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Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Stars FC: Final Score 3-0 as Pride Dominate for First Win of 2026

The Pride claimed their first win of the season, beating Chicago Stars FC 3-0 away from home.

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5 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride (1-1-1, 4 points) claimed their first win of the 2026 season, defeating Chicago Stars FC (1-2-0, 3 points) 3-0 at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, IL. First-half goals by Barbra Banda, Jacquie Ovalle, and Hannah Anderson were the difference in the team’s first road game of the year.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made two changes to the team that drew 1-1 with Denver Summit FC on Friday night. Angelina and Solai Washington entered the starting lineup, replacing Seven Castain and Summer Yates.

The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Cori Dyke, Anderson, Hailie Mace, and Oihane. Angelina and Ally Lemos were the defensive midfielders behind Ovalle, Haley McCutcheon, and Washington with Banda up top.

Apart from a 10-minute spell to start the second half, the Pride were by far the better team in this game. They created more chances than the opposition and the first half was the best 45 minutes the team has played this year. Most importantly, they converted on multiple chances, something that plagued this team in the first two games.

The Stars were the more threatening team early, creating a pair of corner kicks inside the first five minutes. However, the first chance came in the 10th minute when Jameese Joseph sent Ryan Gareis behind the Pride back line. The midfielder was kept onside by Anderson and was in on goal, but she sent her shot over the crossbar.

The Pride had their first chance in the 13th minute and converted. A poor pass by Washington near the top of the Chicago box gave possession away. But McCutcheon won it back and Lemos sent Banda behind the back line. Sam Staab slid in a desperate attempt to stop the striker, but the Zambian put it past Alyssa Naeher to take the early 1-0 lead. For Lemos, it was her first pro assist.

The goal gave the Pride their first lead of the 2026 NWSL season. It was Banda’s third goal of the year, scoring the first three goals for her team.

“I think it’s so important to score the first goal, especially in this team,” Hines said about the early conversion. “I think the record speaks for itself. It gives you that foundation. It kind of changes the opponent’s game plan.”

“It was huge,” Washington added about scoring first. “Super great of Barbra to be able to convert that super early in the game, because the last few games we’ve been trailing to begin with. So I think just getting that confidence of that first goal really helped us and is a big testament to why we were able to continue to just get more comfortable into the game and kind of play our game and trust in ourselves. And I think that’s what got us three points.”

In the 18th minute, Banda received a pass in the Chicago third and turned Staab, who pulled back the striker. Ovalle took the set piece, sending it toward the back post where Anderson was making a run. However, the ball was a little too far in front of the center back, who was unable to get on the end of it.

The Stars had a chance in the 21st minute off of a short free kick. The ball into the box was headed on by Michelle Alozie and out by Mace. But the center back didn’t get enough on the clearance, allowing Staab to head the ball toward goal. Fortunately, she didn’t get much on it, allowing Moorhouse to make the easy catch.

A minute later, the Pride doubled their advantage. It started when the Pride took the ball away from Maitane Lopez near midfield. Banda tapped the ball back for Angelina who sent it long for Ovalle. The Mexican international reached the top of the box and shot, but it was blocked by Bea Franklin. The ball went right back to Ovalle, who played it wide for Washington. The rookie sent a low pass just behind Ovalle, but the attacker spun and backheeled the ball past Naeher to make it 2-0.

“I got the ball on the width, and at that point, it’s kind of just betting on myself, taking players on one-v-one and just having confidence in myself and then commit to finish,” Washington said about her first professional assist. “And I played it into Jacquie, and she had a fantastic finish, back heel kind of finish. So, you know, super grateful to be able to have, you know, first assist and first start, and obviously just a great finish by Jacquie as well.” 

“It’s always going to be a tough adjustment coming to the league, and I think now we’re starting to see her qualities,” Hines said about Ovalle’s goal “It’s a terrific finish from individuality to see that and apply it is important. And shout out to Solai as well, getting her first assist in the process; that’s important for her to get off the mark.”

The Pride continued to push and found a third goal in the 35th minute. Ovalle went down after some contact from behind by Lopez, earning a free kick in the Chicago half. The free kick by Ovalle was headed out of play by Alozie for the Pride’s first corner kick of the night.

Ovalle took the set piece, sending it to the back post where Anderson was making a run. The center back was defended by Tessa Dellarose, but she got behind the left back and volleyed the ball in with her left foot to score her first goal against her former team. It gave Ovalle an assist to go along with her goal.

