Just when you think the Orlando Pride have bottomed out and things might start to turn around, the team shows you there’s a new, lower level possible. The Pride played an apathetic and inept brand of soccer on the road against a struggling North Carolina Courage team, which put Orlando on full blast. The 5-0 loss could have been even worse, and the attack rarely created much threat for the Courage back line to deal with. If this is what life is like without Barbra Banda, the Pride are literally a one-player team, and that’s simply not good enough.

We look back at a lopsided loss for as long as we could bear it, checked our score predictions, deferred our selections for Player of the Match to any fan who sat through the entire game, and pondered what the club’s general manager is doing, whether the players have tuned out Head Coach Seb Hines, and what exactly the plan is to fix the mess that the 2024 double winners have quickly become.

This week’s mailbagbox is understandably bitter and cynical, although we did get to reminisce about shopping for school supplies and Trapper Keepers. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we looked ahead to Friday’s home game against Racing Louisville. Both of your hosts will be in the stadium as fans for that one (our first time seeing a match together), and we’re curious whether Orlando will show some…err…pride…after such a dreadful showing at North Carolina. We look at the series history, the teams’ relative positions in the standings, and who has been creating danger for Louisville. Then we provide our key matchups and score predictions.

If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.

Here’s how Episode 132 went down:

0:15 – The Pride were awful on Friday against the Courage.

14:40 – The mailbagbox has had it.

33:47 – Orlando prepares for Racing Louisville at home.

The Orlando Pride (7-9-2, 23 points) were completely outplayed by the North Carolina Courage (7-6-3, 24 points) tonight in Cary, NC, falling 5-0. Evelyn Ijeh led the way with a hat trick while Lauryn Thompson and Ashley Sanchez added to the scoring.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made one change to the team that beat Chicago Stars FC 1-0 on July 24. Rafaelle entered the lineup, replacing Kerry Abello.

The back line in front of Anna Moorhouse was Cori Dyke, Rafaelle, Zara Chavoshi, and Oihane. Ally Lemos and Angelina were the defensive midfielders behind Jacquie Ovalle, Haley McCutcheon, and Solai Washington, with Marta up top.

This game felt like it was over shortly after it started. The Courage took the lead in the fourth minute and could’ve been up 3-0 after 15 minutes. They added goals in the 26th and 35th minutes, taking a 3-0 lead into halftime. The rest of the game was a formality, with the hosts adding two second-half goals to increase their goal difference.

The Courage got off to a quick start, converting in the fourth minute after Erica Meg Parkinson sent a long ball into the Pride third. Dyke tripped as she attempted to clear the ball, allowing Thompson to take possession and beat Moorhouse for the opening goal.

The hosts continued on the attack, creating several good chances. In the sixth minute, Sanchez sent a ball behind the back line and into the box for Thompson, but it was too close to Moorhouse. Two minutes later, Riley Jackson took a shot from outside of the box that Moorhouse pushed wide.

Angelina was pushed off the ball in the eighth minute, allowing the Courage to break the other way. Ijeh played the ball wide for Sanchez, who lifted it to the back post. Jackson was making a run with Rafaelle on her hip, and neither was able to get on the end of the ball. It bounced off the pair, going right to Ijeh at the top of the six-yard box. The striker’s first touch was a shot that Moorhouse got her right foot to, keeping the deficit at one.

A long ball across the box by Washington in the 16th minute found Ovalle before it crossed the end line. The midfielder beat her defender and tried to find Lemos in front of the goal. However, Natalie Jacobs got a foot in to knock it away.

The Pride kept possession, and Oihane attempted a ball into the box that Sanchez blocked out of play. The ensuing set piece by Lemos was short to Ovalle, who found Marta further central. The Brazilian used a nice touch to get past Sanchez before taking a shot that sailed over the target.

A poor pass by Chavoshi in the 25th minute was collected by Riley, sending the Courage the other way. The attacker found Thompson making an overlapping run. Fortunately, she was leaning back on her shot, sending it off target.

A minute later, North Carolina doubled its advantage. Sanchez dribbled inside at the top of the box before cutting back and playing it wide left. Rauch backheeled the ball for Parkinson making a run towards the end line, playing it to Sanchez near the penalty spot. The attacker’s shot was deflected by Chavoshi, going to Rafaelle and Ijeh. The striker got her leg to the ball, redirecting it past Moorhouse to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.

Oihane blocked a Thompson cross in the 28th minute, giving the Courage a corner kick. It was taken short to Jackson, whose long-distance shot was over the target.

