What possibly could the Orlando Pride do to increase momentum in this NWSL season? Yet, they found still another goal to strive for.
If the 2024 season comes to an end right now, Orlando Pride is the greatest team in the NWSL. The wild success of this club is undeniable.
Through 20 games they are 14-0-6, top of the NWSL. They’re the only club in the league without a loss.
The Orlando Pride's unbeaten streak stretches to 21 games, the most in league history. This season is calculated to have an equal record at home of 7-0-3.
There are more accomplishments. Their four consecutive shutouts set a new club record for the longest clean-sheet streak. Going beyond the franchise, goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse has tied an NWSL regular-season record with her 11th clean sheet. That’s her 11th out of 20 games.
Moorhouse matches A.D. Franch, 2017, and Casey Murphy, 2021 in clean sheets on the season. It’s a sure bet she’ll go for the record in at least one of the remaining matches this season.
But that’s not enough for champions. So there’s no envelope beyond pushing for the Orlando Pride.
Yet it wasn’t a win, but their 0-0 draw against Kansas City Current, where Head Coach Seb Hines identified the champion quality that will continue to drive the team forward into league history.
Even in a scoreless draw, keeping the opponent from scoring is important. Hines pointed to the Pride midfielders in the Kansas City match as spearheading this successful effort.
The players covered the space needed for the Current to feed the ball where strikers could exploit their chances to score. They also read the pitch and their opponents' movements so they could change pace to thwart opponents’ efforts.
Concentration and focus are essential to achieving those qualities identified by Hines. The Orlando Pride has these assets. And they’ll carry the team deeply into the NWSL post-season.