Gotham FC vs Orlando Pride preview: Battle of the fallen giants | OneFootball

Off the back of arguably their most frustrating result of the season, NJ/NY Gotham FC will return to NWSL action on the road against last season's Shield and Championship winners, the Orlando Pride. This is the second and final meeting between the two sides in 2025, with Orlando emerging victorious in their previous meeting in New Jersey by a score of 2-0.

Gotham FC enters this game in a perilous position in the playoff race. They currently sit in the eighth and final playoff spot on 21 points. The next four teams behind Gotham in the standings, the North Carolina Courage, Angel City FC, Houston Dash, and Bay FC, all sit within four points, with North Carolina tied on points with the Bats.

They need every point they can get, and while an away game against Orlando has typically been a death sentence over the past 18 months, recent events mean the Florida side is in as vulnerable a position as they have been in for a while. The Pride is now on their fifth game without a win, scoring just two goals during that time. Plus, Barbra Banda is on the season-ending injury list. They did just sign Lizbeth Ovalle from Tigres UANL Femenil for a world record transfer fee, but it is unclear if she will be available on Friday.

While both teams were part of the "big 4" from last season, alongside the Washington Spirit and Kansas City Current, they have since seen a dip in form in 2025. While Gotham's goal-scoring struggles are well-documented, Orlando's have had their fair share as well. Both teams are on multi-game winless streaks, too, and this is a big game for both clubs. Here's a preview of Friday's matchup between Gotham FC and the Pride.

Gotham FC vs Orlando Pride preview

Date

The fixture will be played on Friday, August 29.

Time

The match is scheduled to begin at 8:00 PM ET.

How to watch

The game will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Location

The match will be played at Inter&Co stadium in Orlando, Florida.

Weather

This game will kick off after sunset, which will be at 7:50 PM. At kickoff, the temperature is expected to be at 80 degrees with 80% humidity and 8 mph winds. The weather looks to be pretty consistent throughout the match, with only a two-degree drop and 6% gain in humidity over the course of the 90 minutes. There is also a 50% chance of thunderstorms in the two hours before kickoff, which could influence the game if the storms materialize.

Injury report

Tierna Davidson (SEI – knee) and Ella Stevens (knee) will miss the game in Orlando.

Players to watch

For Gotham, keep an eye on Gabi Portilho. Since the Brazilian returned from her nation's winning Copa América Femenina campaign, she has been great for Gotham. She earned her first assist since April a few weeks ago against Houston and looked lively against Utah as well. If they can have another forward not named Sarah Schupansky or Esther González start contributing offensively, then it could be what this team needs to start winning games again.

For Orlando, Ally Watt could be who steps up in the goal-scoring department in Banda's absence. The Colorado native was the 2026 expansion side Denver Summit's first-ever player acquisition and has since been sent on loan back to Orlando. This will be the forward's fourth and final season in purple, and she'll be looking to leave Pride fans with a lasting final impression as Orlando looks to win back-to-back championships.

This will be a closely fought match as both teams will view this as a great opportunity to get back in the win column. A 1-1 draw is the prediction with goals from González for Gotham and Watt for Orlando. This match could really go either way, with wins for either side also being likely outcomes in addition to the predicted draw.