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Orlando Pride vs. Boston Breakers: Five Takeaways

Published

8 years ago

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The Orlando Pride took a page out of Orlando City’s playbook, scoring in the 90th minute — and again in stoppage time — to turn a lifeless and embarrassing 1-0 loss to the celler-dwelling Boston Breakers into a dramatic 2-1 win. Kristen Edmonds provided both goals — paying for the second with a blow to the head by Boston keeper Jami Kranich just after chipping the ball toward goal.

It was quite a show of resolve for the Pride, who were playing down six international starters with a makeshift back line and a goalkeeper that had been with the team for less than a week. It pushed the Pride to six wins, which is one more than the Houston Dash managed in their expansion season two years ago. The Pride are 6-6-0 and on 18 points as they sit tied with the Chicago Red Stars for the fourth and final NWSL playoff spot with eight matches remaining in the season. Chicago currently holds the tiebreaker due to head-to-head results despite the Pride having more wins and a better goal differential, but the teams will meet again in Orlando on Saturday night.

Here are my five takeaways from the match:

Edmonds is Clutch

Like her late winning goal in Houston earlier this season, Kristen Edmonds saved her best for the end of the match. She fired her team back into the game with a beauty of a 90th-minute free kick from above the penalty area on the left side, sending a perfect ball just inside the back post and leaving nothing for Kranich to do but dive in desperation and pray it sailed wide. It didn’t.

Moments later, Edmonds was the first onto a Leah Fortune long ball, let it bounce, and chipped it on the half volley over Kranich, with whom she collided before the ball reached the goal line. I’m not sure Edmonds was even conscious when the ball bounded into the net for the game winner. Those two goals will be some relief for Edmonds, who crushed a drive late in the first half, only to see it strike the right post and stay out.

Head Coach Tom Sermanni praised Edmonds after the match, saying, "She has the balance of the quality and the creativity mixed in with that ability to still be going at 90 minutes and making aggressive runs. She has been great. Looking at all of the players on the squad, she really is a find that we didn’t really know much about. That has been Kristen."

Too Deliberate in the Attack

Orlando trailed about 85 minutes of the match to last-place Boston mostly because the team failed to provide much threat getting forward in the attack. The Pride defended well all game, and did well throughout the middle of the pitch to break up play, but there was a lack of urgency in both making quick forward passes and timely aggressive runs that stifled Orlando’s ability to test the goalkeeper at times. The overly deliberate attack was something addressed by the head coach after the match.

"We could have moved the ball a little bit quicker and moved it forward earlier," said Sermanni. "When we started doing that in the desperate stages, we started exploiting the Boston defense more than we did prior to that. We’ve done an awful lot of work trying to possess the ball, keep the ball, and pass the ball. Sometimes in the mix of that, you lose a directness about your play."

Moving forward, Orlando must play quicker in the attacking half if the Pride are to get more positive results during the international absences of their six starters.

Kaitlyn Savage Debut Has Mixed Results

It was an inauspicious beginning to her Pride career for the former Florida International goalkeeper. Just five minutes into the game, she did well to come off her line on an over-hit Boston through ball, but Savage made a mess of smothering it. The ball ricocheted off her hands and right to Mollie Pathman, who easily tucked it into an empty net for the opening goal — Boston’s fourth of the entire season. However, she rebounded nicely from that early gaffe and made a huge save on Stephanie McCaffrey in the 87th minute to keep the deficit at just one, allowing her teammates time to mount a comeback.

"We know she’s only been in the states for a couple of days of training, and we know it’s not an easy adjustment," said midfielder Maddy Evans. "It stinks to go down a goal early, but we had full confidence in her and she’s going to play a big role for us in the future. She’s a very talented goalkeeper, had some nerves for her first game, but I think she had a phenomenal rest of the game and we’re lucky to have her."

