Fresh on the heels of securing a spot in the playoffs, the Orlando Pride have a chance to advance to the knockout stage of the Concacaf W Champions Cup.
The Pride face off against Mexican side C.F. Pachuca Femenil on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Inter&Co Stadium and need a win to move on.
“We’re excited. We’re looking forward to building on what we did last weekend against Portland,” Orlando coach Seb Hines said. “We’re obviously at home as well, which is a great advantage for us, and it’s a game that we must win.
“I think we’re all excited about the prospect of qualifying into the next round of this competition. It was something that we set out to do at the start of the season. And yeah, it’s going to be a fun and interesting game.”
Both sides enter this matchup on six points, thanks to wins against Alajuelense and Chorrillo and a loss to Club America. Pachuca has a slightly better goal differential, having outscored opponents 11-1 compared to Orlando’s 8-2. Those results have set up a must-win for the Pride, while Pachuca can move on with just a draw.
Orlando has slowly been building confidence, and the 1-0 victory against the Portland Thorns on Friday night certainly helps. While Orlando is still struggling to score without injured Barbra Banda, the defense looked more like the 2024 version that helped the team to a record-breaking championship.
Emily Sams and Rafaelle have stood out as the key partnership for the Pride, creating a strong wall of defense in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse. At 34, Rafaelle has shown signs of slowing down, but if she can maintain her current form, she will be key in any success Orlando enjoys.
Club Captain Marta might not have been credited with the goal, but her fight against the Thorns is the reason the Pride came away with the win. She missed out on the game against Club America, but expect her to lead the team in a do-or-die matchup. Marta is always at her best when the team needs a result, and they will certainly be counting on her on Wednesday.