ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Pride are steadily finding their form, as their national-team players have recently rounded out their 2018 roster. Orlando has gone on a two-game unbeaten streak, earning their first win of the season on April 22 over the Houston Dash and most recently drawing with the Seattle Reign on April 28.

But the early-season, National Women’s Soccer League schedule isn’t doing the Pride (1-2-2, 5 points) any favors. Just four days after hosting Seattle, the Pride will travel to face the second-place Chicago Red Stars on Wednesday to start a three-game road trip.

Orlando’s first challenge won’t be easy, as the Red Stars (2-1-3, 9 points) are in a good form, so far recording the second-best goal differential (+3) and scoring the second-most goals (nine).

That doesn’t bode well for a Pride team that, historically, has not found success against Chicago. Since Orlando’s inaugural 2016 season, Chicago has dominated the two teams’ series, boasting a 4-0-1 record.

Though, the tide could be turning, as Orlando’s lone result is its most recent outcome with the Red Stars.

Here’s what to expect from the Red Stars when they host Orlando on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The match will be broadcast on go90.com.

Chicago Attack Bolstered by Arrival of Sam Kerr

Like Orlando’s Australians, forward Sam Kerr recently returned to the United States for the 2018 NWSL season. Unlike the Aussies in Central Florida, though, Kerr switched teams for the new year, moving from New Jersey’s Sky Blue FC to Chicago.

Despite helping the Australian women’s national team qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup throughout April, Kerr, too, played her first NWSL game of 2018 on April 28, a 1-1 draw with the Washington Spirit. She even played the entire match and was a threat at any moment, tallying six shots (two on-goal).

But anyone who knows Kerr wasn’t surprised by her aggression; she has developed into one of the league’s premier scoring threats. In 2017, Kerr scored 17 goals, beating out second-place Pride forward Marta Vieira da Silva and her 13 scores, to win the league’s Golden Boot award. She also tallied four assists last year.

“Yeah, I think you have to expect that she’s going to be good every game,” Pride defender Monica Hickmann Alves said after training Monday. “So, just be prepared and not let her do much things.”

Sofia Huerta, Alyssa Mautz Lead Potent Red Stars

Without Kerr, the Red Stars have done well even in facets of their game with significant voids extending from the offseason.

In 2017, the Red Stars were led by another attacking-minded star, Christen Press, who is now playing overseas. She scored the fourth-most goals in the NWSL last season, totaling 11 goals and four assists.

Leading the way on a relatively star-less roster were midfielders Sofia Huerta and Alyssa Mautz. Together, they’ve combined for five goals and three assists in six appearances each, as Mautz is tied for second-most goals in the league with three.

As for Huerta, she’s a player Pride boss Tom Sermanni considers to be one of the best in the NWSL.

“Well, you know, Huerta’s always been, you know, one of the best players in the league since I’ve come into it,” Sermanni said after training Tuesday. “She’s one of those players that can play anywhere and is just a really, really good football player–whether she’s playing up front, or in midfield or even sometimes at the back.

“Mautz is a nonstop worker. And she’s just getting rewards for that work rate. She gets in the box; she’s always on the move, always on the going, and she’s now started to get into a little run of form of scoring goals, and that, then, breeds more confidence.”

Red Stars’ Pressure Leading to Their Success

Chicago has won two of its six matches in 2018, so far, and both wins have been shutouts. The Red Stars earned both wins in back-to-back weeks, first beating Utah Royals FC 1-0 on April 14 and then defeating the Dash 3-0 on April 18.

When the Red Stars tend to take advantage of their momentum, Sermanni is seeing a team that likes to pressure.

“High-pressure team. A team that is very focused on the task. A team that’s physically very strong and with a mix, now, of talented players,” Sermanni said. “So, as I say, they’ve continued to build a squad, and they’ve always had, what I’d call very much, a blue-collar team and been successful with that.”

The Red Stars are second in shots (54) and are fifth in on-goal attempts (22).

For more on the Pride, as they take on the No. 2 team in the NWSL, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.