NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup: Orlando Pride at North Carolina Courage
When: Saturday, July 20, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, NC
TV: Paramount+
As the Pride open up their Summer Cup run, here are five things to watch for on Saturday night:
So, We Meet Again
This will be the third matchup between the two sides this year, with the regular season series already wrapped up. The first clash between the Pride and Courage ended in a 4-1 victory for the pride at INTER&Co stadium. that match saw Barbra Banda bag a brace to go along with goals
from Ally Watt and Julie Doyle. The second matchup was a stalemate and ended in a 0-0 result at Wakemed Soccer Park. with the draw, the Pride became the first team of the 2024 regular season to take points from the Courage at WakeMed Soccer Park, with the home side winning all their home matches up to that point.
International Pride
The Pride will enter tournament play with eight players away on international duty, seven of which are representing their respective countries in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Pride saw four of their Brazilian internationals in Adriana, Rafaelle, Angelina and captain Marta, as well as Zambia internationals Grace Chanda and Barbra Banda all called into their respective camps. Pride defender Emily Sams initially was called into the U.S. WNT camp prior to the team’s departure for the Olympics, but due to an injury, she was then added to the U.S. WNT roster as an alternate and is headed to Paris. Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse is returning from her first call-up to the England women’s national team, as she was a part of the team that secured qualification for the UEFA women’s Euro 2025.
Nice View from Here
as the Pride enters the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil summer cup, they also sit in first place in the NWSL standings after their most recent regular-season win over the Kansas City Current. Both teams came into the match undefeated, with the Current having the edge due to goal differential, but it was the Pride who came out of CPKC Stadium with all three points thanks to goals from Barbra Banda and Marta. The Pride were forced down to 10 players in the match after defender Carrie Lawrence was shown her second yellow card in the 42nd minute, but the defense was able to hold the home side scoreless from that moment on, backed by seven saves from Anna Moorhouse, which tied her season high.
No off Days
Although the team was off from action last week, it was a busy time for the Pride as they signed four players for new contracts. Midfielders Cori Dyke and Viviana Villacorta, along with forwards Summer Yates and Ally Watt, all signed new contracts that keep the four of them in Orlando through the 2025 season, with mutual options for 2026. So far in her rookie season, Dyke has appeared in 11 matches and earned her first professional start on June 7 against the san diego wave at snapdragon stadium. Villacorta is currently working her way back from a season-ending injury suffered in 2023. in 2024, yates has played in all but one match for the Pride and has found the back of the net four times, which is the third most goals scored by a pride player so far this year. watt has appeared in 15 of the club’s 16 matches and has scored two goals to go along with one assist so far this season.
Reinforcements
Along with all those player contracts, the Orlando Pride also signed midfielder Claire Winter and goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell to National Team Replacement Player contracts. The duo will occupy roster spaces for the Pride during the international stretch and will be available for selection starting with Orlando’s opening group stage match of the NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup against the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, July 20.
Milestone Tracker
- Kylie Strom is two appearances away from 80 NWSL across all competitions.
- Celia is three appearances away from 70 NWSL appearances across all competitions.
