Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Angel City FC: Final Score 2-0 As Pride Are Dominated In California
The Pride returned to action from the summer break, falling 2-0 to Angel City.
The Orlando Pride (5-6-2, 17 points) returned from their month-long World Cup break, falling 2-0 to Angel City FC (5-6-1, 16 points) at BMO Field in Los Angeles, CA. A first-half goal by Maiara Niehues and a second-half strike by Sveindis Jonsdottir was the difference, although the game was thoroughly dominated by the hosts.
Pride Head Coach Seb Hines deployed his typical 4-2-3-1 formation in the team’s return to action. However, they were without Barbra Banda, who was out with a thigh injury. The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was made up of Kerry Abello, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Hailie Mace. Angelina and Ally Lemos were the defensive midfielders behind Jacquie Ovalle, Haley McCutcheon, and Luana with Julie Doyle up top.
This was one of the worst performances by the Pride this year. With Banda missing, the team was unable to get anything going offensively, alhough that might not have mattered as Orlando couldn’t get the ball out of its own end. The 2-0 scoreline is a generous one for the Pride, who could’ve easily lost by more.
Ally Sentnor, who joined Angel City during the break, tried to make something happen early during her debut. Inside the first minute, the U.S. international made a run to the top of the box before dribbling inside. The attacker struggled to find space before finally shooting, but Dyke was there to block the attempt.
The Pride had their first chance in the seventh minute when Rafaelle played a ball forward to Luana over the midfield stripe. The Brazilian took the space the defense gave her, dribbling near the top of the box before unleashing a shot. It initially appeared to be on target, but began curving, hitting the outside of the post and going out of play. That was about as close to scoring as Orlando came all night.
The hosts threatened to take the lead in the 14th minute when Jun Endo sent a dangerous ball into the six-yard box. Sentnor got on the end of it, but Dyke, Mace, and Moorhouse were all in front of the goal to keep it out.
Evelyn Shores received a pass on the left in the 17th minute before playing it to Endo, who was making an overlapping run. The Japanese international took a hard shot from a tight angle, but Moorhouse had her near post covered, catching the attempt.
In the 25th minute, Luana slid to keep possession from an Abello clearance, trying to play it back to McCutcheon. Unfortunately, it went straight to Jonsdottir instead. Jonsdottir immediately played the ball to Sentnor, who dribbled into the Pride box before sending a low shot wide of the far post.
Shores fought through a pair of defenders in the 31st minute to get the ball to Niehues. The Brazilian attempted a low cross that McCutcheon cleared but only to Shores at the top corner of the box. The left back took a touch around Mace to create space for a shot, sending her attempt over the target.
The Pride struggled to clear in the 35th minute when Sentnor played a ball to Endo, who was making an underlapping run. Angelina chested down Endo’s cross in an attempt to clear, but it didn’t go far. Gisele Thompson was able to tap it to Jonsdottir, whose shot went wide.
A minute later, the Pride were unable to clear again, resulting in the game’s opening goal. Dyke got in front of Thompson’s ball into the box, but she knocked it to Ary Borges, who took a shot that Dyke blocked again, but she failed to get it out of the box. The rebound fell straight to Niehues, who curled a shot out of Moorhouse’s reach and into the corner to give Angel City the 1-0 lead.
“You’ve got to defend the cross, so stop the cross. And then you’ve got to defend the cross, and we don’t quite clear our lines,” Hines said. “We talk about clearing it out of dangerous areas. It lands at Ary Borges. She has a shot, it deflects, and then we don’t close the next shot from Niehues. We speak about that a lot. The closer you are, the less chance they are of scoring, and we stood off them. They took that opportunity really well, but we feel that with our standard and our level, we should be doing better.”
The Pride continued to play on the back foot, defending desperately as Angel City created chances. In the 38th minute, Borges picked out Niehues near the top of the Pride box. The attacker shot as McCutcheon closed her down, sending her attempt wide of the near post.
Angel City continued on the attack, keeping the ball in the Pride half as they struggled to clear. In the 42nd minute, Jonsdottir tried to chip Moorhouse from outside the Pride box, but the Pride goalkeeper made the easy catch.
