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How Orlando Pride Players Have Performed in Olympics Past and Present and Predictions for the Future

A deep dive into the history of the Orlando Pride at the Summer Olympics.

Published

2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Charles Dickens I am not, but being that much of the women’s soccer world is focused on the Olympic football (soccer) tournament, I want to write a little about the (ghosts of) Orlando Pride’s Olympics past, present, and future. The good news is that we are going to be looking at the fun topic of players who played, or still play, for the Pride. The bad news is, again, you will be reading my prose and not that of Charles Dickens.

It would take some real David Copperfield (you English majors out there see what I did there) type magic for Dickens to write this since he died in 1870, 26 years before the first-ever Summer Olympics and 126 years before the inclusion of women’s soccer in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. We will not be going all the way back to 1996, but let’s go back to 2016 and 2021 (and yet, somehow, also 2020), and from there we will look at the current Paris games and I will close with a prediction about which Pride players I think have a chance to participate in a future Olympiad.

The Pride’s inaugural season was 2016, and that team sent five players to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics: Steph Catley and Laura Alleway represented Australia; Mônica represented Brazil; Josée Bélanger represented Canada; and the face of the franchise, Alex Morgan, represented the U.S. All four nations advanced out of the group stage and into the knockout stage, and all of the Pride players averaged playing at least 60 minutes per match, with two players even averaging more than 90 minutes per match due to playing in games where there was extra time.

Here is a chart of some of the 2016 Pride players’ key statistics during those Olympic games, laid next to their stats from the NWSL season (all data from fbref.com, and it should be noted that Alleway, Catley, and Mônica were defenders):

A few items on these players and their performances in the 2016 Olympics:

  • There were several Pride vs. Pride matchups, with only Morgan going through the tournament without seeing one of her teammates on the opposing side of the field.
  • Canada defeated Brazil in the third-place game, with both Bélanger and Mônica going the full 90 for their respective teams. Also on the field during that match for Brazil were future Pride players Marta and Rafaelle, though neither were playing in the NWSL at the time.
  • Morgan’s two goals tied her for sixth in the Olympics, despite the Yanks’ early departure in the quarterfinals, when they were defeated by Sweden.
  • It is rather crazy to see that both Alleway and Mônica averaged more than 90 minutes per game, but Brazil went into extra time in two separate matches and Australia did in one.

The next Olympics should have been during the 2020 season, but despite the branding staying as the 2020 Summer Olympics, the games actually took place in 2021 in Japan due the pandemic. The Pride sent four players to Japan: Marta represented Brazil; Erin McLeod represented Canada; Ali Riley represented New Zealand; and Morgan once again represented the United States.

New Zealand did not make it out of the group stage, but the other three nations did, with Brazil losing in the quarterfinals, the U.S. winning bronze, and Canada winning the gold medal. It was somewhat of a backwards performance for the Pride players, as the best two individual performers (Marta, Riley) had their teams go out the earliest, and of the two who earned medals, one did not play at all (McLeod, who was a backup goalkeeper) and the other had a poor performance by her high standards (Morgan).

Here is a chart of some of the 2021 Pride players’ key statistics during those Olympic games laid next to their stats from the NWSL season (note: McLeod was an unused goalkeeper in the Olympics and Riley is a defender):

A few items on these players and their performances in the “2020” Olympics held in 2021:

  • There were once again several Pride vs. Pride matchups, and this time every Pride player played at least one game against a teammate. Well, McLeod did not play, but you know what I meant. You did. I know you did.
  • Both Marta and Riley were the captains for their respective nations, though neither captained even one match throughout the entire 2021 Pride season (Ashlyn Harris captained most matches, with Ali Krieger and Toni Pressley captaining the other matches).
  • Marta’s three goals tied her for eighth overall, and when she scored her first goal it marked the fifth — let me repeat the fifth — straight Olympics where she had scored at least one goal. Ranking second overall in goals scored during that Olympics? A 19-year-old Barbra Banda, then playing her club soccer in the Chinese Women’s Super League.

This brings us to the current Olympiad, in which the Pride are tied with Gotham FC for the highest representation across the NWSL with seven players on Olympic rosters: Adriana, Angelina, Marta and Rafaelle representing Brazil; Emily Sams representing the U.S.; and Banda and Grace Chanda representing Zambia.

