Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Media Day Highlights

Published

7 years ago

March 14, 2019

We’re just a month out from the Orlando Pride’s 2019 NWSL season opener against the Portland Thorns and the team held its annual preseason Media Day event at Orlando City Stadium. The event featured a press conference with Pride GM Erik Ustruck and Head Coach Marc Skinner, with six players made available to the media in a roundtable format.

The players who spoke to media members today were almost all internationals, with former USWNT automatic selection Ali Krieger being the only player of the six not currently involved in her national team setup. The five current internationals were Ashlyn Harris and Alex Morgan of the U.S., Alanna Kennedy of Australia, Marta of Brazil, and Chioma Ubogagu, who has recently been getting England call-ups.

The players unanimously lauded the atmosphere, attitude, and attention to detail that Skinner has brought to the Pride this preseason and seemed energized.

Here are the highlights from today’s event.

Ustruck/Skinner Press Conference

Skinner said he was “over the moon” at being selected as the Pride’s head coach and said he was “proud and privileged to be here.”
Initial interviews with players are nearly complete, as Skinner is finally getting to sit down with the international players who were late to arrive.
The buzz around camp, according to Skinner, is “really, really something that energizes you as a person.”
Skinner said he’s identified his targets and what his ideal team would look like, however, he said he’s still identifying the abilities of his players and giving players an opportunity to show what they can do.
Although Skinner said Tom Sermanni is a wonderful person and is sure he’ll do well at New Zealand, he’s here to bring a new direction to the club and said he coaches to allow his players to make decisions on the field because they have to know what they’re doing even when they can’t hear the coach in hostile environments.
Skinner spoke often of getting to know the players’ character, as well as treating the players as people first, and players second, regardless of whether they’re stars. He said he thinks of the players as he would if they were his daughters, and works with them to make them as successful as possible.
Ustruck said he hasn’t yet spoken with club partner Wolfsburg on the women’s side. He said he’d like the Pride to explore options such as bringing them over during their preseason period or to look at potential player loan opportunities.
Skinner, who has watched all of last year’s games, said the team was far off from performances last season but not far off in results. He stressed that there is some time involved in getting the team to play the way he wants it to play and that it might seem a bit high risk at first.
Both Skinner and Ustruck said the team will play an attractive brand of football and the GM said he expects that will help bring more fans to the stadium.
Skinner said the athleticism in the NWSL is massive but the transition part of the game could be better. “We have to re-educate players or just switch on their senses to do that. That’s what we’ll be doing in training.”
“I’m 100 percent sure that our players will love how we’re asking them to play,” Skinner said. “But they have to be brave. If you want to do something different and you want success to come to Orlando then they’re going to have to be brave. And that’s how I will expect them to be. My job is to support them through that process.”
Skinner said he’s not just here to coach players to win, but to improve as players.
The idea of having North Carolina (on the preseason schedule) was to get the Pride up to speed in playing an NWSL team, said Skinner.
“We will play fixtures that will challenge the players in different ways,” Skinner said of the preseason schedule. Ustruck said the full preseason schedule will be out in the next few days.
Ustruck mentioned that the North Carolina game in preseason would give the club an opportunity to learn how far they still need to go to get to the level of the defending champs.
Ustruck said the idea of a preseason invitational tournament would be difficult due to the MLS side having started its season but it’s something the club might look into if they can find the right location or if the stadium was available.
Skinner said his team likes to play tactically and force the other team into playing a way in which is to Orlando’s advantage.
Ustruck said Camila is still in Brazil because she’s working on getting her green card. Her interview was scheduled for today and she’s expected back by the weekend.
There will be a recognized Orlando Pride supporters group this year, said Ustruck. He said he wasn’t at liberty to speak about it just yet, however.
“There needs to be patience for this team to understand what we want them to do,” Skinner said. He added that he’s seen a desire from the players to buy into that.

