Portland Thorns host Orlando Pride at Providence Park this weekend in the NWSL. Both sides made important comebacks in the previous round, securing valuable points at home. The last time Orlando Pride traveled to the Thorns, they lost 2-0, with goals from Weaver and Sinclair. Let’s find out about the potential line-ups, statistics and where to watch Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride.Â
Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride: Team News & Possible Line-ups
The possible line-ups are derived from previous match days. We take into consideration how strong the opponents are, what players are injured and of course team news before the match.
Team News Portland Thorns
Availability report (updated on the 27th of April):
Out: Sam Coffey (excused absence), Daiane (knee), Marie Müller (SEI – knee), Nicole Payne (SEI – knee), Olivia Wade-Katoa (maternity leave), Morgan Weaver (SEI – knee), Sophia Wilson (maternity leave)
Questionable: None
International Duty: None
Rob Gale on not having Sam Coffey available: “You can see the difference that it makes in the calmness in the build. I think there was bravery then to show for the ball in the midfield. There was bravery by our center halves to stay composed. Young players sometimes panic when they feel a little bit of pressure. That’s where Sam gives us that control, tempo and the quality that she brings.It’s a big loss but she’ll be back for the next game.”
What the coach has to say:
Rob Gale after 3-3 draw against Racing Louisville: “Poor goals to give away. Just disappointed in the bravery and then let them dictate the game, along with the calls. It was almost twice the number of fouls that it was against North Carolina here. Then to see only three minutes go up, but difficult to describe.
“Much better second half. We got on the ball to move it, you saw we went for it to get ourserlves back in the game. If I take anything from that with a young group, the character and persistence to show that and to get a result and stay unbeaten at home, was really positive. I’ll give credit to the players, they didn’t stop.”
On the changes at half time: “Tactical: where we needed to be better, adjusted the midfield build a little bit. We rotated in Liv [Moultrie] and Jessie’s [Flemming] position and then obviously in the end we were just going for it 3-2-5 in the line. Get numbers into the key areas and try to get them under duress, which ultimately paid off.
Our prediction of the Starting IX for Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride:
- Arnold
- Spaanstra
- Obaze
- Perry
- McKenzie
- Moultrie
- Sugita
- Fleming
- Turner
- Castellanos
- Hanks
Team News Orlando Pride
Availability report (updated on the 27th of April):
Out: Amanda Allen (SEI – shoulder), Simone Charley (SEI – ankle), Julie Doyle (knee), DJ Jackson (excused absence), Luana (SEI – illness), Aryssa Mahrt (knee), Rafaelle (thigh), Summer Yates (ankle)
Questionable: None
International Duty: None
What the coach has to say:
Seb Hines on comeback win over Angel City: “I think obviously being 2-0 down in this league, it’s incredibly difficult to get back into it. But we showed our character, we showed our mentality. The never say die, never give up mentality. We showed what we’re capable of doing in that second half by scoring three goals. We missed some chances as well, so it could’ve been a lot easier and different. But, thankful for the three points and we move on.”
The message at halftime: “I think a lot of it is down to fundamentals. We can talk about strategies, but you have to be motivated to make sure you tackle, make sure you look after the ball, not give it away, and have an objective to score. Put pressure on, put fear into opponents and certainly we did that in the second half and the crowd fully got behind us. When the crowd gets going, it can be intimidating for any team. And so, we use that to fuel us all the way until the end, and we managed to get the result.”
Our prediction of the Starting IX for Orlando Pride against Portland Thorns:
- Moorhouse
- Dyke
- Sams
- Nadaner
- Abello
- Chilufya
- Lemos
- Gautrat
- Angelina
- Marta
- Banda
Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride: Previous Meetings & Stats
Rob Gale was not pleased with the performance against Racing Louisville last weekend. However, the head coach managed to take some positives from the game: “the character and persistence to show that, and to get a result, and stay unbeaten at home, was really positive”. His side conceded three goals in the first half, but came back to 2-3, thanks to goals from Turner and Fleming (PK). In the second half, Portland Thorns controlled the game much better and scored a stoppage time equalizer when Perry converted from the spot.
Orlando Pride also conceded multiple goals in their first half against Angel City. Tiernan and Zelem found the net for the visitors. It took Orlando Pride most of the second half to get back in the game. Marta netted the 1-2 and Banda equalized five minutes later. In stoppage time, Vignola scored an unfortunate own goal, sealing Orlando’s win.
Portland Thorns have a very strong home record against Orlando Pride. Their last home loss to Orlando was in 2018, and the Pride haven’t kept a clean sheet in Portland since 2017. Can Rob Gale’s side continue their positive run and take points from Orlando Pride once again?
| Team & Head-to-Head Streaks | ||
 | No clean sheet | 3 |
 | First to score | 6/8 |
| No clean sheet (h2h) | 16 |
| First to score (h2h) | 5/6 |
Where can I watch the National Women’s Soccer League Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride?
You can watch Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride live on ION. More information:
US based fans can watch on Prime Video, ION Network, CBS, ABC, Paramount+ and ESPN, while Optus Sport broadcasts the matches for Australian fans. Then there is NWSL+, but some games are geo-blocked, so make sure to check which ones you can watch. If they are geo-blocked it means another streaming service is broadcasting the game.
When was the last meeting between Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride?
The last meeting was on the 12th of October 2024. Portland Thorns secured a 2-0 win, thanks to goals from Weaver and Sinclair.
What is Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride kick-off time?
Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride kicks off at 04:30 PM on Saturday the 3rd of May at Providence Park.
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