New-Look Back Line Does the Job

With four starting defenders away on international duty, Sermanni called on a makeshift foursome of (left to right) Sam Witteman, Toni Pressley, Kaylyn Kyle and Cami Levin to protect Savage and the Pride goal. The four had only practiced together as a back line for a week and had even less time than that to work with Savage, but they performed admirably. Boston’s lone goal was off a goalkeeping mistake, and the Breakers didn’t find much room in the box. Boston finished with 10 shots, getting six on goal, but many of those were from severe angles or outside the box. Pressley did well to block a McCaffrey attempt late and blasted a shot that forced a diving save late in the match. Kyle played well in a position that’s not natural to the longtime midfielder. Witteman and Levin were able to keep Boston’s attack wide and also made advances up the field to join the attack.

"I think we had a very good performance with just one slip up — that was a mistake by us with a shot on net — other than that I don’t think they broke us down on our back line," Kyle said. "I don’t play center back by any means but as a whole we had a good performance out there. Very proud of our team and our back line."

"I thought it was a good effort from the back four given all of those circumstances," Sermanni said. "The good thing with Kaylyn and Toni is that they are great competitors. I was pleased with how they did."

Substitutions Change Pride Fortunes

Sermanni turned to Dani Weatherholt, Christina Burkenroad, and Leah Fortune down the stretch to try to take something from a game in which his team trailed almost from the beginning. The moves paid off. Weatherholt was one of the team’s most dangerous players on the attack from the moment she stepped on the field in the 71st minute. Just seven minutes after coming on, she drilled a hard shot on goal but unfortunately right at Kranich. Then she nearly had the game-winner just moments after Edmonds’ free kick goal. Burkenroad provided more pressure up the right side than the Pride had previously mounted, due to making quick, decisive moves and passes. And Fortune showed her quality by barely missing on a late free kick, and then delivering the perfect over-the-top ball to assist on Edmonds’ game-winning strike.

"Our subs came on and made a huge difference," Kyle said. "They added energy; they allowed us to keep the ball in their half and press at a higher rate."

That was how I saw last night’s match. What stood out to you? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Final Score 4-1 as Pride Win Their Fourth Straight

Goals by Ally Watt, Barbra Banda, and Julie Doyle saw the Pride beat the Courage for their fourth straight win.

Published

7 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride (4-0-3, 15 points) won their fourth straight match and extended their unbeaten run to seven games (4-0-3) with a 4-1 win over the North Carolina Courage (4-3-0, 12 points). The hosts’ goals came from Ally Watt, Julie Doyle, and a Barbra Banda brace, while an Emily Sams own goal was the only score for the visitors.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made just one change to the starting lineup that beat the Washington Spirit 2-1 Friday night. Bri Martinez was suspended after receiving two yellow cards and was replaced by Watt. Hines changed from his usual 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-4-2 for this game with a back line of Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Rafaelle, and Sams in front of Anna Moorhouse. Doyle, Summer Yates, Haley McCutcheon, and Angelina were in the midfield, with Banda and Watt up top.

“We felt today going into the game that there might be an area that we can exploit with North Carolina,” Hines said about the formation change. “You know, they like to high press, be really aggressive in those positions. And so to have two outlets with both Ally and Barbara, it was a joy to watch.”

The game was put out of reach in the last 10 minutes of the first half. Banda and Watt were put together up top for the first time and looked spectacular. Their speed was too much for the opposition to handle, as they both had an impact on the first three goals.

“That was our first game playing together in the front two and, honestly, just learning to play with each other, like just learning from each other in training and just watching her tendencies, and we just had to be there for each other as much as we can,” Watt said about the new partnership with Banda. “I think that’s all we depend on. When one of us has the ball, we need to be forward and be an option for them. And either they’ll find us or they’ll be on the way to goal.”

While the team wasn’t as threatening offensively in the second half, North Carolina wasn’t able to create many chances. They held far more possession, but little of it was in dangerous spaces. As a result, the Pride remained in control throughout.

The Pride got the first chance of the game inside the first minute. Angelina played the ball forward for Yates, who attempted to lift it over the top for Banda. Kaleigh Kurtz got to the ball first, heading back out but only to Yates. The Pride’s leading goal scorer attempted a shot from just outside the box, but it was right to Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy, who blocked it away.