Ashlyn Harris

“I have to say that I’ve been blown away by Marc,” Harris said about her new coach. “I’m very, very impressed with what he has brought just in the short amount of time that I’ve met him.”
Harris said the spark and enjoyment are back at training this preseason. “It’s like a breath of fresh air. This is a chance for people to start over and have new energy and a new opportunity.”
Harris said Skinner demands excellence and is detail-oriented. “He’s very organized and very, very specific about things.”
Harris said the international players are used to being in and out of the lineup but admitted this year would be challenging due to the time demands of the World Cup.
Last year is in the past for Harris and she wants to focus all her energy on 2019 and not what didn’t work in 2018. “We have a fresh start and I want to enjoy that taste in my mouth.”
“Marc is going to bring an element to this organization that people are going to be proud of and I’m excited to be on that train,” Harris said.
Harris said that Skinner sent her video clips from every touch from every game with notes attached, he has drones flying overhead every practice to record the players, and he frequently texts with thoughts as they occur.
Harris said that the feeling of unity hasn’t quite been there the last few years but that’s what Skinner is restoring in Orlando.

Ali Krieger

Krieger said that players can only change the culture of a team by bringing their best and control their work ethic and attitude each day.
“I think it’s so great to have somebody come in that makes every player feel like they’re the most important player,” Krieger said of Skinner. “I think that if we continue to create that positive atmosphere that will translate for sure on the field.”
Krieger said last year the team played more individually than as a collective group and expects the opposite this year.
Skinner creates an atmosphere where everybody feels important, said the veteran defender.
“Little specific movements, footwork stuff, the way your body is angled, or the pace of your pass,” – Krieger on the details that Skinner notices and brings to the team.
Skinner is “bringing the fun back into the game.”
Krieger reiterated Skinner’s statements in the presser about treating each person individually based on their needs.
“I don’t mind playing the underdog role,” she said. “If people think they’re going to come in here and it’s going to be easy-breezy, then good on them because we’re going to just crush it.”
Having a new coach will be an advantage for the Pride because no one in the league is going to know what to expect from Orlando.

Marta

“I like it here,” the Brazilian legend said. “I like the club. I like the atmosphere we have here. I like the city, the players. I think we have so much potential to [have] a very good season.”
Marta said her first impression of Skinner was good. “I see the energy he brings to the training and the ideas he brings to the players [are] good.”
Sermanni and Skinner are different. Skinner wants to keep the ball more and having the ball more means more opportunities to score.
“It’s about how we work together when we have the ball and when we don’t have the ball,” Marta said of the team’s philosophy.
Marta said players have to play hard and do their best for their club or they risk not being ready when called up to the national team. So there is no benefit in taking things easy with the club side to stay healthy for the World Cup.
When asked if she would continue to play internationally after this World Cup, Marta responded, “Let’s live day after day, you know?” She said if she feels good with her club and her teammates she can continue to do so with Brazil, too.
Marta said she was a little sad to see Monica and Poliana leave the club and hopes that they find a good new club to play for because that’s also important for the Brazilian national team.
When asked if she had any goals for the season, Marta replied, “Make more goals!”
Marta said Skinner’s system allows the freedom to roam and feel the game, so that she can play as both a midfielder and a forward, moving to spaces wherever she’s needed. “Not whatever I want,” she laughed, “but to produce good for the team.”

Alex Morgan

“I’m just eager to be coached by [Skinner], and for him to just implement his style, and for us to apply that in games,” Morgan said.
Morgan said she was happy with Ustruck’s decision to bring in Skinner to take the job.
“In previous years, just playing college teams is really difficult because that’s a hard gauge to see on like where we are in terms of how ready we are for the season,” Morgan said of the preseason. “So going in and playing North Carolina, obviously having them be the reigning champions from last year, it’s going to be just right away we’ll know what we still need to work on, where we are in terms of fitness, and in terms of Marc’s style being adapted by the team. So I’m really happy we’re making this trip.”
The team not having a lot of turnover is a good thing, Morgan said.
Morgan said the challenge for the Pride is the number of international players leaving for a big chunk of the season.
Younger players can learn from the internationals’ professionalism and they have to be eager to learn.
Morgan lauded France’s acceptance of women in sport as “exciting to see” and was glad to see the number of tickets sold for the World Cup games.
“I’m hopeful that we look very organized and have clear direction,” she said.
Morgan said she was impressed with Ustruck and his ability to bring in someone like Skinner.
She said she feels there’s still room for her to learn and grow as a player and she’s looking forward to Skinner helping her do that.

