ORLANDO, Fla. (May 7, 2022) - Orlando Pride (0-1-0, 0 points) will head to Banc of California Stadium for its inaugural fixture with 2022 expansion side Angel City FC (1-0-0, 3 points) on Sunday, May 8. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET with the match available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. and internationally on Twitch.
“We’re focusing on competing hard this week,” Head Coach Amanda Cromwell said. “I think [Angel City] are similar to us in ways of having to figure things out. We had a lot of changes, they are a new team. We’ve had injuries as well. They have a player like Christen Press that has the international experience and the ability to change the game in a second with her speed and finishing ability, so we have to always be aware of that. And they’ve added some quality with a player like Jun Endo, who had a great game, and [Savannah] McCaskill in the midfield. She works hard and can really be a playmaker for them and sets the tempo.”
Sunday will mark Orlando’s first road game of the 2022 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) regular season campaign, with the team coming off of a 3-0 defeat in its home opener last weekend.
The Pride saw four players make their NWSL regular-season debuts and one player make her professional debut. Starters Mikayla Cluff and Kerry Abello, as well as second-half subs Carrie Lawrence and forward Julie Doyle, played their first regular season games after appearing in the Challenge Cup. Midfielder Viviana Villacorta made her professional debut, coming into the match in the 72nd minute for the Pride.
The game in LA will mark a homecoming of sorts for a number of players on the Pride roster. Villacorta, defender Megan Montefusco and forwards Darian Jenkins and Sydney Leroux will be returning back to Southern California where they all played collegiately at the University of California Los Angeles, while goalkeeper Kaylie Collins and forward Leah Pruitt played collegiately at the University of Southern California. Forward Julie Doyle calls Newport Beach home, just 45 minutes outside of Los Angeles.
Pride head coach Amanda Cromwell joined Orlando from UCLA where she led the Bruins to the 2013 NCAA Championship, three College Cup appearances, seven Sweet 16 appearances, four Pac-12 team titles and a 2014 Soccer America Coach of the Year honor. Assistant coach Sam Greene and goalkeeper coach Aline Villares Reis also had stints with UCLA during Cromwell’s tenure in Westwood.
Led by goals from defender Vanessa Gilles and forward Jun Endo, Angel City won its inaugural regular season match, defeating the North Carolina Courge 2-1 in front of 22,000 supporters at a sold-out Banc Of California Stadium on April 29.
The opposite side of the field will see some familiar faces to Pride fans, featuring former Orlando players in defender Ali Riley, forward Jasmyne Spencer, midfielder Dani Weatherholt and goalkeeper Brittany Isenhour (née Wilson), who all spent time in Central Florida.
Following Sunday’s match, Orlando will return home to Exploria Stadium to face the Kansas City Current on Saturday, May 14. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET. Tickets to that match are available at Orlando-Pride.com.