The Pride almost had a shot on target in the 29th minute when McCutcheon played the ball back for Marta. It initially appeared as though Marta would shoot, but she rolled it back to Angelina instead. The midfielder’s first-touch attempt was deflected by Jackson and landed on top of the net.

The ensuing corner kick found Marta outside of the box. The Pride captain lifted the ball into the six that Chavoshi tried to redirect on goal. The center back couldn’t get anything on it, but the ball went to Washington. Thompson blocked her shot, and the Pride was unable to create anything from two more corner kicks.

Sanchez made a strong run into the Pride box in the 35th minute, splitting Chavoshi and Oihane to get a shot off. Rafaelle got to the ball, but her touch was too far away, allowing Sanchez to get another chance. Rafaelle did well to get back to her feet and block the follow-up attempt.

Seconds later, North Carolina scored a third. As the Pride attempted to play out of the back, Rafaelle sent a weak ball to Dyke that was intercepted by Thompson. The attacker found Ijeh in the box, who spun to beat Chavoshi before playing it past Moorhouse to make it 3-0.

A Lemos chip forward down the right for Washington in the 43rd minute was headed over the end line by Rauch, giving the Pride a corner kick. The ensuing set piece was headed out to Marta, who attempted a volley from outside of the box. However, the Brazilian mishit the ball, sending it well wide of the target.

Washington took her defender to the end line in the second minute of stoppage time before sending a low cross into the six-yard box. Maycee Bell cleared it but only to Lemos at the top of the box. The midfielder didn’t get a lot on the ball, but she put it on target, forcing Sheridan to dive to her right and tip it wide. It was the Pride’s first shot on target.

The Pride had more possession (54%-46%) and corner kicks (9-2) in the first half, but North Carolina dominated the period. The Courage had more shots (10-7) and shots on target (5-1), taking a commanding 3-0 lead into the break.

Hines made one change during halftime as Hailie Mace came on for Rafaelle. Dyke moved from right back to center back — partnering Chavoshi — and Mace took over on the right​.

The first chance of the second half came in the 56th minute, when McCutcheon brought down a short clearance by Williams. Carly Wickenheiser — who entered for an injured Shinomi Koyama in the 53rd minute — took out McCutcheon from behind, giving the Pride a free kick.

Lemos and Ovalle stood over the ball, with Lemos taking the set piece and going for goal. However, she couldn’t get over the ball, sending her attempt over the target.

The Pride created another chance in the 62nd minute when Marta made a strong diagonal run into the North Carolina box. She played it to the left for McCutcheon, whose shot was wide of the near post.

In the 63rd minute, Marta and Rauch collided, resulting in a head injury to the Pride captain. The Pride players surrounded her as she received attention, shielding the view of the cameras. Eventually, she got up and walked off the field on her own, holding a bandage to her forehead.

The injury forced Hines to make a concussion substitution, replacing Marta with Summer Yates. The injury and change meant both teams would receive a sixth substitution, and the Pride didn’t use a substitution window.

Shortly after play resumed, the Courage scored their fourth goal of the night. Rauch played the ball to the left, where Sanchez sent a cross into the box for Ijeh and Thompson making runs. Dyke got her foot to the ball first, knocking it off the far post. Unfortunately, the rebound went right to Ijeh, who scored her third goal of the night and gave the Courage a 4-0 lead.

Immediately after the goal, Julie Doyle — who Hines seemingly wanted to bring on with Yates — entered the game, replacing Washington.

Hines made another change in the 75th minute as Simone Jackson came on for Ovalle.

The Courage created a chance in the 76th minute when Ally Schlegel flicked on a throw-in for Ijeh. The striker found Parkinson, who used a touch to create space from Chavoshi and fired a shot that went just over the crossbar.

An injury to Jacobs in the 82nd minute allowed Hines to make his final two substitutions. Zoe Matthews and Luana came on for Angelina and Lemos. It was a Pride debut for the 19-year-old Matthews, who signed for the Pride on July 16.

“Obviously, I was nervous, really, really nervous, but really excited,” Matthews said about her debut. “Obviously, it was, again, not what we wanted, but I wanted to get in there, do my best, and hopefully just get out there and do something better.”

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

Schlegel headed out a Mace throw-in in the 84th minute, but McCutcheon charged in and chested the ball down. The midfielder fired a low shot from just outside of the box, forcing Sheridan to get down to make the stop.

Seconds later, the Courage came close to a fifth when Sanchez created some space from Oihane and lifted the ball to the top of the six-yard box. Hannah Betfort was the first to the ball, flicking it towards the far post. Moorhouse wasn’t in position to attempt a save, but the ball went just wide.

