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Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns: Final Score 0-0 In Orlando Home Finale

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With a chance to earn a historic playoff spot, the Orlando Pride (10-6-7, 37 points) could not find the back of the net in the Pride’s final home game of 2017. Portland (12-5-6, 42 points), which has allowed the second fewest goals all season, showed its strong defense as the Pride and Thorns went goalless in front 7,353 fans in Orlando City Stadium. The Thorns are now unbeaten in five matches and the Pride also extended their unbeaten streak to eight (5-0-3) and earned their first-ever point against Portland in four meetings (0-3-1).

“It was a stressful game out there today,” said Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni. “Portland are a very good side. I thought it would be a grave injustice if we would’ve lost it. I think we limited them to one real chance. I think we dominated the game, particularly the first 30 minutes. I thought we played really well, but defensively they are a really good team. I was delighted with how our players went about the job tactically. I was delighted with the effort and thought if any team deserved to win it should be us.”

Kristen Edmonds made her first start since Orlando’s 2-1 win in Kansas City, coming back from a calf injury. The rest of the defense remained the same from the Seattle game and Camila slid forward into the midfield. This forced rookie Rachel Hill to a bench role with Alex Morgan, Marta, and Chioma Ubogagu leading the Pride attack to start. 

Orlando clearly wanted to get an early goal and pushed forward in the beginning of the game. Chi had two shots in the first five minutes, and Steph Catley and Marta both had crossing opportunities. Morgan should have put the Pride ahead in the 12th minute, but the forward’s breakaway attempt was poor and Thorns’ ‘keeper Adrianna Franch caught the ball with ease. 

After about four blocked shots from long range in the 18th minute, Alanna Kennedy took a low right-footed shot. Franch might not have made it in time to cover her left post, but Kennedy’s shot went inches wide and the game remained scoreless.

Most of the first half was all Pride, but in the 35th minute Portland started getting forward. The Thorns had a few chances, but their best opportunity was in the 40th minute when Ashleigh Sykes got in behind the Orlando defense after Hayley Raso played a beautiful through ball. Portland should have went ahead but Ashlyn Harris got a hand on it, and then Monica cleared the ball away from danger as it continued rolling toward goal.

The first half ended goalless, but both teams had chances to get ahead. The theme of the first 45 minutes was Orlando getting chance after chance, but the Pride were unable to break Portland’s defense. The Thorns held their shape regardless of what the Pride attempted, and Orlando was simply not good enough. The Pride led in total shots (12-4), shots on target (2-1), possession (56%-44%), corners (2-1), and total passes (257-201), but the Thorns’ defense dominated.

Not five minutes into the second half, Sermanni was forced to make his first substitution after Catley went down with an injury. Jasmyne Spencer came on and went into the attacking line, moving Chi down to left back. This is the second time that Ubogagu has ever played left back in her life, the first being Orlando’s 1-1 draw against Chicago this year. After the game, Sermanni said that Catley had some inflammation in her knee and the substitution was to ensure that she will be ready for the season finale and playoffs.

Five minutes later, Tobin Heath made her first appearance of the year, coming on for Nadia Nadim. The U.S. Women’s National Team member immediately provided a spark for the visitors when she entered, and Portland started pressing more. Amandine Henry also came on for Allie Long. 

“It’s always good to have your best players in the league,” said Sermanni about Tobin Heath coming back from injury. “It’s not so good when they’re baring down on your penalty area one against one, but I think for the good of the league it’s terrific to see her back. She a wonderful player. She has a great personality, she’s a great professional. It’s always good to have those players, and we need as many of those players in the league as we can get. It was really good to see her back, and even better that she didn’t score.”

In what started as a slow half, the Pride responded to Portland’s high pressure by picking up the pace themselves. Camila, who got beat up throughout the game, did not give up after being fouled in the 65th minute. The ref did not call anything and the Brazilian controlled the ball from the ground, got up, retained possession, and started a Pride attack. Nothing came from it, but the pace of the gave quickened and both teams started going for the three points. 

The Pride kept trying to play a direct game, hit long balls forward and use their speed to break the Portland back line. This plan did not work however, and often led to chances at the other end of the field for the Thorns. 

The Pride threw players forward as the game came to an end, but they were unable to get the win. While not guaranteed a spot in the playoffs after the draw, the Pride sit in a fantastic spot with one game remaining. Seattle needs two wins and to make up seven goal differential in order to have a chance at sneaking into the playoffs.

