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

Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (10-8-6, 36 points) face the Washington Spirit (12-4-8, 44) in their final away game of the regular season. This is the third time the teams have met this season and the second of two scheduled meetings in the regular season as both teams prepare for the playoffs.

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

History

The Pride and Spirit have faced off 28 times since Orlando joined the NWSL in 2016. The Pride are 10-10-8 in all competitions against Washington and are 9-7-6 in NWSL play (regular season and playoffs combined).

The last time these two teams met was on April 19 in Orlando. Gift Monday scored the game’s lone goal in the 63rd minute, giving the Spirit the 1-0 win and the Pride their first loss of the 2025 season. The teams also played in the NWSL Challenge Cup to kick off the season on March 7 in Orlando. In her first game back since July 6, Rafaelle netted the opening goal to give the Pride a late first-half lead. Leicy Santos equalized in the 72nd minute with a terrific strike, ending the game 1-1. The Spirit won the ensuing shootout 4-2 to claim the preseason trophy.

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 Barbra 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, giving the Spirit a second goal. Fortunately, the Pride held on for the 3-2 win, extending their early-season winning streak to three games.

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. An Adriana shot was deflected by Tara McKeown 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. 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. Ally 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 on May 20 in Orlando. Marta converted a first-half penalty, but Staab equalized five minutes later. Kylie Strom netted the winner late, and 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.

The first game between the teams in 2022 came on May 27 at Exploria Stadium. Trinity 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 a pair of 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. They had more possession, shots, and shots on target 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 on March 19 in Orlando, playing to a scoreless draw. The second Challenge Cup meeting came on 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 scored a late goal to put the game away as the Pride fell 4-1.

The two teams played four times during 2021. The first was on April 21 in the Challenge Cup. Sydney Leroux’s goal was the only scoring as the Pride won 1-0. Just two games later, 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 was on June 6 in Washington. Hatch opened the scoring, but Taylor Kornieck equalized minutes later, resulting in a 1-1 draw. The final meeting of 2021 came 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 faced off three times in 2019. The first was 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. But 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. Instead, the game was played Oct. 9 in Orlando. 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 Marta’s 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

While the Pride and Spirit have both qualified for the playoffs already, they’re in very different situations. The Spirit are locked into the second seed, unable to catch the Kansas City Current or be caught by the Pride. Meanwhile, the Pride can finish anywhere from third — where they currently sit — to eighth, making these last two games critical.

The teams are both coming off midweek Concacaf W Champions Cup games at home against Mexican competition. But they took those games very differently. The Spirit played almost their entirely best starting lineup, defeating CF Monterrey 4-0 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The Pride rested several key starters for the weekend, contributing to their 1-1 draw against CF Pachuca, which ousted them from the competition.

In all likelihood, the Pride will put a much stronger lineup on the field than the Spirit. With the second seed wrapped up and no chance for the NWSL Shield, the Spirit put all their effort into Wednesday night’s game. The Pride risked that result to get something from this matchup in the nation’s capital.

It’s unclear how the hosts will line up, but they will be missing a key player. Rodman, a U.S. National Team star, suffered a right knee injury against Monterrey. It is reportedly an MCL injury, but regardless of the severity, the Spirit certainly won’t allow her to play until the playoffs, if she’s available by then.

Regardless of the lineups, this will be the Spirit’s vaunted attack against the Pride’s stingy defense. Washington has scored 40 goals this year, second behind the Current’s 47. The Pride have only conceded 24 times this year, third behind the Current’s 11 and NJ/NY Gotham FC’s 20.

“I mean, technically (the Spirit) don’t have a lot to play for in second place, but I know any game against Washington, should be a good rehearsal for what playoff football could be like, both with Washington and then ending the regular season with Seattle,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said ahead of the match. “So, yeah, we want to play in these games. We want to, you know, get our, you know, competitive mindset going as well. I think that leads well into the postseason, but we know it’s going to be a tough game going there. You know, they’re on a good, run of form right now. They’ve got some good quality players. And so our character will be shown in those games where, you know, there’s still a lot of stake for us. You know, we want to finish as high as possible, I think, to be where we’re at clinching playoffs is a is a good place to be. only the third time in pride history that we’ve we’ve done that, so we should be very proud of that, doing it with two games to go. But we know as well how crucial it is to finish as high as possible and get that home field advantage. So that will be our aspirations in the next two games.

The Pride only have two players on the availability report this afternoon with Banda (hip) and Kylie Nadaner (excused absence) still missing. The Spirit will be without Courtney Brown (ankle), Ashley Hatch (maternity leave), Lyza Jessee (wrist), Casey Krueger (maternity leave), Ouleye Sarr (back), Andi Sullivan (maternity leave), and Rodman (knee).

---

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Kerry Abello, Rafaelle, Emily Sams, Oihane.

Defensive Midfielders: Haley McCutcheon, Angelina.

Attacking Midfielders: Jacquie Ovalle, Ally Lemos, Carson Pickett.

Forward: Ally Watt.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Luana, Marta, Cori Dyke, Simone Charley, Julie Doyle, Summer Yates, Zara Chavoshi, Simone Jackson.

Washington Spirit (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Aubrey Kingsbury.

Defenders: Kate Wiesner, Kysha Sylla, Rebeca Bernal, Deborah Abiodun.

Defensive Midfielders: Narumi Miura, Heather Stainbrook.

Attacking Midfielders: Brittany Ratcliffe, Croix Bethune, Paige Metayer.

Forward: Sofia Cantore.

Bench: Sandy MacIver, Tara McKeown, Leicy Santos, Gabrielle Carle, Hal Hershfelt, Rosemonde Kouassi, Gift Monday, Esme Morgan.

Referees

REF: Jeremy Scheer.
AR1: Stephen Milhoan.
AR2: Seun Yinka-Kehinde.
4TH: Nick Karnovsky.
VAR: Danielle Chesky.
AVAR: Tom Felice.

---

How to Watch

Match Time: 12:30 p.m.

Venue: Audi Field — Washington, D.C.

TV: CBS.

Streaming: Paramount+.

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

---

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!