A Familiar Foe
Sunday will mark the third time the Pride have faced the Thorns in their NWSL season opener in the Club’s four-year history. Orlando will play host for the first time in these matches, with the previous two being held at Providence Park. The Pride are unbeaten in Orlando on opening day after a 1-1 draw against the Utah Royals in last year’s season opener. Forward Marta scored the lone goal for Orlando that afternoon by converting from the penalty spot.
The Gals Are Back in Town
Sunday’s match will feature seven players returning from national team duty with the U.S. WNT. Alex Morgan, Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger represented the Pride, while Portland’s Adrianna French, Emily Sonnett, Lindsey Horan and Tobin Heath were also members of the squad. The U.S. earned victories in both its April friendlies, defeating Australia 5-3 on April 4 and Belgium 6-0 on April 7. Morgan scored her 100th international goal against Australia for the U.S. WNT and added another in front of her hometown crowd in its victory over Belgium. Krieger made her first appearance for the United States since April 6, 2017 when she got the start against Belgium, marking her 99th cap for the national team. Harris played the final 45 minutes of that Belgium match.
The Pride will also see the return of Australians Emily van Egmond and Alanna Kennedy, Canadian Shelina Zadorsky, England international Chioma Ubogagu and Brazilian Marta who all also had national team duty over the last two weeks.
Six for the G.O.A.T.
During the offseason, Pride forward Marta won her sixth FIFA Women’s Player of the Year award, making her the all-time leader in the award, being named the best player in the world more times than any other male or female player. Marta was previously named Women’s World Player of the Year five consecutive years from 2006-10. She finished second in voting in 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016, and third in 2004 and 2013.
Prior to the start of Sunday’s game, the Pride will honor both Marta and teammate Alex Morgan for their offseason accomplishments.
Let’s Flip the Script
After going winless in its first two seasons against the Thorns, the Pride defeated Sunday’s opposition for the first time last season in a 2-1 win at Providence Park on May 12. All of the scoring came in the first half, with the Pride jumping out to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Alex Morgan and Christine Nairn in the 11th and 21st minutes respectively. Christine Sinclair answered in the 23rd for Portland with a goal of her own, but the Pride shut down the Thorns for the remainder of the match to earn their first victory against them in Club history. Overall the Pride have drawn once and lost six times to the Thorns in its four-year history, including in the 2017 NWSL semifinal.
#ChiBelievesCup
Chioma Ubogagu was part of an England squad that won its first SheBelieves Cup last month. Ubogagu came off the bench in England’s final match against, a 3-0 win over Japan to help clinch the title for the Lionesses. Ubogagu has made two appearances for the English national team thus far in 2019 after having made her senior international debut last November, when she found the back of the net in a 3-0 victory over Austria.
Welcome to the Club
Eight new players occupy positions on the 2019 Opening Day roster, with 17 returning from the 2018 season. 2019 NWSL College Draft picks defender Erin Greening out of Colorado and Marisa Viggiano from Northwestern have been signed by the Pride. University of Central Florida product Bridget Callahan and University of North Carolina alum Abby Elinsky have also been added to the roster after serving as National Team Replacement Players for the Pride in 2018. Callahan made one appearance for Orlando last season with Elinsky adding two. Defender Morgan Reid is the last of the new additions after being acquired from the North Carolina Courage on April 4. Reid did not register an NWSL appearance for the Courage last season, but appeared two matches of the Women’s International Champions Cup, helping lead North Carolina to the title. The Pride also signed goalkeeper Lainey Burdett, midfielder Joanna Boyles and forward Caitlin Farrell as Supplemental players.
