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The Pride’s Offense is Alive but Recently Has Not Thrived

An evaluation of the Pride’s offensive performance in their three games since the NWSL resumed play after the Olympic break.

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Pride keep winning, and former New York Jets coach Herm Edwards said it best: “you play to win the game. Hello!” Whether the result looks like free-flowing and beautiful soccer or brute force, rough-and-tumble soccer that looks more like (American) football, in the end all that matters is the scoreboard, and the Pride are still undefeated and in the midst of their second six-game winning streak of the season.

That said, since the Pride came back to NWSL play after the Olympic break, they have not quite looked as dominant offensively as they did pre-Olympics. The defense remains rock solid, with zero goals given up in all three games since the return (note: zero goals in the last three games and only one goal given up in the last seven NWSL games, wow!), but the offense looks slightly off, or as off as a team can be that scores in and wins three straight games. Are these champagne problems, or is there something bubbling up that will need ironing out as the calendar turns to autumn and playoff season nears? I do not want to be the male version of Debbie Downer (Andrew Alarmist? Hopefully there will be no need to workshop this any further.), but I think it is worth exploring.

Let’s take a look at some numbers for the Pride that illustrate how the offensive performance during the most recent three games looks as compared to prior games. In the chart below, taken from data provided on fbref.com and excluding opposition own goals, are the totals for the first 16 games of the season in the first row, the last three of those first 16 games in the second row, and then the most recent three games in the third row.

With the exception of the percentage of shots the Pride put on target, games 17-19 were worse across the board in every other category when compared to the three games immediately prior to the Olympic break and to the first 16 games overall. Worse is a relative term, because if you compare the “worse” performances in those most recent three games to the rest of the NWSL throughout the full season, the Pride’s performance compares favorably in many categories, even though when compared to their own earlier season performances it seems like a downturn.

Compared to every other NWSL team’s full season metrics, the Pride’s last three games are demonstrably better (blue highlighted cells are where the Pride’s output is better) than most other teams in goals, shots on target, and expected goals. The Pride are worse in the conversion stats, goals as a percentage of shots and as a percentage of shots on target, and the number of shots they are expected to take per goal (based on expected goals scored). This is the part in every article where I add my view on expected goals; I think this data is useful in terms of looking at whether the Pride are taking shots from dangerous locations, but I do not actually put a lot of faith into whether a goal really should or should not be “expected” from that location.

If you do the PhD-level mathematics of counting the blue cells as a percentage of the total cells, the Pride are better in 47.4% of the cells above, which ranks them seventh among all teams. This is, of course, not an even comparison, as it is three games for the Pride as compared to every other team’s full 19 games, but the point is that even during a recent “down” period for the Pride’s offense the team is still in the top half of the 14 team NWSL and is performing better than all but three teams in the offensive category that matters most — goals per game. And the Pride are performing better than every team in the league in another somewhat significant measure, the league standings. Take that, Andrew Alarmist.

Alas, we cannot abrogate (SAT word alert) Andrew Alarmist just yet. We still need to take a look at Barbra Banda and what has been going on with her recently, as she has zero goals or assists in each of the last three games. Back in July I wrote an article about the historic pace Banda was on, and it is important to preface a look at the recent “poor performance” by Banda by remembering that with 17 goal contributions (12 goals, 5 assists) she is already tied for the 11th best single season in NWSL history, and with her next goal or assist she will move into a tie for 10th. If we look at the same data for Banda as we did for the full team earlier, we can see that her performance mirrors the Pride’s, which should not be surprising, considering of how much of a focal point she is for their offense.

Clearly the zeroes in the goals categories stand out as compared to the other numbers, but the big takeaway for me was really was around the quality of her shots. This is where I think expected goals really shines, because like a standardized test, it is the same for everyone, and so you can see that the locations of Banda’s shots pre-Olympics (918 minutes over 12 games) were much better than they have been recently (257 minutes over 3 games).

Banda is averaging nearly the same number of shots per 90 minutes as she was pre-Olympics (5.3 shots per 90 mins post-Olympics vs. 5.8 shots per 90 mins pre-Olympics), so the fact that her expected goals per game in the post-Olympics games is half as high indicates that the shots she has taken recently have been from more acute angles and/or farther away from the goal. Correspondingly, her shots on target percentage have dropped, which should not be a surprise based on the expected goals evaluation that the shots she has been taking are from more difficult locations.

