The Orlando Pride kick off their 2021 campaign tonight with the first of (at least) four NWSL Challenge Cup matches, as they head north to face Racing Louisville at 7 p.m. The Pride famously did not compete in this event in 2020 due to COVID-19 testing results. Thus, Orlando played only four competitive matches under Marc Skinner during the last calendar year — and even those featured a young lineup that bore little resemblance to the one he’ll put on the field today.
Skinner has had, effectively, one season at the helm of the Pride and didn’t have most of his starting lineup for a large chunk of that 2019 campaign.