Orlando Pride Faces San Diego Wave Without Marta Due to Injury

San Diego, California — The Orlando Pride will face the San Diego Wave on Friday night without their star player Marta, who is sidelined due to a back injury. The match is scheduled to kick off at 10:30 p.m. ET at Snapdragon Stadium.

Marta’s absence is significant for the Pride, as the Brazilian playmaker was named to the NWSL Best XI last year. The league’s availability report released late Thursday confirmed she would not be participating. The injury is a new development; the 39-year-old had played a full 90 minutes in the Pride’s last match, a narrow 1-0 loss to the North Carolina Courage.

Orlando has struggled recently, currently in a nine-game winless streak (0 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses) dating back to June 13. They sit in seventh place with 29 points, dangerously close to the playoff line with teams like the Houston Dash and Racing Louisville just three points behind.

The team’s head coach, Seb Hines, expressed concern over the mounting pressure to achieve positive results. “San Diego is a team that likes to keep possession, draw you out, exploit the spaces. They have some high-quality players that we need to be cautious about,” Hines stated. “We need to focus on ourselves and hope to turn this season around.”

In addition to Marta, the Pride will also be without forward Barbra Banda, who has been inactive due to a hip injury. Defender Kylie Nadaner is excused from the match, marking her fourth consecutive absence. Brazilian defender Rafaelle‘s status is questionable due to an ankle issue.

The Pride have managed to secure two wins in the Concacaf W Champions Cup recently, demolishing Alajuelense and Chorrillo 8-0 combined. However, the league play has not shown the same success, raising the urgency for a win against San Diego.

In their last match against the Wave, Marta converted a penalty in the 76th minute, leading to a 2-1 victory. The upcoming match will mark the beginning of a challenging week for the Pride, who will play three games in seven days, including a trip to Mexico for a Champions Cup match against Club América on September 30.