The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has signed Zambian forward Prisca Chilufya to a three-year deal that runs through the 2027 season. She’s the third Zambian attacker to join the Pride in the last 10 months.

“We are thrilled to welcome Prisca to the Orlando Pride. Prisca is a dynamic forward who brings exceptional ability, speed, and a proven scoring record to our attack,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “Her experience in both international competition with Zambia and her success in Liga MX Feminil demonstrates the kind of top-tier talent we’re committed to bringing to Orlando. She represents both immediate impact and long-term potential, and we believe she will thrive in our environment. Her three-year commitment reflects our shared vision for building something special. We can’t wait for our fans to see her take the pitch in purple.” 

The 25-year-old attacker joins the Pride from FC Juarez in Mexico. Since joining the team in 2023, she’s made 48 appearances and scored 14 goals. She’s scored four goals this year in just over half a season.

“I am honored to be joining Orlando Pride, a club with such a strong vision and commitment to excellence in women’s soccer,” Chilufya said in the club’s release. “I’m excited to bring my experience and skills to the NWSL, which is one of the most competitive leagues in the world. The opportunity to play alongside such talented teammates and learn from the coaching staff here in Orlando is something I’ve dreamed about. I’ve watched as the Pride have been built something special, and I want to contribute to the team’s success both on and off the field.” 

Before moving to Mexico, Chilufya played for Tomris Turan of the Kazakh Women’s Championship, making 14 appearances and scoring 18 goals during the 2022-2023 season. She moved to that club from fellow Kazakh club BIIK Kazygurt — which she helped win the championship in 2021.

On the international level, Chilufya has been a regular for Zambia since making her debut in the 2018 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics. She took part in all three of Zambia’s games in the 2024 Paris Olympics, serving as an alternate for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Most recently, she played in the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

What It Means for Orlando

This signing comes on the heels of the Pride transferring Brazilian star Adriana to the Saudi Women’s Premier League. It’s not surprising the club made a move to bring in an attacker and that the player was Zambian.

Chilufya is the third Zambian international the Pride have signed in the last year. It started with the acquisition of striker Barbra Banda, who quickly became a focal point of the Pride’s attack. Then they signed Grace Chanda, whose injury during the Olympics has thus far kept her from making her Pride debut.

The impact Chilufya will make on the team is unknown, but it won’t be easy to break into the lineup. With Adriana gone, Chanda will likely move into the attacking midfield if she’s healthy. Meanwhile, the club re-signed club captain Marta to a new two-year deal, and she’ll obviously play the 10 role. Julie Doyle and Summer Yates both played on the left side in 2024 and are expected to continue sharing responsibility there in 2025. Such competition for a starting spot can only help the club, pushing all of these attackers to develp their game.

Regardless of which players seize a starting spot, the Pride have added depth, something Carter continually tries to do. Head Coach Seb Hines will have plenty of choices in an attacking midfield that can be devastating to NWSL defenses at times. It’s a good move for the Pride after losing a key piece in the attack.

The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has secured a club-record transfer fee from Al Qadsiah FC of the Saudi Women’s Premier League in exchange for Brazilian international attacking midfielder/forward Adriana. The club announced that the sale was one of the three highest in NWSL history, with Jeff Kassouf of The Equalizer reporting the fee as $500,000.

“We are incredibly grateful for Adriana’s contributions to the club, and while we will miss her presence both on and off the pitch, we are happy to support her in this next chapter of her career,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “At the Pride, we believe in empowering our players to pursue opportunities that align with their personal and professional goals. The record transfer fee we received reflects both Adriana’s exceptional talent and our commitment to building mutually beneficial relationships in the global transfer market. These resources will help us continue to attract world-class talent to Orlando as we build for the future. We wish Adriana all the best and she will always be part of the Pride family.” 

The move, which was requested by Adriana, comes shortly after the start of training camp as the Pride prepare to defend their NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship titles.

“I want to thank the Orlando Pride, my teammates, and especially our amazing fans for making Orlando feel like home,” Adriana said in the club’s release. “This club gave me an incredible opportunity to grow as a player and person, and I will always be grateful for my time here. The Pride organization has been very supportive of my desire to take on this new challenge overseas. They worked hard to make this move possible while ensuring it benefited everyone involved. Orlando will always hold a special place in my heart, and I look forward to watching the club continue to grow and succeed.” 

The Pride signed Adriana almost exactly two years ago on Jan. 19, 2023, from Brazilian giants Corinthians. That deal was through the 2025 season, meaning her contract would have been up at the end of this year. As Orlando typically extends players’ deals before they expire, the timing makes some sense, despite it happening during the Pride’s preseason.

