Key Transactions
Since the last time the Pride faced Sky Blue, the New Jersey-based club announced additions to its coaching staff in Interim Head Coach Freya Coombe. Coombe joins Sky Blue from New York Soccer Club (NYSC), an official Girls Development Academy partner of the club, where she served as the Director of Scouting and a Development Academy Coach. She takes over for Goalkeeper Coach Hugo Macedo, who led the team to a 4-2-4 record while overseeing the squad following the removal of Denise Reddy as the club’s head coach earlier this season.
Recent Form
Sky Blue enters Sunday’s match riding a 1-2-0 record in the month of September, with the victory coming in their last match this past Saturday against Reign FC. Carli Lloyd scored the game-winner in that match to secure all three points for Sky Blue on the road for the club’s fifth win of the season.
Who’s Hot
Carli Lloyd has scored each of Sky Blue’s last four goals, all coming in the club’s last four matches. Lloyd leads Sky Blue with six finishes this season despite missing nearly three months of the NWSL season while away at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Raquel Rodriguez follows Lloyd with three finishes in 2019.
Head-to-Head
The Pride sit at 7-3-2 against Sky Blue in Club history and will look for the season sweep on Sunday, having earned victories in their previous two matchups this season. In their first visit to New Jersey, the Pride earned a 2-1 victory on June 22 before battling to a 1-0 shutout victory on July 20 at Exploria Stadium. The Pride have earned victories in six of their last seven matches against Sunday’s opposition.
Rasmussen College Fun Fact
Sunday’s match will be played at Red Bull Arena as opposed to Sky Blue’s home at Yurcak Field. The club decided to move the match to the home of MLS club New York Red Bulls due to a demand for tickets. This will mark the first time in Club history the Pride will play at Red Bull Arena and the second time Sky Blue will host a match there this season. The first came on August 18 against Reign FC in front of a club-record crowd of 9,415.
