In its 2018 home finale, Orlando Pride (8-8-6, 30 points) will look to jump back into playoff position, hosting the fifth-place Chicago Red Stars (7-4-10, 31 points) on Saturday, Aug. 25. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Orlando City Stadium.
Sitting two points out of playoff contention with just two games remaining, the Pride must come away with a win or draw in Saturday’s match to keep postseason hopes alive. With the Red Stars one point ahead and Utah in the fourth and final playoff spot, a loss would eliminate the Pride from the postseason as the Red Stars have a game in hand.
The match will be streamed on NWSLsoccer.com. Tickets for Saturday’s match can be purchased at orlando-pride.com/tickets or by calling (855) ORL-CITY.
“It’s simple; when you talk about a must-win game, this is a must-win game,” Head Coach Tom Sermanni said. “It’s gone down to the wire now, but we’re still within a chance of getting in the top four. It’s really tight, but anything other than a win won’t be good enough, simple as that. We’ve just got to focus on the task and on playing against a team that’s been in good form as of late.”
The Pride will return home after falling 3-0 to the NWSL Shield-winning North Carolina Courage in a match that kicked off on Saturday night but was ultimately postponed to Sunday morning due to severe weather.
Sydney Leroux leads the Pride with six goals, but the forward is expected to miss Saturday’s match while undergoing concussion protocol. Forwards Rachel Hill, Marta, Alex Morgan and Chioma Ubogagu have four goals each. Christine Nairn leads the Pride with four assists.
Chicago enters the match after a 2-2 draw with Portland Thorns FC. Forward Sam Kerr scored a goal in each half for the Red Stars to build a two-goal lead, but the Thorns responded by netting a pair to split the points. Kerr’s two goals brought her season total to 12 goals, the most in the league.
Midfielder Yuki Nagasato leads Chicago with six assists, tied for the most in the league with Tobin Heath and Christine Sinclair of the Thorns, and Jessica McDonald from North Carolina.
This match will mark the third and final time these two teams will face each other this season. In the previous two matches, the Pride found victory over Chicago. On May 2, the Pride defeated the Red Stars 2-0 behind goals from Ubogagu and Hill. Then on May 26, the Pride scored five goals to defeat Chicago 5-2 and to match a Club record for goals scored in a single match. Leroux tallied a brace, while Hill, Morgan and Dani Weatherholt netted the other three goals.
