Orlando Pride (17-1-6, 57 points) at Gotham FC (15-4-5, 50 points)
When: Sunday, October 20, 5:00 p.m. ET
Where: Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N.J.
As the Pride take on Gotham on Sunday, here are five things to watch for:
Road Warriors
Orlando has not lost any of its last seven away matches against Gotham FC in all competitions dating back to the start of the 2019 season, earning three wins and four draws. The two sides faced off against one another earlier in the year and Orlando picked up all three points with a 3-0 home win on Sept. 1. That home win ended a run of 13 straight meetings between Gotham and Orlando without the home team winning the match. If the Pride can continue its road success against Gotham, they have a chance to set another NWSL record for most road wins in a season at nine.
A Historic Run
The Pride’s NWSL-record 24 match regular season streak ended following the 2-0 loss at Portland last week. The Thorns gave the Pride the team’s first league loss in 371 days. During the unbeaten streak, the Pride won 18 games and drew six while outscoring their opponents 44-13. In those 24 matches, the Pride only trailed for a total of 108 minutes with the last time that the Pride trailed in a match before Portland was the second match of the season back on March 22 against Angel City.
Under the Watchful Eye
Orlando’s VP of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter became the first former NWSL player who team has earned the NWSL Shield. Carter is one of five former NWSL players to serve as general manager, or some sort of role relating to that, at some point this year, along with Yael Averbuch (Gotham FC), Karina LeBlanc (Portland), Camille Ashton (Kansas City & San Diego), Alex Singer (Houston).
Making an Impact
Since joining the squad, the Pride are unbeaten in all 18 matches that Barbra Banda has started in her NWSL career, the longest unbeaten streak to begin a career in NWSL history. Banda enters the match sitting in second place in the golden boot race with 13 goals scored, six of which she has scored with her head which leads all the NWSL in headed goals.
International Duty
Following the Gotham match, the NWSL will enter an international break with a few Pride players heading off to represent their respective countries. Adriana and Angelina will head out to represent Brazil, while defender Emily Sams earned another call up to the USWNT. Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse also earned another call to the Lionesses for matches against Germany and South Africa. Finally, Evelina Duljan received another call to represent the U-23 Swedish international squad.
Milestone Tracker
- Marta is one assist away from 20 in her NWSL career.
- Barbra Banda’s next goal will break teammate Marta’s record for most goals scored by a Pride player in a single season (13).
- The Pride’s next win will break the NWSL record for most wins in a single season (17).
- The Pride’s next point will break the NWSL record for most points in a single season (57).
- The Pride’s next road win will set a new NWSL record for most away wins in a single season (9).