“Obviously, I know that we have great service, so my job is kind of just to find the ball and get on the end of it,” Anderson said. “Jacquie had a great ball in, and I kind of made a double movement to get to the back of the post. And really, all I was thinking was get good contact on the ball.”

“We talked about set pieces a lot, and it’s becoming a lot more important in the game,” Hines said. “And for Hannah to not only get a clean sheet, but score the goal against her former team as well, I know that felt good for her, so again, really pleased for her, really pleased with the delivery and how we applied it.”

Banda looked for her second goal in the 41st minute after McCutcheon took the ball off Manaka Hayashi. Banda took possession, dribbling to the top of the Chicago box. Despite the Stars defense collapsing around her, Banda found space for a shot from distance and forced Naeher into a diving stop at her near post.

The Pride nearly had a chance for a fourth in the second minute of stoppage time when Banda sent a dangerous ball across the top of the Chicago six-yard box. McCutcheon and Washington were making runs, but the cross was behind both of them.

It was a dominant first 45 minutes for Orlando, which had more possession (52%-48%), shots (6-4), shots on target (4-1), and crosses (11-3). Chicago had better passing accuracy (85%-83%) and both teams won three corner kicks.

The Stars got the second half off to an attacking start. Ivonne Chacon was sent behind the Pride back line fewer than 30 seconds after the restart, but Moorhouse did well to come off her line and collect it.

Seconds later, Julia Grosso made a strong run to the top of the Pride box before Mace touched it away. The ball went to Joseph, who took a hard shot that went just wide of the near post.

Chicago’s high press made it difficult for the Pride to get the ball out of their own end and created another chance for the hosts. In the 49th minute, Grosso collected the ball and made a strong run to the top of the Pride box. Anderson was on her hip, but Grosso got a shot off, sending the attempt high and wide.

“It’s a bit different, because now Chicago are chasing the game, and we had to work at the start,” Hines said about the start of the second half. “I would have liked us to start the second half a bit better, but albeit, we kept the ball out the net, didn’t give them much joy.”

The Pride got their first second-half chance in the 54th minute when Banda drew a foul on Staab. Ovalle sent the ensuing set piece into the middle of the box where Banda flicked it on with her head. It went just wide of the left post.

The Pride nearly had a fourth goal in the 61st minute when Banda played the ball square for Ovalle, who couldn’t control it. McCutcheon took possession and fired from long distance, sending her attempt beyond Naeher’s outstretched arm and off the crossbar.

A minute later, Hines made his first change of the game, replacing Angelina with Yates.

Grosso was more selfish in the second half and it resulted in her creating dangerous chances. That happened again in the 67th minute when the midfielder received the ball near the top corner of the Pride box. She dribbled through defenders and in on goal before firing for the near post. However, Moorhouse stayed on her line and blocked the attempt, ending the attack.

In the 71st minute, Dyke made a run to the end line before her cross was headed over the end line by Jenna Bike. Hines made two more changes during the stoppage, replacing Mace and Washington with Rafaelle and Castain.

Hines made his final two changes in the 82nd minute. Ovalle and Banda came off for Julie Doyle and Marta. It was the club captain’s first appearance of the season.

Lemos received a pass in a seemingly innocuous position. However, the midfielder fired from long distance. It was an excellent strike that forced Naeher to go after the ball, which went just over the crossbar.

Oihane received a long pass across the field in the 86th minute and her first touch was forward for Doyle. Doyle did well to bring the ball down and dribble into the box before sending her shot wide of the near post. The final attempt of the game came in the dying seconds as Doyle dribbled to the end line and played the ball across for Marta entering the six-yard box. The Brazilian tried to redirect the ball on target, but sent it wide.

That was the last touch as the final whistle blew, giving the Pride their first win and first clean sheet of the season. Chicago had more possession (52%-48%) and better passing accuracy (85%-82%), but the Pride had more shots (11-8), shots on target (4-2), and crosses (15-10). Both teams ended the game with four corner kicks.

“I thought we were terrific,” Hines said. “You know, we wanted to start off on the right foot. I think, obviously, getting that 3-0 lead in the first half really gives the foundation to go on and win the game. Second half was obviously a little bit different because Chicago put on a bit more pressure. And we had to weather a storm in that sense. And I felt we handled it really well. It was nice to get some players onto the pitch as well, and allow us to rest a few players in the lead up into Sunday’s game. So overall, really pleased. A lot of really good performances. It’s been coming as well. We’ve been disappointed with the results and other performances in the first two games, and so it was nice for it all to come together tonight.”

