LAKE MARY, Fla. — To say there's been a history between the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit may be an understatement. Even before the NWSL Shield and Championship in 2024. Since 2017, there have been memorable moments after memorable moments in the matchup between the two NWSL sides.
Saturday afternoon at Inter&Co Stadium will be no different.
"It's always a good matchup against Washington," Head Coach Seb Hines said after training this week at Orlando Health Training Ground at Sylvan Lake Park. "We've established some sort of rivalry now, which is always great to be involved in. Two teams that have had a lot of success in the last couple of years."
Forward Summer Yates is one of the many players that has been with the Pride since those matchups went from regular-season bouts to postseason matches with trophies on the line. With Saturday on the horizon, it's another opportunity to put themselves to the test against one of the best teams in the league.
"We love playing against them, just because it's a challenge," she said. "With us winning a Championship and a Shield against them, they have a little animosity towards us too. So I think it's just a fun, competitive game that's always a close game."
Saturday's match for the Pride comes with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. The team dropped a 3-2 decision at Racing Louisville last week, coming back twice before ultimately falling short.
"We're a little bit inconsistent with the results. Two wins, two draws and two defeats, but we're moving in the right direction," Hines said. "We're creating a lot of opportunities, getting in good areas. It's fine margins now, executing those moments to put the ball in the back of the net, and on the other side not giving teams any opportunities either."
The slow start to the second half at Louisville ultimately proved to be the team's undoing, and Hines knows that against a Washington side that has found its form after its own slow start to the season, including a commanding 4-0 win over Kansas City last weekend, there is no room for errors on Saturday.
"One of their biggest threats is transition moments, and that's going to be important going into this game," he said. "Fine margins, we need to refine those moments, a little bit more intensity after we lose the ball."
For Yates, the last match was a learning lesson for the team, knowing that they need to capitalize on their chances early on and take advantage of being on the front foot.
"We're gonna come with a little bit more bite into things, just because, like, we feel we need to get on top of games quicker," she said. "We definitely want to create the momentum in the beginning and just come out the right way. We want to get a goal first. We feel that when we score first, we win. So that's something that we really want to take."
Being back at Inter&Co Stadium matters too. The Pride haven't played a home match since the first weekend of April, almost a month back from this coming Saturday. Over the past few seasons, the atmosphere has proved to be a big difference, and Yates is hoping for the same this weekend.
"They're definitely like our 12th man," she said. "They bring so much energy. We're super excited to play there again — and they have a great match to come watch, because it's gonna be competitive."
Kickoff at Inter&Co Stadium is set for Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m and will be broadcast on ION.