On the flipside of the lack of goal contributions by Banda though is, once again, that the team has won all three of its recent games, even with her not scoring. Marta has now scored six goals on the season and Adriana and Summer Yates both have five, making the Pride the only team in the NWSL with four players with at least five goals scored this season. It is always better to have multiple threats, and the Pride are now rolling out four players that force the opposition to game plan against.

To go back to my question earlier, I think that it is indeed a champagne problem for the Pride that since the Olympic break they are winning games by close scores as opposed to walloping their opponents. Bill James, one of the originators of analytics in baseball, felt that run differential was more important than a team’s actual record in terms of determining who the best team in baseball really was, and if we apply this same concept to soccer, we would look at goal differential as the corresponding measure. The Pride are +25 thus far this season, 39% better than the team ranked next behind them and on track for one of the best seasons in league history, if not the best.

To give myself a little bit of credit, I think it was fair to look at the recent games with a discerning eye, but if Julie Doyle was not offside by inches against Gotham, that game is 3-0 instead of 2-0, and Banda also had multiple shots that were cleared off the line against the Red Stars, so that game could have been a multiple-goal victory as well.

To go back to the baseball well one more time, sometimes the Moneyball idea that you can evaluate sports by only looking at the numbers can be deceiving. You have to watch the games too. The Pride have clearly been the better team during all three of their recent games and Banda has been a force to be reckoned with as well. They just have been inches away from showing it both on the field and in the box scores.

I expect that a positive regression to the mean is coming for the Pride’s offense, hopefully as soon as Friday night in the Pride’s rematch with the Current!

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Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Final Score 1-0 as Pride End Three-Game Losing Streak

A third-minute goal from Haley McCutcheon was enough for the Pride to beat the Washington Spirit away from home.

Published

3 days ago

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August 23, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride (8-11-2, 26 points) came away with a shocking 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit (11-6-4, 37 points) this afternoon at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Haley McCutcheon’s third-minute goal gave the Pride the lead and they held on to claim all three points. Washington dominated the match but could not score on any of its 23 shots.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made two changes to the team that lost 2-1 to the Portland Thorns on Aug. 15. Cosette Morche got her first start of the year in goal, replacing regular starter Anna Moorhouse. Angelina also entered the lineup, replacing Solai Washington.

“She’s (Morche’s) been itching for an opportunity. I think Anna’s done great all season long, but we felt we needed to make a change in that position,” Hines said about the change in goal. “She’s been ready. She’s been hungry for this opportunity.”

The back line in front of Morche in goal was Hailie Mace, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Oihane. Angelina and Ally Lemos were the defensive midfielders behind McCutcheon, Julie Doyle, and Jacquie Ovalle with Barbra Banda up top.

This was always going to be a tough game for the Pride. They’ve struggled since the FIFA World Cup break and entered on a three-game losing streak. But the combination of an early goal, Washington’s inability to hit the target, and an excellent last-minute save by Morche lifted the Pride to an unlikely and much-needed win.

The biggest moment of the game came in just the third minute. Banda took the ball off center back Elisabeth Tse’s foot to start a counterattack with Ovalle and McCutcheon making runs. Banda’s pass across the top of the box was too far in front of Ovalle but perfect for McCutcheon. The defensive midfielder struck the ball beautifully, tucking it past a diving Sandy MacIver and inside the near post to give the Pride a 1-0 lead.

“I saw Barbra get the ball, and I just needed to run as fast as I could,” McCutcheon said. “But we talked a lot about how I was in a wider, more advanced position today, and that was because I needed to make runs in the box. And so, I did that and arrived and just tried to place it. And thankfully found the back of the net.

“It’s something that we’ve always been working on. Once Barbra gets in those positions, can we get players to support the attack. Nine times out of 10, she’s going to get the advantage on the defender. So it’s believing in yourself and believing in delivering a really good ball,” Hines added. “And it’s a well-taken finish from Haley McCutcheon, who is playing out of position. But Haley’s done a terrific job since she’s come to the club of playing multiple positions for this team and doing whatever it takes for this team.”

