On Tuesday, the Pride held their first practice of the preseason, and even though it is not November, I am giving thanks that they are finally back on the field. There are only so many stories out there during the off-season, when news comes in drips and drabs. It was great to see players back in their Pride practice uniforms and smiling together on the field, and with every passing day, the Pride’s roster will get closer and closer to being set for the 2026 season, and we will know which players will compete to replace the minutes of those who departed the club during the off-season.

At almost this exact time last year I wrote an article about how the 2025 Pride were bringing back nearly every player from their 2024 team, and while just two weeks later the Pride said “oh really, Andrew?” and transferred Adriana to Al Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia, a robust 87% of the minutes played by Pride players during the 2025 NWSL regular season were played by players from that 2024 team. That percentage would likely have been even higher if not for the injury to Barbra Banda, but 87% is still the second-highest percentage of minutes played in the subsequent season by returning players from the league champion in NWSL history, as you can see from the table below:

The 2025 Pride had a lot of continuity from that 2024 team, and while we will never know what would have happened if Banda had stayed healthy (my completely unbiased prediction: back-to-back champs, wins in every playoff game by at least 10 goals), we know that when she played, the team had a +10 goal differential in 16 (but really 15) games, and the team was +1.04 goals per 90 minutes better with her on the field than off the field. That stat is courtesy of fbref.com, a phrase I sadly may not be able to say again this season, as fbref’s data provider cut off its data access this week, and sadly one of the world’s best free databases for men’s and women’s soccer statistics is now gone. I am feeling more verklempt than Mike Myers in an SNL sketch. Let’s move on.

There is only a weak negative correlation between the percentage of minutes played by returning players in the subsequent season and a champion’s finish in the subsequent regular season. So, while a negative correlation means as the percentage of minutes played by returning players increases, a team’s regular-season finish decreases (decreasing being good, because the number is getting closer to one, which is first place), the correlation is weak. In plain language, that means just because a lot of players return, it does not imply the team will challenge for the regular-season title.

The correlation is also weak and negative for the relationship between returning player minutes and a team’s finish in the subsequent playoffs, and the numbers back up what most of us inherently think anyway, which is that while it is good to have continuity and bring back championship-winning players, it does not guarantee anything.

This leads me to the roster, as we know it, for the Pride. I wrote a piece in our most recent newsletter, which you can subscribe to by clicking here, about the positional breakdown of the players currently on the Pride’s roster. But if we step back and look at the macro view for the Pride, the following players, who played at least one minute during NWSL play in 2025, are no longer with the club: Emily Sams, Ally Watt, Carson Pickett, Morgan Gautrat, Prisca Chilufya, Simone Charley, Grace Chanda, and Bri Martinez. Those players combined to play almost exactly 25% of the NWSL regular-season minutes last season, and some quick math tells us that means the Pride currently have 75% of their minutes played in 2025 returning for 2026, as it stands today.

Kylie Nadaner’s return date is still to be determined, so that is another 6% currently unavailable (dropping the total down to 69% returning) but will probably be back during the season. The upshot of all this is the team returns approximately two-thirds of its minutes from last year from a team that, when healthy, was among the best in the league.

It is not ideal that the minutes that have to be replaced include one of the league’s best center backs in Sams, who played the full 90 minutes in every game except one, but at the same time, it is ideal that Banda is likely to play 500+ more minutes and Jacquie Ovalle will probably play 1,000+ more minutes than they did in 2025. If those two hit those benchmarks they will replace all or nearly all of the minutes played by the now-departed Watt and Charley, and while they were solid contributors, minutes played by Banda and Ovalle will be considered an upgrade.

Pickett’s departure will likely be covered by a combination of the new defenders who have signed with the Pride in recent weeks, some Kerry Abello minutes in the midfield instead of at left back, and increases in minutes for Julie Doyle, Simone Jackson, or Summer Yates, who hopefully will be fully healthy this year and return to her 2024 form. Thus far, the Pride have signed two attacking players — rookies Solai Washington and let’s-hope-she-doesn’t-wear-number-six Seven Castain — but both players primarily played forward in college, so we do not yet know if they have the ability to play out on the wing.

If they do, those two could also be in the mix to replace Pickett’s midfield minutes as well as the minutes played by Chanda, Chilufya, and some minutes at their natural position of forward. That leaves the one minute played by Martinez, which will be absorbed by the Pride’s deep list of right backs (Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace, Oihane, Nicole Payne). The midfield minutes played by Gautrat can be filled by Ally Lemos, Luana, and Viviana Villacorta, though most likely by the first two.