In two seasons with Orlando, Adriana was a key player for the Pride with the versatility for Seb Hines to deploy her in multiple ways. She was primarily used as a winger during her time in Orlando, appearing in 46 NWSL regular-season games with 38 starts, logging 3,333 minutes. She scored six goals and added four assists, sharing the team lead in those categories in 2023. Her contributions in 2024 raised her career regular-season totals with the Pride to 12 goals and five assists across two seasons.

Adriana appeared in all three of the Pride’s playoff games during her stay in Orlando, starting two and logging 197 minutes. She did not make a goal contribution, attempting six shots with only one of those hitting the target. She tallied five key passes and one successful long ball in the Pride’s run to the title.

Additionally, the Brazilian made one appearance in the NWSL Challenge Cup, playing just eight minutes off the bench in 2023 without a goal contribution. She was on international duty during four of the Pride’s six matches in that competition. Adriana was away at the Olympics during the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, so she did not play in that competition.

What It Means for Orlando

Losing a player of Adriana’s caliber does not make a team better, but the club got a big return for an attacking piece that had started splitting time with Summer Yates during Orlando’s final stretch of the season in 2024. The Pride’s younger players are starting to demand more minutes with their performances, and while the team’s depth takes a hit with Adriana’s departure, the club has the resources to find a roster replacement.

Someone will have to replace Adriana’s six goals per year. Yates scored five in her second season in the league, but a jump to 11 in her third year seems unrealistic. However, more minutes for Yates may mitigate some of Adriana’s lost offense. Others who can contribute to replacing those goals include Grace Chanda, Simone Charley, Ally Watt, and Julie Doyle. The first two on that list are talented, but still have yet to play their first game for the Pride. It’s also conceivable that Barbra Banda can score more goals in her second NWSL season.

In Adriana, the Pride also lost one of the team’s better penalty takers. Adriana was two-for-two from the spot in 2024. Someone else will need to step up and take up the secondary penalty-taker role (to Marta) in 2025.

We got the release of the Orlando Pride’s 2025 schedule on Wednesday, which means we’re that little bit closer to the start of the season on March 7. The nature of the 14-team National Women’s Soccer League means that there are fewer scheduling quirks than with the 30-team Major League Soccer, with each team playing the other 13 clubs twice each. Still, there’s plenty to dig into with regards to how the scheduling shakes out, and now that I’ve had time to examine what 2025 holds, I’ve got three games in particular that I’ve got circled on my match calendar. Behold.

March 7 — vs. Washington Spirit

You had to know this was coming, right? There’s so much to like about this game. Not only is it the home opener, but as the NWSL Challenge Cup match, it’s also a chance to win another piece of silverware in a rematch of last year’s NWSL Championship game. This game sells itself on just about every level imaginable. The Pride return almost everyone from a wildly successful 2024 season, and while there aren’t a ton of new signings to familiarize ourselves with, getting healthy versions of Grace Chanda and Simone Charley is essentially like getting two brand new players. It’ll be our first chance to gauge where the Pride stand as they try to continue on from the high standards that were set last year, and we should also get a couple new banners hoisted into the rafters. You can hardly ask for more than all that.

Aug. 16 — at Kansas City Current

The Current were excellent in 2024, finishing fourth and boasting the league’s best attack, with 57 goals scored in 26 games, for an over two goals per game average. The Pride, meanwhile, had the league’s third-best attack, with 46 goals, and the joint-best defense with just 20 conceded. Orlando never lost to Kansas City in 2024, as the Pride drew and won the regular-season contests and then won again in the semifinal matchup between the two teams. The pair have made a habit of putting on entertaining affairs, and with the match placed as one of the first ones to occur after the league’s July break, it might go a long way towards setting the tone for the back half of Orlando’s season.

Nov. 2 — vs. Seattle Reign

The NWSL is bringing back Decision Day this year, and the Pride have been blessed with a home game on the league’s final day of regular-season play. On paper, Orlando has also been handed a favorable matchup against a Seattle team that struggled last year and is in the midst of a rebuild. Given how tight the margins tend to be in the upper reaches of the league, every point takes on added importance, and playoff scenarios can swing wildly when everyone is playing at the same time. It’s always nice to be able to play at home in a situation that variable, and it can make for a truly memorable atmosphere that will (hopefully) set Orlando up for another postseason run on the right note.

It feels a little cheap to highlight the first and last games of the season, but I can’t help liking what I like. Are there any games that you’re especially looking forward to this season? Be sure to have your say down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!