The tournament is still ongoing, so these stats may change, but here is how the players have been doing thus far, as compared to their NWSL stats (Angelina is an alternate for Brazil and was in the lineup for only one match, and Sams is an alternate for the USA and was in the lineup for only one match. Chanda was only recently signed by the Pride, so she has not yet dressed for a Pride match.):

A few items on these players and their performances in the 2024 Olympics:

  • Thus far, there have not been any Pride vs. Pride matchups. Although the U.S. played Zambia, Sams was not in the lineup for that match.
  • Banda scored her third career Olympic hat trick in Zambia’s matchup against Australia, which makes her the only woman ever with three hat tricks in the Olympics. She now has scored 10 goals total in her Olympic career, which ranks her tied for fourth all-time on the Olympic scoring list.
  • Marta is playing in her sixth straight Olympics. Very few athletes in any sport are able to compete in six consecutive Olympics, and those who do generally play in sports which require less physical exertion than that is required from soccer (shooting, equestrian and sailing have the most athletes who have six or more Olympic appearances) .
  • Both Rafaelle and Chanda suffered injuries and missed games during the group stage.
  • Banda and Marta both captained their teams in every game they played.
  • Brazil and the U.S. have both advanced to the quarterfinals, while Zambia is out, so the stats for Banda and Chanda are final, but the stats for the other five Pride players could change.

I would be remiss not to mention that Marta has said she will be retiring from playing for Brazil after this season, but I certainly hope that she plays at least one more match for the Seleção (Brazil’s nickname for their national team), so that her final match for her country does not end with her having received a straight red card, which is currently the case after Brazil’s match against Spain on Wednesday. Marta will be suspended for the quarterfinal match, but if Brazil wins, I am sure she will be back in the lineup for the semifinal.

That said, let’s transition to looking at the future and consider which current Pride players are most likely to make an appearance in a future Olympiad. Looking at this by nation:

Argentina — Mariana Larroquette started all three matches during the 2023 World Cup and is still a common call-up for the national team. Argentina has a decent chance to qualify for an Olympics, though it did not this year, but Larroquette may need to be playing more minutes to still be a viable selection in four years, and minutes are going to be hard to come by for the Pride as long as Banda is still on the team. My confidence level (on a scale of 1-10, where 10 is the highest level of confidence): 2.

Brazil — Luana, Marta, and Rafaelle will be likely nearing the end of their careers or possibly already retired in four years (and Luana’s soccer future is currently uncertain), so although I would never put anything past any professional athlete, I am going to remove all three from consideration. That leaves Adriana and Angelina from the Brazilian contingent, and I think it is likely Brazil will qualify and that both have excellent chances of being on that team in four years. My confidence levels: Adriana 7, Angelina 9.

Canada — Amanda Allen has already been called up to the senior team once and has played frequently for the youth national teams of Canada, one of the strongest teams in the world. Canada is likely to make every Olympic tournament until other nations in Concacaf get stronger, and since Allen is only 19, she likely has several chances to make the team at least once. She will have the same issue as Larroquette in terms of earning minutes while on the Pride, but I think her talent will get her on the field somewhere, and she will make a future Canadian Olympic Team. My confidence level: 9.

England — Anna Moorhouse was called into camp for England just a few weeks ago on the strength of a solid performance in the first few months of this season. England is very deep in goalkeeping talent though, with three players around her age or younger with eight or more starts for England and several others who are starters in the Women’s Super League in their home country. England also did not qualify for this year’s Olympics, and is in a difficult area of the world to feel confident that it will qualify in the next cycle. My confidence level: 1.

Spain — Celia has not played for the national team since 2019, and being that Spain is the reigning World Cup champion, it feels unlikely she will return to the team in the near future, let alone in four years’ time. My confidence level: 1.

Sweden — Evelina Duljan is in a similar situation to Allen, though at a different position and at a slightly older age. Duljan has played quite a few matches for the youth national teams of Sweden and seems a likely part of the senior team’s future, but she will need to get minutes at the club level in the next few years. As fellow Mane Land writer Sean Rollins wrote recently, the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup (which should be sponsored by Dos Equis…think about it), is a great opportunity to get some minutes for players like Duljan, who have been on the bench for most of the season. Sweden did not qualify for the 2024 Olympics and is in the tough European region, so that does knock down my confidence level for Duljan, but she is still young enough that I think she will have multiple chances in her future. My confidence level: 5.

