CHICAGO – The Chicago Red Stars travel to Exploria Stadium this Wednesday, September 11 for a mid-week match against the Orlando Pride. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 pm CT on ESPNews. Here’s everything you need to know about our upcoming opponent.

 Opponent Form: 

The Pride showed signs of improvement as the season progressed. Orlando’s four wins have all come in the latter half of their schedule, including a win against Chicago on the road last month. However, the club suffered a big offensive loss with the departure of forward Chioma Ubogagu two weeks ago. In their first match without her on the roster, Orlando conceded three goals in the first 17 minutes. Camila’s second-half goal was not enough to turn things around as Orlando fell 3-1 to Reign FC on Saturday. 

 The Trilogy:

Wednesday will be the rubber match in the season series between both teams in what has been a tight battle all year long, as both previous matchups were decided by one goal. Sam Kerr made her triumphant return from the World Cup in time to score a hat trick against the Pride back in June’s 3-2 Chicago victory. In August, Orlando exacted their revenge in a 2-1 win over the Red Stars. 

Who’s Hot:

Since her return from the World Cup, Orlando’s Marta has tallied five goals in her last six games. The Brazilian icon is once again among the top ten goal scorers in the NWSL this season. Her best game of the year came against the Portland Thorns, where she scored a goal and helped create two more goals against the team at the top of the league standings. Her performance earned her NWSL Player of the Week Honors. 

 Fun Stat To Know:

The Orlando Pride lead the league in yellow and red cards, with 28 and 3 respectively.