Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride Scenarios for the Shield, Playoff Matchups, and Broken Records
With just four matches left to play, the Pride are on the verge of some monumental accomplishments.
The Orlando Pride are in a great position with just four games remaining in the NWSL regular season. After remaining undefeated through the first 22 games, they have established a seven-point lead at the top of the table. With a matchup against the second-place Washington Spirit looming, the Pride could win the NWSL Shield as soon as this weekend — at Inter&Co Stadium no less. There is everything to play for in the coming weeks, so how do the scenarios play out for the shield, potential playoff opponents, and several NWSL regular-season records that may still be broken?
The Shield Race
The NWSL shield is the trophy awarded to the club that finishes the regular season with the highest point total, and though the Orlando Pride are clear favorites, there is still work to be done to clinch the award. Shown below are the four teams that remain in the shield race and the “magic number” needed for the Pride to finish above them, with more explanation below the table.
Position | Team | Points | Magic Number |
1 | Orlando Pride | 54 | – |
2 | Washington Spirit | 47 | 6 |
3 | Gotham FC | 44 | 3 |
4 | KC Current | 43 | 2 |
The magic number is used to measure what results are needed for the leading team (Orlando) to be mathematically guaranteed of finishing in first place. The magic number for each opposing team counts down until it reaches zero, at which point that team cannot match Orlando’s point total. Specifically, an Orlando win reduces the magic number by three points for each team in the table, and one point for a tie, because they have extended their lead by that many points. When a team below Orlando loses, it reduces that team’s magic number by three points because there are that many fewer points available to gain and catch Orlando. Therefore, when an opposing team ties, it creates a special case that reduces the magic number by two points, because they had the opportunity for three points but dropped two of them.
The example of the Kansas City Current from the table above helps to explain the magic number. As it stands today, the Pride could finish with 54 points, at worst, after four straight losses. Kansas City could finish with 55 points after four wins and claim the shield. If the Current drop two points, or Orlando gains two points, the magic number goes to zero and the Current cannot win the shield. The same math applies for Gotham, where the Pride only need one win (or one loss from Gotham) to make the magic number zero. This shows just how narrow of a path to the shield now remains for Gotham and Kansas City, so only the Spirit can offer a credible challenge.
Considering the Spirit, this weekend’s matchup looms extra large, because head-to-head matches count double in a title race. If the Pride defeat the Spirit, that would reduce the magic number by six, three for Orlando winning and three for Washington losing, and the shield race would be over. For the three remaining matches of the season, Head Coach Seb Hines would be able to rest the squad intelligently and enter the postseason in the best shape possible to play for the NWSL championship. But, don’t expect too much rest for key players, as there would still be the undefeated season to play for.
Even a tie on Sunday would serve Orlando well and reduce the magic number by three. Fans would love it if the club won the shield at home so they could be present for the celebrations, but if that doesn’t happen Sunday, collective stress levels would be better served by winning on the road at Portland or Gotham, rather than waiting until the final match of the season to clinch the trophy. It would also be possible for the Pride to win the shield by tying each remaining match of the season, meaning that the club cannot go undefeated in the regular season and somehow lose the shield.
A loss against the Spirit is where things would start to look a little more challenging for the Pride. After a hypothetical loss, Hines would have to refocus the squad in order to win two of the final three matches, assuming perfection from the Spirit. Unfortunately, Washington does not have any games against top-five opposition after playing the Pride, as the Spirit face Racing Louisville and the Chicago Red Stars at home and North Carolina Courage on the road. While the Spirit have been playing without several injured stars, notably Trinity Rodman and Croix Bethune, they showed their quality and depth by beating Angel City FC away from home in their most recent outing. Fortunately for Orlando, the Pride also currently boast a goal differential eight goals better than the Spirit, so in the unlikely possibility that this tiebreaker matters in back-to-back seasons, the Pride should have the edge.