Less than a minute later, the Courage got their first chance of the game. A give-and-go between Ryan Williams and Tyler Lussi enabled the former to send a low cross into the box. It found Narumi Miura near the penalty spot, but the midfielder’s shot was wide.

Yates almost had another opportunity in the sixth minute when Banda made a good run to the end line and played the ball back for her teammate. Yates attempted to turn and shoot with Williams closing down, but the ball got caught under her feet and she was unable to turn it on goal.

In the eighth minute, Doyle sent a good ball down the right for Banda. The forward got behind the Courage defense and caught up to the ball before it went out of play. Her first touch was a pass back for Angelina entering the box, but it was just out of the Brazilian’s reach.

Banda had a chance for her second goal in as many games in the 17th minute when she was sent forward by Yates. The striker was in a foot race with Felicitas Rauch, winning the ball and entering the box. Malia Berkely caught up with Banda, forcing her to cut back, and Murphy came out to block the attempt. Banda won a corner kick, but the Pride couldn’t do anything with it and North Carolina evaded any further danger.

The Pride had another chance in the 22nd minute when Doyle sent a cross into the Courage box. Watt flicked the ball towards the far post, where Abello was making a run, but she couldn’t control it and the ball went out of play.

North Carolina quickly went the other way and created a shot. Ashley Sanchez tried to send the ball into the box, but it was blocked out. It ended up with Lussi, who fired from distance. The shot was beyond the reach of Moorhouse and bounced off the crossbar.

The Pride took the lead in the 29th minute on a fantastic counterattack. Banda intercepted the ball in her own third and sprinted forward. The Zambian was much faster than the opposing defenders and had an equally fast teammate in Watt running alongside. Banda sent a gorgeous ball forward as Watt got behind the North Carolina defense and placed it past Murphy to give the Pride a 1-0 lead.

“The one thing I know is if Barbra’s running towards the goal, you better be up there with her,” Watt said about the goal. “And she played a beautifully weighted ball to my right and so I had to put it on goal, put it on frame. So I just did that and, yeah, it was one of the probably easier goals I’ve scored. Barbra put an easy ball in.”

Despite being up a goal, the Pride remained on the attack. In the 33rd minute, Doyle dribbled towards the box and sent a low pass towards Watt between the penalty spot and the six-yard box. Unfortunately, it was intercepted before it could reach the forward.

The Pride doubled their lead in the 40th minute when Banda sent the ball out wide for Watt. The attacker beat Kurtz and sent a beautiful ball into the box. Banda, who continued her run after the original pass, only had to touch the ball past Murphy to give the Pride a commanding 2-0 lead.

“I just know I got the ball wide. That’s kind of part of our game plan. We just feel, hey, play it wide and we’ll be on the ball,” Watt said about her assist. “And I just trust that we have people in the box. We’ve been really focusing on that and we’ve just really been trying to focus on finally timing our runs down and then we got it. I kind of swooped it with my left foot knowing that Julie and Barbra would be there and it fell perfectly to Barbra and she executed it perfectly.”

In the second minute of first-half stoppage time, the Pride scored a third. It started in their own half when McCutcheon won the ball from Denise O’Sullivan. She sent it forward for Watt, who quickly play Banda behind the Courage defense. Cutting inside to beat Berkely, Banda shot on goal. However, Murphy was there to make the stop. The rebound bounced right to Doyle, who put it in to give the Pride a 3-0 lead at halftime.

After 45 minutes, the Courage had much more possession (67%-33%), but the Pride led every other significant statistical category. The hosts had more shots (8-3), shots on target (8-0), corners (1-0), and crosses (5-4), and better passing accuracy (86%-77%). The biggest surprise in the first half was the Pride, a team that has struggled to hit the frame, put all eight shots on target.

The Pride looked to extend their lead in the 49th minute when Banda made a run behind the Courage back line near midfield. Angelina lifted the ball forward to send Banda through, but she was offside.

