Welcome to your preview and match thread for the Orlando Pride’s 2018 NWSL season opener against Utah Royals FC. It’s the first of three scheduled meetings between the two sides this season, with Orlando traveling to Sandy, UT, for the final two matches in the series on May 9 and July 14.
Although Utah is technically an all-new team just starting from scratch, this isn’t what you’d call a typical expansion franchise. Utah Head Coach Laura Harvey has been successful in the league for years and a big chunk of the Royals’ roster was brought in from former NWSL club FC Kansas City, which finished seventh in the NWSL in 2017 (8-9-7, 31 points).