Playoff Matchups
Behind the excitement of the shield race is the importance of matchups when it comes to the NWSL playoffs. For simplicity’s sake, it is not unreasonable to assume a top-two finish for the Pride, considering the long odds of multiple teams finishing above them after the coming matches. A top-two finish is significant not only because it ensures the first round is played against opposition from middle clubs in the final NWSL table, but it also ensures home field advantage in the second round of the playoffs if the team advances. Despite these advantages, anything can happen in the NWSL playoffs, as Gotham showed last year by finishing in the final playoff spot and then winning three matches en route to being crowned NWSL champions.
Looking at the rest of the NWSL table (below) shows just how many teams Orlando could still face in the first round of the NWSL playoffs. Since Orlando can technically finish anywhere from first to fourth, and no teams have been eliminated from contention, the Pride could play any team in the league in the first round.
Position | Team | Points |
5 | North Carolina Courage | 35 |
6 | Chicago Red Stars | 29 |
7 | Portland Thorns | 28 |
8 | Bay FC | 28 |
9 | Racing Louisville | 25 |
10 | San Diego Wave | 22 |
11 | Angel City FC | 22 |
12 | Seattle Reign FC | 20 |
13 | Utah Royals FC | 18 |
14 | Houston Dash | 17 |
By using some common sense, however, we can whittle the number of potential opponents down to four probable candidates. Based on a top-two finish by Orlando, the Pride would face a team that finishes either seventh or eighth. Then, since only four matches remain and none of the teams in the middle of the pack are lighting the world on fire of late, it’s likely that a team within five points of these positions will end the season there.
This list of expected first-round opponents then can be pared down to Chicago, Portland, Bay, and Racing, as it seems to be just too much ground for the others to make up. The Pride have had solid results against their potential playoff opponents, racking up five wins and two draws, with a match against Portland still upcoming. It doesn’t seem that long ago that Portland and Orlando met on a combined 13-match winning streak, but fortunes have diverged greatly since then and Portland has the league’s worst form and risks missing the playoffs altogether. As the Orlando Pride well know, every team in the league has their day, and the team is sure to take the matchup seriously, no matter who the opponent ends up being.
League Records in Reach
While wins and trophies are all that a roster and coaching staff should worry about, us fans often like to keep track of records set along the way. Due to Orlando’s elite play all season, many of the loftiest league records could be broken before the season ends. Several of these records could take all 26 matches to break, but some, like the points record of 57, set by the Courage in 2018, can be surpassed in the same number of matches that they were set.
NWSL Record | Total | Year and Team | 2024 Orlando Pride |
Most Points | 57 | 2018 Courage | 54 |
Fewest Goals Conceded | 17 | 2018 Courage 2021 Thorns | 13 |
Largest Goal Differential | +36 | 2018 Courage | +27 |
Most Clean Sheets | 13 | 2017 & 2018 Courage 2021 Thorns | 12 |
Longest Win Streak | (already broken) | 2024 Pride | 8 |
Longest Unbeaten Streak | (already broken) | 2024 Pride | 22 |
After going undefeated for 22 matches so far this season, the Orlando Pride are favorites for the NWSL shield. Their additional reward for winning that trophy would be favorable matchups in the playoffs, including home field advantage for the quarterfinals and semifinals. Both of these would have been considered lofty goals at the start of the season, but now, everything is within reach, including some truly incredible records.
Based on the way they’ve carried themselves all year, the players are sure to give it their all and play some damn fine soccer in the final regular season matches. Sunday, they could have a trophy to show for it, and all of Inter&Co Stadium would be there to share in the celebrations. If Sunday isn’t their day, the Pride will have a few more chances for glory in the weeks that follow.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride Announce 2025 Preseason Camp Roster
The Orlando Pride have announced the club’s 2025 preseason roster consisting of 30 players, with one of those (Mariana Larroquette) currently out on loan in Argentina. Another player, forward Amanda Allen, was formerly on loan with the USL Super League’s Lexington Sporting Club, but that loan was terminated when Allen was placed on the Season Ending Injury list on Dec. 9, 2024, with a torn labrum.
The Pride return all of their core players from the 2024 team that won the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship, including 98% of the player-minutes from last season and all of the team’s goal-scoring from a year ago. Almost all of the players who competed in the team’s incredible season are back from a team that broke league records for points, wins, clean sheets, consecutive shutout minutes, consecutive wins, and consecutive games unbeaten.