In the 51st minute, Haley Hopkins and Sanchez worked together to play the ball across for Lussi. The attacker’s shot was blocked by Abello, but it went right back to her. This time, Lussi attempted to play the ball back across for Sanchez, but Angelina intercepted it and eliminated the threat.

A minute later, the visitors got a goal back. It started with a ball to the top of the box for Manaka Matsukubo. The forward laid it back to Williams, who quickly played it to Hopkins wide open on the far side. Sams moved over to defend and got in front of Hopkins’ shot. Unfortunately, the deflection went past Moorhouse and in, cutting the Pride lead to 3-1.

Watt was looking for her second goal in the 55th minute when she took Berkely one-on-one in the Courage box. After one last cut outside, Watt shot for the near post. Murphy did well to cover that part of the goal and blocked the attempt away.

The Pride put a fourth one in the net in the 61st minute when Yates’ shot was deflected over the goal by Kurtz. Yates took the first corner, sending it to the back post. Banda headed the ball back in front of goal, but it was knocked out for another corner kick. Yates’ second corner was, again, to the back post. Watt got her head to the ball and Doyle beat Murphy to it. The last touch was by Strom, knocking it in and seeming to give the Pride a 4-1 lead.

However, the video assistant referee checked the goal and determined that referee Natalie Simon needed to have another look. After viewing the monitor, Simon determined that Strom was offside.

Right after the call, Hines made his first change of the game as Carrie Lawrence came on for Doyle.

The Pride had another chance for a fourth in the 70th minute when Sams sent Banda down the right. The forward had Watt making a run into the box, but the pass was a bit too far in front.

In the 76th minute, Hines made two more changes. Amanda Allen and Cori Dyke came into the game for Yates and Abello.

Right after the substitutions, Lawrence threw the ball in to Banda. The forward turned Miura, dribbled towards the penalty spot, and put the ball past Murphy to give the Pride a 4-1 lead. It was Banda’s third goal in the last two games, in addition to her two assists. She became the first player in NWSL history to record five goal contributions in her first two starts.

A scary moment occurred in the 81st minute. As Banda closed down Berkely, who was looking to send the ball down field, Berkeley’s foot hit Banda’s right leg. The forward went down in pain as the Pride’s medical staff came out to examine her. That was the last action for Banda as she was replaced by Ally Lemos. At the same time, Mariana Larroquette came on for Watt.

In the 89th minute, the Pride lost another key player to injury when Angelina went down holding her right knee. It occurred during a battle with Riley Jackson. As the two fought for the ball, Angelina’s knee turned the wrong way and she went to the ground. The Pride medical staff attended to the midfield and ended up having to help her back to the locker room. Since the Pride had already used all of their substitutions, they had to finish the game with 10 players.

The fourth official showed 11 minutes of stoppage time, but the Courage struggled to create chances. In the seventh minute, Berkely laid the ball off for Rauch. It was well struck by the left back, but Moorhouse got down to make the stop. That was the last chance by either team as the Pride held on for a dominating 4-1 win.

At full time, the Courage had far more possession (66%-34%), but the Pride had the advantage in shots (14-7), shots on target (12-2), corner kicks (6-2), crosses (10-5), and passing accuracy (83.8%-67.9%).

“I’m really, really pleased with the attitude of the players coming in here after being on the road against Washington and then a quick turnaround for tonight’s game,” Hines said about the performance. “They started really, really well on the front foot, a level intent to put North Carolina under pressure, especially in transition. I thought we were really threatening in transition. And so to be up in the game in the first half was really pleasing.”

It might surprise some to see a 4-1 Pride win when the Courage held so much more possession and 599 passes to the Pride’s 302. Hines said they understood the type of team North Carolina is and were ready to handle being off the ball for much of the 90 minutes.