Angelina took the ball away from Borges in the first minute of first-half stoppage time 30 yards from goal. The midfielder lifted an overly ambitious attempt toward Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson for her team’s second shot of the game. However, it didn’t cause any trouble.
It was a dominant 45 minutes for Angel City. While the Pride had more possession (54%-46%), most of it was in their own half. The hosts had more shots (10-2), shots on target (3-0), crosses (10-3), and corner kicks (2-0). Both teams completed 77% of their passes in the first half.
Hines made a pair of changes during the break as his team looked to get back into the game. Marta and Nicole Payne entered the contest for Luana and Mace. Despite the changes, it was Angel City that continued to be the more threatening team.
A poor Orlando clearance in the 47th minute allowed Shores to keep the ball in the Pride third. She found Carina Lageyre near the top of the box, but the shot was right at Moorhouse.
The Pride won a throw-in in the 55th minute that quickly turned into a disaster. McCutcheon played the ball back for Rafaelle, who was immediately put under pressure from Jonsdottir. The Icelandic international blocked the defender’s pass and sprinted to the end line before beating Moorhouse from a tight angle to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
“It starts with a throw-in. So the ability to keep possession from a throw-in is really important,” Hines said. “You know, we have a couple of objectives from that, and it’s just details, right? Weighted pass, make your choice to the correct forward. If you’re going to go long, you’ll sort of take away the deflection from the forward. So yeah, another moment where we felt we’re in control, and we give them an opportunity to counter and go straight to goal from that.”
Hines made two more changes in the 62nd minute, replacing Abello and Ovalle with Zara Chavoshi and Solai Washington.
As the game entered the final 20 minutes, the Pride started to gain more possession and create more chances in the final third. However, they still were unable to create any clear-cut opportunities or cause Anderson any trouble.
In the 77th minute, a pass to Lemos hit the referee, causing a stoppage in play. Hines took the opportunity to make his final change, replacing Rafaelle with Hannah Anderson.
Neither team had taken a shot since the 55th-minute goal, when Angel City created a chance in the 78th minute. A long goal kick by Anderson bounced over Chavoshi’s head, allowing Endo to get into the Pride third. She shot from outside the box, forcing Moorhouse to dive to her right and make the stop.
The Pride finally got their first shot on target in the 80th minute when Washington flicked a long ball forward and fought through a pair of defenders. She dribbled into the box from the left and fired for the near post, where Anderson was waiting to block the ball out of play.
Anderson came out to punch away the ensuing corner kick, running over Chavoshi. The ball went toward her own goal, forcing Sarah Gorden to head it off the line. McCutcheon tapped the ball back to Angelina at the top of the box and the midfielder sent it back in. It fell for Anderson behind the back line at the top of the six-yard box, but Shores was able to stick a foot in and clear it over the end line. Angel City cleared the second corner kick and ended the threat.
As the game entered two minutes of stoppage time, Chavoshi sent a low cross to the top of the six, where Washington was making a run. The second-half substitute tried to backheel the ball on goal, not getting much on it and allowing Anderson to make the easy stop. That was the final chance for either team as Angel City saw out the victory.
The Pride ended the game with more possession (57%-43%) and better passing accuracy (79%-75%), but Angel City led in every other statistical category. The hosts had more shots (15-4), shots on target (6-1), crosses (18-11), and corner kicks (5-3).
“Never good enough to lose a game 2-0,” Hines said. “Two things in this league that you have to deal with, one is direct play. You have to deal with teams who are going to be really aggressive and try to get back to front really quickly. And you have to be prepared for transition. We can’t allow gifts in this league, and we gave Angel City two gifts. And they capitalized on those moments. We had some good possession, but didn’t create anything up until probably the last 10 minutes of the game.”
“Definitely frustrated, disappointed,” Dyke added. “We know that was nowhere near our best night, but we’ve just got to learn from it and then turn the page, because we know we have (another) big game coming up as well.”
The loss keeps the Pride in eighth, one point ahead of Angel City. To make matters worse, they’ve played a game or two more than all the teams around them, so they could fall down the standings in the near future.
The Pride will have to put this game behind them quickly as they return home to face the Kansas City Current on July 10.
