Match Preview: Washington Spirit vs. Orlando Pride
Audi Field | Washington, District of Columbia – Sunday, July 17 at 5:00 PM ET
Players to watch:
In Washington’s loss to the Current on Sunday, forward Tinaya Alexander became the first NWSL player since Mallory Pugh in May 2018 to come on as a sub and earn, attempt and miss a penalty kick in the same game. In fact, Jordan Baggett’s stoppage time consolation against San Diego at the beginning of July is the only goal the club has scored in the last two matches.
Making her season debut, Chelsee Washington received Orlando’s lone yellow card in the Pride’s win over the Dash. Washington is now the 14th Pride player with a yellow card this season, which is tied with the Spirit for most such players in NWSL in 2022. Orlando relied on an own goal to defeat Houston, but goals from Kylie Strom and Darian Jenkins on July 3 helped them to draw 2-2 with Louisville in their last two matches. Prior to that, the club had not scored for over 270 minutes.
Match facts: The Washington Spirit seek to snap their 11-game winless run on Sunday evening as they host the Orlando Pride at Audi Field in the first of two games across the league that night. The two sides enter off the back of opposite results, with Washington falling 1-0 to Kansas City and Orlando defeating Houston 1-0 in their last times out.
Starting with the Challenge Cup final in May, Washington has gone winless in its last 12 games in total with six losses and six draws. Prior to its current 12-game stream, the Spirit had just five losses (excluding forfeits) in their previous 34 matches in all NWSL competitions dating back to the 2021 Challenge Cup.
The Pride, though, earned their first win since mid-May with that 1-0 win against Houston last week. Orlando had not forced an own goal in any NWSL competition since Portland’s Emily Menges put the ball in her own net in a 4-3 win over the Pride in July 2019.
In the only previous match between the teams this season, Orlando scored two goals in second half stoppage time in one of the wildest regular season finishes in league history to secure a 2-2 draw. In addition, Darian Jenkins’ game-tying goal in the 98th minute is the latest result-changing goal in NWSL regular season history.