“There’s different ways to win a game of football. You know, there’s going to be games where we don’t have as much possession as we would like. You know, we have to respect the opponent. North Carolina are a brilliant team,” Hines said. “They like to possess, they get over 500 passes per game, they make it really difficult for you to get any sort of pressure on the ball, and so I thought we identified the moments when to be aggressive, when to win the ball and play that pass forwards, and yet still be threatening. There’s not always going to be games like that. There’s going to be games where we have to possess and ourselves we’re getting 500 passes and maybe more percentage of possession. But, at the end of the day, we scored four goals against a really good side and managed to win the game at the end.”

The Pride are now tied in second with the Spirit on 15 points, just one point behind the Kansas City Current. They’re one more win from evening the team’s all-time record for consecutive wins and two results from equaling the team record for number of games unbeaten.

They’ll look to continue their good form Sunday night when they welcome Racing Louisville FC to Orlando.

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Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride return home looking to extend their winning streak and unbeaten run against the North Carolina Courage.

Published

19 hours ago

on

May 1, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride (3-0-3, 12 points) return home tonight as they face the North Carolina Courage (4-2-0, 12 points), looking for their fourth consecutive win. This is the first of two regular-season games the teams will play this season, with the return game in North Carolina scheduled for June 15.

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

History

The Pride and Courage have played 23 times since the Western New York Flash moved to North Carolina and became the Courage. The Pride are 5-13-5 in those games (5-10-1 in the NWSL regular season, 0-0-2 in the Fall Series, and 0-3-2 in the NWSL Challenge Cup).

The most recent meeting between the two teams was on Sept. 17, 2023 in Orlando. Ally Watt got the Pride off to a great start, scoring inside the first minute. After assisting on the first goal, Adriana doubled the lead before halftime. Manaka Matsukubo got one back for the visitors, but it wasn’t enough and the Pride won 2-1.

The Pride didn’t show up for the July 29 Challenge Cup contest in North Carolina, getting demolished by the Courage. Brittany Ratcliffe and Malia Berkely gave the hosts a 2-0 halftime lead before Frankie Tagliaferri made it three, and a late brace by Haley Hopkins completed the 5-0 result.

The game prior to that was on June 17 in North Carolina and, again, it was all Courage. Kerolin and Meredith Speck gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before a Haley McCutcheon own goal made it 3-0 to North Carolina. On April 19 in Orlando, the Pride took the lead after halftime when Summer Yates set up Ally Watt for the opening goal. But Denise O’Sullivan equalized in the ninth minute of second-half injury time, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

Prior to that game, the teams last played on Sept. 21, 2022, at Exploria Stadium. The Courage got off to a great start when Debinha scored in the second minute. The Brazilian then assisted Tess Boade in first-half injury time to double the lead, and later added another, dooming the Pride to a 3-0 defeat.

The previous 2022 meeting came on May 18 in North Carolina. The Pride got off to a great start in that game, with Sydney Leroux scoring early. Mikayla Cluff doubled the lead with her first professional goal. A late goal by Brianna Pinto got the Courage back within one, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride took the 2-1 win.

The Pride and Courage were placed in the same division for the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup, so the teams played twice before the regular season started. The first game was on March 26 in North Carolina. Merritt Mathias converted a penalty after Gunny Jonsdottir was called for a handball in the box, lifting the hosts to a 1-0 win. The return match in the tournament took place on April 16 in Orlando. The Courage got off to a fast start, scoring three goals in the first nine minutes. Darian Jenkins netted a brace to make it 3-2, but a late Debinha goal put the game away and North Carolina won 4-2.

The teams played three times during the 2021 NWSL season. On May 22 in North Carolina, goals by Leroux and Alex Morgan gave the Pride a 2-0 lead late into the game. Jessica McDonald scored late to pull one back but the Pride held on for a 2-1 win. On July 4 in Orlando, Debinha and Havana Solaun goals helped the Courage take home a 2-0 win. The final game came on July 31 in North Carolina. Leroux opened the scoring but Brittany Ratcliffe equalized moments later and the teams drew 1-1.

The two teams were also matched up in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup but they only played once in that tournament. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in that game in a scoreless draw.

