ORLANDO, Fla. — After a two-week break, the Orlando Pride will be back at Exploria Stadium Sunday night for a makeup Challenge Cup game verse NY/NJ Gotham.
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Both teams will be missing some international players participating in the Women’s World Cup.
Orlando will be without the Brazilians Marta, Adrianna, Rafaelle, and Argentine international Mariana Larroquette. Rafaelle and Larroquette signed during the international break and have not played a match for the Orlando Pride this season.
Gotham FC will also be without three U.S. international players, Kristie Mewis, Kelley O’Hara, Lynn Williams, Brazilian Bruninha, Ireland’s Sinead Farrelly, and Nigerian Ifeoma Onumonu.
In the Challenge Cup, the Pride are currently at the bottom of the group with only one point in two games.
That one point came in a tie verse the North Carolina Courage in their first Challenge Cup match in April.
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The Pride lost to the Washington Spirit, 4-2, in the Challenge Cup play in May.
But the Pride have a different energy in their last two games, beating top-tier teams in the NWSL in the Washington Spirit and OL Reign.
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The International break could be a good time for the team to make a run in both the Challenge Cup and the NWSL regular season, with international players in the World Cup impacting the rosters for the next two to five weeks, depending on how well some international squads perform in the World Cup.
When: Sunday, July 23 at 7 p.m.
Where: Exploria Stadium
Watch: Paramount+
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