The fourth official showed eight minutes of stoppage time and the Courage nearly scored a fifth in the first of those eight minutes. Betfort played Schlegel into the box, and the forward played a give-and-go with Jackson. Moorhouse came out to block Schlegel’s attempt with her legs, but Sanchez sprinted in from the opposite side for another shot. This time Luana got in front to block the attempt, and Chavoshi cleared it.

In the third minute, Jackson played a beautiful ball through the back line for Sanchez, who was making a run. The U.S. international was in on goal as she entered the box, spun as Oihane caught up, and calmly put the ball past Moorhouse to make it 5-0.

The final chance of the game came in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Sanchez flicked a cleared cross for Betfort. The Pride had nearly everyone forward, so it was a sprint for Betfort with only Chavoshi back. As the center back backpedaled, the forward dribbled around her before sending her shot wide.

Possession was split at full time, and the Pride had more corner kicks (10-2). But those stats don’t indicate how the game went. North Carolina had more shots (17-12), shots on target (9-2), and better passing accuracy (84%-80%) on their way to a dominating win.

“Frustrating game,” Hines said following the loss. “It’s always a tough place to come play in, but when we allow teams like North Carolina to get forward in the game. We killed ourselves in the first half with some individual errors that aren’t characteristic of us. We want to build as the game goes on, obviously. We got into some good areas, but we weren’t really threatening in those positions. Spoke to the players after the game about how we have to compete more. We have to have that intensity to everything that we do and be brave on the ball, but be clean on the ball as well. Teams like North Carolina will punish you in transition, and they did tonight.”

“Obviously not the result that we wanted, but we’ll come back stronger,” Matthews added. “Honestly, tonight wasn’t our night, but we did push through it. We have a couple of games coming up next, so they’re really important for us to win.”

This is the worst Pride loss since they fell 5-0 to the Courage on July 29, 2023, in the old version of the NWSL Challenge Cup. It’s their worst loss in league play since June 19, 2022, a 6-0 loss away to the Portland Thorns in Hines’ first game as interim head coach.

The offensive struggles continue since the World Cup break. They’ve now scored multiple goals in just one of their last six games and have been shut out in four of those six games.

The result sees the Courage jump the Pride, dropping Orlando to the eighth and final playoff spot. However, Angel City FC sits just one point back with three games in hand and plays tomorrow evening. So the Pride could end up out of the playoff positions when this weekend concludes.

The Pride have a week to brush this game off before they take the field again as they host Racing Louisville FC next Friday night.

Welcome to your match preview and live thread as the Orlando Pride (7-8-2, 23 points) head back out on the road to face the North Carolina Courage (6-6-3, 21 points). This is the second and final time these teams will meet during the regular season.

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

History

The Pride and Courage have played 29 times since the Western New York Flash moved to North Carolina and became the Courage in 2017. The Pride are 7-11-3 in the all-time series in NWSL play and 7-14-8 in all competitions (0-0-2 in the Fall Series, 0-3-2 in the NWSL Challenge Cup, and 0-0-1 in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.). Orlando is 3-5-3 in North Carolina in league play and 3-7-6 in away matches against the Courage in all competitions.

The most recent meeting between the two teams took place on May 8 in Orlando. The game was scoreless just moments before stoppage time when Barbra Banda beat her defender and tucked the ball inside the far post to secure a late 1-0 win.

The first meeting in 2025 took place May 10 in Cary, NC. Feli Rauch scored in the first half to give the hosts the lead and it looked like they would hold on for all three points. But Prisca Chilufya’s equalizer in second-half stoppage time saw the game end in a 1-1 draw. On Sept. 19 in Orlando, the game appeared to be headed towards a scoreless draw until the end of normal time, when Shinomi Koyama converted to give the Courage the 1-0 win.

The first time the teams met in 2024 occurred on May 1 in Orlando. Banda set up Ally Watt for the opener in the first half, and Watt repaid the favor just over 10 minutes later, as the Pride went up 2-0. Julie Doyle added a goal just before halftime, giving the Pride a commanding lead. Emily Sams’ own goal was the only scoring for the Courage, and Banda’s second of the night gave the Pride a 4-1 win.

On June 15, 2024, the Pride were the better team with more possession, shots, and shots on target, but the game ended in a scoreless draw. While they were disappointed with the result, the Pride were the first team to take points in North Carolina in 2024. On July 20 in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup in North Carolina, Manaka Matsukubo gave the hosts the lead just before halftime before Celia equalized late for the Pride. The game went into penalties and the Courage won the shootout 5-4. 

