Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Boston Legacy FC: Final Score 1-0 as Pride are Swept by Expansion Boston
The Pride finish 0-3-1 against expansion teams after a toothless attacking night against Boston Legacy FC.
The Orlando Pride (6-7-2, 20 points) fell 1-0 at home to Boston Legacy FC (4-7-4, 16 points) in front of a Wednesday night crowd of 6,004 disappointed fans. Boston struck early and the Pride laid on a relentless attack in the second half, but they lacked precision in the final third and couldn’t overcome the Legacy’s stubborn defense. Barbara Olivieri scored the game’s only goal.
Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines deployed his typical 4-2-3-1 formation for tonight’s match. The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was made up of Cori Dyke, Hannah Anderson, Zara Chavoshi, and Oihane. Haley McCutcheon and Ally Lemos served as the defensive midfielders, with Angelina, Jacquie Ovalle, and Solai Washington taking up the attacking midfield roles and Marta up top.
“Yeah, I mean they took their goal well. You know, some quick combination play, but I feel like every goal is preventable,” Hines said after the match. “You know, that’s just my mindset and how I think. And you know there was a couple of give-and-goes, and then you know getting close to people and affecting people wasn’t quite there in the first half.”
In the first minute, Oihane worked her way down the right and fed a ball through to Washington, who sent in a low cross that Casey Murphy collected easily.
In the sixth minute, Lilly Reale responded by sending a harmless ball over the crossbar.
Marta worked down the left a minute later and sent a high cross into the box, but it was too far in front of Washington and Angelina, who were trying to catch up to the play. The pass went harmlessly out the other side of the area, wasting a numerical advantage in transition.
In the 12th minute, Boston worked the ball down the right and sent in a cross that McCutcheon blocked behind for a corner. Jorelyn Carabali met the ensuing delivery with a free header, but it didn’t have much pace on it and popped up right to Moorhouse. Five minutes later, Moorhouse got over to gather a cross in from Reale.
Boston struck in the 17th minute, carving through the Pride midfield as Alba Caño found Ella Stevens, who tapped it centrally to Olivieri. The Boston attacker fired toward Moorhouse’s left. The goalkeeper dove but couldn’t make the save as the ball was able to sneak inside the post to make it 1-0.
The Pride attempted to pull the goal back in the 22nd minute, working up through the middle, but could not break down the stubborn Boston defense.
In the 26th minute, McCutcheon turned the ball over to Olivieri, who muscled her way into the box and cut back a pass to Caño, who fired wide. McCutcheon was shown a delayed yellow card for trying — and failing — to hold back Olivieri on the play, with the referee playing advantage.
The Pride responded in the 28th minute, following a throw-in, working wide on the left. Dyke sent in a good cross to Angelina right in front of goal. The Brazilian did well to get a foot on it, but hit it poorly and sent the ball wide left.
In the 36th minute, the Pride earned a free kick following a foray into the Boston 18-yard box that was defended away. Murphy collected the ensuing ball in from Ovalle without difficulty.
Boston managed a shot in the 40th minute after winning the ball off an Orlando throw-in and working it out to Caño, who centered for Annie Karich. She fired a shot but sent it right at Moorhouse.
Orlando had its own chance seconds later when an Ovalle effort flew just wide, needing a touch from Murphy to put it out for a corner. It looked like the Pride had equalized on the corner, with Ovalle curling the ball directly in for an Olimpico, but the goal was called back for a foul by Lemos who lightly bumped into Murphy. It was a curious call, as Lemos stood her ground and Murphy had to move back toward her goal away from Lemos to try to get to Ovalle’s delivery, but the goal didn’t count and a free kick was awarded to Boston.
Aïssata Traoré fired over the crossbar in the 43rd minute after some buildup down the Boston left.
Washington managed a decent cross in the 44th minute, but it was just too far in front of an onrushing Ovalle. Oihane added a cross of her own in the 46th minute, but it again went right to Murphy.
Boston won another corner moments later from an attack down the right, but the delivery flew over everyone except Reale at the back post. She put it out for an Orlando goal kick. The Pride survived a penalty scare on the play, as Ovalle had tangled with Carabali in the box, with a lot of shirt pulling and no attempt to play the ball. Referee Cristian Campo went to the monitor after a lengthy delay waiting for the video assistant referee. Campo looked at the play and confirmed the call as no foul and a goal kick, evening out the game’s two most controversial plays.
The first half came to an end without another good look at goal and Boston leading 1-0.