United States — Americans make up approximately half of all members of the Pride, but I think really only a few have a chance to play for the national team: Ally Lemos, Emily Sams, and Summer Yates. Although Yates has played for the youth national team in the past and is having an excellent second season in the NWSL, I think she is a longshot to get a call-up and to be on the the team for the next Olympics, even though I have been impressed by her play this season. Lemos has been part of the youth national team since she was 14 and frequently starts for the U-20 team. She is one of only 37 players in NWSL history to have played more than 250 minutes in a season at the age of 20 or younger. I think she has a decent chance to be called up the senior national team, and then she will have a chance to prove herself and earn a full-time role. Sams is already on the team today as an alternate (recently moved to the active roster as a replacement for the injured Tierna Davidson) and will definitely be involved in the program during the next few years. My confidence levels: Lemos 5, Sams 8, Yates 2.

Zambia — Without Banda, it is doubtful that Zambia makes the Olympics, so as she goes, they go. She is one of the best players in the world, and I think she can get the team into the Olympics on her own at least once, if not multiple times during the rest of her career. Chanda I have not seen enough from yet, but she made the team and played in this Olympics and is still young enough (27) that she likely would be in contention if Zambia qualifies for 2028 and possibly also 2032. My confidence levels: Banda 10, Chanda 6.

So, there it is. I am not Jacob Marley, but we were visited by the ghosts of Pride Olympic past, present, and future, and hopefully for all of you it was as enjoyable a read as are the sounds of the music of another famous Marley — Bob, who obviously would have been a Pride fan. All the remaining Pride players will play again on Saturday in the Olympic quarterfinals, and the bracket is set up for a possible Brazil vs. U.S. gold medal game if each team can win two more games.

I will be rooting for that final, as even though it would delay the return of five players, it would be amazing to see Marta potentially close out her international career with a gold medal. No matter what, it will be exciting to see, and I look forward to watching this coming weekend.

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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.

Published

16 hours ago

on

August 7, 2026

By

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

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

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

Louisville has now won three of its last four games.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published

1 day ago

on

August 7, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

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

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

History

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Projected Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

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

Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Angelina.

Attacking Midfielders: Jacquie Ovalle, Luana, Solai Washington.

Forward: Julie Doyle.

Racing Louisville FC (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Jordyn Bloomer.

Defenders: Mirann Gacioch, Arin Wright, Ellie Jean.

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

Forwards: Emma Sears, Lauren Milliet, Sarah Weber.

Referees

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

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: None.

Stream: NWSL+.

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

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!

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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.

Published

3 days ago

on

August 5, 2026

By

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

Just when you think the Orlando Pride have bottomed out and things might start to turn around, the team shows you there’s a new, lower level possible. The Pride played an apathetic and inept brand of soccer on the road against a struggling North Carolina Courage team, which put Orlando on full blast. The 5-0 loss could have been even worse, and the attack rarely created much threat for the Courage back line to deal with. If this is what life is like without Barbra Banda, the Pride are literally a one-player team, and that’s simply not good enough.

We look back at a lopsided loss for as long as we could bear it, checked our score predictions, deferred our selections for Player of the Match to any fan who sat through the entire game, and pondered what the club’s general manager is doing, whether the players have tuned out Head Coach Seb Hines, and what exactly the plan is to fix the mess that the 2024 double winners have quickly become.

This week’s mailbagbox is understandably bitter and cynical, although we did get to reminisce about shopping for school supplies and Trapper Keepers. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we looked ahead to Friday’s home game against Racing Louisville. Both of your hosts will be in the stadium as fans for that one (our first time seeing a match together), and we’re curious whether Orlando will show some…err…pride…after such a dreadful showing at North Carolina. We look at the series history, the teams’ relative positions in the standings, and who has been creating danger for Louisville. Then we provide our key matchups and score predictions.

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Here’s how Episode 132 went down:

0:15 – The Pride were awful on Friday against the Courage.

14:40 – The mailbagbox has had it.

33:47 – Orlando prepares for Racing Louisville at home.

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