The Orlando Pride are through to the semifinals of the 2024 NWSL playoffs after dismantling the Chicago Red Stars 4–1 in front of 11,496 fans at Inter&Co Stadium.
History was made, as the Florida club recorded its first-ever NWSL playoff win. Their only other playoff appearance ended in a 4–1 defeat to the Seattle Reign in 2017.
Speaking to the media after the match, Orlando head coach Seb Hines glowed with delight after his team's awe-inspiring display.
"Brilliant. They were brilliant from start to finish," Hines said. "We started the game really well, created two great opportunities within the first two minutes. You could see the hunger within the team, you could see the commitment and [it was] fully deserved, I think we were phenomenal today.”
#2 for 22 😈 pic.twitter.com/GEN4Q4D5wq
— Orlando Pride - x (@ORLPride) November 9, 2024
A close-range header from industrious midfielder Haley McCutcheon broke the deadlock in the 26th minute before Barbra Banda added two nearly identical goals from one-on-one situations before the interval.
From the first whistle, Orlando was brave on the ball and launched vertical passes in behind the Chicago backline. By halftime, the Pride had out-shot the Red Stars, 13–0. This instant pressure was all a part of Hines's strategy.
"We always talk about setting a tone early. When a team comes to our environment, we always want to make it difficult for them. So the first 5 to 10 minutes is really important to set a tone. You could hear the crowd as well. They were brilliant tonight," Hines beamed. "To go in at halftime with it 3–0, it kind of put us at ease a little bit."
After the break, Hannah Anderson was penalized for pulling on Banda's shirt in the Chicago box. Marta stepped up to coolly send Alyssa Naeher the wrong way and convert the spot kick.
A few minutes after that, Chicago forward Jameese Joseph capitalized on a heavy touch from Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse and notched a consolation goal for the visitors.
With 5.33 xG on the night, it was the most xG for a club in a single NWSL match since a 4–1 win for the North Carolina Courage over the Seattle Reign in 2019. Of that xG total, 2.87 was Banda alone, who attempted seven shots and also hit the woodwork twice.
It’s what she does 😈 pic.twitter.com/9fnVC78HmE
— Orlando Pride - x (@ORLPride) November 9, 2024
"Our coach [Seb Hines] is always telling us that champions always win in the dressing room, so the morale with this team was so high even before the game. We set the tone high because we wanted to win this game, and it was important for us to win. We are looking forward to the next game," Banda said.
Crestfallen Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was questioned about what her team's game plan was when it came to handling Banda. In her opinion, it was less about strategy and more a result of a generational talent playing at the peak of her powers.
"You just saw a world-class player making world-class plays, and a lot of credit to her [Banda]. She's a very talented player, scores a lot of goals and is very dangerous," Naeher said.
Chicago head coach Lorne Donaldson called his team's performance "way out of character" but ultimately attributed the blame to himself and how he set up his players to defend after the first goal went in.
"Maybe I got something wrong; I should have fixed something back there. We trusted it. And you know it's not the players. I just got it wrong. So you got to give Orlando credit, you know, they scored the goals," Donaldson said.
The number one seed Pride is now guaranteed to host a playoff semifinal against the winner of Saturday's Kansas City Current vs. North Carolina Courage quarterfinal Nov. 16.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Orlando Pride Blow Away Chicago Red Stars to Advance to NWSL Semifinals.