Similar to the Challenge Cup, the teams were in the same group of the 2020 Fall Series, meeting twice. The first was on Sept. 19 in North Carolina and ended in a scoreless draw. The second was on Oct. 17 at Exploria Stadium. Led by a Debinha brace, the Courage went up 3-0. But the Pride came back with goals by Marisa Viggiano, Kristen Edmonds, and Ally Haran for an exciting 3-3 draw.

The Pride and Courage played three times during the 2019 season. The first game was on April 17 in North Carolina. The Courage took a 1-0 lead into halftime but scored four times in the second half to win 5-0. They played a second time on June 1 in Orlando. Again, it was a dominant performance by the Courage as the Pride fell 3-0. The final meeting that year was another thrashing by North Carolina. The Pride got a goal in that one but still fell 6-1.

The teams also met three times in 2018 but the results were much closer. On May 23 in Orlando, goals by Alanna Kennedy and Rachel Hill saw the Pride come back from a 3-1 deficit. But McDonald scored a winner in the 90th minute and the Courage won 4-3. The Pride went down by three goals in the final two games that season, but were unable to come back and fell 3-0 in both contests.

The 2017 season saw the teams meet for the first time. The Courage took the first game 3-1 on April 29 in North Carolina. They played a second time two weeks later in Orlando when the Pride took the 3-1 win. The final meeting in 2017 came in the final game of the season on Sept. 30. The Pride took a 2-0 lead but the Courage came back to even it at 2-2. It looked headed for a draw until Kennedy netted a late winner, leading the Pride to a 3-2 win.

Overview

The Pride are coming off of their third consecutive win Friday night, a 3-2 thriller against the Washington Spirit. Goals by Angelina, Barbra Banda, and Summer Yates lifted the Pride to a 3-1 lead on the road, but an Anna Moorhouse mistake made it closer than it should’ve been. The two goals conceded ended a two-game shutout streak after a pair of 1-0 wins.

The season started with three draws before the three most recent wins for a six-game unbeaten run. The Pride are one of three teams in the NWSL to have not yet suffered defeat. The other two are the league-leading Kansas City Current and Racing Louisville FC.

Tonight’s opponent has been one of the most balanced teams during the early season. The Courage’s 11 goals scored are tied for second most in the league and their six goals conceded are tied for the second fewest. They have three shutouts on the season, including last weekend against the Seattle Reign. They’ve only conceded multiple goals twice, giving up two against the Utah Royals on March 22 and Angel City FC on April 21. While they’ve scored 11 goals, five of those came in their season opener, a 5-1 win over the Houston Dash.

North Carolina’s marquee offensive signing was Ashley Sanchez, but she’s only scored once so far this season. Tyler Lussi leads the team with three goals, while Bianca St-Georges and Hopkins are just behind with two goals each. Berkely, Pinto, and Dani Weatherholt are the other players contributing goals this season for the Courage.

“We’ve played them in preseason, we’ve played them obviously last year as well. They’re a team that likes to possess the ball, they like to draw you out, have a number of passes within their game. And again, it’s going to be a tough match,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s opponent. “We have to be organized. We have to read the times when to press and when to sit back. And I thought this year we’ve done a terrific job of understanding those moments, as well as being threatening in transition also. So yeah, it’s just reading those cues and those triggers and then hopefully we can get some success on the other side of it.”

The Pride still have an extended injury list with Simone Charley (right leg), Luana (illness), Marta (lower leg), Megan Montefusco (right heel), and Viviana Villacorta (left knee) listed as out, as well as Bri Martinez (suspension). Adriana (leg) and Morgan Gautrat (lower leg) are questionable for tonight’s game. The Courage will be without Sydney Collins (ankle), Julia Dorsey (knee), Estelle Johnson (maternity leave), Kerolin (knee), Clara Schilke (lower leg), and Olivia Wingate (leg).

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, Rafaelle, Haley McCutcheon.

Defensive Midfielders: Angelina, Kerry Abello.

Midfielders: Julie Doyle, Summer Yates, Ally Watt.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Ally Lemos, Amanda Allen, Evelina Duljan, Mariana Larroquette, Celia, Carrie Lawrence, Alex Kerr, Cori Dyke.