You surely noticed that I skipped over replacing the minutes from Sams and Nadaner (while she is out). While there are players on the roster who can do that, there is also the ever-present risk of a Rafaelle injury, as she has not been the most durable player while in Orlando. Zara Chavoshi and the recently acquired Hannah Anderson are both center backs, though last season Anderson was the third center back for a bottom-of-the-standings Chicago team and Chavoshi was the fourth center back in Orlando. Both players are young and have the potential to improve, and in Chavoshi’s case she was behind three really good center backs last season, so being fourth on the depth chart is not an indication of her talent.

Some of the Pride’s other outside back players like Abello, Dyke, Mace and potentially others could also play some center back, but it still feels like that position is unsettled at the moment and there is not enough depth, especially with Rafaelle’s injury history and an even longer schedule this year due to the two new expansion teams joining the league.

Speculation season will come to an end soon, but new Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Caitlin Carducci still has weeks left to make additional signings or trades and firm up the roster (hopefully she ensures Own Goal stays for another year). As the preseason opens, it seems like the Pride have backfill options already on the roster to adequately cover every departed player except for Sams, but that $650,000 they received for her is some dry powder that Carducci surely will make use of at some point to acquire additional new talent. Perhaps Anderson, Chavoshi, or another defender will show so much in preseason that those funds can be deployed elsewhere, or maybe Carducci will go center back shopping, but either way, there will be a new center back pairing when the season opens.

The countdown is on until the season opener on March 15 at home against Seattle, and while right now most fans are focused on how many days are left until that game, you can be assured that in the front office and among the coaching staff they are having just as many conversations about how to allocate the game minutes as they are how to allocate those practice days.

Both conversations matter, but none more than how game minutes will be allocated. Pride leadership will make minute examinations of minute details, parsing minute distinctions to determine who ultimately earns major minutes.

Vamos Pride!

The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has signed Jamaican international forward Solai Washington. The former Florida State Seminole  through the 2027 season with a mutual option for the 2028 season.

“Solai is a player we’ve had an eye on for a while during her two years in college,” Orlando Pride head coach Seb Hines said in a club press release. “Her composure on the ball, her ability to break lines, and the maturity she showed at Florida State make her a fantastic fit for what we’re building here. She brings energy, versatility, and a real competitive edge, which is what we look for in players. We’re excited to have her here in Orlando and to see the impact she can make in our environment both on and off the field.” 

The 20-year-old attacker from Atlanta made 35 appearances in her two years in Tallahassee, scoring eight goals and adding four assists while helping the Seminoles win the 2025 NCAA national championship and the 2024 ACC tournament. Washington was a member of the 2024 ACC All-Freshmen Team, the 2024 All-ACC Academic Team, and was named to TopDrawerSoccer’s postseason Top 100 Freshman list (at No. 42).

On the international stage, Washington has already represented Jamaica at the senior level on the biggest stage, making three appearances with the Reggae Girlz at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, debuting in a scoreless draw with France.

What It Means for Orlando

The Pride’s need for depth in the attacking positions is well documented, and Washington is a young player with a ton of upside in an area of need. From that perspective alone, this is a signing that makes sense. While it would be nice for the club to sign some proven NWSL-level scorers to provide depth for Barbra Banda, Marta, and Jacquie Ovalle, it’s always good to develop young talent. Since the abolition of the NWSL Draft, teams must work harder to secure the services of players like Washington.

It will require some time to know whether Orlando’s faith in Washington will be rewarded, and she wasn’t the most prolific scorer at FSU, but it says something about a player that they can get minutes at age 17 in a World Cup. It will be up to Hines and his staff to develop Washington, who will have no shortage of great mentors as teammates.

The National Women’s Soccer League schedule was announced this morning, telling us who, where, and when the Orlando Pride will play this year. The 2026 season will once again feature a balanced schedule with all teams playing the other 15 teams once at home and once on the road. The addition of Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC will see each team play 30 games, making it the longest regular season in league history.

The Pride will begin the season at home, facing the Seattle Reign on March 15. This season begins with a two-game homestand, ending with the club’s first-ever match against the Summit and the return of Ally Watt. The first road game will occur on March 25 when the Pride face Chicago Stars FC in Evanston, IL.

The Pride’s home schedule will end on Oct. 25 when they face NJ/NY Gotham FC. They’ll then travel west to face Seattle on Decision Day in the return game on Nov. 1, concluding the team’s 11th season in existence.

Orlando’s games this year are well distributed among the league’s various broadcast partners. The Pride will play nine times on Victory+ — the league’s new free streaming partner. Additionally, they’ll play six times on Prime Video, five times on Ion, twice on CBS Sports Network, once on ESPN, and once on ESPN2. The remaining games will be available on NWSL+.

