Orlando Pride (11-0-5, 38 points) at Houston Dash (3-8-5, 14 points)
When: Friday, August 23, 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, TX
TV: Amazon Prime
As the top two teams in NWSL clash in Kansas City, here are five things to watch for on Saturday night:
The Past Against the Dash
This will serve as the first matchup of the season between the Pride and the Dash. The two sides split the season series last year with the home team coming away with all three points on both occasions. Marta scored the game winning goal from the penalty spot last season in the Pride’s victory, which was the final game of the season and led to the Pride coming up just short of the playoff spot due to goal differential. The last time the Pride won in Houston came back in 2017 in a 4-2 win, a match that saw Marta play a part in every one of Pride’s goals, finishing the match with two goals and two assists.
Dashing Past Everyone Else
The Pride enter the match against the Dash as the final remaining unbeaten team in the NWSL. They are currently riding a 16-game regular-season unbeaten streak to start the 2024 season, tying Seattle for the longest single-season unbeaten streak. The Pride are, overall, unbeaten in their last 17 regular season matches which ties a Kansas City record that the Pride snapped in their last regular season match against the Current. Across all competitions and dating back to last year, the Pride are unbeaten in 20 straight games as they earned a draw in all three of its NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup matches.
A Dash to the Net
As the NWSL comes back to the regular season, it is also time to keep an eye on the Golden Boot race. Pride forward Barbra Banda is currently tied for the most goals scored in the regular season alongside Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga with 12 goals. Banda, however, has played in four less matches than Chawinga since she joined the Pride during the season. Banda is the first NWSL player in league history to score 12 goals in under 16 appearances as she has notched her 12 goals in 12 appearances this season.
Dashing Through No Snow
Most recently, Orlando Pride’s Kerry Abello was named to the July Best XI, presented by Amazon Prime. Over the month of July, the Illinois native played 210 minutes, recorded a 78.82 percent passing accuracy and earned an assist in the Pride’s 1-1 draw against Racing Louisville in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. During the stretch of July, Abello was integral to the Pride’s play on the wing, both on the offensive and defensive sides of the field.
A Dash Back from Paris
The past week saw the return of the Pride players that represented their respective countries in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Defender Emily Sams came back with a Gold Medal after initially just being invited to the USWNT pre-Olympic camp, then being called in to be an alternate for the U.S., to finally making a match day roster. In the Gold Medal match, Emily Sams saw her USWNT go up against Brazil, who fielded Pride teammates Marta, Adriana, Angelina and Rafaelle, all earning the Silver Medal for their country. Pride forward Barbra Banda also represented Zambia in the Olympics and scored four goals, including a hat trick against Australia, which made her the only player in women's football to have three hat tricks in Olympic play.
Milestone Tracker
- Marta is one assist away from 20 in her NWSL career.
- The next clean sheet for Anna Moorhouse will break the Club record for most single-season regular season shutouts (8) and break the Club record for most career regular season clean sheets (15).
- Head Coach Seb Hines will be the winningest Pride Coach of all-time with his next win (25).
- Barbra Banda is two goals away from scoring the most goals in a single season by a Pride player (14).
- The next win for the Pride will be their 12th of the season, which is the most in a season in Club history.
- A win for the Pride would also be the most points earned in a single season in Club history (41).