New faces for 2025 include two off-season signees — goalkeeper Kat Asman and defender Zara Chavoshi, the first player the Pride signed directly out of college since the league’s removal of the NWSL Draft.
The roster is made up of four goalkeepers, just eight defenders (compared to 12 a year ago), nine midfielders, and nine forwards. One of those forwards, Larroquette, is on loan with Newell’s Old Boys Women of the Campeonato de Fútbol Femenino in Argentina’s top flight.
The 30-player roster includes three non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.
DeAira Jackson was the 2024 WAC Goalkeeper of the Year and a member of the All-WAC first team following her last collegiate season. After playing two seasons at Cal State Fullerton, she transferred to Grand Canyon University and became the school’s all-time shutout leader with 16 in just two seasons. Nine of those came in her senior campaign, which set the school record for most clean sheets in a season. She was also the Outrigger No Ka Oi Tournament MVP and a two-time WAC Player of the Week in 2024. The Fontana, CA native appeared in 43 matches for Grand Canyon across two seasons, compiling a record of 25-11-7, the aforementioned 16 shutouts, a 0.89 goals-against average and a save percentage of .781, facing 415 shots in 3,754 minutes.
Mahrt played three seasons at the University of Wisconsin, appearing in 62 games (61 starts) and playing 4,503 minutes. The Milwaukee, WI native scored 21 goals and added 15 assists, putting 78 of her 114 shots on target. Eight of her goals were game winners. Mahrt started all 21 games in her senior season, leading the Badgers in goals (10) and assists (4). She has represented the United States at the youth level with both the U-14 and U-16 sides. Her soccer lineage includes a great grandfather who played for the Malaysian National Team.
Simone Jackson is a Redondo Beach, CA native who played four seasons at USC, appearing in 73 games (51 starts), scoring 22 goals, and adding 13 assists. In 4,204 career minutes, she fired 192 shots, putting 88 on target and scoring six game winners. She was a member of the All-Big Ten third team following the 2024 campaign, a first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2022, a third-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2023 and 2021, and a 2021 Pac 12 All-Freshman Team honoree. She has represented the U.S. at multiple youth levels, including at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, in which she scored for the United States in a 3-1 loss to Japan. Jackson has also participated at every level starting at U-14.
Simone comes from a family with a tremendous athletic pedigree. Her grandfather, John Jackson, was USC football’s running backs coach and offensive coordinator from 1976-81; her father, John Jackson Jr., played both football and baseball at USC from 1986-89 before brief stints with four NFL teams in the 1990s and playing minor league baseball. Her brother, John Jackson III, played wide receiver at USC and is currently with the Chicago Bears organization.
The club’s two Zambian players — Barbra Banda and Grace Chanda — are the only ones listed as internationals. Unlike previous years, no players are listed as not yet reported.
The Pride will kick off their 2025 campaign with a rematch of the 2024 NWSL Championship as they face the Washington Spirit in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup on March 7.
2025 Orlando Pride Preseason Roster (as of Jan. 20, 2025):
Goalkeepers (4): Kat Asman, McKinley Crone, Anna Moorhouse, DeAira Jackson (NRI).
Defenders (8): Kerry Abello, Zara Chavoshi, Cori Dyke, Brianna Martinez, Carson Pickett, Rafaelle (SEI), Emily Sams, Kylie Strom.
Midfielders (9): Angelina, Grace Chanda (INTL – Zambia, SEI), Morgan Gautrat, Ally Lemos, Luana (SEI), Aryssa Mahrt (NRI), Marta, Haley McCutcheon, Viviana Villacorta.
Forwards (9): Adriana, Amanda Allen (SEI), Barbra Banda (INTL – Zambia), Simone Charley (SEI), Julie Doyle, Simone Jackson (NRI), Mariana Larroquette (LOAN), Ally Watt, Summer Yates.