This game lifted a weight off the Pride in two ways. Despite having the majority of the chances in the first two games, they were only able to net one goal in each. They also conceded in both games, something the team was disappointed in. The ability to score three times lifts a weight off the attackers’ backs, especially Banda and Ovalle, who have had such high expectations going into this season. It was also the most complete performance defensively in the early part of the season.

“I feel like these past two games, we’ve really done well defensively, and kind of the team talks have been like we need to be locked in for all 90 minutes,” Anderson said about the clean sheet. “I think the stats have reflected that we’ve played better than the product of the match. And so, really, the goal was just to make sure we’re locked in, get the shutout. And obviously having three goals definitely helps keeping the balls out of our net, too.”

“We have spoken about it as a collective, especially with the defenders and goalkeeper. And we have a job to do. We have a job to keep the ball out of the net, whatever it takes,” Hines added. “Bodies on the line, blocks, getting close to people. And I thought they were brilliant in that, and it’s not just those at the back, it’s the midfielders, the forwards. It’s dictating the press as well. I think it’s been tough with the first two games as well, because we haven’t given the opponent too many opportunities to score, but we’ve been punished when we have, and so it’s been really pleasing that it was almost close to perfection.”

After a disappointing homestand that saw the Pride only claim one point from two games, their first win of the season provides some confidence going forward. They’re now on four points, tied for sixth, and two points behind the league-leading teams.

It’s a short turnaround for the Pride as they travel to New Jersey for a Sunday night matchup against the defending NWSL champions – and the team that knocked them out in the semifinals last year – NJ/NY Gotham FC.

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Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC: Final Score 3-1 as Pride Continue Slide Toward NWSL Basement

The Pride lose another lopsided game and are only spared another shutout defeat by Kerry Abello’s late goal.

Published

2 days ago

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August 7, 2026

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Image of Kerry Abello taking a shot against Louisville.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Unfortunately, if you’re at the bottom of the NWSL table, the remedy is to play the Orlando Pride. The Pride (7-10-2, 23 points) had never lost to Racing Louisville FC (5-11-2, 17 points) at Inter.co Stadium entering tonight, but that streak ended emphatically with a 3-1 home loss.

Audrey McKeen got her first NWSL goal in the 16th minute and Emma Sears added two more  to the tally at the 68th and 86th minutes. It could have been worse with a comically bad goal that was overturned after video review. Kerry Abello chalked up a goal for the Pride in the fourth minute of added time in the second half to spoil the shutout.

Louisville has now won three of its last four games.

“Louisville is very aggressive – they like to put pressure on,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said after the game. “We didn’t execute the best we could have – we were close in moments but close isn’t good enough.”

The Pride made four changes to the lineup amid a hefty number of players out on the availability report and were not even able to field a full bench of nine substitutes, dressing two backup goalkeepers. Anna Moorhouse started in goal with Hailie Mace, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Zara Chavoski on the back line. Angelina (with the captain’s armband) and Ally Lemos played central midfield in front of them with Simone Jackson, Jacquie Ovalle, and Nicole Payne attacking from the midfield. Julie Doyle started up top as the attack focal point.

Both teams generated an opportunity in the first 90 seconds, with Jackson almost connecting with Payne before Racing Louisville goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer snuffed it out. Sears then came down the other side and forced a save from Moorhouse. The ensuing corner generated a bit of chaos in the box before it was cleared, but it was a sign of things to come.

Both teams continued to trade possession without any real dangerous moments. Doyle had a shot blocked in the seventh minute and Louisville had a shot saved in the 11th.

Racing Louisville then managed to hold the attack in Orlando’s defensive end for a while. On the third corner of the set at the 16-minute mark, Katie O’Kane sent a great ball into the center of the six-yard box. McKeen broke loose and got a head on the cross to opening the scoring. Louisville had played most of its previous corners short and caught the Pride a bit off with a normal cross.

Orlando could not generate much of a response in the following minutes. Jackson broke loose down the left side but her cross was not threatening. Meanwhile, Sears hit the crossbar at the 26-minute mark on a ball that seemed to surprise the whole defense.

Orlando was able to generate a corner off an Angelina shot from 25 yards out, but nothing came of it. On the next possession, Doyle got on the end of a Payne through ball but could not create danger from it.