“[The draw] puts an awful lot of pressure on Seattle to win both games and turn a seven-goal difference around,” Sermanni said. “I think I’d much rather be in our position now than Seattle’s position but we still theoretically need another point.”

The Pride play their final game of the season on Saturday, Sept 30. when Orlando travels to NWSL leaders North Carolina. The Pride need a point in that match to guarantee a spot in the final four.

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Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride look to win their first game under Yolanda Thomas as they welcome the Houston Dash to Orlando.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to your match preview and live thread as the Orlando Pride (8-12-2, 26 points) host the Houston Dash (7-10-5, 26 points) at Inter.co Stadium (7 p.m., Roku Channel). This is the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams this year, with the return game in Houston scheduled for Oct. 18.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

The Pride and Dash have played 24 times since the Pride joined the NWSL in 2016. Orlando has a record of 10-9-3 against the Dash in regular-season play and 10-11-3 in all competitions, with the additional two losses coming in the 2020 Fall Series. The Pride hold a 7-3-1 regular-season record at home vs. the Dash and a 7-4-1 home mark against Houston in all competitions.

The most recent meeting between the two teams took place on Oct. 3, 2025, in Houston. Malia Berkley gave the hosts the lead in the second half, but Simone Charley equalized late, ensuring the Pride got a point in the 1-1 draw. On June 7 of last year in Orlando, it looked like the game was going to end in a scoreless draw until Cori Dyke scored in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time, leading the Pride to a 1-0 win.

On Aug. 23, 2024 in Houston, Summer Yates gave the Pride the lead. Andressa nearly equalized late, hitting the post, but the Pride held on for the 1-0 win. The second meeting that year was on Sept. 28 in Orlando. Carson Pickett gave the hosts the lead and Angelina doubled the advantage after halftime. Yuki Nagasato got one back two minutes later, but Marta secured the 3-1 win in second-half stoppage time.

The first matchup between the teams in 2023 was on June 3 in Houston. The Pride had trouble playing the ball out of the back and were hit on the counterattack, leading to a difficult night. Sophie Hirst gave the hosts the lead early and Michelle Alozie doubled the advantage just before halftime. Despite having more possession and shots, the Pride fell 2-0. The second game took place Oct. 15 in Orlando. While the Pride were the better team, the game was scoreless heading into the late stages. However, a late penalty conversion by Marta gave the Pride the 1-0 win

The teams met for the first of two matches in 2022 on June 3 in Houston. A Nichelle Prince hat trick and goals by Rachel Daly and Alozie led Houston to an easy 5-0 win. It was the last game the Pride played before then-head coach Amanda Cromwell was placed on administrative leave. The teams met again on July 8, 2022, in Orlando. Ally Prisock’s own goal was the only scoring as the Pride took the 1-0 win, the second result in a seven-game unbeaten run.

The Pride and Dash played twice during the 2021 season. The first game was held June 26 in Houston. Maria Sanchez and Veronica Latsko gave the hosts a 2-0 lead. Gunny Jonsdottir got one back, but it wasn’t enough as the Dash won 2-1. The second meeting came on Sept. 5 at Exploria Stadium. The Dash took an early lead through Daly. However, Taylor Kornieck equalized late in a 1-1 draw.

The 2020 NWSL season was canceled due to COVID but these two teams were matched up in the Fall Series. On Sept. 26, 2020 in Houston, Prince put the Dash ahead, but Marisa Viggiano responded just before halftime. Sophie Schmidt gave the hosts another lead and Shea Groom put the game away as Houston won 3-1. The two teams played again on Oct. 9 at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee — the only time the Pride have played at the venue. Groom opened the scoring early and Latsko soon made it 2-0. Sydney Leroux got one back for the hosts, but Houston held on for a 2-1 win.

The Pride and Dash played three times in 2019, with the Pride going 0-2-1. During the first game in Houston on May 5, the Pride only recorded one shot on target. Houston scored the game’s only goal through Kealia Ohai in a 1-0 win. The second game on June 15 was also in Houston. Joanna Boyles scored her first professional goal to give the Pride the lead, but the Dash scored twice to take the advantage. A Danica Evans conversion allowed the Pride to escape the Oven with a 2-2 draw.

