2019 NWSL Regular Season – Week 18

Chicago Red Stars vs Orlando Pride

SeatGeek Stadium

August 21 at 6:30 PM CT

 CHICAGO — After a two-game road trip, Chicago returns home to face the Orlando Pride on Wednesday, August 21. Kickoff at SeatGeek Stadium is scheduled for 6:30 PM CT. 

Where to Watch

TV: NBCSH+

Stream: Yahoo Sports

Additionally, authenticated regional subscribers of NBC Sports Chicago can watch the live stream of the game at NBCSportsChicago.com/WatchLive.

Opponent Form

The Pride hosted the Utah Royals this past Saturday in hopes of putting a disappointing loss to Houston behind them. Unfortunately for Orlando, Christen Press and Amy Rodriguez sunk those hopes with two second-half goals to hand the Pride a 2-0 defeat. It was Orlando’s second-consecutive defeat and their third loss in their last four games. Against both teams they’ve faced in August, Orlando has been held scoreless. 

Storylines

Golden Gloves: One of the drawing factors the NWSL possesses is the ability to see World Champions face off against one another. Wednesday’s game calls for that exact occasion when goalkeepers Alyssa Naeher and Ashlyn Harris square off. Since returning from international duties, Harris has one clean sheet and 10 saves, including a seven-save performance last Saturday. Naeher has been stellar in net since her return at the World Cup. The Red Stars goalkeeper has made eight saves and had two consecutive clean sheets in the four games she’s played since her heroics in this summer’s tournament for the U.S. Women’s National Team. 

Tip of the Cap: Kerr returned from the World Cup this year with a bang against the Pride. It only took the Aussie superstar 55 minutes to score a hat trick against Orlando, giving the Red Stars the 3-2 win in her comeback game. Despite this past Wednesday’s disappointing result, Kerr did score a clutch goal in stoppage time to give the Red Stars an equalizer and she still tops the NWSL Golden Boot race with 13 goals. 

Tight at the Top: Chicago currently sits in second place in the NWSL Standings, but just like in years past, it’s a tight race for the coveted four playoff spots in the last third of the season. Chicago is only one point ahead of North Carolina and two points away from Utah and Reign FC who sit in fourth and fifth place respectively. With so little separating each team, the outlook of the NWSL playoffs could change dramatically with just one result.