On Friday night, a stoppage-time goal by Sydney Leroux gave Orlando a 1-1 home tie against Racing Louisville at Exploria Stadium. It's crucial to come away with a point from such a match. To be fair, the team's performance in 2021 has been mostly positive. Even the best teams in the world have bad games now and then, so the 2021 Orlando Pride being able to come away with a point is a positive indication. Sydney Leroux scored the game-winning goal in stoppage time to give Orlando a share of the spoils. The second ball in by Ashlyn Harris was intercepted by Leroux, who scored the game-tying goal.

While key players like Alex Morgan, Marta, and Ali Riley are away, and some bodies need to get healthy, this year's Orlando Pride team is in a much better position to compete. With players like Leroux, Kornieck, Jonsdottir, and reinforcements in the form of Strom and White, this year's Orlando Pride team is in a much better position to compete.

The Pride are tied for first place in the NWSL standings this week, but both North Carolina and Portland have a game in hand. Four teams are close behind those three, demonstrating the league's parity, and the Pride must continue to score points even when their performance isn't up to the standards set by their coaches and players.

[Photography by ICONIC photographer Jackie Shinstrom]