Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. LD Alajuelense, Concacaf W Champions Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride play their first-ever Concacaf W Champions Cup game, hosting Costa Rican side LD Alajuelense.
Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride begin their inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup campaign tonight at 7 p.m. against Costa Rican side LD Alajuelense. This is the first time these two teams have ever met.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
There’s no history between these two teams as they’ve never faced each other in any competition. The coaches haven’t coached in the other league and there is no crossover for the players either.
This is the first time the Pride have taken part in an international competition. Alajuelense took part in the inaugural 2024-2025 Concacaf W Champions Cup, finishing fourth in their five-team group with a record of 1-3-0.
Overview
The Pride come into this game in their worst run of form since 2022. They’re currently on a two-game losing streak — a 1-0 loss to Angel City on Aug. 21 and a 2-0 loss to NJ/NY Gotham FC Friday night. The Pride are winless in their last six games, and they’ve yet to win since the summer break.
The team’s problem remains the attack. The Pride haven’t scored in 270 minutes, and they haven’t scored a goal themselves in 378 minutes. The last Pride goal was an Ary Borges own goal in a 1-1 draw with Racing Louisville on Aug. 9, and the last Pride player to score was Prisca Chilufya, who netted a 72nd-minute goal in a 1-1 draw against the Utah Royals on Aug. 3.
Meanwhile, the back line continues to do its job. The two goals conceded Friday night represented just the third time they’ve given up multiple goals in a game all season. They’ve yet to concede three goals in a game this year.
The Pride were struggling to score when healthy, but the task became more challenging when Barbra Banda suffered a season-ending injury on Aug. 16 against the Kansas City Current. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines has tried different looks the last two games but has yet to find success.
Tonight, the Pride begin their first-ever Concacaf W Champions Cup. It’s the second iteration of the competition and the Pride claimed their spot by winning the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship last season, both of which earn spots in the competition. It’s the first time the Pride will face international competition from anywhere other than Mexico.
Tonight’s opponent is the dominant team in Costa Rican soccer. The team began as an independent side before signing an agreement with LD Alajuelense — one of the “Big Three” clubs in Costa Rica — in 2019.
Since becoming part of LD Alajuelense, the team has won nearly every league competition they’ve played . They won the 2019 league championship but couldn’t defend their title as the global pandemic resulted in an abandoned season.
After finishing third in the 2020 clausera campaign, they’ve become nearly unbeatable. They’ve won every domestic first-division league tournament since the 2021 apertura, resulting in eight championships. Additionally, they won the UNCAF Women’s Interclub Championship — a competition for the top Central Amercian clubs — in 2022, 2023, and 2025.
White Alajuelense is the dominant team in Costa Rican women’s soccer, they play in a much lower-level league. The NWSL is widely considered one of the best women’s leagues in the world. Meanwhile, the Costa Rican Women’s Premier Division is more of a developmental league.
As a result, tonight’s opposition should normally cause little trouble for the Pride. They have more experience, multiple international players, and regularly face much more challenging competition. However, the club’s recent form means there are no certainties for an Orlando side struggling to put the ball in the net.
“It is a historic day for the Orlando Pride. We are hoping that a lot of fans come out and support us. It is a big, big game for all of us,” Hines said about tonight’s game. “For ourselves, we want to bounce back from some disappointing results. It gives us a great opportunity to move on from last Friday’s game. It will also give players an opportunity to go out there and express themselves and put themselves in a position to go out and win the game. To play these international games is not something that comes around often, so we want to take advantage of that. It is something that we deserve because of what we achieved last year, and we are super excited to be a part of this fantastic competition.”
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: McKinley Crone.
Defenders: Cori Dyke, Ally Lemos, Zara Chavoshi, Oihane.
Midfielders: Julie Doyle, Summer Yates, Viviana Villacorta, Grace Chanda.
Forward: Simone Jackson, Prisca Chilufya.
Bench: Anna Moorhouse, Cosette Morche, Kylie Nadaner, Ally Watt, Elyse Bennett, Luana, Carson Pickett, Emily Sams, Haley McCutcheon.
LD Alajuelense (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: Noelia Bermudez.
Defenders: Maria Coto, Marilenis Oporta, Fabiola Villalobos, Gabriela Guillen.
Midfielders: Viviana Chinchilla, Mariela Campos, Emile Valenciano.
Forwards: Kenia Rangel, Sofia Varela, Katheryn Arroyo.
Bench: Sianyf Aguero, Yeslim Alvarado, Paula Arce, Keylin Gomez, Wyzangel Lopez, Anyela Mesen, Dayana Perez, Valery Sandoval, Yoanka Villanueva.
Referees
REF: Janeishka Caban.
AR1: Katherine Prescod.
AR2: Mayra Mora.
4TH: Lizeth Garcia
How to Watch
Match Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.
TV: None.
Streaming: Paramount+.
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!