Alanna Kennedy

“I really like his direction and his philosophy,” Kennedy said of Skinner. “It’s something that’ll make all of us better, hopefully, as a collective.”
Kennedy talked about having surgery “thrown in there” during a six-week break. She said she’d played about 80 games in the previous 12 to 18 months. She said she’s now feeling good and is excited to be back in Orlando.
“When you’re in a positive environment, your well-being is taken care of, that’s when you’re able to thrive on the field,” she said. “I’ve loved every minute of the couple days I’ve been here.”
Kennedy said she thinks that with the style of play Skinner will have, she’ll be able to play both midfield and defense. She said she loves her midfield role but also loves her role on defense with Australia, because that’s where the team needs her and she can thrive there.
Kennedy noted the team has always had the personnel to succeed but needed to have more of an identity.
“To know your role and to know what’s expected of you every minute is important and that’s something Marc will bring with his experience and his personality,” she said.
“You don’t really” get used to all the international travel, Kennedy said. But she added that it’s helpful when you have people in place to take care of you, as the Pride have.

Chioma Ubogagu

When asked what kind of Chioma Ubogagu the Pride are getting back, as opposed to the one who left to go play in Australia at the start of the off-season, she replied, “I think just someone who understands even more now the definition of being a professional.”
She said she learned more about recovery, watching film, and working on details while playing in Australia.
Ubogagu said that coming in from overseas, she was expected to be an impact player in the W-League, and that challenged her and she learned how to deal with pressure.
Having three nationalities — English, American, and Nigerian — she said all three are very important to her and she feels connected to all three and they combine equally to make her who she is.
“That experience to put on the England kit and represent the Lionesses is something I’ll never forget,” she said of her time with the England national team.
Ubogagu said she got the call on her birthday that she’d be getting her first call-up to England and it was the best birthday gift ever.
She said her national team coach, Phil Neville, texts the whole team and he told her to train hard this preseason.
Ubogagu said she met with Skinner yesterday. She said he’s very intelligent and noted that he showed her an iPad with screen shots and detailed notes on it.
“I think everyone has been really impressed with training sessions and the detail and energy,” she said “[Skinner is] always saying ‘brains over brawn.’ He wants us to make sophisticated decisions with the ball.”
“I don’t want to label myself a leader because I think I’m learning every day,” she said.
“Last year, if we’re going to be frank [the North Carolina Courage] killed everyone in the league. They scored the most goals. I think they had the fewest goals against. They had this confidence, this swagger on the field that you weren’t going to touch them when you’re on the field,” Ubogagu said. “So I think that’s awesome that one of our first preseason games is going against the defending champions. We’re going to see what we’re about early on in the preseason. It’ll be really cool to see how we adapt and how we come out against a team like that.”
Ubogagu said she wanted to help with the game so she became the players union representative for the Pride. She said her main job was to bring information back to the club so the players had a voice on things like, for example, when the league would break for the World Cup.

Orlando Pride

World Cup Break Offers Orlando Pride Chance to Stabilize Rebuilt Back Line

After a season of injuries, position shifts, and defensive reshuffling, the Pride have a chance to settle their back line.

Published

7 days ago

June 15, 2026

Sean Rollins

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Seb Hines has spent much of the 2026 NWSL season rebuilding the Orlando Pride back line. The FIFA World Cup break now provides the first extended opportunity for the team to settle a defensive unit that has undergone significant personnel and positional changes.

Defense has been one of the team’s defining strengths in recent seasons. The Pride built much of their success on consistency at the back with a settled group of players who understood their roles and rarely needed adjustments. This year, however, that stability has been tested.

The departure of center back Emily Sams, Kylie Nadaner’s pregnancy, and an early-season injury to Kerry Abello forced Hines into changes before the team had the chance to establish continuity. Rather than working from a fixed defensive base, the team has been forced to adjust.

