Orlando Pride met Washington Spirit for the sixth fixture of the NWSL, and the fifth one for Washington Spirit given that they still have a delayed match to play. Both teams failed to get the three points and nullified each other with a 2-2 draw that witnessed goals from each side, making the game exciting for the fans but problematic for both head coaches. In fact, Orlando Pride came back in the match in the last minutes of it after being behind in score for more than 90 minutes.
Trinity Rodman was able to open the score in the 19th minute with a great shot from outside the box and then Ashley Hatch added a second goal to confirm Washington Spirit’s lead in the 66th minute. Orlando Pride however didn’t give up and were only able to score their first goal of the match in the 91st minute before adding the equalising goal in the dying seconds of the match, earning a precious point after being behind for the whole match and causing a lot of frustration for Washington Spirit players, coaching staff and fans. Knowing that Washington Spirit were very close to adding a third goal in the second half, after creating numerous goalscoring occasions, added to their frustration as it made them learn a painful lesson despite getting one point at the end of the day.
Following this match, Orlando Pride reached eight points in total, holding the sixth spot of NWSL while Washington Spirit are a little bit behind in the standings since they are ninth with six points, knowing that they still have a delayed match to play. Both teams are actually doing relatively okay at the start of this season given that Orlando Pride won two games, picked up two draws and lost two other games while Washington Spirit won a match, drew thrice and lost one match.
The team needs to strive for getting better results very soon in order to compete for the top spots and not fall into a series of bad results. What is even more frustrating for Washington Spirit is that they have all that it takes to win and they proved that on many occasions. And in order to take advantage of that, they will have to remain focused for the whole game in the future, especially from a defensive perspective, so that they can preserve their lead.
In this tactical analysis article, the focus will be on Washington Spirit’s performance and errors that led to their draw while also exploring how did Orlando Pride succeed in making an unexpected comeback in the final minutes of the match, all in an extensive analysis.
Line-ups
Orlando Pride started the match using the 4-2-3-1 formation with Erin McLeod as a goalkeeper, Celia Jiménez, Carrie Lawrence, Megan Montefusco and Courtney Petersen in defence, Viviana Villacorta and Mikayla Cluff as central midfielders, Darian Jenkins and Sydney Leroux on both wings while Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir played as an advanced playmaker just behind the striker Leah Pruitt.
On the other side, Washington Spirit started the match with the 4-2-3-1 formation using Aubrey Bledsoe as a goalkeeper, Anna Heilferty, Emily Sonnett, Sam Staab and Julia Roddar in defence, Andi Sullivan and Bayley Feist as central midfielders, Trinity Rodman and Ashley Hatch on the wings and Ashley Sanchez as an advanced playmaker in support of the striker Audrey Harding.
Washington Spirit goals and errors
Washington Spirit made a gradually impressive start to the match by trying to absorb Orlando Pride’s initial dynamism and getting possession of the ball in key areas and especially in the midfield. What helped them in this is their continuous high pressing and aggression on the ball. Such efforts were soon rewarded when Sanchez pressed high on her direct opponent and exploited the latter’s controlling mistake to intercept the ball in a very dangerous area, as you can see below.
