Less than 72 hours after their last game ended, Washington Spirit (3-3-1) will take the field again this afternoon to face the Orlando Pride (2-2-2).

Adrian Gonzalez said his team’s plan between the matches was to “try to survive, as simple as that.” The team had just a little time to train and study video on Thursday before traveling to Florida for this match. Though the Spirit have won their last three, the two in the past week were against teams that played a somewhat similar style, while Gonzalez sees a different threat from today’s opponents.

“I think they are very versatile. It is a team that can threaten you different ways: Having numbers in the middle…and they have the quality to play inside,” Gonzalez said. “They can be vertical too, threatening in behind with Marta, in the past with Ovalle too, so again, I think it’s a team that, they are very aggressive also defensively. They are very organized, and yeah, a team who has, you know, different ways to compete and with a lot of experienced players.”

Fullback Paige Metayer stressed that, with such a congested schedule, the Spirit would need to rely on a lot of different players to get results but that the team is talented and has a strong culture to help them through challenging times.

“It’s a tough span of games, and, you know, getting hyped for each game, especially when you have three in a week, can be harder, obviously,” she said, “but I think we do ae good job of managing, like, rest and recovery but also making sure that everyone’s feeling their best, like both mentally and physically.”

Key Player: Tara Rudd

Wearing the captain’s armband this year, Tara Rudd has led one of the best defenses in the league to four straight clean sheets. Individually, she’s made 10 interceptions, 31 recoveries, and 31 clearances, and will be relied on to stop runaway chances by Barbra Banda. She can also be relied upon to get into the attack with a strong dribble and an 89.8 percent pass accuracy rate.

Watch Out For: Barbra Banda

After returning from an injury that ended her 2025 season early, Barbra Banda is back to her goal-scoring ways. She’s scored five goals in just six matches for Orlando, including a brace in their most recent against Racing Louisville.

Challenges: With so many games in a short window, Washington, which started the same XI throughout April, will need to rely on their depth players to handle the Pride.

Previously: Last year, the Spirit won their game at Inter&Co Stadium but lost the second contest at home.

Orlando Pride Availability:

Out: Kerry Abello (Hip), Zara Chavoshi (Lower Leg), Cosette Morche (Ankle – D45), Kylie Nadaner (Maternity Leave), Jacquie Ovalle (Thigh), Viviana Villacorta (Knee)

Questionable: Marta (Thigh)

Washington Spirit Availability:

Out: Deborah Abiodun (Hip), Ashley Hatch (Maternity Leave), Aubrey Kingsbury (Maternity Leave), Casey Krueger (Maternity Leave), Sara Wojdelko (Hand)

Questionable: None

Location: Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, FL
Kickoff time: 4 p.m. ET
Referee: Shawn Tehini
Available streaming: Ion