The goal gave the Pride their first lead in four games. The club’s most recent lead was when Doyle scored in the 88th minute against Chicago Stars FC on July 24, which was also a winner.

“We wanted to try to silence this great crowd that they had today, and so that was really fun to do early on,” McCutcheon said. “But we’ve gone down in games and really struggled to come back from that. And so to go up and kind of give ourselves a little bit of a cushion was really nice.”

The first chance for the hosts came in the eighth minute when Trinity Rodman put Oihane under pressure, taking the ball right off her foot. As the attacker played the ball forward for Rosemonde Kouassi, Morche came off her line. Kouassi got to the ball first but was pushed wide. She attempted a chipped shot, but the Pride goalkeeper went up to catch it, ending a dangerous threat.

Banda fouled Tse in the 11th minute, giving Washington a free kick in a dangerous position. Sofia Cantore flicked on Kate Wiesner’s set piece delivery and Rafaelle blocked it. However, it went right back to Cantore, who sent her shot off the crossbar. The ball ended up with Tamara Bolt, who sent her attempt off the far post. The ball continued to bounce around the box before the Pride finally cleared it.

Banda outran Esme Morgan to get to an Angelina clearance behind the Spirit back line and in on goal. However, Morgan caught up, forcing the Pride striker to cut inside. Banda got a shot off, but Morgan did well to block it. Doyle followed the shot and sent her attempt over the target.

The game settled down after the Doyle miss with the next chance coming in the 30th minute. Kouassi received a long ball on the right and created space from Mace with a stepover. She found Rodman approaching the box, but the first-touch shot was off target.

Rafaelle fouled Tse from behind in the 38th minute, giving the hosts a free kick. Dyke’s short clearance fell to Kouassi, but Angelina deflected her follow-up shot out of play. Wiesner’s ensuing corner kick bounced off the near post. The Spirit quickly regained possession after Orlando’s clearance and Morgan played the ball up the field for Bolt on the right. Rafaelle tried to shield the attacker, but she was still able to win the ball. The defense knocked her cross to the top of the six to Rodman at the top of the box. Rodman’s shot went just wide of the near post.

Cantore dribbled into the Pride third of the field in the 42nd minute before finding Rodman to her left. Rodman cut inside and shot, but Dyke deflected it out for a corner. Bolt headed the ensuing free kick to Rodman behind her. Rodman sent in a ball to Tara Rudd, who headed wide to end the attack.

After 45 minutes, the Spirit had the edge in possession (72%-28%), shots (8-5), and passing accuracy (86%-70%). But the teams each had one shot on target and two corner kicks as the Pride took a slim 1-0 advantage into the break.

It took 10 minutes for either team to create a chance in the second half. In the 55th minute, just after Rafaelle blocked a cross out for a corner kick, Wiesner sent a set piece cross to the back post, where Rodman tried to redirect it on target, but the header was wide.

A minute later, Lemos sent the ball down the right for Banda. Tse tried to head the ball away but missed, allowing Banda to get into the Spirit half. Banda took Rudd one-on-one in the Washington box, creating enough space for a shot that went just wide of the far post.

Hines made his first change in the 62nd minute, sending on Nicole Payne for Doyle, who had picked up a knock.

The Spirit had a great chance in the 69th minute when Wiesner played a ball to Rodman down the left. Rodman beat Oihane and sent a low cross to the top of the six-yard box for Gift Monday. The halftime substitute did well to get around the ball, but Rafaelle blocked it.

Hines made his second substitution in the 77th minute with Summer Yates replacing Lemos.

Wiesner nearly intercepted Oihane’s throw-in in the 81st minute for Banda, however, the left back missed, allowing Banda to get behind. Rudd closed down the Zambian striker, forcing her to shoot early and the attempt went over the crossbar.

Kouassi fouled Ovalle near midfield in the 85th minute and it looked as though the Pride would just try to keep possession, but Ovalle had other ideas. The attacker played a pair of give-and-gos, first with Banda then with Yates. The second got her to the top corner of the six-yard box where her near-post shot forced MacIver into a save.

Banda took possession and got another shot off, but the Spirit blocked it and cleared their lines.

