Saturday In The Park
For the second time this season Orlando Pride will travel to Oregon to take on Portland Thorns FC at Providence Park. Since joining the league in 2016, the Pride have not played the Thorns on the road twice in the regular season. This match will be the second of three in 2018 against Portland; the third on Sept. 11 will serve as the only home game for Orlando in the series. In the history of the Club, games at Providence Park have not favored the Pride and have resulted in a loss during the previous three regular-season games and last year’s semifinal match in Portland.
Face Off Against Fresh Faces
Since playing the Thorns on April 15, Portland has returned U.S. Women’s National Team mid elder Tobin Heath, who missed the beginning of the season due to an ankle injury. The mid elder was in the 18-player lineup against Orlando, but did not see any minutes. This season Heath has played in four matches and scored the game-tying goal against Utah Royals FC.
The Thorns have also added depth to their roster with the addition of Australian Ellie Carpenter and Brazilian Andressinha. Australian teammates of Alanna Kennedy and Emily van Egmond, Hayley Raso and Caitlin Foord are also members of the Thorns, but have not played due to injuries.
Brazilian Quartet
There are now seven Brazilians playing in NWSL, four of which are members of the Orlando Pride: Camila, Marta, Monica and Poliana. The other three are split up across several teams in the league. Andressinha is a member of the Portland Thorns, Thaisa plays for Sky Blue FC and Debinha plays for the North Carolina Courage. Saturday’s match will be one of seven times that the Orlando Pride’s Brazilians will face off against their fellow countrywomen.
Defense Leads the Way
Orlando Pride has held its opponents to just six goals this season, tied with Sky Blue FC for the second-fewest allowed. Five of those goals were scored in the first three matches of the year. In the four games since then, the Pride only conceded one goal on April 28 against Seattle Reign FC and have outscored their opponents 4-1.
All By Myself
Chioma Ubogagu is the only current Orlando Pride player to have ever scored in the regular season against the Thorns. The forward netted a goal in the Pride’s 2-1 loss to Portland on April 15. Former Pride player Steph Catley and Jasmyne Spencer scored Orlando’s two other regular-season goals against the Thorns, both in 2016. Mid elder Alana Kennedy scored the Pride’s lone goal in last year’s semifinal match.
Mirror Image
After Wednesday’s matches, Orlando Pride and Portland Thorns boast the same record of 2-2-3 and have both earned nine points so far this year. The Pride are tied for fourth place with Portland. The Thorns have scored 10 goals this season, four more than Orlando. Though Portland may have scored more goals, Orlando has only allowed six goals this season, four fewer than the Thorns. In addition, Orlando has totaled three shutouts through seven games, while the Thorns defense has yet to hold an opponent scoreless.
Clean Freaks
Ashlyn Harris and the Pride have recorded three clean sheets this season and are one away from matching a Club record. Orlando’s three shutouts tie Utah Royals FC for the second-most in the league, while the North Carolina Courage have four. In each of their first two seasons, the Pride earned four shutouts. While the Pride could tie their single-season record on Saturday, eight games into the season, it took the team 10 games in 2016 and 23 games in 2017 to find its fourth shutout.
Who Says You Can't Go Home
After three matches on the road, Orlando Pride will finally return home to take on league-leading and currently undefeated North Carolina Courage for the first time this season on Wednesday, May 23. The match on Saturday against Portland will close out a three-game road stint, the longest in Club history. Upon returning to Orlando, the Pride will be off for 11 days before suiting up against the Courage, the Pride’s lone home game in the month of May.
