Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. San Diego Wave FC: Final Score 1-0 As Pride End Road Trip On A High
Nicole Payne’s first professional goal lifted the Pride to a road win over San Diego Wave FC.
The Orlando Pride (4-5-2, 14 points) bounced back from a pair of tough losses by defeating San Diego Wave FC (7-4-1, 22 points) 1-0 tonight at Snapdragon Stadium. Nicole Payne’s first goal in her first start for the Pride was enough to return home with all three points.
The Pride made the unusual decision of staying on the road after leaving Denver. Rather than returning to Orlando, they stayed on the West Coast for the week leading up to tonight’s game in Southern California.
“As the schedule came out, we felt, after going to Denver, was it necessary for us to go back home,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about the decision. “Sometimes it’s easy to go back home and just being in your own bed. But, being on this side of the country, we felt the need to get to San Diego early. Adapt to the weather, and be together.”
“It was so important,” McCutcheon added about staying on the road. “I think that these games that are coming quick and fast can be a positive when things are going well, and they can be a real challenge when we’re trying to figure things out. And I think that to have a full week of training to really peel back the layers and go back to the basics.”
Hines made three changes to the team that lost 3-1 to Denver Summit FC on May 16. Rafaelle, Payne, and Luana entered the starting lineup, replacing Hannah Anderson, Seven Castain, and Summer Yates.
“Part of the three-game road trip is having the ability to manage players and rotate players,” Hines said about the lineup changes. “Even if some things are not always in your control.”
The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse included Oihane, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Hailie Mace. Ally Lemos and Haley McCutcheon were in the defensive midfield behind Julie Doyle, Luana, and Payne with Barbra Banda up top.
Adding to the occasion was a milestone for McCutcheon. It was her 100th appearance for the Pride and her 200th NWSL game.
The Pride came into this game looking to display their physicality. They outmuscled the Wave and were willing to give up set pieces in the process. It was a strong defensive effort that earned the Pride their fourth clean sheet of the season. In the end, it was a surprising long-distance goal by Payne and some critical saves by Moorhouse that made the difference.
The Pride created the first chance in the ninth minute when Lemos sent Payne down the right and the midfielder was dragged down by Kiki Pickett. Lemos stepped up to take the set piece, lifting it into the box where Banda was making a near-post run. The striker attempted to flick the ball to the far post, sending her attempt wide.
San Diego’s first chance came in the 11th minute, when Dudinha made a strong run to the end line. The attacker initially beat Mace, but the right back caught up and knocked the ball out of play. The ensuing corner kick was sent to the near post where Kennedy Wesley tried to put it on goal. Rafaelle was in a good defensive position and blocked the weak attempt.
Banda won a foul in the 15th minute when Kimmi Ascanio impeded her. Lemos again took the set piece, sending it into the box. Banda might’ve gotten a slight touch as she attempted to flick the ball forward with her head, but it didn’t create any trouble for Didi Haracic.
A poor pass by the Wave in the 31st minute allowed McCutcheon to play Banda forward. It looked like the striker would outmuscle Mimi Van Zanten to get in on goal, but the defender got a foot in. Banda went down and the Pride players wanted a foul, but referee Calin Radosav said Van Zanten got enough of the ball.
The Wave had a great opportunity to open the scoring in the 33rd minute when Wesley passed the ball forward for Ludmila. As Banda knocked her over, the striker sent a pass forward for Gia Corley, who was goal side on McCutcheon. Corley looked for Dudinha, making a back post run, but Moorhouse got a hand to it. Unfortunately, the ball went right to Lia Godfrey at the top of the six. Despite being on her back, Moorhouse was able to make the save without giving up a rebound.
The Pride got a break in the 40th minute when Wesley headed out a Lemos cross. As the Wave looked to break the other way, Ascanio brought the ball down with her arm, giving the Pride a free kick just outside the San Diego box.
Lemos took the set piece and went for goal, aiming her shot inside the near post. However, her attempt was just wide.
In the 43rd minute, McCutcheon sent Banda down the left and into the San Diego box. The striker used her physicality on Wesley, and when that didn’t work, she cut inside to shoot. But Wesley did well to stay in front and deflected the ball out of play.
The ensuing set piece found Rafaelle near the top of the box and the center back put her attempt on goal, but it was right to Haracic.
Kennedy played a great ball forward for Ludmila in the 44th minute, getting the striker into the box. Dyke was able to stay in front to keep Ludmila from getting a free shot, so the Brazilian sent a dangerous ball to the back post. Dudinha was making a run behind Mace, but it was a bit too far in front of the attacker and went out of play.
Luana won a free kick in the 45th minute when Pickett tripped the midfielder in the San Diego third of the field. The set piece to the back post found Rafaelle’s head, but she sent the ball over the target.
Kenza Dali made a run into the Pride third of the field in the third minute of first-half stoppage time before finding Corley at the top of the box. The attacker found space for a shot between Rafaelle and McCutcheon but it was right to Moorhouse.
Seconds later, the Pride broke through. Luana sent a long ball forward for Banda, but Kristen McNabb struck her foot out to knock it down. Unfortunately for the defender, the ball went right to Payne. It looked like Payne would wait for support as she dribbled away from the goal. But she surprised everyone by turning and firing with her right foot from outside the box, beating Haracic to the far post and giving her team the 1-0 lead.
It was a big moment for Payne as she has recently returned from an ACL injury that kept her out for over a year. It was also her first professional goal in her first start for the Pride.
