ORLANDO, Fla. (July 19, 2018) - Orlando Pride (8-6-4, 28 points) takes on second-place Seattle Reign FC (5-5-4, 29 points) in the Lifetime Game of the Week on Saturday, July 21. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at Orlando City Stadium. With six games remaining in the season, the match will be a big one for postseason contention, as the Pride sit in third place, just one point behind the Reign on the table.
The match will be nationally broadcast on Lifetime. Tickets for Saturday’s match can be purchased at orlando-pride.com/tickets or by calling (855) ORL-CITY. In honor of Ali Krieger's 100th NWSL appearance, $11 tickets are also available to the first 100 fans who purchase using the link here. The game will also be "Christmas in July", with specialty merchandise and holiday-themed activations throughout the game.
“It’s a game that we must go out there to win; it’s a game against a very good team. There’s not much in it between top and bottom in this league but there’s even less in it between the teams from second to six or seven,” Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni said. “Seattle has a team that’s, again, very experienced, players that are used to success and high-quality international players. So this will be again another real test for us.”
On Saturday, Orlando will look to defeat Seattle for the first time since 2016. The Pride and Reign have played to a consecutive four draws in the past two seasons and are currently neck-and-neck in the league standings as the final push for a playoff position begins.
The Pride return home after defeating Utah Royals FC 2-1 last Saturday. After conceding a goal early in the first half, Alex Morgan equalized for the Pride in stoppage time, finishing off a penalty kick. Shortly into the second half, midfielder Kristen Edmonds collected a ball from Ali Krieger just past midfield, saw Royals goalkeeper Abby Smith off her line and chipped the ball over her head to score the game-winner. Krieger became the 18th player in league history to reach 100 career NWSL regular-season appearances with her start.
Sydney Leroux leads the Pride with six goals, while midfielder Christine Nairn’s four assists lead Orlando and are tied for the second-most in the league.
Seattle enters the match after falling 1-0 to the Chicago Red Stars to snap a three-game winning streak. Megan Rapinoe leads the Reign with seven goals. The midfielder also leads the team with four assists.
Both Seattle and Orlando will be without key members of their rosters as the U.S. WNT prepares for the Tournament of Nations. Morgan and goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris will be absent for the Pride, while Rapinoe and midfielder Allie Long will miss the match for the Reign.
While Morgan and Harris are away on national team duty, the Pride have signed midfielder Abby Elinsky and goalkeeper Libby Stout as National Team Replacement Players. This is the third time Elinksy has been signed as a replacement player this season. The young midfielder was on the roster for three matches and made appearances in two, totaling 32 minutes.
Stout joins the Pride from Apollon Ladies F.C. in Cyprus, where she played for one season before announcing her retirement. Prior to her time in Cyprus, Stout spent two years with the Boston Breakers, where she made nine starts in 10 appearances. Stout previously played for English side Liverpool (2014-15), making 26 appearances and won the 2014 FA WSL title. She also played for BV Cloppenburg (2013-14) in Germany and FF Yzeure Allier Auvergne (2012-13) in France.
Abby Elinsky (EL-lin-ski)
Position: Midfield
Number: 20
Height: 5-8
Born: Jan. 8, 1996 in West Chester, Pa.
Hometown: Rocky River, Ohio
College: University of North Carolina
Citizenship: USA
Libby Stout (lib-ee stOUT)
Position: Goalkeeper
Number: 18
Height: 5-11
Born: June 16, 1990 in Louisville, Ky.
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
College: Western Kentucky University
Citizenship: USA