The fourth official showed 11 minutes of second-half stoppage time and it was full of chances. The first came when Hal Hershfelt lifted the ball into the box, but Monday put it over the crossbar.

The Pride went the other as Angelina sent a long ball over the top for Payne. The substitute had a step on Rudd and got into the Spirit box before sending her shot over the crossbar.

In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Monday tried to send the ball toward the end line for Gabrielle Carle, but Payne deflected it out of play. The corner kick found Monday, who headed it to the top of the six-yard box. Ashley Hatch attempted to continue it over Morche, heading it off the top of the crossbar and out of play.

Hines wanted to replace Ovalle with Luana after the miss, but the referee decided Ovalle took too long to come off, so the Pride had to play with 10 players for one minute while trying to maintain their one-goal lead. Luana came on 90 seconds later just before a corner kick Kouassi won.

Paige Metayer had a free run on the ensuing set piece and headed it on target, but Morche got her right hand to the ball, tipping it over the crossbar. 

“It was a little bit windy, and the cross was really moving, so I just got back in my goal and made just a reaction save,” Morche said. “Might have blacked out a little bit. I don’t remember all of it. I just got a palm on it and knew I had to push it out of the goal, which was kind of tough. But it just happened very fast.”

The next corner kick was to Monday at the back post, but she headed her attempt into the outside netting.

With time winding down, Washington continued pressing for an equalizer. In the 10th added minute, Morgan recieved a pass well outside the box. The defender took the long-distance attempt but couldn’t keep it down.

The Spirit went on one final attack in the 12th added minute. Kouassi flicked on Rudd’s long ball to the top of the box for Hatch. With her back to the goal, Hatch tried to flick the ball over Morche. But it was an easy catch by the Pride goalkeeper, who secured it for the win.

At full time, Washington had the edge in possession (73%-27%), shots (23-10), shots on target (3-2), corner kicks (11-2), and passing accuracy (85%-63%). But the Pride were able to keep the Spirit from scoring, hanging on for the win.

“Terrific result. Really gritty performance,” Hines said. “Took an early lead. The attention to detail was really good, players doing the roles and responsibilities, throwing bodies on the line throughout the whole game. And we got a little bit of luck. Obviously, good team, always going to create opportunities to score. Post helped us out, and, yeah, a really good collective performance from everyone.”

“I think that the first win after the spell we’ve had was going to be a hard one. It was going to be one that we had to earn every single thing,” McCutcheon added. “And we know that luck hasn’t gone our way in the past few games, and so we needed to create our own luck. Really proud of the group and how we responded to a really tough run.”

The win ends a three-game losing streak the Pride were on and places the Pride in 11th in the NWSL, still four spots behind the Seattle Reign for the final playoff spot. However, they’re only two points behind Seattle now, making a potential third consecutive playoff appearance much more possible.

The Pride will look to build off this win when they welcome the Utah Royals to Inter.co Stadium on Saturday night.

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

The Pride look to end their three-game losing streak as they travel north to face the Washington Spirit.

Published

4 days ago

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August 23, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match preview and live thread as the Orlando Pride (7-11-2, 23 points) travel north to face the Washington Spirit (11-5-4, 37 points). This is the second and final time the two teams will face each other in the regular season.

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

History

The Pride and Spirit have played 30 times since Orlando joined the NWSL in 2016. The Pride are 9-8-6 in regular-season play against Washington and 11-11-8 in all competitions against the Spirit, adding in Challenge Cup and NWSL playoff matchups. Orlando is 4-4-3 against Washington in NWSL play away from home and 4-6-3 away in all competitions.

The last time these two teams met was on May 2 in Orlando. Sofia Cantore got off to a roaring start, netting a brace inside the first six minutes. Barbra Banda then scored two of her own in the 33rd and 39th minutes to send the game into the break even at 2-2. But the Spirit took over in the second half with goals by Claudia Martinez and Trinity Rodman, sealing a 4-2 victory.

The first meeting of 2025 took place on March 7 as the Pride hosted the NWSL Challenge Cup. Rafaelle netted the opening goal to give the Pride a late first-half lead. Leicy Santos equalized in the second half with a terrific strike, and the game finished tied at 1-1. The Spirit won the ensuing shootout 4-2 to claim the preseason trophy. 