The third and final meeting in 2019 occurred on Aug. 10 in Orlando. The Pride ended the game with nine players as Julie King was sent off in the 61st minute and Marta was sent off in the 85th minute. However, the Dash were only able to convert once — a late penalty by Daly — and won 1-0.

The teams played three times during the 2018 season. The first game was held April 22 in Orlando. Chioma Ubogagu scored the lone goal, leading the Pride to a 1-0 win. They met again in Orlando on June 27 with Alex Morgan opening the scoring The Pride held that lead at the break, but the second half was all Houston, as Ohai and Sofia Huerta scored in a 2-1 Houston win. The final meeting that season was on July 11 in Houston, where Daly’s brace led the Dash to a 3-1 win

The Pride and Dash played twice during the 2017 season and the visiting team won both games. The first was on June 17 in Houston. Camila and Alanna Kennedy added to a Marta brace as the Pride took a commanding 4-0 lead. The Dash tried to come back with goals by Poliana and Prince, but the Pride took home a 4-2 win. A week later in Orlando, Carli Lloyd and Daly scored in a 2-0 Houston win

The teams met four times during the 2016 season — the Pride’s first in existence. The first meeting was the Pride’s first-ever regular-season home game on April 23. An Andressa own goal gave the Pride the lead just after the half before Lianne Sanderson and Morgan made it 3-0 for the hosts. Andressa scored one for her own team, but that was it for Houston as the Pride won 3-1 in front of a then-NWSL record 23,403 fans.

The second meeting was in Houston on May 20. Kristen Edmonds scored the only goal in the 81st minute as the Pride won 1-0. The third meeting that year came on June 23 in Orlando. Jasmyne Spencer broke the scoreless deadlock in second-half injury time as the Pride won 1-0. The fourth and final meeting came on Sept. 3 in Houston. The Dash took a 3-0 lead with goals by Janine Beckie, Poliana, and Ohai. Morgan and Edmonds got the Pride back into the game, but Ohai put it away with her second in a 4-2 Dash win.

Overview

The Pride have struggled mightily since the FIFA World Cup break. They lost six of their first eight games after returning to action. A 1-0 win in Washington on Aug. 23 looked like it could be a springboard to turn things around, but that wasn’t to be.

They returned home on Aug. 29 to face the Utah Royals and took a 1-0 lead just before halftime. But goals in the 50th and 69th minutes by the visitors saw the Pride fall yet again.

The two primary reasons for the team’s struggles have been only one scoring threat in the attack and the lack of consistency in the defense. With Emily Sams gone and Kylie Nadaner on maternity leave, former head coach Seb Hines found it difficult to determine the best center back pairing. Rafaelle has been the only regular starter, partnering Hailie Mace, Zara Chavoshi, and Cori Dyke throughout the season, however, the Brazilian isn’t available tonight.

Barbra Banda led the league in goals for most of the season, despite missing time due to an injury and being away on international duty. The North Carolina Courage’s Ashley Sanchez has been on a tear recently and surpassed the Pride striker. Still, Banda is second in the league with 13 goals, just two behind the league leader.

The inability to find a second reliable striker or a consistent back line led to the dismissal of Hines on Monday. With former assistant coach Giles Barnes having already left to become the head coach of Al Qadsiah FC of the Saudi Women’s Premier League, assistant Yolanda Thomas takes over on an interim basis and will lead the team for the first time tonight against Houston.

Tonight is a key game for both Houston and Orlando. The teams sit in 11th and 12th, respectively, tied on 26 points. They’re chasing the Seattle Reign, who sit in the eighth and final playoff spot with 31 points. A win tonight will still leave a large hill to climb to reach the postseason, but it’s a necessary three points if they hope to do so.

The Dash have been quite balanced this season. Their 28 goals scored and 30 goals conceded both rank eighth in the NWSL. While they’re not depending solely on their offense or defense this year, they haven’t been stellar in either.

Houston has been much better at home than on the road this year. While the Dash are 5-3-3 in Texas, they’re 2-7-2 away from home. That difference has been shown in their most recent games. Their most dominant win this year was a 5-0 victory over the Chicago Stars on Aug. 19. They followed that with back-to-back 1-0 losses against Bay FC and the Reign away from home.

Kat Rader has been the leading attacker this season for the Dash, scoring nine goals in 21 games. She’s followed by Kiki Van Zanten and Kate Faasse with four goals each, Linda Ullmark and Maggie Graham with three goals apiece, and Clarissa Larisey with two goals. Makenzy Robbe, Sarah Puntigam, and Lisa Boattin are the other goal scorers with one each. Ullmark and Avery Patterson co-lead the team in assists with three.