“It’s been a long time. It’s been over a year, so I didn’t really know how everything was going to play out,” Payne said. “But a lot of it just goes to my teammates, the staff, everyone for believing in me and giving me the confidence to be able to be back and just play confidently.”
“Always looking to run in behind and a well taken goal,” Hines said about Payne. “She obviously came as a right back and developed her into a more of a winger. And really pleased for her, because it’s been quite a journey for her, coming back from an ACL. Great goal and great performance from her.”
The hosts immediately went on the attack, looking for an equalizer before the break. Dudinha dribbled to the top of the Pride box before firing on goal, forcing Moorhouse to block the attempt. Ludmila and Doyle raced for the loose ball with both missing it. As a result, it rested for Van Zanten, but her shot went wide.
San Diego ended the first half with more possession (59%-41%), but both teams recorded eight shots and put three on target. The teams also each won one corner kick and the Wave had better passing accuracy (84%-73%).
“We just really wanted to focus on putting in a really good defensive shift,” Payne said about the halftime message. “Obviously, we don’t like to concede goals, so we just really were focused on trying to set a tone in the second half and really continue to control the game.”
The Wave began the second half on the front foot, creating the first chance inside the first minute. Dali played the ball square for Godrey outside of the box and the attacker fired from distance. However, the ball was always curling left and sailed wide of the near post.
The Pride were forced into their first substitution of the game in the 51st minute when Doyle landed awkwardly after being pushed down by McNabb. After receiving treatment on the field, she couldn’t continue and was replaced by Kerry Abello.
Ludmila tried to make something happen herself in the 55th minute as the striker carried the ball across the top of the box. The Brazilian found enough space to turn and shoot, but she was unable to put her attempt on target.
A minute later, the Pride created their first shot of the second half when Lemos played the ball to Payne on the right and continued her run to the top of the box. The first-half goal scorer sent the ball right back to Lemos, who fired from the top of the 18. Unfortunately, she was never balanced and the ball sailed wide of the goal.
Hines made his second change in the 62nd minute as Yates entered the contest, replacing Payne.
Second-half Wave substitute Tatum Wynalda tried to lift the ball out of the back in the 67th minute, but she couldn’t get it over the head of Abello. The Pride midfielder brought it down with her chest and sent a long shot towards goal, sending it over the crossbar.
In the 75th minute, Mace pushed over Dudinha, giving San Diego a free kick just inside the Pride half. Before the set piece could be taken, Luana went down and required attention. During the stoppage, Hines made his final two changes as Seven Castain and Simone Jackson came on for Oihane and Luana.
The ensuing set piece was headed to the top of the six-yard box where Gabi Portilho was making a run. The substitute got her head on it but sent the attempt wide of the near post.
Banda made a long run off the restart, earning a corner kick when Wynalda blocked her cross out of play. The ensuing set piece went just over Banda and McCutcheon and out of play for a goal kick.
Jackson sent a long ball down the field for Banda in the 83rd minute, giving the striker a one-on-one with Wesley. The center back did well to knock it off of Banda’s foot, allowing McNabb to get back into position. Banda played a square ball for Castain entering the box, but her shot was wide of the near post.
San Diego nearly had a chance in the 85th minute when Wynalda found Van Zanten making a free run to the penalty spot. The defender should’ve been able to take a shot, but she was off balance and missed the ball completely.
The Wave stayed on the attack and nearly found an equalizer when McNabb sent a ball into the box that connected with Portilho’s head as she jumped between Castain and Abello. The header was heading just inside the far post before the diving Moorhouse got her fingertips to it, redirecting the ball wide.
As the game reached stoppage time, Lemos fouled Melanie Barcenas just outside of the Pride box. Barcenas took the free kick and sent her attempt into Moorhouse’s arms.
In the seventh minute of stoppage time, San Diego created its final attack. Rafaelle headed a Wesley cross out to Laurina Fazer, who saw McCutcheon block her shot. The ball went to Trinity Byers for a second attempt, but Abello blocked it.
The Pride players and coaching staff’s appeal for the final whistle fell on deaf ears. Barcenas received a throw-in and fired from long distance, sending her shot well over the crossbar.
That was enough for Radosav to blow the final whistle and the Pride held on for the 1-0 win.
At full time, San Diego held the advantage in possession (58%-42%), shots (17-14), shots on target (5-3), crosses (15-6), corner kicks (3-2), and passing accuracy (84%-76%). But the Pride defended well to hold onto their slim lead and claim all three points.
“Incredible game. Great effort as well from start to finish,” Hines said. “I thought we managed the game really well. We brought a little bit more intensity with our press. We were a lot calmer on the ball as well, and we talked about that going into the game — getting back to who we are as Orlando Pride team — and it was fully on show tonight in San Diego.”
“We put it all together today,” McCutcheon added. “This was definitely more than just three points for us. It’s a shift in our season and our momentum, and I’m just so proud of the group.”
The Pride end the weekend in eighth place, holding the final playoff spot with one game remaining until the World Cup break. They’re one point behind the North Carolina Courage for seventh and four points behind three teams for fourth.
The team will return home for one final game before the league stops for over a month, facing Bay FC Friday night at Inter&Co Stadium.
Orlando Pride
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.
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.
Orlando Pride
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.
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!
Orlando Pride
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.
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.
Lion Links: 8/10/26
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Orlando City vs. Club Leon, Leagues Cup: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Blow Halftime Lead in Loss
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