At the hydration break, there were plenty of areas for Hines to correct as not a lot had gone right. Jackson was able to get by her mark multiple times but there wasn’t a lot else.

In the 35th minute, Doyle worked herself free at the top corner of the box and sent a searching cross to the back post. Jackson ran it down but hit the crossbar with a lot of net to shoot at, wasting one of the team’s best chances of the night. The Pride kept up the pressure and finally generated something. Orlando should have scored in the 38th minute, with a great ball sending Doyle into the area, but her shot was a weak one and easily saved, when any pace on the ball at all would have put the Pride on the board.

The Pride thought they’d gotten a break as Mirann Gacioch slid into Doyle as she got her shot off, and referee Muhammad Hassan awarded a penalty. However, as Lemos held the ball at the penalty spot, the video assistant referee sent Hassan to the monitor and he reversed his call.

Nothing much occurred after the incident, although O’Kane picked up a yellow card for a tactical foul for pulling Ovalle back in the first minute of stoppage time. Neither team created any threats in the added time and the half ended without further excitement.

The Pride led in possession (54%-46%), while Racing Louisville held the advantage in shots (9-7), shots on target (4-1), and passing accuracy (83%-82%). The teams each won four corners in the opening period.

The second half started even worse, with the Pride hemmed into their defensive end for the first seven minutes. The crossbar continued to get hammered as Lauren Milliet put one off it from the top of the box. After that, Orlando finally got out of its end and Jackson’s shot was deflected by Gacioch near the right post and had to be parried away by Bloomer.

The Pride used their first substitution window to replace Jackson and Payne with Summer Yates and Solai Washington at the 55-minute mark.Jackson had done well to get into some good areas but there was no final product from the young forward.

Racing Louisville responded with its own subs in the 62nd minute as Ella Hase replaced Quincy McMahon and Maja Lardner replaced Kayla Fischer. The game had settled into a sloppy back-and-forth without either team generating any danger.

Doyle then sat down in the 65th minute after a tangle and was replaced by Abello. Coming out of the restart, Louisville again picked up the pressure and, off a Mace turnover, Sears dribbled down the right side, easily stepped inside of Rafaelle, and blasted a shot from a tight angle past Moorhouse and into the inside netting at the back post for the game’s second goal in the 68th minute.

Three minutes later, Racing Louisville made changes by putting Rachel Hill and Sarah Weber in for Makenna Morris and McKeen. The Pride used their final substitutes to pull Mace and Angelina for Zoe Matthews and Luana.

In the 78th minute, Washington was unable to get on the end of a dangerous Yates cross. Louisville immediately responded, as Sears beat Abello down the left and the dribble somehow went right through Moorhouse’s legs, allowing Sears to tap it in. However, Sears was deemed offside on the pass that turned her loose after video review, sparing Orlando its most embarrassing goal of the evening.

The Pride picked up their energy level after that and were able to generate some danger. Bloomer saved Ovalle’s shot at the 84-minute mark, and Matthews put a header off the crossbar right afterwards.

Unfortunately, on Louisville’s response, Sears broke loose down the right, easily blew past the much slower Rafaelle, and put another goal past an ineffective Moorhouse in the 86th minute.

With 10 minutes added to the end of the game, the Pride showed some life, though it was too late to change the outcome. After a couple of aborted attacks, Abello took a long dribble off a blocked cross and smashed a goal into the corner in the fourth added minute. That kept Louisville from getting its first clean sheet of the season.

Orlando kept up the pressure and Yates should have added a second goal for the Pride off a saved shot from Washington in the eighth added minute, but it skipped just inches wide of the right post. Racing Louisville put in one more substitute by pulling O’Kane for Avery Ciorbu. The Pride weren’t able to generate anything in the last 90 seconds and the game ended without any further attacks.

The Pride finished the game with the lead in possession (52%-48%), with Racing Louisville ahead in shots (20-18), shots on target (7-6), passing accuracy (78%-77%), and corners (9-8).

“I’m really proud of our fight in the last 20 minutes, but we have to do that from the first,” Abello said. “We played into their hands and let Louisville play their game. They’re good at set pieces – they’re all six feet tall.”

The Pride travel the next two weekends to Portland and Washington, D.C., before returning home on Aug. 29 against Utah. All three teams are above the Pride in the NWSL table.

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Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride return home looking to get back in the win column against Racing Louisville.

Published

3 days ago

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August 7, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to your match preview and live thread as the Orlando Pride (7-9-2, 23 points) face Racing Louisville FC (4-11-2, 14 points) at home (7 p.m., NWSL+). This is the second and final time these two teams will meet during the 2026 NWSL regular season.