Jane Campbell has been the Dash’s primary goalkeeper this season — as she’s been since 2017 — starting all 21 games and recording four clean sheets. Rookie Leah Klenke has been a mainstay all season and started alongside veteran Paige Nielsen until Aug. 16. Since then, Natalie Hammond has been Klenke’s partner. Allysha Chapman and Patterson have also been regulars along the back line, starting at the fullback positions.

“I asked the team the other day, I said, ‘Listen. We’re in a tough spot.’ And, realistically, you look at the numbers, it’s tough,” Thomas said ahead of the match. “We’ve had a tough go, we’ve had some injuries. There’s no denying we’re in a tough spot. But, as much as we were dealing with lots of emotions, I told them that the heaviest lift I’m going to ask you to do is to dare to dream. And if you can lift your eyes and dare to dream that we can get three points this week, then we can do it again next week.”

The Pride will play tonight without Kerry Abello (thigh), Julie Doyle (knee), Nadaner (maternity leave), Rafaelle (head), and Viviana Villacorta (knee). Houston will be without Malia Berkely (maternity leave), Evelina Duljan (excused absence), Makenzy Robbe (knee), Sophia Schmidt (ankle), and Linda Ullmark (international duty).


Projected Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Cosette Morche.

Defenders: Hailie Mace, Zara Chavoshi, Cori Dyke, Oihane.

Defensive Midfielders: Angelina, Ally Lemos.

Attacking Midfielders: Jacquie Ovalle, Haley McCutcheon, Summer Yates.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Houston Dash (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Jane Campbell.

Defenders: Allysha Chapman, Leah Klenke, Natalie Hammond, Avery Patterson.

Defensive Midfielders: Danielle Colaprico, Sarah Puntigam.

Attacking Midfielders: Kiki Van Zanten, Kat Rader, Maggie Graham.

Forward: Kate Faasse.

Referees

REF: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
AR1: Ben Rigel.
AR2: Sarah Gaddes.
4TH: Ben Meyer.
VAR: Corbyn May.
AVAR: Tony Obas.


How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: None.

Streaming: Roku Channel (here’s how to get it).

Social Media: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @themaneland.bsky.social on Bluesky and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter (@ORLPride) or Bluesky (@orlpride.com) feed.


Enjoy the game. Go Pride!

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Orlando Pride Loan Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January 2027

The English international returns to her home country through January of 2027, leaving Cosette Morché, Cara Martin, and McKinley Crone as Orlando’s goalkeeper options.

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Image of Anna Moorhouse meeting with fans after a game.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City of England’s Women’s Super League through January 2027. This move comes in the wake of a series of poor performances and glaring mistakes in 2026 that led to her benching two games ago in favor of Cosette Morché.

Moorhouse follows goalkeeping coach Paul Crichton out the door after the latter was let go on Monday when the Pride parted ways with former head coach Seb Hines, although with a year left on her contract, she could return following the loan to Man City. The press release did not mention anything about a purchase option.

“Anna has been an invaluable part of our club, and when the opportunity arose for her to return home to England and compete in the Women’s Super League, we worked closely with her to make it happen,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Caitlin Carducci said in a club press release. “We are fortunate to have tremendous quality and depth within our goalkeeping group, and this loan provides Anna with an opportunity to continue playing meaningful minutes at a high level while being closer to home and family.”

The 31-year-old native of Oldham, England, originally signed a two-year deal with the Pride through the 2023 season on Jan. 31, 2022, after spending two years with French D1 Feminine club Bordeaux. She signed an extension on Oct. 5, 2023, keeping her in Orlando through the 2025 campaign. In June of last year, Moorhouse signed a new deal to remain with the Pride through the 2027 season.

Moorhouse made her competitive Pride debut on March 30 at home against NJ/NY Gotham FC — a 1-0 loss for Orlando in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. She made her NWSL regular-season debut with the Pride on Sept. 9 in a 2-0 home loss to the Portland Thorns and got another start in the Pride’s next game Sept. 16 at Louisville — another 2-0 loss. The Pride were 0-2-0 with Moorhouse in net in the 2022 regular season but scored no goals for the English goalkeeper. Moorhouse made just the two appearances in the regular season (both starts) and made nine saves, backing up Erin McLeod. She allowed four goals for a 2.00 goals-against average in 180 minutes played, facing 28 shots (13 on target). She finished the year with a 69.2% save success rate and a 84.2% passing rate.

