Match Preview: Orlando Pride Visit League Leaders Kansas City Current
The Pride look to reverse their recent form in a highly consequential away fixture.
This weekend, the Orlando Pride will be traveling to CPKC Stadium to take on current #1 in the NWSL, Kansas City Current. The ladies in purple will be hoping to turn things around having left points on the table in their last 3 matches. The Current, on the other hand, have pulled away from the pack with an 11 point advantage and a game in hand.
We are now in the back half of the National Women’s Soccer League season and the top teams are locked into maintaining their positions in the league table. The Current are on a tremendous run of form at the current moment; they have won every match in their last 8 fixtures. During this run they have beaten the like of Racing Louisville (2 times), NY/NJ Gotham, and even their opponent this Saturday, the Orlando Pride. The Current’s attack is led by the co-Golden Boot leader, Temwa Chawinga, who has 10 goals and 2 assists on the season. This time, the Current will be enjoying their home field advantage and going into this game very confident against the Pride.
Current NWSL Champions Orlando Pride have struggled in recent games. The team lost to Louisville and failed to take all three points in consecutive home matches. This inconsistency has led to the team dropping to third place with San Diego and Portland not far behind. Luckily for the moradas, Marta will likely be returning to the field this weekend after appearing on the bench last game which was a result of needing rest after leading her Brazil to another Copa America title. Their other lead attacker, Barbra Banda, will also be motivated to reestablish her form, having not scored since June 14th.
Outside of the league leaders, the current NWSL table is still open for the taking for most teams. Orlando esprecially will be highly motivated to take points away from this game to prevent a further slide down the rankings, however, the Current are plainly dominant and will have the backing of their loyal fans behind them.
This match is the best pick of the weekend for NWSL so be sure to tune in and follow the Southeast Soccer Report for more Pride coverage.