At the start of the season, Hines paired Rafaelle with Hailie Mace in central defense. Mace has experience at center back from her time in Kansas City, but the position isn’t her natural role. On the outside, Cori Dyke began the season at left back, while Oihane started on the right.

As the season progressed, Hines continued to adjust his back line. In early May, Mace moved back into her natural right back position. Dyke shifted into central defense alongside Rafaelle, and Oihane moved to the left side. The changes provided more comfort for Mace, but also required players to adjust to new roles with games coming quick and fast.

Making things more difficult were injuries to Rafaelle that forced Hannah Anderson into the lineup. While the veteran played well, it was yet another change the back line had to get used to while trying to stay in a playoff position.

Between late April and mid May, the Pride lost four of five matches, conceding multiple goals in each defeat. That run included a 4–2 home loss to the Washington Spirit, as well as back-to-back defeats to expansion sides Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC.

The performances showed a back line still searching for consistency and chemistry in its defensive setup. With different combinations being used across the back line, the Pride had little time to get used to their new positions and partnerships before the next game arrived.

Following the loss in Denver, the Pride opted to remain on the road rather than return to Orlando before facing San Diego Wave FC on the West Coast. The decision appeared to pay off. The Pride earned a 1–0 win over San Diego before returning home to close the first half of the season with a 3–1 victory over Bay FC.

Those results suggested that Hines may have finally found the back line he’ll go with as the season continues. Dyke has grown more comfortable alongside Rafaelle in central defense, Mace’s return to right back has added stability on the flank, and Oihane has shown quality when playing on either side.

In the team’s most recent game against Bay FC, Hines was able to make adjustments that didn’t hinder the team’s performance. Abello started at left back and Oihane moved back to her natural role at right back. Meanwhile, Dyke and Rafaelle remained the center back pairing and continued to look more comfortable together.

Despite the recent successes, the group has still had limited time to build consistency together. Most of the changes were made during the season rather than in preseason, meaning relationships and understanding across the back line have had to develop in real time.

That’s what makes the World Cup break particularly valuable.

Instead of focusing entirely on match preparation from week to week, the break gives Hines and his staff a rare stretch of time to work on organization and consistency across the back line. It also allows players to become more familiar with one another in their current roles, rather than constantly adjusting to new combinations.

For a team that has made several midseason changes, that kind of continuity can’t be built in games alone. Training time becomes especially important for communication, spacing, and defensive coordination — the small details that often decide whether a back line is stable or exposed.

The Pride entered the break with some momentum, having won two of their last three games and showing signs of improvement defensively. But the first half of the season has also made clear how long it can take to get used to positional changes, even if the personnel remain the same.

If the Pride are going to climb up the NWSL standings, it will largely depend on how well this current group can settle during the break.

For a team that has spent months adapting on the move, the timing of the pause may prove to be exactly what the defense needs.

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride So Far in 2026: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

A look back at some key elements of the season at the break.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 11, 2026

David Rohe

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

With the NWSL on a break, this is a good time to take a look at a few key components of the club so far this season. It might turn out that this break is exactly what the Orlando Pride need to get healthy and climb back up to the top of the table. Let’s look at the good, the bad, and the ugly so far this season.

The Good

Was there any doubt that this section would be about Barbra Banda? The Pride’s striker has 11 goals and an assist in 12 matches. A goal contribution per match is pretty darn good. Actually, it’s good enough lead the league in goals, shots, and shots on target. The Pride have scored 18 goals total in that time, meaning Banda has contributed to two-thirds of all goals the team has scored.

Most impressively, she’s done it without having Jacquie Ovalle and Marta out there with her at the same time. Both have dealt with injuries, leaving Banda to do most of it herself. Once the season resumes, both Ovalle and Marta will be available and healthy. That should open up even more opportunities for Banda to add goals to an already outstanding season. The caveat to this is that we don’t know the exact severity of the injury that forced Banda off the pitch in the last game.

