Need to Know:
Date & Time: Friday, August 25, 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Fla.
Competition: NWSL Regular Season
Where to Watch:
Broadcast: Paramount + (national), NWSLsoccer.com (international)
The Story:
- The Pride are unbeaten against the Wave since the West Coast side joined the league in 2022. The Pride hold a 2-0-1 record against the Wave, including a 3-1 victory earlier this season at Snapdragon Stadium.
- Messiah Bright earned NWSL Player of the Week honors after recording her first professional brace in the Pride’s most recent 5-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars. Bright leads the Pride and all NWSL rookies in goals scored this season.
- The Pride sit right below the Wave in the NWSL standings with San Diego holding the final playoff spot. A win for the Pride would see them jump San Diego in the standings and into a playoff spot entering the final five games of the season.
Quote of the Week:
"It is another exciting and competitive game and comes around quickly. The highs of our last performance and we are right back at it on Friday against San Diego who are a good team. They are in the playoff position that we want to be in, so we expect nothing less than a competitive game. We will be more than ready for it.”
- Head Coach Seb Hines
Current Form:
Pride’s Last Match: Orlando Pride 5, Chicago Red Stars 0 (8/20/23, Exploria Stadium)
Goal-Scorers: Rafaelle, Messiah Bright (2), Mariana Larroquette, Mikayla Cluff
Wave’s Last Match: San Diego Wave 2, NJ/NY Gotham FC 1 (8/19/23, Snapdragon Stadium)
Goal-Scorers: Makenzy Doniak, Amirah Ali; Katie Stengel
Against the Opposition:
Series Record: 2-0-1 (Home: 0-0-1, Away: 2-0-0)
Last Matchup: Orlando Pride 3, San Diego Wave 1 (4/29/23, Snapdragon Stadium)
At the Game:
Friday night’s match will serve as the Pride’s first-ever Star Wars Night at Exploria Stadium. There will be a multitude of Star Wars festivities, complete with costumed characters, themed merchandise and special video effects.
Next Up: Orlando Pride vs. OL Reign
Date & Time: Sunday, Sept. 3, 6 p.m. ET
Venue: Lumen Field; Seattle, Wa.
Broadcast: Paramount + (national), FOX35 PLUS (Local) NWSLsoccer.com (international)
Competition: NWSL Regular Season