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

History

This is the fifth season of existence for Racing Louisville, and the Pride have played the Kentucky-based side 14 times in that span, with Orlando going 3-5-4 in NWSL games and 3-5-6 in all competitions (0-0-1 in both the NWSL Challenge Cup and the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup). The Pride are undefeated at home against Louisville with a 3-0-3 record in league play and a 3-0-4 record in all competitions.

The most recent meeting between the two teams occurred on April 24 in Louisville. Lauren Milliet gave the hosts the lead in the 19th minute before Barbra Banda equalized just before halftime. The hosts separated themselves early in the second half with goals by Sarah Weber and a second by Milliet, both within five minutes of the restart. Banda scored a second in the dying minutes, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride fell 3-2.

The first meeting in 2025 took place June 20 in Louisville. Arin Wright gave the hosts the lead at the half-hour mark and former Pride midfielder Taylor Flint doubled the advantage in the second half as the Pride fell 2-0 to end the first half of the season. On Aug. 9, 2025, in Orlando, Marisa DiGrande scored against her old team just before halftime to give Louisville the halftime lead. It looked like the visitors would claim all three points until an Ary Borges own goal in second-half stoppage time resulted in a 1-1 draw.

The teams first met in 2024 on March 16 in Louisville. The season opener for both teams looked like it would be a long day for Orlando, as Elexa Bahr and Uchenna Kanu gave the hosts a 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes. The Pride got on the board with an own goal by Elli Pikkujämsä, but the task was made more difficult when Kylie Strom received her second yellow card in the second half. However, Amanda Allen and Summer Yates combined on a late goal by Yates, as the Pride pulled out an unlikely 2-2 draw.

On May 5, 2024, in Orlando, an Emily Sams cross in the 17th minute found Banda’s head at the back post, and she nodded home the game’s only goal in a 1-0 Pride win. On Aug. 1, 2024, in the Summer Cup, Evelina Duljan scored her lone Pride goal to give the Pride the lead. However, Reilyn Turner equalized, sending the game into penalties. The Pride took the early shootout lead when Jaelin Howell missed, but saves by Jordyn Bloomer on Morgan Gautrat and Ally Watt saw Louisville take the extra point.

The first meeting of 2023 was held on May 6 at Exploria Stadium. Messiah Bright gave the Pride an early lead, and the hosts held on for 69 minutes for the 1-0 win. The second meeting that season took place on Oct. 6 in Louisville. The Pride got off to a great start with goals by Marta from the spot early and an excellent individual effort by Kerry Abello to make it 2-0. However, Bright took Savannah DeMelo down in the box just before halftime and Nadia Nadim converted the penalty. A five-minute swing with a goal by Kristen Davis and an own goal by Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse resulted in the Pride losing the critical game 3-2.

The first meeting between the two teams in 2022 took place Sept. 16 in Louisville. Racing struck first when Nadim was left open in front of goal for a tap-in. The hosts doubled their lead on a great strike by DeMelo from outside the box, and the Pride fell 2-0.

Back in 2022, the first meeting was in a unique setting, taking place at Daytona International Speedway on July 3. The game was a part of the 2022 Daytona SoccerFest and was the first time a professional soccer game was played at a racetrack. Emina Ekic gave Louisville a halftime lead and DeMelo doubled the lead shortly after the break. However, the Pride fought back with goals by Strom and Darian Jenkins, pulling out a 2-2 draw.

The first year the two teams met was in 2021 during the NWSL Challenge Cup in Louisville. CeCe Kizer gave the hosts the lead early, but Taylor Kornieck equalized just before halftime. It looked like the Pride would win when Abi Kim scored late, but Brooke Hendrix equalized in second-half injury time and the teams drew 2-2.

The teams played three times in the 2021 regular season, with the first meeting coming on July 9 in Orlando. Ebony Salmon gave Louisville the lead, but Sydney Leroux scored to force a 1-1 draw with a goal in second-half injury time. The second meeting was held Sept. 11 in Orlando. The Pride took a 2-0 lead into the break with goals by Leroux and Marta. Kizer got one back, but Alex Morgan’s conversion sealed three points for the Pride.

The final meeting of 2021 came in the penultimate game of the year for both teams. The Pride needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and they got off to a good start when Jodie Taylor scored in the third minute. However, the game slipped away as Salmon and Katie McClure scored on either side of halftime and Yuki Nagasato made the final 3-1.