The Bad

The Orlando Pride have conceded 17 goals so far this season. That is a rate of 1.42 goals per match. For context, the team allowed 27 goals during the 2025 regular season for a rate of 1.04 goals per match. In 2024, the team only allowed 20 goals for a rate of 0.77 goals per match. The Pride are allowing goals at almost double the rate of the championship season, which is why they are sitting in eighth place.

I see two main reasons for the relatively leaky defense. The first is that the back line is still looking for an identity. The departure of Emily Sams threw things into flux and the team has not been able to stabilize the back line. Rafaelle has been the anchor, while there’s been a rotating crew by her side. I still believe that Hailie Mace was brought in to be the other center back. Seb Hines has mostly abandoned that experiment. Surprisingly, Cori Dyke has stepped in and done a serviceable job. Still, what could have been the best center back pairing in the league is a position of concern.

The other issue is the lack of attitude. As I’ve said numerous times on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast, the Pride don’t have the same chip on their shoulder when it comes to defending. In 2024, the Pride took it personally if an opposing team scored. The players hated it with a fiery rage. That’s mostly been missing this season. I did see some of it during the Pride’s 1-0 win over the San Diego Wave, but one match isn’t enough to win a trophy.

The Ugly

The midfield has been ugly in 2026. Marta has mostly been missing, and as Michael Citro pointed out in his recent article, she is a difficult player to replace. Most of the team has regressed since the high of 2024, and Angelina is no different. She was arguably one of the best players on the team in 2024 but hasn’t contributed as much in 2026. She’s also been booked more, including an ill-advised red card against the Denver Summit. Ally Lemos has plenty of minutes, but she gives the ball away almost as often as she makes a good pass. Summer Yates has seemingly fallen off a cliff.

All of those factors and more have made it more difficult to produce offensive chances, and that has contributed to the leaky defense. The lack of control in the midfield is a large factor in the Pride’s struggles this season. I’m not entirely certain what needs to happen to fix it, but I’m hoping the team can figure it out before the season resumes.

This is obviously not a complete list, so I encourage you to contribute your own thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Orlando Pride

An Early Look at Orlando Pride’s Contract Decisions

Let’s look ahead to roster decisions that Caitlin Carducci and the Pride will need to make either at or before the end of the 2026 NWSL season.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2026

Michael Citro

Image of Marta and Angelina being honored before a game.

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Now that the monthlong NWSL break is upon us, we’ve got a little time to take a breath and look ahead. As we did with Orlando City a week ago, let’s look forward at the roster decisions Caitlin Carducci and the Orlando Pride will have coming up at season’s end. Unlike the MLS side, we don’t have the luxury of the salaries for the players, but we still know which contracts will expire and which ones will have contract options available to exercise at the end of 2026.

Kerry Abello — Defender/Midfielder

Abello arrived via the 2021 NWSL Draft, in which the Pride selected her in the third round (No. 24 overall), but she opted to return to Penn State for one more year of eligibility. Orlando signed Abello in January of 2022 through the 2023 season. The Pride ripped up that deal in February of 2023, signing Abello to a new contract through 2024 with an option for 2025. Abello then signed another new deal in March of 2024 that runs through the end of this year.

Just 26, Abello is an intriguing player still in her prime years who has shown flashes of being a top-notch starter. However, she still has defensive lapses in games, turns the ball over far too frequently in others, provides little in terms of goal-scoring contributions (three goals, five assists in all competitions since the start of 2022), and hasn’t settled into the kind of consistency you’d hope for in a veteran player who has been in the league since 2022.

She started the 2026 season on the injured list but started to see game action just before the break, including her first start of the 2026 season. The versatile defender/midfielder can play a variety of positions in both the defense and the attack and is only two years removed from MLS Bext XI Second Team honors, when she played primarily left back for the double-winning Pride. That makes her worth keeping around, even if it’s as a depth player on a strong, deep team.

Angelina — Midfielder

The Brazilian international signed a three-year deal on Dec. 13, 2023, running through the end of 2026. That’s set to expire later this year, so there is some work to do in keeping the midfielder around. So far this season, Angelina has registered one assist. Over her three-year NWSL career with the Pride, the Brazilian has scored two goals (both in 2024) and added four assists in the regular season, contributing sparingly from her often deep-lying position. She has also been a solid, if unspectacular, set-piece taker.

