ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 27, 2019) - Orlando Pride (4-14-2, 14 points) returns to action on Sunday, Sept. 29 with its first visit to Red Bull Arena, taking on Sky Blue FC (5-13-4, 19 points). Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. ET with the match available to stream domestically on Yahoo! Sports and internationally across ESPN’s platforms.
“They play a diamond shape and they’re very aggressive. We have to exploit that and make sure that the more we’re in possession, the less they can counter-attack and we need to stop that counter-attack, shore it up and make sure that we are effective with the ball,” Head Coach Marc Skinner said. “Then we’ll have the best chance, regardless of the individuals that they put in. They have a very organized backline, a very good, young goalkeeper so it’ll be tough but we’re looking forward for our players to show exactly who they are and take on the opportunity.”
Sunday’s contest will serve as the third and final between the two sides this season, with the Pride taking the victory in each of the first two with a 2-1 victory on the road on June 22 followed by a 1-0 shutout victory at home on July 20.
Orlando could see the return of two veteran players on Sunday morning, as Sydney Leroux and Toni Pressley will both be available for selection.
The Pride come into Sunday’s match following a week off from match play. In their last league outing, the Pride fell 6-1 at the North Carolina Courage on Sept. 14 with Rachel Hill scoring the lone goal for Orlando in the match.
Marta leads the Pride with five goals this season followed by Hill with three. Hill also sits tied for the team lead in assists two in 2019 along with midfielder Joanna Boyles.
Sky Blue comes into the weekend following a 1-0 victory over Reign FC last Saturday. Carli Lloyd scored the game-winner in the 77th minute to secure all three points on the road for the New Jersey-based side.
Lloyd leads Sky Blue with six goals this season followed by Raquel Rodriguez with three. Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan leads all of NWSL with 76 saves in 2019.
Following this weekend’s match, the Pride will close out the 2019 NWSL season with a two-game home stand, hosting the Washington Spirit in a rescheduled match on Oct. 5 before closing out the campaign against the Reign on Oct. 12 in the Club’s first-ever Breast Cancer Awareness match.