The half finished with Orlando leading in possession (51%-49%) but Boston had the advantage in shots (7-4), shots on target (2-0), and passing accuracy (87%-81%). Both teams won two corner kicks in the opening half.
Orlando saw more of the ball in the second half and created more opportunities, but in the end, the Pride were wasteful with those chances and gave the ball away too cheaply in the final third.
Hines brought on Julie Doyle at halftime for her 100th appearance for the club. She replaced Oihane at right back.
“Yeah, I mean, just want to say how grateful I am too. I mean, not every single player gets to hit 100 — and hit 100 at the same team,” Doyle said. “I’m so grateful just for the staff and the organization for believing in me every single year and every single contract and have had some highs and lows, but winning a championship was the best soccer memory.
“We’ve got to figure out how to break down a low block. I think that’s probably the hardest thing to do in soccer. You see it even in the World Cup. But yeah, and just like having that grit and mentality, and doing whatever it takes to get another goal, and you know, for us, I think that’s something that we obviously need to figure out.”
Orlando put together some excellent buildup in the 50th minute between Washington and Angelina, following clever holdup play by Marta. The sequence led to a Washington shot that Murphy parried away. The resulting cross found Marta, but her touch deflected off a Boston defender and into touch for a Pride throw-in that led nowhere.
Marta got a shot off in the 55th minute, following buildup through the middle from Anderson and Dyke, but sent it straight at the goalkeeper.
Boston worked a cross into the Orlando box in the 59th minute, sent in by Bianca St-Georges, but McCutcheon cleared it.
Barbra Banda subbed on in the 60th minute for Ovalle, and Orlando immediately started to play more directly with the Zambian international on the pitch. The Pride threatened in the 62nd minute with a ball over the top to Banda out wide, but a good tackle by Carabali snuffed out the attack after Banda had worked her way centrally, trying to clear herself for a shot.
The Pride followed with a free kick that was sent in, recycled, and lobbed back in, glancing off Anderson’s head and over the end line. Washington fired a shot just wide of the left post in the 64th minute. Murphy got a touch to help it, but a goal kick was given.
In the 66th minute, Boston came close to doubling the lead following a scramble in the box. Caño’s free kick found Reale, who crossed it back in, but Dyke cleared the danger off the line.
Hines made a double substitution in the 68th minute, sending on Simone Jackson for Washington and Nicole Payne for Lemos.
In the 77th minute, Jackson fought hard to work the ball toward the center of the box for Banda, who took a swing at a difficult ball that sailed high and wide. Eight minutes later, Orlando nearly forced an own goal when a Doyle cross deflected off Carabali and rattled the post.
The Pride earned a corner in the 86th minute when Emerson Elgin cleared a McCutcheon cross for Banda over the end line. Boston defended two corners in the ensuing goalmouth scramble, with Olivieri prominent in clearing the danger.
Hines made his final substitution in the 88th minute, sending on Seven Castain for McCutcheon.
In the 90th minute, chaos reigned in the box as the Pride had shots from both Marta and Payne blocked. A minute later, a promising attack down the left was snuffed out when Doyle stepped on the side of the ball while trying to beat her defender, handing possession back to the Legacy, who used their possession to try to run out the clock.
In the 95th minute, Marta worked a nice ball over the top that gave Banda a fighting chance, but a slightly heavy touch — with Boston players closing in — cost her the ball.
The final whistle brought Orlando’s second loss to Boston to a close. The Pride took only one point from four matches against the two new NWSL expansion sides.
The match finished with Orlando having the better of the possession battle (52%-48%), shots (13-8), corner kicks (5-2), and passing accuracy (84%-83%) but both teams put two shots on target.
“It’s obviously challenging, especially when she had quite a significant injury leading up into the last couple of games,” Hines said of Banda’s contributions and readiness going forward. “I feel like we’ve managed her really well, but you have to be so cautious with players, especially when they have injuries the way that Barbra had, and she’s such an explosive player, you don’t want to lose her for many more games — we’ll assess where she’s at, how she feels after tonight’s game, and then make a decision on you know if she starts or she can be an impact off the bench again.”
It was a disappointing result and performance for the Pride — their second in the last three matches, sandwiched around one of the team’s best outings of the year on Friday against the Kansas City Current. But the only thing consistent about the 2026 Pride is the team’s inconsistency and inability to get everyone healthy. Both Hailie Mace and Summer Yates sat out the game with knocks.
Things won’t get any easier for the Pride, who must now travel to Utah to face the Royals on Saturday night at altitude.
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.
Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC: Final Score 3-1 as Pride Continue Slide Toward NWSL Basement
Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
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