San Diego Wave vs. Orlando Pride preview
San Diego Wave vs. Orlando Pride
Torero Stadium – USD
Saturday, August 13 at 7:30 pm
The San Diego Wave will play their second consecutive match at home, taking on the Orlando Pride, as the Wave seek to stop their slide.
Last Time Out
The Wave were absolutely shut down in the first half against the surging Kansas City Current, and could not rally to salvage anything from the match.
San Diego had just one shot on goal, and were outshot 17-7 by Kansas City, who scored twice in the first half. The Wave could not find a way to deliver any sort of opportunities to Alex Morgan, as San Diego’s superstar was a non-factor in the match. Kailen Sheridan did stop a penalty for the second consecutive match, but the Wave were unable to capitalize, scoring just once.
Amirah Ali was the goalscorer for the Wave, with manager Casey Stoney commenting, “The one time all match we played football, we scored.”. Stoney took responsibility for the match and promised to be better for this match against Orlando, saying, “This is what they pay me to do.”.
Meet the Opposition
The Orlando Pride find themselves in eighth place, having posted a 3-6-5 record this season, which is good for 15 points.
Orlando has not lost since June 19, when they were beaten 6-0 by the Portland Thorns, but they’ve also won just one match since May 18. They’ve drawn three matches in a row, which has seen them stay stagnant in the bottom half of the NWSL standings. Orlando has conceded a league-most 30 goals this season, so it’ll be all about offense for the Wave.
The abysmal defense from the Pride is a major reason why they have a goal difference of -14, second worst in the division. The Pride were Alex Morgan’s former NWSL team, with Morgan having scored 23 goals in 66 matches with the side. However, Morgan’s presence did not lead to success for Orlando, as they finished in the top half of the NWSL just once in Morgan’s five seasons. Jodie Taylor also spent time in Orlando, having spent the 2021 season with the Pride. The Pride have played teams tough at times this season, but the Wave certainly have the offensive talent to flood the Orlando defense.
Wave Update
San Diego, who went into the match against Kansas City needing just a point to be atop the NWSL, now sits in third place, three points behind the Portland Thorns. The Wave have also fallen behind the Houston Dash, albeit on goal difference.
San Diego’s won just one of their last four matches, with Portland and Houston having put up six more points than the Wave during that span. The Wave will get Abby Dahlkemper back, as Dahlkemper had missed Sunday’s match against Kansas City while serving a suspension for a red card in the victory in Chicago. Dahlkemper will help boost San Diego’s defense, which has allowed the fewest goals in the league this season.
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It’ll be up to Alex Morgan, Kelsey Turnbow, and the rest of the Wave offense to step up, as San Diego seeks to return to winning ways. San Diego will play the Dash and the Thorns in the two matches following this one, so it’ll be critical to pick up three points before the toughest stretch of the season kicks off.
Sam is a Senior in High School. He has been writing for three years, and started at EVT in June of 2021. He’s headed to Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Communications in the fall of 2023.