In 2023, Moorhouse became Orlando’s starter after McLeod left the team, starting 19 of the Pride’s 22 regular-season games and playing 1,623 minutes while posting a 9-9-1 record as a starter. She stopped 72 of 94 shots faced (76.6%), conceding 22 goals and keeping seven clean sheets.

Showing improvement in her second season as the Pride’s No. 1, Moorhouse started all 26 of Orlando’s games in 2024, playing 2,340 minutes, facing 107 shots, making 87 saves (81%), and conceding 20 goals. She set an NWSL record with 13 shutouts, taking over the club career record along the way. The Pride went 18-2-6 that season and claimed the NWSL Shield. Moorhouse also started all three of the team’s playoff matches, going 3-0-0 in 270 minutes while facing 12 shots on target and stopping nine of them (75%). Of the three postseason goals she conceded, one was a penalty. She kept a clean sheet in Orlando’s 1-0 NWSL Championship victory over the Washington Spirit, helping her team win its second trophy.

As with many of her teammates, Moorhouse did not play as well during the 2025 season, but she was still solid between the sticks. She appeared in 25 games (all starts) and amassed a record of 11-8-7 in her NWSL starts last season, playing a team-high 2,211 minutes, allowing 26 goals, and making 72 saves for a 74% save percentage to go along with a 1.06 goals-against average. She went 1-1-0 in the Pride’s two playoff games, allowing one goal on nine shots on target (89% save percentage).

She started 20 NWSL matches in 2026, recording 58 saves and earning six shutouts.

What It Means for Orlando

Moorhouse’s shot stopping has been mostly great during her time with the Pride. However, the knock on the English international is the momentary lapses she has. Those might concede a preventable goal, get her sent off, or present the opposition with a penalty kick. All goalkeepers are prone to the occasional howler, but throughout her Pride career, Moorhouse seemed to have more than most. Some of the most egregious include her own goal at Louisville late in the 2024 season that ultimately helped knock Orlando out of the postseason, a third-minute red card at OL Reign in 2023 — the fastest red card from the start of a game in NWSL history — and a series of bloopers over her head and into the net in 2026 when she’s been caught off her line.

The problems with Orlando’s defense in 2026 don’t start or end with Moorhouse. Playing behind a leaky back line can affect a goalkeeper. The simple fact is that her play was exacerbating a problematic area for the club. The Pride struggle to defend as a unit — in part because of a lack of pace at various positions — and aren’t good defending set pieces. That puts a lot of pressure on the goalkeeper to make up for those lapses. Moorhouse did not seem to respond well to the additional pressure this season, making numerous mistakes that cost goals and, at times, results.

Moorhouse’s play had not been at a high enough level for a long time before Hines eventually replaced her with Morché when the Pride took on the Spirit in Washington on Aug. 23. Morché kept a clean sheet and Orlando won 1-0 to snap a three-game losing streak. Orlando started Morché again on Saturday against the Utah Royals, and although it was a 2-1 Pride loss, goalkeeping was not the team’s biggest problem that night. With Morché showing herself capable of facing NWSL competition, Moorhouse became expendable, and with her wanting to compete for more minutes with England’s national team, getting regular minutes elsewhere likely became a priority pretty quickly.

Whether Moorhouse returns to Orlando after the loan or the club finds somewhere to transfer in the off-season remains to be seen. Perhaps she can regain her form while with Manchester City, which would benefit Orlando either with her returning as a more confident goalkeeper or with the club getting something for her in the transfer market.

Behind Morché, the Pride still have Cara Martin, who recently got her contract extended through at least 2028, and McKinley Crone, who is under contract until the end of the 2026 season and recently returned from a loan spell with Fort Lauderdale FC. Additionally, Kat Asman is under contract with the Pride through the rest of 2026 as well. Asman is currently on loan with Denver Summit FC for the remainder of the year after a successful 2025 loan spell with Lexington SC, with which she won the USL Super League double with the Players’ Shield and the league championship. She also won the league’s Golden Glove Award.