The first league game of 2025 was held on April 19 in Orlando. Gift Monday scored the game’s lone goal in the second half, giving the Spirit the 1-0 win. On Oct. 18, in Washington, D.C., Kerry Abello opened the scoring late in the first half with an own goal, then scored one for her own team three minutes later. Cantore gave the Spirit the lead just before the half, but then Marta came on. The Pride captain’s shot off Narumi Miura equalized early in the second half and she converted a penalty later, after Ally Watt drew the foul, securing the 3-2 win.

The first meeting of 2024 took place April 26 in Washington, D.C. Angelina gave the Pride the early lead before Ouleymata Sarr equalized shortly before halftime. A 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’s shot, giving the Spirit a second goal. Fortunately, the Pride held on for the 3-2 win.

They met a second time on Oct. 6 in Orlando. Despite dominating the game, the Pride didn’t convert until Marta scored early in the second half. Tara McKeown deflected an Adriana shot in for an own goal later, lifting the Pride to a 2-0 win and clinching the NWSL Shield. The Pride and Spirit were the best two teams throughout the season and faced each other in the NWSL Championship on Nov. 23 in Kansas City. Banda’s first-half goal was the difference in the game as the Pride won their first-ever league title.

The first meeting of 2023 took place May 10 at Audi Field in NWSL Challenge Cup group play. 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. Watt scored off the bench early in the second half, but Ashley Sanchez put the game away in injury time as the Spirit won 4-2.

The first regular-season matchup of 2023 was held May 20 in Orlando. Marta converted a first-half penalty, but Staab equalized five minutes later. Kylie Strom netted the winner late as 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 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.

In 2022, the teams first met on May 27 at Exploria Stadium. 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 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 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 a scoreless draw held March 19 in Orlando. The second Challenge Cup meeting took place 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 added another goal as the Pride fell 4-1.

The teams played four times during 2021. On April 21 in the Challenge Cup, Sydney Leroux’s goal helped the Pride win 1-0. 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 happened on June 6 in Washington. Hatch opened the scoring, but Taylor Kornieck equalized minutes later, resulting in another 1-1 draw. The teams met for the final time in 2021 on 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 they faced each other three times in 2019, first meeting 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. 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. The game was eventually played Oct. 9 in Orlando and the Spirit dominated the rubber match, beating the Pride 3-0.

The first of two meetings in 2018 took place 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 held July 7 in Orlando. Hatch gave the Spirit the lead, but Leroux scored just before halftime and a Marta 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

It’s been a nightmare for the Pride since the FIFA World Cup break and it’s not getting any better. The team is 2-6-0 and has lost three consecutive games. The stretch started with Orlando challenging for a home playoff game and has seen the team fall all the way to 13th and four points behind the Seattle Reign for the eighth and final playoff position.

The only real positive this year has been the play of Banda, who leads the league with 12 goals. The striker was coming off an injury when play restarted in early July and then departed for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. But she’s back now, a welcome sight since nobody else on the team has been able to score consistently.

Banda played 65 minutes in her return to action, a 2-1 loss to the Portland Thorns on Aug. 15. She’ll likely start again and play even more minutes.

With Banda absent or playing limited minutes, the Pride have found it hard to score. They’ve been shut out four times and only scored multiple goals in one game, a shocking 3-0 win over the Kansas City Current on July 10.

Unfortunately, the defense hasn’t been any better. The Pride have conceded multiple goals in each of their last three games, including five against the North Carolina Courage on July 31, three against Racing Louisville FC on Aug. 7, and twice on Aug. 15 against Portland.

The Pride need to turn things around, but it won’t be easy today. The Spirit are one of the best teams in the league, currently sitting in second place on 37 points. They’re six points behind Gotham FC atop the standings and are trying to hold off the Utah Royals and San Diego Wave, just one point back.

While the Pride are struggling on both ends of the field, the Spirit have been excellent everywhere. Their 30 goals rank fifth in the league and their 18 goals conceded are second fewest. Their goal difference of +12 is second only to Gotham, which has a goal difference of +13.