North Carolina Courage (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Casey Murphy.

Defenders: Felicitas Rauch, Malia Berkely, Kaleigh Kurtz, Ryan Williams.

Defensive Midfielders: Narumi Miura, Denise O’Sullivan.

Midfielders: Manaka Matsukubo, Haley Hopkins, Ashley Sanchez.

Forward: Tyler Lussi.

Bench: Marisa Bova, Jenna Winebrenner, Riley Jackson, Dani Weatherholt, Landy Mertz, Meredith Speck, Bianca St-Georges, Brianna Pinto, Victoria Pickett.

Referees

REF: Natalie Simon.
AR1: Rhett Hammil.
AR2: Chris Schurfranz.
4TH: JJ Bilinski.
VAR: Ekaterina Koroleva.
AVAR: Tom Felice.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: Bally Sports Sun.

Streaming: NWSL+.

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow @TheManeLand and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).

Enjoy the match. Go Pride!

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Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Midfielder Luana Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

The Brazilian has been placed on the Season-Ending Injury List.

Published

3 days ago

on

April 29, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The Orlando Pride announced this morning that midfielder Luana has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, explaining her recent string of excused absences. The Brazilian international has been placed on the Season-Ending Injury list and will immediately begin chemotherapy treatment with the club’s official medical partner, Orlando Health Cancer Institute.   

This news explains Angelina’s celebration on Friday when the midfielder scored her first goal with the Pride. Angelina got onto a ball into the box from Barbra Banda, scored, and made an ‘L’ with her hand. This was obviously a tribute to her teammate both with Orlando and Brazil.

“As a professional athlete I have faced many challenges, on and off the field. I have always fought with courage and determination, and this time will be no different,” Luana said in a club press release. “I really appreciate the support of my family and friends who have strengthened me in this moment. I also want to thank Brazil’s National Team and Orlando Pride for their unconditional support. I kindly ask that my privacy be respected at this time.” 

“On behalf of our club, players, and the entire Orlando community, I want to extend our unwavering commitment to Luana as she begins her treatment,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter said in the club’s press release. “We are thankful to have some of the best medical resources available through our partners at Orlando Health, and we are prepared to do all we can to care for Luana in this moment. We fight our battles together, on and off the field, and the Orlando Pride athletes and staff will be side-by-side with Luana and unified in our support of her throughout this process.”

The Pride signed Luana to a two-year deal through 2025 with a club option year for 2026 on Dec. 14, 2023, bringing her in as part of a complete rebuild of the central midfield, which also included the signings of Angelina and Morgan Gautrat. The move has paid early dividends, with only three clubs allowing fewer goals than Orlando through six matches in 2024.

Luana appeared in the team’s first three games (two starts) prior to her diagnosis and played 192 minutes. The the São Paulo, Brazil native, who will turn 31 on Thursday, has yet to contribute a goal or assist, but as a defensive midfielder, that’s not her primary job. She has passed at an 81% success rate, contributing two tackles and three interceptions. Luana has been cautioned twice, committing five fouls, while drawing six on the opposition.

What It Means for Orlando

This news is awful, and the important thing is not how the loss of a player’s services affects the team on the field. It goes beyond that, obviously, and the important thing is that Luana gets the treatment she needs. The hope is that her condition was caught early and that her treatment is successful.

Without Luana available, the club’s depth will be tested throughout 2024. The Pride will hope to get Gautrat healthy and back on the pitch soon, after she has missed the last two matches with a lower leg injury and has been listed as questionable on the availability report. Angelina and Haley McCutcheon have played as the central midfield partnership the last two matches. While the duo has performed well together, especially in the shutout win over San Diego, the team has missed Gautrat’s control on the ball and ability to anticipate what the opposition will do.

On behalf of The Mane Land, I want to wish Luana and her medical team well on her treatment. Although we want to see her back on the pitch, it is far more important that she beats her illness and regains her health.

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