Orlando will finish the 2026 season with both Morché and Martin under contract for next season (or beyond, in Martin’s case), and could opt to re-sign one or both of Crone and/or Asman. The Pride may also try to find a new No. 1 as a number of expiring contracts will allow the team some flexibility in the market.

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Seb Hines Out as Orlando Pride Head Coach

After a dismal season filled with injuries and a roster that either cannot or will not perform, the Orlando Pride part ways with Seb Hines.

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Image of Seb Hines speaking to his Orlando Pride players.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

In the wake of the Orlando Pride’s fourth loss in five games and a 2026 season that is quickly slipping away, the club announced today that it has parted ways with head coach Seb Hines and goalkeeper coach Paul Crichton. In the interim, Assistant Coach Yolanda Thomas will handle head coaching duties.

This move comes with the Pride mired in 12th place in the 16-team NWSL at 8-12-2 and five points below the playoff line. It also takes place less than two years since Hines was named 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year and just two years and 24 days since the Pride gave Hines a new contract through this season with an option for 2027 on Aug. 7, 2024.

“We want to express our gratitude to Seb for the dedication, leadership, and professionalism he brought to the club during his time with us,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations & General Manager Caitlin Carducci said in a club press release. “He will always have a special place in our history for helping lead the Pride to levels it had never reached before. However, as we look toward the club’s long-term vision and future objectives, we believe that this is the appropriate time for a leadership change. We are grateful for all that Seb has contributed and wish him nothing but success in the next chapter of his career.”

Hines, 38, is easily the most successful coach in the club’s history, having signed on as an assistant coach with the Pride in May of 2020 — a few years after the end of his professional playing career. He took over as interim head coach in June of 2022 when then-coach Amanda Cromwell and assistant Sam Greene were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into potential violations of the league’s policy to prevent and eliminate workplace discrimination, harassment, and bullying. The NWSL concluded that Cromwell and Greene were in violation of that policy and terminated their contracts in October 2022, leaving the future of the team’s coaching position in limbo.

Hines had led the Pride to a seven-game unbeaten run during his stewardship as the investigation went on, but the team also finished that year with a six-game winless skid to quickly drop out of playoff contention. Some felt at the time Cromwell’s contract was terminated that Hines had done enough to win the job, while his 3-7-5 record wasn’t exactly a mandate to hand him the position, nor was the club-record 6-0 loss his team suffered at Portland in his second match in charge.

However, Hines did land the gig. The Pride named him the full-time head coach on Nov. 11, 2022, at the same time the club parted ways with general manager Ian Fleming. Hines led the Pride to the cusp of its first playoff appearance since 2017 during his first full year in charge in 2023. The Pride finished in a three-way tie for fifth on 31 points but fell short of the final playoff spot by losing the goal-difference tiebreaker on the last matchday of the season, when Angel City throttled Portland 5-1 on Decision Day. The Pride beat the Houston Dash by just a 1-0 scoreline that day to get jumped. Orlando had more wins than either fifth-place Angel City or sixth-place Gotham FC (the eventual NWSL Championship winners), but goal difference was the first tiebreaker. It was a heartbreaking end, especially considering an own goal that goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse punched into her own net in the penultimate match against Louisville City turned what could have been a road draw into a road loss.

The Pride set numerous NWSL records under Hines in 2024 and won their first-ever postseason matches on the way to winning the club’s first two trophies — the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship. Hines led Orlando to a record of 18-2-6, finishing third in the league in goals scored (46) and tying for first in fewest goals conceded (20). That year’s team set five league records, including most points in a season (60), most wins in a season (18), longest winning streak (8), longest shutout streak (554 minutes), and longest single-season unbeaten run (23 games). The Pride also tied the league record for clean sheets in a season (13). In all, the Pride went 24 NWSL matches without a loss under Hines from the end of 2023 through deep into 2024, when he rotated several players during a road trip to Portland after clinching the NWSL Shield.

Hines led the Pride to a fourth-place finish in the 2025 regular season, earning the team a second consecutive playoff appearance for the first time in club history. The Pride went 11-8-7 in 2025 and reached the NWSL semifinals, losing a late heartbreaker to Gotham FC deep in stoppage time.

The former Orlando City center back leaves the Pride with a career coaching record of 32-38-15 in the regular season (3-7-5 as interim head coach and 29-31-10 as full-time head coach) and 4-1 in the postseason.