Angelina was one of the best players on the Pride in 2024. Like many others, her game took a step back in 2025 (no goals, one assist), and she hasn’t been her best self yet in 2026 yet either. The recent hair-pulling incident that cost her a red card and an additional game suspension was a costly mistake that veteran leaders shouldn’t make. Still, when she’s on her game, Angelina is one of the best deep-lying midfielders in the NWSL. She can unlock a defense with a single through ball or long ball, as she did in the 2024 NWSL Championship, when she set up Barbra Banda’s game-winning goal. Angelina is a good player who the Pride will likely want to bring back, as long as the cost isn’t too high.

Kat Asman — Goalkeeper

Another player signed through 2026 but not beyond, Asman has spent a good chunk of her time with the Pride while on loan with Lexington FC in the USL Super League since signing with Orlando on Dec. 11, 2024. Asman has been a good goalkeeper in that league, winning the 2025-2026 USL Super League Golden Glove award. It seems unlikely the Pride will prioritize signing Asman, although she’s played well in competitive action and may have shown more than McKinley Crone and Cosette Morche have combined.

Seven Castain — Forward

Castain signed a one-year deal through the end of 2026 back on Jan. 16. The TCU product has shown flashes of promise in her first year with Orlando, but she has also looked overmatched and not ready for the NWSL at times as well. She seems to have fallen down the depth chart as other young players emerge and other Pride players have come off the injury list. It’s unclear if the club thinks highly enough of Castain at this point to re-sign her, but she still has time in 2026 to make an impact and give Carducci something to think about.

McKinley Crone — Goalkeeper

Orlando’s current backup to Anna Moorhouse will see her deal expire at the end of the season as well. Crone signed a short-term deal in late September of 2023 through the end of that season and earned a new contract. She signed through the 2024 season on March 11, 2024, and must have impressed everyone, because the club signed her through 2026 just six months later in a new deal announced on Sept. 6, 2024.

It remains to be seen who will emerge as the primary backup when Morche returns from injury. Crone has looked good in her infrequent matches, but has primarily been used outside of NWSL competition since her arrival.

Image of Julie Doyle playing agaainst Boston Legacy.

Julie Doyle — Midfielder/Forward

Doyle was Orlando’s third selection in the first round (No. 11 overall) in the 2022 NWSL Draft. The Santa Clara product signed her first pro contract on Jan. 27, 2022, through that season with an option year for 2023, which the club exercised in November following her rookie season. Doyle then signed a new two-year contract through the 2024 season on May 8, 2023. The Pride signed her to another new contract on Oct. 1, 2024, a two-year deal through the 2026 season, meaning she’s out of contract at the end of this year.

During her time in Orlando, Doyle has been a decent bench option and spot starter, but she hasn’t exactly broken out and has struggled to get into the starting lineup at times. Given her position, one might reasonably expect a former first-round pick to contribute more offensively, but Doyle has never exceeded two goals in league play in any season despite getting herself into some good scoring positions. Now 27, Doyle has shown the Pride who she is over the course of the last four-and-a-half seasons. It will be interesting if she’s shown enough to stick around on another new contract.

Luana — Midfielder

The first player we’ll discuss who has a contract option year after 2026 is the Brazilian international midfielder, who has battled back from a scary Hodgkins lymphoma diagnosis during her first year with the Pride in 2024. Luana signed with Orlando on Dec. 14, 2023, but played only a few games before showing up on the availability report as an excused absence. The Pride announced on April 29, 2024, that the Brazilian would miss the rest of the season to undergo treatment. She battled her illness while her teammates won the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship, inspired largely by her courage. Luana beat the disease, but it took a while to come back. She returned to the pitch in the second half of 2025 and did enough to earn herself a new contract, which she signed on Nov. 13, 2025. Her contract runs through this season but there is a mutual option year on the deal for 2027.