If there’s a time to play the Spirit, this might be it. They’ve hit a rough patch the last few games, falling 1-0 to San Diego on Aug. 2, losing 4-3 to North Carolina on Aug. 8, and drawing Angel City FC 1-1 on Aug. 16.

Superstar forward Rodman has led the Spirit attack this year. Her 10 goals place her third behind Banda and North Carolina’s Ashley Sanchez in the NWSL Golden Boot race. She’s followed in goals by Santos and Cantore with five each, Martinez and Rebeca Bernal with three apiece, and Tara Rudd, Monday, and Hal Hershfelt, who have each scored once.

Defensively, the Spirit have been without their leader, goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury, who had a baby last month. In her place, Sandy MacIver has done well to keep things heading in the right direction. It helps that she’s had a consistent back line of Kate Wiesner, Esme Morgan, Rudd, and Gabrielle Carle. All four have played at least 16 of the team’s 20 games this year. Helping matters for the Washington defense is the return of central midfielder Andi Sullivan from injury.

“It’s always a tough game going to Washington. They have a good set of players,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about today’s opponent. “Historically, we’ve done all right there over the last couple of occasions we’ve been to Audi Field. That should give us a lot of confidence that we can go out there and get three points.”

The Pride will take the field today without Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Viviana Villacorta (knee), Marta (excused absence), Kerry Abello (thigh), and Solai Washington (head). The Spirit are without Melissa Bethi (excused absence), Lucia Di Guglielmo (lower leg), Kingsbury (maternity leave), Casey Krueger (maternity leave), Monique Ngock (excused absence), and Santos (hip).

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Cosette Morche.

Defenders: Hailie Mace, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, Oihane.

Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Haley McCutcheon.

Attacking Midfielders: Angelina, Jacquie Ovalle, Julie Doyle

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: Anna Moorhouse, Cara Martin, Hannah Anderson, Zara Chavoshi, Luana, Nicole Payne, Zoe Matthews, Summer Yates, Gabi Nunes.

Washington Spirit (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Sandy MacIver.

Defenders: Kate Wiesner, Tara Rudd, Elisabeth Tse, Esme Morgan.

Defensive Midfielders: Debi Abiodun, Rosemonde Kouassi.

Attacking Midfielders: Trinity Rodman, Hal Hershfelt, Tamara Bolt.

Forward: Sofia Cantore.

Bench: Sara Wojdelko, Rebeca Bernal, Gabrielle Carle, Madison Haugen, Andi Sullivan, Paige Metayer, Claudia Martinez, Gift Monday, Ashley Hatch.

Referees

REF: Matthew Corrigan.
AR1: Colin Ashley.
AR2: Tom Felice.
4TH: Max Alatorre.
VAR: Shawn Tehini.
AVAR: Brian Marshall.

How to Watch

Match Time: 4 p.m.

Venue: Audi Field — Washington, D.C.

TV: ESPN2.

Streaming: ESPN App.

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

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!

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The Orlando Pride Turn to New Additions Amid Injuries, Absences

The Pride have been forced to accelerate the integration of their newest additions.

Published

1 week ago

on

August 17, 2026

By

Image of Orlando Pride forward Gabi Nunes.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

The Orlando Pride have suffered some significant injuries and absences all season, but especially in recent weeks, forcing Head Coach Seb Hines to turn to his newest players sooner than expected.

The Pride signed 19-year-old midfielder Zoe Matthews on July 16 and veteran forward Gabi Nunes on Aug. 4 with the intention of gradually integrating both into the squad. Instead, injuries and a key international absence have accelerated that timeline, calling on both attackers to contribute before Hines originally planned.

Barbra Banda missed time while representing Zambia at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, where Zambia finished third in Group C and was eliminated Aug. 5. Banda was then able to return to Orlando, but her absence came during an important stretch of the Pride’s season.

The Pride entered their match against Portland having scored 22 goals through 17 games, an average of just 1.29 goals per game. They’ve also struggled to score during their recent run, scoring only once across their losses to the North Carolina Courage and Racing Louisville FC before Saturday’s game in Portland.

That has made the timing of the arrivals of Matthews and Nunes particularly important.

Matthews was the first to make her debut, appearing off the bench on July 31 in a 5-0 loss in North Carolina. The teenager’s appearance came just 15 days after her signing. While Hines would have preferred to give her more time to get comfortable with her new surroundings, the Pride needed another option off the bench.

