Line Up/Pre-Match Notes: 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. We have Carly Nelson in the goal. For defenders Haley McCutcheon, Rafaelle, Emily Madril, and Kylie Strom. For midfielders, Jordyn Listro, Mikayla Cluff, and Marta. For forwards Adriana, Julie Doyle, and Ally Watt.

It’s a good lineup. I definitely understand starting Cluff instead of Abello for this one. Abello tends to be more attack-oriented while also providing good movement in the midfield, along with good touches and services for the attacking players, however, she isn’t defense-minded when she’s playing in the attack or midfield. Cluff, on the other hand, is a good holding midfielder but is also good in the attack. She handles pressure well in the midfield and can fight for possession and control. I think Cluff is going to be integral in this match to provide that stability and control in the midfield. At the same time, in order for Cluff to be effective, she’s going to need support from her teammates, Marta and Listro.

In the past, every time the Pride has played against the Courage, they’ve struggled to keep possession and maintain control. If the Pride wants to have any fighting chance against the Courage, they must keep possession and control of the midfield, and cut off the Courage attack early to keep them from getting into the Pride defensive third. Not only that, the Pride has to be more aggressive in the midfield and attack, putting pressure on the Courage and forcing turnovers.

As for the attack, Adriana and Doyle should do well in this match, provided that the team can connect and get passes and touches up to them. I’m a little surprised to see Watt starting. I would have guessed Seb Hines would go with Messiah Bright, considering she is the leading goal scorer this season for the Pride, but bringing her on in the second half, along with Mariana Laroquette, also makes sense too.

When it comes to the Pride backline, they’re definitely going to be challenged in this match, but if the Pride can collectively cut off the Courage in transition and make recoveries in the midfield, it will take more pressure off the backline and allow for the Pride to make counterattacks and transitions of their own.

On my channel, I discussed the need for the Pride to play with more urgency, and to choose the right moments to increase their intensity. The Pride consistently performs well in transitions and counterattacks. If they can apply more intensity to these areas – transitions, counterattacks, control of the midfield, and possession – the Pride should be able to challenge the Courage and create more opportunities for their attacking players.

First Half Notes:

Orlando Pride 2-0

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this scoreline. I thought it was going to be the other way around. The Pride was able to get an early goal from Watt and a lovely goal from Adriana. I was skeptical of Watt at the start of this match, mainly because she has struggled with her finishing in the past, but so far she has been great in the Pride attack. She’s been aggressive in the attack, dangerous in the box, challenging the Courage goalkeeper, Casey Murphy, and even dropping back to support the defense (something she may have picked up during her time at OL Reign).

As for the Pride midfield, I’ve been really impressed with Cluff. She’s handling pressure really well in the midfield and providing stability and control in the midfield. However, I want to see the Pride maintain more control and possession. It got better for the Pride as the half went on, but going into the second half, the Pride needs to make sure they can win back possession and maintain control to keep the Courage from coming back.

When it comes to the backline and defense, the Pride are doing well. There’s great support in the defense from the Pride midfield and attack, but the team has to remain tight and compact when the Courage tries to pull them out wide. When the Courage pulls McCutcheon and Strom out wide on the wings, it opens up the Pride backline and creates gaps in the defense. The Pride can get around this by staying tight and compact and getting more Pride players in the box to defend. As for the Pride’s counterattacks and transitions, those have been going really well. The Pride are excelling with their recoveries and swift counterattacks, and hopefully, they can keep it up going into the second half.

Second Half/Closing Notes:

Orlando Pride wins 2-1

This game took ten years off my life. It was a tough match, and the win didn’t come easy for the Pride, but I’ll be honest, the officiating in this match wasn’t good. The Pride should have had a penalty kick in the 64th or 65th minute after a clear Courage handball in the Courage box. Some of the foul calls were also questionable. Players, coaches, and benches on both sides were expressing their frustrations with the officiating throughout the match.

As for the rest of this match, the Pride played well. The Courage had the most possession in this match, but the Pride did really well in responding to their runs, pressure, and services. I admire the Pride’s patience, especially when it came to choosing the right moments to press and counter. There was great movement in the midfield from Cluff, Marta, Listro, Villacorta, Abello, and Adriana, and good support in the attack.

Marta was performing exceptionally well with her touches and services. She was creating chances for the attack and doing well when it came to recovering possession in the midfield. Cluff was also excelling in that area, controlling the midfield and winning back possession. Watt was providing great drive and intensity in the attack, but also offering good support in defense. Lastly, there’s Adriana, who seemed to be all over the pitch, constantly switching between attack, defense, and midfield.

When it comes to the backline and defense, McCutcheon, Madril, Rafaelle, and Strom were doing well at handling the Courage attack and pressure. At the same time, there was also great support in the defense from the Pride midfield and attack, which is something I really like to see from midfielders and forwards.

It was a tough match for the Pride, but despite the fouls, cards, Florida weather, and frustration, the Pride were able to pull through and come away with a good win against the Courage, albeit in a dramatic fashion.