The first game between the Pride and Courage in 2023 took place April 19 in Orlando. The Pride took the lead after halftime when Summer Yates set up Watt for the opening goal, but Denise O’Sullivan equalized deep in second-half injury time in a 1-1 draw. On June 17 in North Carolina, it was all Courage. Kerolin and Meredith Speck gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before a Haley McCutcheon own goal made it 3-0 to North Carolina.

The Pride didn’t show up for the July 29 Challenge Cup contest in North Carolina, getting demolished by the Courage. Brittany Ratcliffe and Malia Berkely gave the hosts a 2-0 halftime lead before Frankie Tagliaferri made it three, and a late brace by Haley Hopkins completed the 5-0 beating. The Pride finally got a win over the Courage in 2023 on Sept. 17 at home. Watt scored inside the first minute. After assisting on the first goal, Adriana doubled the lead before halftime. Matsukubo got one back for the visitors, but the Pride won 2-1.

The first meeting in 2022 came on May 18 in North Carolina. Sydney Leroux scored early and Mikayla Cluff doubled the lead with her first professional goal. A late goal by Brianna Pinto got the Courage back within one, but the Pride took the 2-1 win. On Sept. 21, 2022, at Exploria Stadium, Debinha scored early, assisted Tess Boade in first-half injury time to double the lead, and later added another goal, dooming the Pride to a 3-0 defeat.

The Pride and Courage were placed in the same division for the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup, so the teams played twice before the regular season started. The first game took place March 26 in North Carolina. Merritt Mathias converted a penalty after Gunny Jonsdottir was called for a handball in the box, lifting the hosts to a 1-0 win. The return match in the tournament took place on April 16 in Orlando. The Courage scored three goals in the first nine minutes. Darian Jenkins netted a brace to make it 3-2, but a late Debinha goal put the game away and North Carolina won 4-2.

The teams played three times during the 2021 NWSL season. On May 22 in North Carolina, goals by Leroux and Alex Morgan gave the Pride a 2-0 lead. Jessica McDonald pulled one back late, but the Pride held on for a 2-1 win. On July 4 in Orlando, Debinha and Havana Solaun goals helped the Courage take home a 2-0 win. The final game was played July 31 in North Carolina. Leroux opened the scoring but Ratcliffe equalized moments later and the teams drew 1-1.

The two teams were also matched up in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup but they only played once in that tournament. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in a scoreless draw.

Similar to the Challenge Cup, the teams were in the same group in the 2020 Fall Series, meeting twice. The first took place Sept. 19 in North Carolina and ended in a scoreless draw. The second was held on Oct. 17 at Exploria Stadium. Led by a Debinha brace, the Courage went up 3-0. But the Pride came back with goals by Marisa Viggiano, Kristen Edmonds, and Ally Haran for an exciting 3-3 draw.

The Pride and Courage played three times during the 2019 season. The first happened on April 17 in North Carolina. The Courage took a 1-0 lead into halftime but scored four times in the second half to win 5-0. They played a second time on June 1 in Orlando. Again, it was a dominant performance by the Courage as the Pride fell 3-0. The final meeting that year was another thrashing by North Carolina as the Pride fell 6-1.

The teams also met three times in 2018. On May 23 in Orlando, goals by Alanna Kennedy and Rachel Hill saw the Pride come back from a 3-1 deficit. But McDonald scored a winner in the 90th minute and the Courage won 4-3. The Pride went down by three goals in the final two games that season, but were unable to come back and fell 3-0 in both contests.

The 2017 season saw the teams meet for the first time. The Courage took the first game 3-1 on April 29 in North Carolina. They played a second time two weeks later in Orlando when the Pride took the 3-1 win. The final meeting in 2017 came in the final game of the season on Sept. 30. Kennedy netted a late winner, leading the Pride to a 3-2 win.

Overview

The Pride are two games into the second half of the season and find themselves in a tough position. They currently sit in seventh place, one point ahead of Angel City FC for the final playoff spot.

The last two years, the team has competed for the top of the league. But this year, it’s been more like 2023, when the team was constantly fighting for a playoff spot. Coming out of the FIFA World Cup break, they lost to Angel City 2-0, followed by a 3-0 win over a red-hot Kansas City Current team at home. They followed that up with 1-0 losses to Boston Legacy FC and Utah Royals FC before beating Chicago Stars FC 1-0 a week ago tonight.