Key
INTL: International Player
NRI: Non-Roster Invitee
NYR: Not Yet Reported
SEI: Finished 2024 on the Season-Ending Injury list
LOAN: On loan
Orlando Pride
Pride Ready to Make a Run for the 2025 Title with a Core from 2024
Comparing and analyzing the percentage of returning minutes and goals for the Pride to those of previous NWSL playoff champions.
During my son’s soccer practice earlier this week I was walking around the park and came upon a basketball court where there was a game going on. One team made a basket to win the game, and a player from the losing team immediately yelled out a phrase that is familiar to anyone who has ever played pickup. “Run that back,” the player said, indicating that they wanted to play another game right away with the same players. The winning team acquiesced, and off they went. Off I went as well, as I did not want to make it awkward by standing there continuing to watch 10 people I did not even know playing pickup hoops in Winter Park.
It was probably already awkward. Oh well.
It was fitting, however, that those players were talking about running it back while I was around a soccer practice, because just a few miles away — in Sylvan Lake Park — the Orlando Pride are preparing for their 2025 NWSL season. And now that Marta has re-signed with the club for two more seasons, the Pride are bringing back nearly every player from the 2024 season. It is not everyone, but the Pride are bringing back a cool 98% of all the minutes played during the 2024 NWSL regular season.
Only four players who played any minutes during that season have departed — Carrie Lawrence (288 minutes), Evelina Duljan (174), Celia (74), and Mariana Larroquette (52), though she is only on loan and is scheduled to be back in the summer, taking their combined five starts and 593 minutes with them — but that leaves more than 25,000 of the 2024 minutes played returning to the Pride for 2025.
Throughout the 2024 season we received indications that the front office really liked the makeup of the group already on hand, as during the year they signed McKinley Crone, Julie Doyle, Cori Dyke, Morgan Gautrat, Brianna Martinez, Viviana Villacorta, Ally Watt, and Summer Yates to new contracts. Most of these were completed in the early to middle part of the season, so even before the team had clinched the regular-reason title and entered the playoffs it was clear that the club felt like it had a good mix of players for the present and the future.
All of these players already being under contract through at least 2025 have made for a very quiet off-season for the Pride so far, and then when Marta made her announcement last week, it cemented the incredibly high percentage of returning minutes. “How high,” you ask in your best Redman or Method Man voice? I already mentioned it was 98%, but of all the NWSL teams who have ever won a championship, that 98% ranks first for returning minutes and represents one of only two seasons when the champion brought back more than 90% of the team’s minutes played from its championship season.
Because the Pride brought back nearly all of their minutes played, it should not be a surprise that they also brought back nearly all of the goals they scored. Except they did not bring back nearly all of the goals they scored, they brought back all 43 of the goals (excluding own goals) they scored during the 2024 season. All of them! The Pride are the first playoff champion in NWSL history to return 100% of the goals scored during their championship season, as you can see from this chart below, which details each playoff champion and the percentage of minutes and goals that returned for the subsequent season. It also shows what place the team finished during the subsequent regular season and playoffs:
The 2018 Courage are clearly the closest proxy to the 2024 Pride, and I like what I see when I look off to the right in that chart, because that team brought back almost all of its minutes and goals and then went ahead and finished first during the subsequent regular season and won it all during the playoffs. I am not saying that the Pride will do the same in 2025, but I am not not saying it either. Give me a few weeks to get my preseason predictions in order and I may actually say it loudly and (being that they are the Pride) proudly.
There are counterexamples as well, as the 2016 Western New York Flash (who became the North Carolina Courage in 2017), 2021 Washington Spirit, and 2022 Portland Thorns all brought back more than 80% of their minutes and 90% of their goals and did not win the playoffs, but both teams were highly successful during the subsequent regular season and won playoff games, though they did not repeat as champions.
One of the more interesting things about the 2025 Pride will be that they will have tremendous continuity with all of their returning minutes and goals, but they will also have continuity with four players who were with the club in 2024 but did not play or barely played due to injury/illness. Neither Simone Charley nor Grace Chanda suited up for the Pride at all last season, but both are experienced players who had been expected to contribute to the team before their injuries. Luana and Viviana Villacorta both did play a little bit — Luana in the beginning of the season and Villacorta at the end. Luana had been starting before her diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma ended her 2024 season, and Villacorta played more than 1,000 minutes during each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons before an injury kept her out for most of 2024.