Luana has looked fantastic at times, and it’s easy to forget that she started the 2024 campaign as a starter for a team that went on to shatter club and league records en route to winning the double. She scored her first goal with the Pride in Orlando’s 2-0 home playoff win over the Seattle Reign on Nov. 7, 2025 (actually, it was her first goal contribution of any kind with Orlando). She was a big part of the buildup for the Pride’s winning goal at San Diego on May 24, although she did not get an assist because a defender touched the ball. Luana finally notched her first NWSL assist in the Pride’s most recent match — the 3-1 win on May 29, which sent the team into the break on a two-game winning streak. If her trajectory continues, it’s not hard to imagine her returning as a regular starter when all players are available, and she could once again play for the Brazilian Women’s National Team. On the other hand, at 33 years of age, time is not on her side in terms of her remaining career.

Marta — Midfielder/Forward

Look, at some point Marta has to retire, right? The 40-year-old legend has earned the right to go out on her own terms, but the two-year contract she signed on Jan. 9, 2025, seems likely to be her last. That contract concludes after this season, and this could be the Pride’s most important off-season decision.

Marta turned back the clock in 2024, playing at one of the highest levels of her illustrious career. That was an encouraging sign, and even though it would have been a storybook ending to a glorious career for the Brazilian icon to exit the world stage as a player after winning the double, Pride fans understandably celebrated her announcement that she signed a new contract with Orlando.

Her performances fell off in 2025 — something that plagued the entire team — but her availability in 2026 has been an even bigger issue. The Marta problem is that despite her age and lack of availability, she’s still hard to replace, because even in limited minutes, she’s performing better and helping the team win and retain possession more than most of her teammates and better than most potential replacements could do in her place. The goal production has tailed off, however, and that’s having an impact in the standings, because if Marta isn’t producing, the Pride have little offense outside of Banda (though Jacquie Ovalle’s return from injury should help).

The Pride would likely offer Marta a new one-year contract if she wants to keep playing. Few could blame them, and it’s hard to fault an athlete who loves the game so much that they don’t mind the diminishing returns they bring to their club as they extend their career. However, Orlando is in a transition phase, and using Marta’s salary elsewhere could help the club get younger, faster, and more threatening. Ultimately, this may be more Marta’s decision than Orlando’s, because the club will want Marta to end her career in purple. And while it seems the bell is tolling on a legendary career, it would surprise almost no one if she has another surge left in her.

Cara Martin — Goalkeeper

Pride fans could be forgiven for thinking Martin is an AI construct, because when have we seen proof of life? (OK, she’s made the substitutes’ bench a few times. Allegedly.) Martin signed Jan. 16 along with Castain and Nicole Payne. The former Big East Goalkeeper of the Year with Georgetown has not appeared for Orlando and her bio isn’t in the team’s game notes. Martin’s contract is up at the end of the season, and with Orlando collecting backup goalkeepers to work with the team in training and wait in line behind Moorhouse, the question is whether she’ll do enough to remain in the Pride’s stable of backup netminders.

Image of Kylie Nadaner making a headed clearance against the Houston Dash while Barbra Banda looks on.

Kylie Nadaner — Defender

The club’s vice captain has been away on what has seemed more like eternity leave than maternity leave. Nadaner had her baby in May, and the long process of getting back into playing shape lies ahead. Meanwhile, she’s in the final season of a three-year deal she signed on Dec. 7, 2023. Nadaner began her time in Orlando as a struggling left back who worked her way into becoming one of the team’s most dependable center backs.

Nadaner will be 35 early next season as her birthday is in March. While it’s difficult for players to return to playing shape after giving birth to a brand-new human, doing it in your mid-30s is even tougher, though it’s doable. Whether Nadaner is offered a new contract may depend on her ability to get back on the field in the second half of 2026 and show she can still perform.

Oihane – Defender

The Spanish fullback is in the last guaranteed season of a two-year deal she signed on Feb. 14, 2025. However, that contract includes a 2027 option year. Oihane has looked strong at times, although some minor knocks here and there have disrupted her continuity. She’s been one of the team’s better crossers in open play, posting three assists in just under a year and a half with Orlando.

