It’s a clash of the two top teams in NWSL that no one saw coming. While it’s still early days in the 2021 season, the Spirit are putting points on the board despite being a work in progress and the Orlando Pride are riding an improved defense and an offense firing on all cylinders to the top of the league. The two teams meet for the second time in 4 games, with the first meeting resulting in a late lead gained and then lost by the Spirit with the final score at 1-1 in Orlando.
This will be the Spirit’s first home game of the season (TECHNICALLY, the game in Houston was a home game, but that’s stupid so we’ll just move on), with the rare mid-afternoon start time on Sunday at Audi Field (2pm on Paramount+).
Things to know:
The Spirit are largely healthy. Many players have been dealing with minor ailments, but players like Kelley O’Hara, Trinity Rodman and Ashley Hatch have continued to make the lineup while playing through pain. The only player unavailable for Sunday’s match is Paige Nielsen, who spoke with us Thursday about her recovery process and hopes for the rest of the year.