Overview

The Pride have struggled since the FIFA World Cup break. They’ve lost four of the last six games and have failed to score in each of those losses. The two wins were a 3-0 win over the Kansas City Current and a slim 1-0 victory over Chicago Stars FC.

The most recent game against the North Carolina Courage saw the Pride lose 5-0, their worst loss since Seb Hines’ first game as interim head coach on June 19, 2022. It was arguably the worst performance of the season, with multiple goals coming from defensive mistakes and the attack unable to create any clear-cut chances.

The play of the back line was the most surprising thing about the loss in North Carolina. While the team has struggled to score goals, the defense has been excellent in recent games. Two of the four losses have been 1-0 and the two wins were clean sheets.

The attacking problems are largely due to the absence of Banda and the lack of a secondary scorer on the team or an identity of how to play without her. The star striker leads the league with 12 goals this year, but she saw few minutes as she worked her way back to full fitness. Just before she was able to play significant minutes, she departed to represent Zambia in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

The impact of the 5-0 loss in North Carolina is on display in the NWSL standings. The Pride are tied on points with Angel City FC and Seattle Reign FC for the eighth and final playoff position. But their -4 goal difference is three behind Seattle and 11 behind Angel City. The poor goal difference is something that could haunt the team as the Pride look to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

The Pride desperately need wins and they should be able to claim three points against tonight’s opponent. Racing Louisville sits in 15th in the 16-team league. Tonight’s visitors have just 14 points from 17 games and a -13 goal difference. Their 21 goals are fifth-most in the league and their 34 goals conceded are the most in the league.

Similar to the Pride, Louisville has had a tough restart to the season. The Kentucky-based side suffered three crushing losses, including a 4-0 loss to the Portland Thorns, a 2-0 loss to Bay FC, and a 5-1 loss to the Current. However, while the Pride are looking to rebound from a devastating performance, Louisville is coming off a 2-1 win over Chicago.

Louisville is led in the attack by Kayla Fischer with four goals, followed by Weber and Flint with three goals each. Emma Sears, Katie O’Kane, Milliet, and Maja Lardner are the other players with multiple goals this year, recording two each. Sears, Fischer, and O’Kane also lead the team in assists with four, three, and two, respectively.

The assumption was that Louisville would improve on its defensive performance last season, which was good enough to claim seventh in the league. But, despite reutrning regular starters like Ellie Jean, Arin Wright, and Bloomer, Racing has been worse this season.

“They’re very direct. They use their goalkeeper. She’s part of their buildup play,” Hines said ahead of tonight’s game. “They’ve got some aerial threats and they’re going to make it a physical game. We always talk about how there’s no excuses, no matter how tall you are or how short you are. It’s the fight in the beast and stuff. And so we have to stand up to that challenge. We’ve got to make sure we’re challenging the first, winning the second, getting the ball down, play through their press, and create opportunities to score.”

The Pride are missing several players tonight, including Hannah Anderson (lower leg), Marta (head), Haley McCutcheon (suspension), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Oihane (lower leg), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Banda (international duty). Louisville will be without DeMelo (illness), DiGrande (maternity leave), Taylor Flint (thigh), Macey Hodge (arm), Natalia Mitchell (knee), and Taylor White (knee).

Projected Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Kerry Abello, Rafaelle, Zara Chavoshi, Cori Dyke.

Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Angelina.

Attacking Midfielders: Jacquie Ovalle, Luana, Solai Washington.

Forward: Julie Doyle.

Racing Louisville FC (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Jordyn Bloomer.

Defenders: Mirann Gacioch, Arin Wright, Ellie Jean.

Midfielders: Quincy McMahon, Katie O’Kane, Makenna Morris, Kayla Fischer.

Forwards: Emma Sears, Lauren Milliet, Sarah Weber.

Referees

REF: Muhammad Hassan.
AR1: Christian Clerc.
AR2: Adam Cook.
4TH: Benjamin Meyer.
VAR: Jaclyn Metz.
AVAR: Melissa Gonzalez.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: None.

Stream: NWSL+.

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

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!

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SkoPurp Soccer Episode 132: North Carolina Rewind, Louisville Preview, and More

The Pride hit a new low for 2026 and must regroup for the upcoming Racing Louisville match.

Published

5 days ago

on

August 5, 2026

By

Image of Anna Moorhouse from 5-0 loss at North Carolina.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

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.

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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.

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