With key players returning from the international break, a different Orlando Pride starting lineup was called to action Saturday, and the Pride did just enough to slip by the Houston Dash at the death. After a sleepy first half, Orlando dominated the second period, but still somehow let it go to the last second, when Summer Yates and Cori Dyke found a way to combine to put the last kick of the game past Houston goalkeeper Abby Smith, sealing all three points at Inter&Co Stadium.

Head Coach Seb Hines kept a lot in reserve off the start, resting Marta, Barba Banda, Angelina, and others. Julie Doyle returned to the starting lineup up top with Ally Watt. Both teams spent a lot of time shuttling the ball across the midfield, but neither could create many clear-cut chances.

Once Hines started making substitutions after the intermission the Pride largely controlled the game however. Banda and Dyke came on at halftime, and immediately the Pride became the more assertive team. Banda herself attempted five shots, and most of them were dangerous looks, although only two were on target. Dyke provided six shot-creating actions. As Hines proceeded to send on Marta and Prisca Chilufya down the stretch, the field continued to tilt further in the Pride’s favor, and Houston seemed prepared to bunker in an try for the scoreless draw.

The hot and heavy atmosphere (even by Orlando standards) created a lot of stoppage time, and when the fourth official put eight minutes up for the second half, the team seemed to find just a bit more. Eventually, Yates recognized that Houston had left her enough space to get to the endline and pulled back one of her trademark crosses. The Houston defense got a foot to it — not enough to keep it from Dyke, but enough to make it hard to handle. Dyke took a difficult touch and smashed it off a Dash player and into net for her first goal with the Pride. After the celebratory smoke cleared, the referee allowed only a kickoff to occur, ending the game immediately.

We hope you enjoy these images from a dramatic and hard-fought victory. The Pride are on the road for the next two weekends, followed by the extended summer break, so it will be August before our next opportunity to get out and take photos at a Pride game again.

Orlando City played two matches Saturday against the Chicago Fire and the first one was the problematic one. The Lions saw goalkeeper Pedro Gallese give up an uncharacteristic howler to end all howlers just five minutes in, then fell apart for a span of less than two minutes just past the half-hour mark to dig a 3-0 hole. It was a brutal way to start the match.

From there, the Lions dominated play. While it’s true Chicago had a comfortable lead and didn’t need to take any chances, Orlando City pressed the issue, and it’s doubtful the visitors felt comfortable facing nearly 30 shots the rest of the way. Alex Freeman found the net to put Orlando on the scoreboard, and another would have put more pressure on the Fire.

That second goal never happened, but the Lions came tantalizingly close several times — most notably when Luis Muriel blasted a shot off the crossbar in the 65th minute. Marco Pasalic’s threaded ball through traffic skipped just wide in the 52nd minute, and Ramiro Enrique came close in the 62nd and 75th minutes, only to see Chris Brady make a pair of excellent saves to prevent an Orlando City comeback. Sometimes, regardless of the sour taste it leaves in your mouth, you’ve got to tip your cap to a great performance by the opposition, and Brady was the star of the match.

Without that second goal, Orlando was never in position to pressure Chicago down the stretch and possibly take something from the game. The month of May gave fans plenty to cheer about, even if it ended with a thud. We now look forward to a June slate of matches that sees the Lions at home just once and gives everyone a chance to take a breath.

Despite the outcome Saturday, we hope you enjoy these images from another hot night at Inter&Co Stadium.

Images: Dan MacDonald
Words: Michael Citro

The Orlando Pride started Friday’s game against the first-place Kansas City Current on the front foot, and at first seemed like it would be an entertaining, open game between two high-quality opponents. Unfortunately, the game faded, and once Kansas City found a goal right after the intermission, the Current bunkered in and it felt like both teams were playing underwater for much of the second half. Given the temperature and lack of air movement at field level, it may have literally felt that way to the players as well.

Barbra Banda forced a good save in the first minute and had a second shot blocked, as Orlando created a few good chances over the first 15 minutes. As has become a trend of late, the Pride were unable to capitalize, however, and the Current became more organized as the half progressed. At the same time, the Pride got sloppy playing the ball out of their own end, turning the ball over repeatedly through the first half. However, Orlando was able to defend well in the opening 45 minutes, despite setting the visitors up repeatedly. The Pride made a late surge as the end of the half approached but again could not capitalize.

Shortly after the restart for the second half, the Current made the Pride pay for their inability to convert early, with Kylie Nadaner’s poor touch turning what should have been a comfortable recovery into a 1-v-1 for Temwa Chawinga, who finished past Anna Moorhouse for the game’s only goal. With the lead, Kansas City sat back and played for counter opportunities, knowing the Pride had to press forward for an equalizer. While Orlando held a lot of the ball and sent some dangerous balls into the area, the Pride were not able to find the right final pass or get shots on frame, ultimately suffering their third loss of the season.

We hope you enjoy this album of images from a hard-fought match between two of the top teams in the NWSL.