ORLANDO, Fla. (June 20, 2021) - Orlando Pride (3-0-2, 11 points) look to continue its unbeaten start to the season on Sunday, June 20, set to host NJ/NY Gotham FC (2-1-1, 7 points) at Exploria Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. ET.
Sunday’s match will serve as the Club’s Mission Rainbow match, presented by the National Pulse Memorial & Museum , formerly known as the onePulse Foundation. Tickets are available at Orlando-Pride.com or by calling (855) ORL-CITY, with the fixture set to stream on Paramount+. Fans can also purchase a two-match ticket plan that includes a seat to Orlando City’s Pride in our City match on Tuesday, with a portion of proceeds from that pack going to the National Pulse Memorial & Museum.
To celebrate Pride month, Orlando will wear rainbow numbers on their iconic Ad Astra kits during Sunday’s match. Those match-worn kits will be auctioned off at a later date to benefit the Club’s Mission Fund. In addition, a specialty “Proud” merchandise line is available now at ShopOrlandoPride.com and at The Den at Exploria Stadium including, for the first time, the option to customize kits with the rainbow numbers. Fans in attendance will also have the first opportunity to purchase the Mission Rainbow patch.
“It’s going to be a tough week. To prepare them for what’s about to come with three games in six days is a tall ask for any team, so for us it will be a really tough challenge, but I don’t think this team does anything without challenges,” Head Coach Marc Skinner said ahead of Sunday’s fixture. “It’s just another part of our journey together and we expect on Sunday a very good team, very dangerous in certain aspects. We believe that we can get after them, attack them, especially being at our home venue. It’s going to be tough, but another challenge we want to take on.”
Off the field, the Pride were visited by Pulse survivor Brandon Wolf who spoke to the team ahead of this weekend’s match as the Club is set to honor the five-year anniversary of the tragic events of June 12, 2016. “I think we have to continue to fight for our city, fight for our community, fight for our state and fight for a bigger voice. That’s what we have to get right behind and that’s what will fuel us, no doubt, as we go through, not only for the game on Sunday, but for the rest of our time here. It’s not just a momentary thing,” Skinner said following the visit.
The Pride enter Sunday’s match following a week off from match play, sitting at a Club-record five matches unbeaten to start regular-season play. Orlando’s last defeat came at the hands of Sunday’s opposition, a 1-0 loss in the Challenge Cup on April 14.
Orlando last took the field on Sunday, June 6 at Audi Field, a match that resulted in a 1-1 draw against the Washington Spirit. The Spirit’s Ashley Hatch opened the scoring in that contest in the 64th minute only to be answered three minutes later by Taylor Kornieck for her first finish in NWSL regular-season play.
Pride forward Alex Morgan currently sits atop the league with four goals scored this season, while Sydney Leroux follows on the side with two. Kornieck sits tied for the league lead in assists with a pair on the year.
Gotham enters the match following a 1-0 victory against OL Reign in its last outing. Ifeoma Onumonu scored the eventual game-winner in that match in the 13th minute of play, with Caprice Dydasco earning the assist.
Onumonu and Midge Purce account for both of Gotham’s goals on the year, with the club only having conceded one goal through four matches, the best such mark in the league.
Following Sunday’s match, the Pride face a quick turnaround, set to travel to Kansas City for a match on Wednesday, June 23 at Legends Field. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET.
