got their revenge in the second game in the same location. Alanna Kennedy’s goal was the difference as the Pride won 1-0. The final meeting that year was on July 7 in Orlando. Hatch gave the Spirit the lead, but Leroux scored just before halftime and Marta’s goal gave Orlando the 2-1 win.

The 2017 season was the first time the teams played three times in a year. Their April 22 meeting was the Pride’s first home game that year. Line Sigvardsen-Jensen gave the visitors the lead, but Danica Evans answered as the teams drew 1-1. They met for the second time that year in Maryland on July 8 when Marta and Mallory Pugh both scored braces in a 2-2 draw. The final game in 2018 was on Aug. 8 in Orlando. Marta, Camila, and Morgan all scored as the Pride ran away with a 3-0 win.

The Spirit swept the first two meetings in 2016, winning 2-0 in Maryland and 2-1 in Orlando.

Overview

The Pride have had a record-breaking season and Head Coach Seb Hines has said throughout the ultimate goal was to win the NWSL Championship. They clinched the NWSL Shield with three games remaining before defeating the Chicago Red Stars and Kansas City Current in the playoffs. They’ve now reached the final game with a chance to take home the biggest prize.

Following the last meeting between these two teams, the Pride dropped their first two games of the regular season against the Portland Thorns and NJ/NY Gotham FC. However, they bounced back with a 3-2 win over Seattle Reign FC in the finale and have played their best in the postseason, winning 4-1 against the Red Stars and 3-2  against the Current. The latter included the team’s first comeback win of the year.

The higher seed has won every game in this year’s playoffs. However, they all played at home until this final game, which will take place at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, MO. Fittingly, the championship game is between the two best teams in the league, setting up a dream final.

Finishing the season four points apart, both teams won 18 games, sharing a new league record. However, while the Spirit had six losses and two draws, the Pride had two losses and six draws, enabling them to finish the regular season atop the league with 60 points, another league record.

The Spirit were the better offensive team this season, scoring 51 goals to the Pride’s 46. It’s not surprising when Washington’s attack includes Rodman and Hatch. Meanwhile, the Pride were the better defensive team, conceding a league-best 20 goals to the Spirit’s 28.

Aiding the Pride in the postseason has been the play of Banda. After a stellar start to the season, the striker didn’t score in any of the final five games of the regular season. She turned it on in the postseason, scoring three goals in two games and assisting Marta’s goal against the Current. Marta has also contributed with a goal in each playoff game and Haley McCutcheon has netted her first two goals this year in the postseason.

While the Pride are relatively healthy, the Spirit have been missing some key players. Rookie of the Year Croix Bethune and Andi Sullivan both suffered late-season knee injuries and Sarr — who shares the team’s goal lead with Rodman — has been out injured. Even without those players, the Spirit beat Bay FC 2-1 in the quarterfinals before drawing Gotham 1-1 and advancing to the championship on penalties.

The Spirit still have players that can worry the Pride back line. Rodman is one of the best attackers in the world, leading the team with eight goals and sitting second with six assists. Hatch is just behind with seven goals and rookie Makenna Morris has had a strong season, recording five goals and three assists.

It’s also worth noting that the Pride haven’t been in this position before. Meanwhile, the Spirit have several players expected to start that won the 2021 championship, including Rodman, Hatch, McKeown, and Kingsbury. That could give Washington a leg up going into this game. Despite the lack of experience, Hines said his team is prepared for this moment.

“Mostly excitement,” Hines said about the team’s mood heading into the game. “We’ve been waiting for this opportunity for so long. Especially since we won the shield at home. Getting into the playoffs was one of our goals and here we are today prepping for the championship final.

“I think we prepare as best we can. Control the controllables like our training, our load, everything. Obviously this is a bit new to us, having a media day before the game. But the players are very focused on what the task is and there’s an excitement, there’s a rawness because there are not that many players that have been in this position as well. So I think everything together will ultimately help us to get what we want.”

The Pride have everyone available tonight other than the players out with season-ending injuries. Those players include Rafaelle (thigh), Megan Montefusco (heel), Luana (illness), Simone Charley (ankle), and Grace Chanda (thigh).

The Spirit will be without Croix Bethune (knee), Lyza Bosselmann (wrist), Anna Heilferty (knee), Civana Kuhlmann (knee), Andi Sullivan ( knee), and Sarr (back).

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, Cori Dyke.

Defensive Midfielders: Haley McCutcheon, Angelina.

Midfielders: Ally Watt, Marta, Adriana.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Celia, Summer Yates, Carrie Lawrence, Morgan Gautrat, Ally Lemos, Viviana Villacorta, Julie Doyle, Carson Pickett.

Washington Spirit (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Aubrey Kingsbury.

Defenders: Casey Krueger, Esme Morgan, Tara McKeown, Paige Metayer.

Defensive Midfielders: Leicy Santos, Hal Hershfelt.

Midfielders: Trinity Rodman, Rosemonde Kouassi, Makenna Morris.

Forward: Ashley Hatch.

Bench: Nicole Barnhart, Courtney Brown, Annaig Butel, Gabrielle Carle, Brittany Ratcliffe, Chloe Ricketts, Lena Silano, Heather Stainbrook, Kate Wiesner.

Referees

REF: Alyssa Nichols.
AR1: Tiffini Turpin.
AR2: Brian Marshall.
4TH: Brad Jensen.
VAR: Ekaterina Koroleva.
AVAR: John Krill.
RAR: Seth Barton.