Should the Pride qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive year, the quarterfinals will take play Nov. 6-8, followed by the semifinals on Nov. 14-15. The championship game will take place on Nov. 21 at a location yet to be determined.

The longest homestand this year is two games and will occur three times. As previously mentioned, the Pride begin with a pair of home games against Seattle and Denver on March 15 and March 20, respectively. They’ll host the Washington Spirit and North Carolina Courage on May 2 and May 8, respectively; the Kansas City Current and Boston on July 10 and July 15, respectively; and Utah Royals FC and the Houston Dash on Aug. 29 and Sept. 6, respectively.

The longest road trip this year is a three-game swing in May. Orlando will face Boston at Gillette Stadium on May 12, Denver on May 16, and San Diego Wave FC on May 24.

The league will take a month-long break during June as the country hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Pride’s final game before the break is on May 29 at home against Bay FC and they will return to action on July 3 against Angel City FC in Los Angeles.

The busiest months of the season will be May and July, when the Pride will play six times in each month. They’ll play four times in March, August, and September, three times in October, twice in April, and once in November.

Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of the regular season:

• March — 4
• April — 2
• May — 6
• June — 0
• July — 6
• August — 4
• September — 4
• October — 3
• November — 1

The most common day the Pride will play this year will be Friday (11 times), the same as last year. They’ll play nine games on Sunday, seven on Saturday, two on Wednesday, and one rare Tuesday match.

Here’s the Pride’s breakdown by day for the regular season:

• Monday — 0
• Tuesday — 1
• Wednesday — 2
• Thursday — 0
• Friday — 11
• Saturday — 7
• Sunday — 9

For fans that follow Orlando City and the Pride, the teams will play on the same day five times. However, two of the days won’t see the games overlap. On May 2, the Pride hosts the Spirit at 4 p.m. and the Lions face Inter Miami away at 7 p.m. On Sept. 19, the Pride host the Portland Thorns at 4 p.m while City plays at the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. 

The teams’ games will overlap on three occasions, but they never start at the same time. On May 16, Orlando City hosts Atlanta United at 7:30 p.m. before the Pride play in Denver at 8:45 p.m. On Aug. 15, Orlando City hosts FC Cincinnati at 7:30 p.m. and the Pride play in Portland at 8:45 p.m. On Aug. 29, the Pride host the Royals at 7 p.m. and Orlando City faces Minnesota United FC away at 8:30 p.m.

2026 Orlando Pride Schedule (All Times Eastern)

• Sunday, March 15 — vs. Seattle Reign FC, 4 p.m. (Victory+)
• Friday, March 20 — vs. Denver Summit FC, 8 p.m. (Victory+)
• Wednesday, March 25 — at Chicago Stars FC 8 p.m. (Victory+)
• Sunday, March 29 — at NJ/NY Gotham FC, 7 p.m. (Victory+)
• Friday, April 3 — vs. Angel City FC, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Friday, April 24 — at Racing Louisville FC, 5:30 p.m. (Victory+)
• Saturday, May 2 — vs. Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. (ION)
• Friday, May 8 — vs. North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Tuesday, May 12 — at Boston Legacy FC, 8 p.m. (Victory+)
• Saturday, May 16 — at Denver Summit FC, 8:45 p.m. (ION)
• Sunday, May 24 — at San Diego Wave FC, 7 p.m. (Victory+)
• Friday, May 29 — vs. Bay FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
• Friday, July 3 — at Angel City FC, 10 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Friday, July 10 — vs. Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Wednesday, July 15 — vs. Boston Legacy FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
• Saturday, July 18 — at Utah Royals FC, 8:45 p.m. (ION)
• Friday, July 24 — vs. Chicago Stars FC, 8 p.m. (Victory+)
• Friday, July 31 — at North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Saturday, Aug. 8 — vs. Racing Louisville FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
• Saturday, Aug. 15 — at Portland Thorns, 8:45 p.m. (ION)
• Sunday, Aug. 23 — at Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
• Saturday, Aug. 29 — vs. Utah Royals FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
• Sunday, Sept. 6 — vs. Houston Dash, 7 p.m. (Victory+)
• Friday, Sept. 11 — at Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Saturday, Sept. 19 — vs. Portland Thorns, 4 p.m. (ION)
• Sunday, Sept. 27 — at Bay FC, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
• Friday, Oct. 2 — vs. San Diego Wave FC, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Sunday, Oct. 18 — at Houston Dash, 1 p.m. (CBSSN)
• Sunday, Oct. 25 — vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 3 p.m. (CBSSN)
• Sunday, Nov. 1 — at Seattle Reign FC, 5 p.m. (TBD)