The problem for Oihane is she’s in the Pride’s deepest position group. Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace, Haley McCutcheon, Nicole Payne, and Reagan Raabe can all play right back. Oihane has also filled in at left back, but there is coverage there, too. We may not know until the postseason roster decisions whether the Spanish international will remain in the club’s plans.

Nicole Payne — Defender/Winger

A former Portland Thorns and (briefly) Paris Saint-Germain player, Payne signed a one-year contract with the Pride on Jan. 16 that expires after the season. She showed off her pace playing right back in her first appearance with Orlando, but she’s since seen time at right wing, scoring a big goal in a solid outing at San Diego in the final week before the break. She didn’t back up that performance well five days later against Bay FC, but you can see there’s talent, speed, and potential scoring punch from the USC product.

Whether Payne is brought back is likely still up in the air, but there has been some promise, and her potential has not been questioned. Staying healthy has been a challenge for Payne. If she can stay fit, she would at least make a good depth option if she can turn in consistent performances like the one she had against the Wave.

Reagan Raabe — Forward/Defender

Raabe arrived as a non-roster invitee in preseason camp and earned a short-term contract on March 5. She’s made a couple of appearances off the bench in different positions but hasn’t been able to show a lot in her limited action. Will it be enough for the 24-year-old Nebraska product to earn a fulltime contract? We’ll find out soon.

Viviana Villacorta — Midfielder

The Orlando Pride had high hopes for Villacorta after drafting her at No. 9 overall in the first round of the 2021 NWSL Draft. And while she’s shown flashes of the potential she had coming out of UCLA throughout her time in Orlando, injuries have plagued her career and have completely derailed multiple seasons. Even in 2026, Villacorta has been on the club’s availability list, most recently with a knee injury. She’s done enough to hang around and earn three different contracts with the Pride, who exercised her 2026 option on June 30, 2025, meaning she’ll be out of contract again at the end of the year.

Whether the club still values Villacorta as a good depth option or is ready to turn the page on the 27-year-old — or whether Villacorta even wants to continue her career — is a decision we’ll have to wait to find out.

Summer Yates — Midfielder

Yates was a highly regarded prospect out of the University of Washington who somehow fell to Orlando in the fourth round (No. 39 overall) in the 2023 NWSL Draft. She quickly earned a rookie contract on March 7, 2023, through 2024 with an option year for 2025. She played so well during the club’s 2024 run to the double that she earned a new contract on July 11, 2024, through 2025 with an option year for 2026. Unfortunately, Yates followed many other Pride players in regressing in 2025, but Orlando and Yates had already mutually exercised her 2026 option year in October of 2024. That means she’s out of contract after this season, like so many others.

The 25-year-old native of Pasco, Washington, is just entering her prime years, but her play since the start of 2025 has not shown many signs of the improvements we saw in 2024. Former general manager Haley Carter touted her off-season work on our podcast prior to the club’s 2024 double-winning campaign. Since then, Yates has not scored a league goal and has tallied only two assists in the regular season, although she notably notched a hat trick in a 5-0 win at Chorrillo FC in Panama a year ago. Her most recent game against Bay FC saw Yates thread the needle to set up Banda’s second goal of the night, which turned out to be the game-winner.

Yates does so many things well, but putting together consistent performances has been a struggle since the start of 2025. Some of that has been related to playing through some minor knocks. Every dribble into a blind alley or misplaced pass in the attacking third seems worthwhile when Yates sticks a gorgeous through ball into Banda’s path, but a return to her 2024 form, in which she scored five NWSL goals, would be her best path to a lucrative new deal with the Pride.

The Pride roster provides a lot of flexibility for Carducci. There are as many as 14 expiring contracts either, outright or with an option decision, and the competition for new deals will be stiff. Carducci can spend the rest of the 2026 season evaluating the squad, looking at the areas she wants to improve, and making informed choices about which players to re-sign and which to let go.

That, of course, is a double-edged sword, because letting things go too long can result in players becoming free agents and leaving for free. In the past, the Pride under Carter liked to lock players down before their deals expired. This year, we may yet see some signings before season’s end, but Carducci has the opportunity to overhaul the roster. At the very least, the bottom of the roster can (and should) be churned a bit.