All four of these players are currently listed on the 2025 roster, and as they return to full fitness it will almost be like four brand new signings of players who are clearly NWSL quality players, providing not only depth but also pushing the starters to stay sharp, lest they lose their role to someone challenging for their minutes. Brand new signings often take time to settle in, but these four will be familiar with the club, the coaches, and their teammates, which a huge advantage for the Pride.
Former NBA coach and current front office executive Pat Riley coined the phrase “the disease of more” to reflect what often happens to championship teams during the year after they win their title, as players want more for themselves, be it credit, media coverage, playing time, money, status, etc. Riley said that “success is often the first step toward disaster,” and while I quibble with the word “often” in that quote, I do think it can be true in sports. The Pride will get everyone’s best shot (figuratively, and sometimes literally) in 2025, and to repeat as champions they will have to do a lot of what they did in 2024 while also evolving some as well.
Bringing back nearly all of the same players helps with the repeating of last season’s excellent form, and “adding” those injured players who did not play last season, plus rookie defender Zara Chavoshi and free agent goalkeeper Kat Asman, will bring some new vibes and claws-sharpening-claws energy to the 2025 squad.
The Pride’s season kicks off in early March, and while the roster could still change in the next seven weeks, I think that it is likely that who they have right now is who will be wearing purple in the opening match.
I am looking forward to seeing them run it back while going on a title run.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride Loan Forward Mariana Larroquette to Newell’s Old Boys Women
The Argentine forward is going home to get some minutes until July 1.
The Orlando Pride announced today that forward Mariana Larroquette is going on loan to Newell’s Old Boys Women in her native Argentina until July 1. The move will keep the seldom-used attacker out of the Pride lineup until midseason, but she’ll be able to get some playing time that could prove beneficial to Orlando in the season’s second half.
“We’re excited to find an opportunity for ‘Larro’ to gain meaningful minutes while also being an ambassador for the women’s game in her home country Argentina, as they get set to host the CONMEBOL Championships this summer,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “This will be a great move for her both professionally and personally, and we’re excited to see what she achieves while on loan.”
The Pride signed Larroquette on July 6, 2023 — just prior to her involvement in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup — on a contract through 2025. The former Club León, Sporting CP, and Kansas City forward and Argentine international was expected to bolster an Orlando attack that was in need of more goals. It hasn’t worked out that way, even though she scored her first Pride goal and added an assist in her first appearance with Orlando in a 5-0 destruction of the Chicago Red Stars at home on Aug. 20, 2023. That remains her only NWSL goal since joining Orlando.
The 32-year-old made just four appearances during the 2024 regular season — all off the bench — logging 48 total minutes. She did not contribute a goal or an assist or even attempt a shot. Larroquette completed just 41.2% of her 17 passes. She started once in three appearances in the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, playing 107 minutes without a goal contribution and attempting three shots. Larroquette did not appear in the Pride’s postseason run to the NWSL Championship.
In her Pride career so far, Larroquette has made just 12 appearances in all competitions, starting just one time, scoring one goal, and contributing one assist.
What It Means for Orlando
Ultimately, this is a chance for Larroquette to get some minutes and perhaps improve her form. Although she provided depth last season, she was rarely used. Playing for the Lepers (seriously, that’s the team’s nickname, which is even stranger than Newell’s Old Boys Women) will get Larroquette playing time in the Campeonato de Fútbol Femenino close to home. This could be the precursor to her departing Orlando for good if she isn’t a good fit for Seb Hines’ tactical approach. At 32, Larroquette is unlikely to bring a windfall to the Pride in a transfer, but she has shown she can be a useful player off the bench when needed in recent years, and has been able to contribute on the international level for Argentina.
This is a move that can help Larroquette re-establish her game and show whether she is still capable of providing offense to her club — whether that ends up being the Pride or another team. As she has not been seeing the field much, there shouldn’t be a big impact to Orlando while she’s away, and it is possible we’ve seen the last of her in a Pride uniform.
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