“Seb leaves an undeniable legacy with the Pride,” Orlando Pride Owner & Chairman Mark Wilf said in the club’s press release. “His commitment to our players, his staff, and this club helped deliver some of the most important moments in our history. Beyond the results, he helped establish a culture that elevated expectations for what this organization could achieve. We are thankful for everything Seb has contributed and wish him and his family the very best moving forward.”

Thomas joined the Pride as an assistant coach on March 3, 2023. Prior to joining the Orlando staff, Thomas served as sporting director, head coach, and director of coaching with Tulsa Soccer Club and Fortuna Tulsa of the WPSL. She led Tulsa to Franchise of the Year honors in 2019 and 2021 and was named 2019 WPSL Red River Conference Coach of the Year. Over four seasons, Thomas guided Fortuna Tulsa — now known as Tulsa SC — to two conference championships, and appearances in the National Final Four, Regional Championship, and National Elite Eight.  

She previously served as an assistant coach in the college ranks at Oklahoma State University and the University of Tulsa, before becoming head coach at Roger State University.  

She has recently served as the U-23 United States Women’s National Team head coach during two camps in 2025.

Thomas takes over a team that has not scored more than one goal in a match since July 10 and has beaten two of the league’s best teams since NWSL play restarted following the World Cup break but has lost to everyone else. The Pride have been shut out four times in the 10 games since the league restarted.

What It Means for Orlando

While Hines must shoulder his share of the responsibility for the team’s lack of grit and slow development of younger players, it seems clear that his highest highs of 2024 featured a significant number of players elevating their play far beyond anything they’ve shown since. Players such as Summer Yates and Angelina haven’t been anywhere close to their 2024 levels.

Is that coaching or something else? Perhaps the 2024 double-winning season was simply the perfect storm of players buying in; a more talented roster that featured Adriana, Emily Sams, Ally Watt, and a not-yet-gone-on-maternity-leave Kylie Nadaner; the team playing for Luana during her battle with cancer; and the team pushing hard at the end for Marta (who somehow turned back the clock and played as she did in her prime). But the drop-off in quality across the board from returning players on that team and this year is unmistakable, and some players who were fine as bench/role players in 2024 have been asked to log more minutes since, and they haven’t been up to the task.

There is nothing Hines could do about the parade of injury absences the 2026 Pride have endured, and to his credit, he never used it as an excuse. There is also (probably) little Hines could have done about the level of talent he was given on this year’s team. Sams was “replaced” by Hailie Mace and/or Hannah Anderson, depending on how you look at it, but neither player was ever going to provide anything close to what the former NWSL Defender of the Year did during her stay in Orlando. Watt was ostensibly replaced by Nicole Payne, who is also fast but not nearly as polished.

Rafaelle’s fitness issues have been numerous during her Pride career, and this season, her presence has been as big a liability as her absence. Kerry Abello has likewise not been able to get/stay available for selection in 2026. Marta, who has not produced much of her usual magic this year, has had limited availability all season after falling off significantly in form in 2025.

Additionally, Orlando’s commitment to getting younger didn’t work as well as the club had hoped. None of the younger players have panned out (though Solai Washington has shown promising signs), and some of those players have been shipped out on loan to gain experience.

Under Haley Carter, players who were nearing the ends of their deals were locked down early if they were deemed important to the club’s future. Yet this season, we’ve seen only Seven Castain and Cara Martin get extensions thus far, despite the Pride having a number of players either out of contract entirely or coming up on option years at the end of the season.

With all due respect to Castain and Martin, they did not seem like priority signings, considering playing time, but that may be where Hines held different opinions of his players than Carducci. One also wonders whether the reluctance to change goalkeepers amidst Anna Moorhouse’s major struggles in 2026 was a directive from above or solely Hines’ opinion that Moorhouse gave the club the best chance to win and that she would regain her form.

The Pride will now move on, and a new coach isn’t going to be able to find much more success than Hines did — certainly not more than he had in 2024 — without building a team that can adequately defend, win battles in the midfield, and string accurate passes together long enough to work the ball forward to Barbra Banda and Jacquie Ovalle. And better supporting attackers for those two expensive signings must be found as well. Ovalle has not been nearly good enough to justify her pricetag, although the glimpses of what she could provide the club appear from time to time.

There is still time for Orlando to make the playoffs, although the task will be difficult. Thomas is well regarded as a coach and is ready for a head coaching position. This will be her opportunity to see if she can get this Pride roster to elevate its level down the stretch.

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