As Orlando City head to Portland to play the Timbers this coming Sunday, two big soccer games will be going down at home in Orlando, back-to-back. Both Orlando City B and the Orlando Pride are fighting for a spot in the playoffs and a win for both would be huge for their chances.
The season for the Orlando Pride has been a whirlwind. After struggling out of the gate to begin the season, the team has taken the league by storm. With one of the best attacking fronts in the league that includes U.S. Women’s National Team star Alex Morgan and Brazilian National Team star Marta leading the way, the Pride have the most goals scored in the league this year and the second most in league history - and there’s still two games to go in the season. A result in one of their final two matches would guarantee a spot for the Pride in the four team NWSL playoffs.
For Orlando City B, they are once again on the cusp of making the playoffs in back-to-back years. The future players for the MLS side, such as Pierre Da Silva, Hadji Barry and Earl Edwards Jr. have all thrived in the USL. Da Silva is third in the league with seven assists, Barry leads the team in goals scored with eight and Edwards Jr. is tied for 2nd in the USL with nine clean sheets. With four games to go, the team sits right on the edge of the playoffs in 8th place.
This coming Saturday, the Pride will host the 2nd place Portland Thorns for their final home game of the season at 3:30 in a nationally televised game, while OCB plays the 3rd place Charleston Battery immediately after the Pride match. If you haven’t been keeping up with these two teams, now’s the time to jump on the bandwagon and support them the rest of the way.
