OL Reign are on the road before a break in NWSL play.

OL Reign is back on the road to face the Orlando Pride on Friday, July 7. The match kicks off at 4 PM PT and will air on FOX 13+ locally, along with streaming on Paramount+ (U.S.) and the NWSL website (international viewers).

OL Reign will be without eight players who are with their national teams preparing for the World Cup. Orlando is missing Adriana and Marta, who will represent Brazil in Australia and New Zealand.

This is OL Reign’s last match before a league-wide break. OL Reign won’t play again until July 28, a Challenge Cup match against San Diego.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of Friday’s match.

Recent Results

Last weekend, to close out a three-match week, OL Reign came from behind in dramatic fashion to draw 2-2 against Racing Louisville at home. The Orlando Pride had arguably their best performance of the year, defeating the Washington Spirit 3-0 on the road.

Standings

OL Reign enters matchday 15 in third place with a 7-4-3 record. Orlando is in 9th with a 5-8-1 record. OL Reign has scored 23 goals and conceded 17; the Pride have scored 14 while conceding 21.

Don’t let where Orlando sits in the standings fool you. This is a really dangerous team, as they showed last week.

“I said to the group this week, I think this is the best Orlando team I’ve seen. With their full squad, I think it’s the best team that they’ve had,” head coach Laura Harvey said in a pre-match press conference. “They have threats in multiple areas on the field. They have pace higher up the field. They’re willing to move the ball around at pace and they press and they make it really difficult for the opponent, so I think we have to be prepared for that.”

Head to Head

This is the first meeting between the Reign and Pride this season. The Reign are 6-1-7 all-time against the Pride.

Who to Watch

Left back Kylie Strom leads the Pride (at least the version without Marta and Adriana) in shot-creating actions. She likes to get involved in the attack from the left wing and whip in crosses.

In addition, she might fly under the radar a bit, but Viviana Villacorta is a critical midfield engine for the Pride. The holding midfielder completes 84% of her passes and quietly keeps the team organized — allowing her midfield partners like Mikayla Cluff to have more room to roam and combine with teammates.

What to Watch

Orlando’s press + transition

Like Racing Louisville the week prior, the Orlando Pride is a team that likes to press opponents and pounce in transition. As Jason Anderson notes for Pro Soccer Wire, against the Spirit last week, the Pride moved the ball around with quick, short passes — getting around Washington’s diamond midfield and running at the Spirit fullbacks in isolation.

With speedy players in the attack, including Julie Doyle, who scored two goals last week, rookie Messiah Bright, and Ally Watt, the Reign midfield will be tasked with preventing transition opportunities and winning duels.

“I think we need to be really good at preventing transition and just kind of stopping their threats higher up so that it doesn’t come to that point where they can use their threats against us,” Reign midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt said ahead of the match. “In the midfield, a big thing will be preventing transition and of course, winning first and second balls just to counteract that.”

Winning those first and second balls will be important, as the Pride lead the league in tackles won — while OL Reign have won the most aerial duels in the NWSL. It will be a battle of two teams with hard-working mentalities.

Scoring first

OL Reign and Orlando Pride are the only two teams in the league this season with a perfect record when scoring first. The Reign are 6-0-0 and the Pride are 3-0-0 after getting the opening goal. Starting on the front foot is going to be even more important heading into another hot, muggy match. It’s supposed to be in the mid-to-upper 80s with nearly 70% humidity at kickoff.

“When we start well and we do start on the front foot, it tends to reflect in our performance and our results,” Harvey said.

This will be arguably all the more important considering Orlando’s recent performance. OL Reign will have to work two times as hard if they go down a goal, which is not what they want. Scoring first could certainly change the dynamic.

“They’ve probably put in arguably their best performance of the season last week against Washington. So, we come in knowing that and we come in knowing that the game is going to be tough. I think the big thing for us is to make sure that we don’t give them anything,” Harvey said.

A team that likes to shoot

According to FBref, Orlando has taken the third most shots in the league, behind Portland and Gotham. They have the sixth-highest expected goals total, however, which indicates that not every shot is a high-quality chance. Instead, these shooting opportunities put opponents under pressure in the box and can lead to second chances for the Pride.

Case in point: Orlando’s first goal against the Spirit last week.

Injury / Availability Report

OL Reign

OUT: Tziarra King (leg)

INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Angelina (BRA), Alana Cook (USA), Sofia Huerta (USA), Jordyn Huitema (CAN), Rose Lavelle (USA), Quinn (CAN), Megan Rapinoe (USA), Emily Sonnett (USA)

Orlando Pride

OUT: Carrie Lawrence (SEI - knee)

INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Adriana (BRA), Marta (BRA)

How to Watch

OL Reign kicks off against the Orlando Pride at 4 PM PT on Friday, July 7. The match will air on FOX 13+ locally and stream on Paramount+ (U.S.) and the NWSL website (international).