“It happened sooner than we would’ve wanted to,” Hines said after Matthews’ debut. “We needed her to get up to speed, but we needed options off the bench. And we felt Zoe was an option off the bench.”

Matthews’ debut came on the same night Marta suffered a head injury, adding to the Pride’s list of absences. The timing meant that while Matthews was still learning her new team, the Pride were also losing one of the team’s most experienced and influential players.

Nunes faced a similar situation, with even less time to prepare.

The Pride signed the 29-year-old forward Aug. 4, and she made her debut Saturday night against Portland Thorns FC just 11 days later. Nunes entered as a second-half substitute as the Pride searched for an attacking spark, eventually falling 2-1 after the Thorns scored in second-half stoppage time.

Hines acknowledged that the circumstances surrounding Nunes’ debut were not what he had envisioned.

“We would’ve liked to enter (Nunes) in different circumstances,” Hines said. “She hasn’t trained with the team too much since she came in here.”

Nunes arrived with extensive professional and international experience, but even an experienced player needs time to learn a new team’s system and develop chemistry with new teammates. In Nunes’ case, that process has been compressed because the Pride need attacking options immediately.

Hines also indicated that Orlando is being mindful of Nunes’ physical readiness. After noting that she had not trained much with the team, he said the Pride need to make sure they are “doing the right things” by following the recommendations of the medical staff.

The Pride have not publicly indicated that Nunes is dealing with a specific injury, so Hines’ comments should not necessarily be interpreted as meaning she arrived in Orlando injured or recovering from an injury. They do, however, show that the club is considering her physical workload as she adjusts to a new team after having limited training time.

The situation leaves Hines balancing two competing needs.

On one hand, Matthews and Nunes need time. Matthews is 19 and is adjusting to professional soccer in Orlando, while Nunes is learning a new system and new teammates in the middle of a season.

On the other hand, the Pride need them.

The Pride have struggled to score consistently throughout the season, increasing the importance of every available attacking option. They entered Saturday’s match in Portland having scored only 22 goals through the first 17 games.

The recent results have made the problem more pressing. The Pride lost 1-0 to Utah on July 18, were thumped by North Carolina on July 31, and lost 3-1 to Racing Louisville on Aug. 8 before Saturday’s defeat in Portland. The only positive result in that stretch was a 1-0 win over the last-place Chicago Stars at home on July 24.

Their inability to consistently produce goals has made the addition of Nunes particularly important. She was not brought in simply to add another name to the roster. She was brought in to provide another attacking option during a stretch when the Pride needed one.

But Hines can’t expect Nunes to immediately replace what the team has been missing.

There is a learning curve involved. A forward needs to understand where teammates want the ball, when they make runs, and how the team creates chances. Those connections normally develop through weeks of training and matches.

Nunes has had 11 days. Matthews has had only a little longer. The Pride have essentially been forced to shorten that learning curve.

There can be benefits to getting new players onto the field quickly. Competitive matches provide opportunities that training can’t completely replicate, allowing players to experience the speed and pressure of their new environment while learning how their teammates play.

But Hines’ comments make clear that this was not necessarily the preferred plan. With Matthews, the Pride needed an option off the bench. With Nunes, they needed an attacking option despite her limited time with the team.

The circumstances have made patience difficult.

The Pride’s loss to Portland was the club’s third consecutive defeat, dropping Orlando to 7-11-2 on the season and 11th in the NWSL standings. With 10 regular-season matches remaining, the team has little time to wait for its newest players to become fully comfortable before asking them to contribute.

The next opportunity comes Sunday away to the Washington Spirit.

By then, Matthews will have had more time with the team. Nunes will have had another week of training and another opportunity to understand what Hines wants from her.

That time could make a difference. For now, however, the Pride have had to ask their newest players to learn on the job. The circumstances are not ideal and Hines has said as much about both players. But with Marta unavailable, Banda having missed time for international duty, and an attack searching for more goals, the Pride have needed options sooner than expected.

Matthews and Nunes were brought in to help the Pride over the final stretch of the season. The final stretch simply arrived for them earlier than planned.

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