Orlando Pride
Zoe Matthews, Gabi Nunes Look to Give Orlando Pride Attack Much-Needed Boost
The Orlando Pride have added Zoe Matthews and Gabi Nunes as they look to strengthen their roster for the season’s final stretch.
The Orlando Pride have reached a point in the 2026 NWSL season in which reinforcements aren’t simply welcome — they could be necessary.
After winning the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship in 2024 and following that with another playoff semifinal appearance in 2025, the Pride entered this season with high expectations. But the season hasn’t followed the same script. They fell to a 7-10-2 record after a 3-1 home loss to Racing Louisville FC Friday night, leaving Seb Hines’ team with 23 points and plenty of work to do during the final stretch of the regular season.
That’s why the team signed two new additions.
The Pride signed 19-year-old midfielder Zoe Matthews on July 16 and Brazilian international forward Gabi Nunes on Aug. 4. The pair have very different backgrounds and bring different qualities to the Pride. But that could be precisely why the moves make sense.
Matthews provides youth, size, and versatility. Nunes provides experience, attacking versatility, and a proven history of scoring goals.
Neither player should be expected to single-handedly rescue the season. But if both can give the Pride something they’ve been missing, they could make a meaningful difference down the stretch.
Matthews Gives Orlando Youth, Different Look
Matthews’ signing isn’t necessarily about finding an immediate star. Instead, the Pride are adding a player who could give Hines another option while potentially developing into a more important contributor.
The 19-year-old has already taken an unusual path for someone her age. She began her professional career with the Houston Dash at just 17 before gaining experience in Spain and Portugal. The Pride signed her through the end of the 2026 season in July, with general manager Caitlin Carducci describing her as a player with tremendous potential.
Her physical profile immediately makes her intriguing. At 6-foot-2, Matthews provides a size and presence that isn’t easy to find in midfield and a target in the attack with size — something the Pride have lacked. Her experience also isn’t limited to one position, giving Hines some flexibility in determining where she can best help the team.
That’s particularly useful for a roster that has had to deal with absences throughout the season.
Matthews doesn’t have to walk into the team and immediately become a starter. If she can provide reliable minutes, compete for a place in the rotation, and give Hines another player capable of handling different responsibilities, she’s already providing something the team needs.
And there’s potentially more to come.
At only 19, Matthews has plenty of room to develop. The Pride may be getting a depth piece for the remainder of this season, but they could also be getting a player who becomes considerably more important in the future.
Nunes Could Provide Another Attacking Threat
While Matthews may contribute more in the future than this season, Nunes could make more of an immediate impact.
The 29-year-old Brazilian forward has spent much of her career playing at a high level in Brazil, Spain, and England, and she’s represented Brazil on the international stage. She’s played for Corinthians, Madrid CFF, Levante, and Aston Villa, while appearing for Brazil at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
That experience matters.
Nunes isn’t arriving in Orlando as an unknown prospect trying to figure out professional soccer. She’s played in major competitions, faced high-level defenders, and scored plenty of goals throughout her career.
The Pride specifically pointed to her versatility and proven ability to score when announcing the signing. That could be important for an Orlando attack that has struggled to find consistency this season.
The answer isn’t necessarily for Nunes to replace one of the Pride’s existing stars. In fact, her biggest contribution could come from making those players more dangerous.
If Nunes can establish herself as a legitimate threat in the final third, opposing defenses have another player they need to account for. That could create additional space for the Pride’s creative players and make the team less dependent on one or two individuals to manufacture chances.
That’s particularly relevant when Marta or Barbra Banda aren’t available.
The Pride experienced that problem against Louisville with Banda away on international duty and Marta unavailable because of concussion protocol. The Pride ultimately managed only one goal in the defeat.
Nunes can’t solve every problem caused by missing players. But she gives Hines another option when the usual formula isn’t available.
And, unlike Matthews, Nunes doesn’t have years to figure everything out. She’s here to help now.
Nunes can’t solve every problem caused by missing players, and Matthews isn’t going to become an overnight star. But the Pride don’t need either player to be a miracle solution. Orlando needs them to give Hines more options.
Matthews can provide versatility and upside. Nunes can provide experience and another attacking threat. If both can settle in quickly, their contributions could give the Pride more ways to win.
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!
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