How to Watch

Match Time: 8 p.m.

Venue: CPKC Stadium — Kansas City, MO.

TV: CBS.

Streaming: Paramount+.

Twitter: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @TheManeLand and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).

Enjoy the match. Go Pride!

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Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Pride need to do to secure an NWSL Championship win over the Washington Spirit on Saturday?

Published

2 days ago

on

November 22, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Win or lose, the Orlando Pride’s season comes to an end on Saturday night at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. After they defeated the Chicago Red Stars and the Kansas City Current in prior playoff matches, this final match could see the Pride lift the NWSL Championship trophy. The Pride have already won the NWSL Shield earlier in the year, and this second trophy would cement them as one of the greatest teams in NWSL history. Standing in their way is the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, the same Washington Spirit club the Pride defeated to clinch the Shield.

So, what do the Pride need to do to defeat the Spirit and bring home more silverware?

Prepare for a Better Spirit

During the regular season, the Pride defeated the Spirit twice, 3-2 in Washington all the way back in April, and 2-0 at home in October. The Pride may need to scrub these results from their memory and prepare for a more capable and complete opponent. For starters, in the first matchup, the Spirit were led by interim head coach Adrián González, who is still with the club as an assistant. While González performed well in the role, the Spirit are now led by one of the best coaches in the game, Jonatan Giráldez, who took over in July. Before joining the Spirit, Giráldez led Barcelona Femeni, the single most dominant club in Europe during his tenure. In each of the past two seasons, Giráldez’ Barcelona won the Copa de la Reina, Spain’s domestic cup tournament, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League, showcasing his skill in coaching championship games.

The Pride were able to beat Giráldez’ Spirit squad just over a month ago, but that matchup was missing several key players on Washington’s side of the pitch. The Spirit were without NWSL Best XI players Trinity Rodman and Casey Krueger as well as Best XI Second Team representative Hal Hershfelt. All three of these players have since returned and are likely to play in the NWSL Championship. Ouleye Sarr, the joint leading scorer for Washington along with Rodman, was also out for the October matchup, but she is struggling with a back injury and may not play this weekend. While the Spirit were limited in the last meeting, Orlando was convincing in its 2-0 win. This time around, the Pride will have to prepare for a Spirit team that looks a lot different than the last time out.

Keep the Match to 90 Minutes

One of the key storylines heading into the NWSL Championship is the paths each team has taken. While the higher-seeded teams have won each match of the 2024 playoffs, Orlando has won its matches in regulation, while Washington required extra time to beat Bay FC and penalty kicks to get past NJ/NY Gotham FC. As a result, Orlando has played fewer high-stress minutes in recent weeks and comes in on a great run of form. On the other hand, the Spirit are battle tested, knowing the challenges that come from tight matches. Their goals forcing extra time have come late in matches — the 86th minute against Bay, and the third minute of stoppage time against Gotham. To their credit, the Spirit never know when they are beaten, so Orlando will need to be locked in all the way to the final whistle, hoping to avoid the chaos that ensued at the end of the Kansas City match.

Despite looking shaky at the end of the match against the Current, Orlando’s success this season has come about in the opposite manner of the Spirit’s postseason wins. Orlando has done exceedingly well to get the lead and secure the result. The Pride have only dropped points from winning positions twice, losing none. The semifinal match against Kansas City was also their first come-from-behind victory of the year, showcasing how uncommon it was for them to fall behind in an NWSL match in their 18-win season. Should the NWSL Championship go to extra time, it would be uncharted territory for Orlando. With so few elimination matches in their history, very few players on the roster would have any experience with extra time. The Orlando Pride as a club only participated in their first-ever (then their second and third) penalty shootout in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, winning one of three shootouts. In the end, Orlando will be in a much better position if it can keep this game to 90 minutes.

Marta Magic

The Orlando Pride have four players on the NWSL Best XI first and second teams, but no player is more easily recognized in purple than 38-year-old Marta, the GOAT. While she has been with the Pride since 2017, this campaign (11 goals, 1 assist) has been her most productive since 2017, her first in Orlando (13 goals, 6 assists). The 2017 season was also the last time that Orlando made the playoffs. In 2024, Marta has scored two postseason goals so far, including a magical game winner against the Current. Orlando’s success is inexorably linked to the performances of its best-ever player. Yet, as hard as it is to imagine, the NWSL Championship will be the last match of her existing contract with the Pride, and win or lose, this could be farewell, at least for now. 

On the pitch, Marta will be a focal point for the Orlando attack against the Washington Spirit. While Washington’s Best XI defenders Krueger and Tara McKeown attempt to slow down Barbra Banda and Ally Watt, Marta is likely to drop deep and connect the play. Her precision passing and driving runs in recent matches have contributed mightily to an attack that has now scored 10 goals in the past three matches — three by Marta herself. Beyond these traits, Marta will also be a pitch general for the Pride in this final match, directing traffic and keeping the team locked in and organized. Earlier this year, Marta announced her retirement from international soccer with Brazil and took home the silver medal in the Summer Olympics. Expect Marta to leave it all on the pitch on Saturday, and if it were to be her last match for the Pride, it would be incredible to leave with an NWSL Championship.

Saturday night the NWSL Champions will be crowned. Could one of these keys to victory make the critical difference? Vamos Orlando!

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