The Pride’s attack this year has largely depended on Banda. The striker leads the league with 12 goals in 15 games, three more than Temwa Chawinga and North Carolina’s Ashley Sanchez. Returning to action from the World Cup break, Banda was recovering from a thigh injury, resulting in three shutouts.

Banda departed the team following the loss to Utah for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Given the importance of the striker, the big question was where the goals would come from. And the question continued throughout the Chicago game as the Pride dominated possession and chances but couldn’t find the back of the net. That was until Doyle finally scored in the 88th minute.

The reason why the Pride were able to win that game was a stingy defense. The back line has been the team’s strength, especially since Seb Hines moved Cori Dyke to the center back position. Since then, the Pride have looked much more like they did in 2024 and 2025 when they were one of the hardest teams to score on.

While Rafaelle has struggled with minor injuries, Hannah Anderson and Zara Chavoshi have filled in well when needed. Dyke took over the left back position while Kerry Abello was out and made a strong partnership with Chavoshi when she moved back to the middle of the back line. That back line will be essential for the Pride as they play a huge game in North Carolina.

The Courage currently sit in ninth, just two points behind the Pride. A loss could see the Pride drop out of the playoff positions while allowing tonight’s opponent to jump them in the standings. The Courage haven’t been stellar offensively or defensively this year, scoring 21 goals and conceding 23 times. They have a .500 record of 6-6-3 and are slightly worse at home (3-4-1) than on the road (3-2-2).

It’s been a tougher return to action for the Courage than it has been for the Pride. After defeating the Seattle Reign 3-1, they lost 2-0 to the Washington Spirit, 3-0 to Bay FC, and 4-1 to the Utah Royals. All but the Bay FC game were at home. With the Pride needing a win, this seems like the perfect time to face North Carolina.

The team has been led in the attack by Sanchez (nine goals), Matsukubo (five goals), and Evelyn Ijeh (four goals). Dani Weatherholt, Ally Schlegel, and Riley Jackson are the other scorers, netting one goal each. Meanwhile, Matsukubo and Shinomi Koyama have the most assists, with four each, followed by Ryan Williams with three and Ijeh with two.

The recent defensive struggles are somewhat surprising considering the defensive unit. Kailen Sheridan has been one of the league’s best goalkeepers in the past and they have veteran starters in Williams, Maycee Bell, and Weatherholt. They’re joined by Japanese international Uno Shiragaki, who’s in her first NWSL season after joining the Courage from the WE League, Japan’s top division.

“We want to continue that momentum that we had on Friday,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said heading into tonight’s game. “We had a really good performance, really pleased. Obviously, would’ve liked a couple of more goals, especially early on. But we kept going, we kept challenging, and managed to get the goal that we fully deserved. So, going into this game against North Carolina, it’s always a tough place to go to play. They’ll be wanting to bounce back after a disappointing result against Utah, so, it will be a challenge. Every game is a challenge in this league. You can’t take anyone for granted. So, we just need to really focus on ourselves, put that performance that we know we’re capable of doing, and get the three points.”

The Pride will play tonight without Kerry Abello (thigh), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Viviana Villacorta (knee), Hannah Anderson (lower leg), and Barbra Banda (international duty). The Courage will be without Payton Crawford (knee) and Sydney Schmidt (knee).

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Cori Dyke, Rafaelle, Zara Chavoshi, Oihane.

Defensive Midfielders: Angelina, Ally Lemos.

Attacking Midfielders: Jacquie Ovalle, Haley McCutcheon, Solai Washington.

Forward: Marta.

Bench: Cara Martin, Hailie Mace, Simone Jackson, Zoe Matthews, Cosette Morche, Summer Yates, Julie Doyle, Nicole Payne, Luana.

North Carolina Courage (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Kailen Sheridan.

Defenders: Feli Rauch, Maycee Bell, Natalie Jacobs, Ryan Williams.

Defensive Midfielders: Shiomi Koyama, Erica Parkinson.

Attacking Midfielders: Riley Jackson, Ashley Sanchez, Lauryn Thompson.

Forward: Evelyn Ijeh.

Bench: Madi White, Chioma Okafor, Natalia Staude, Carly Wickenheiser, Dani Weatherholt, Uno Shiragski, Vilde Boe Risa, Hannah Betfort, Ally Schlegel.

Referees

REF: Trevor Wiseman.
AR1: Seun Yinka-Kehinde.
AR2: Alicia Messer.
4TH: Yannick Rothfuss.
VAR: Servando Berna.
AVAR: Jay Norris.

How to Watch

Match Time: 8 p.m.

Venue: First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park — Cary, NC.

TV: None.

Streaming: Prime Video.

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

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!