As the 2026 NWSL season approaches, rosters are starting to take shape. For the Orlando Pride, one former position of strength for the team has quickly become one of the team’s primary concerns.

The Pride’s rebuild that led to their historic 2024 double-winning season went from back to front. Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse joined in 2022 and was initially Erin McLeod’s backup, taking over the starting role for the 2023 campaign.

The next step was the center back pairing. The Pride drafted Emily Sams with the third overall pick in 2023. The center back was initially paired with Caitlin Cosme, before being joined by Megan Montefusco. The Pride signed Brazilian international Rafaelle on July 3, 2023, who joined Sams in the starting lineup for the rest of the season.

Rafaelle’s second season in Orlando was marred by injuries, resulting in the need for a shift. Left back Kylie Nadaner — who joined the club in 2021 — moved to center back, creating arguably the best center back pairing in the league.

The 2024 season saw the Pride flirt with conceding the fewest goals in NWSL history. It’s a record they might have broken had Head Coach Seb Hines kept his back line together for the final games instead of resting them. However, his plan worked, as Orlando won the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship — the first trophies in team history.

As for individual honors, Sams was awarded 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year. It was just the second time a Pride player won a league end-of-season individual award after Ashlyn Harris was named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016.

The 2025 season began with Nadaner and Rafaelle in the middle of the back line and Sams on the right. However, when the oft-injured Brazilian ended up back on the injury list, it was Nadaner and Sams once again. They continued to be one of the best center back pairings in the league and a significant reason why the Pride finished fourth in the league despite the club’s lack of offensive production.

The Pride were in an envious position midway through the 2025 campaign. They had two excellent center backs starting and an international caliber defender on and off the injury list. When all three were healthy, few teams could compete, allowing the Pride to focus on other aspects of the roster.

Unfortunately, that’s all changed.

Nadaner’s final game of the 2025 season came on Aug. 29 against NJ/NY Gotham FC. For the remainder of the year, the club’s vice captain was listed as out with an “excused absence.” That typically means either problems with the club or pregnancy. Since Nadaner still joined the club on road trips, it was clearly the latter.

That suspicion was confirmed on Jan. 7 when the club shared a post from the center that she’s due in May.

While it’s happy days for the Nadaner clan, that meant the Pride were down a center back for a large portion of the 2026 season. Then, things got worse.

On Jan.9, the Pride traded Sams to Angel City FC for $650,000 in intraleague transfer funds. The reliable center back requested the move, leaving the team with just one of the three defenders available for the start of the 2026 season.

If you had to choose one of the three players to remain, Rafaelle would probably be last, but that’s not based on production. While the Brazilian plays at a high level when healthy, she’s been injured regularly. The center back started the 2024 season out of action and suffered an injury during the 2024 Olympics. That injury kept her out for the rest of the season.

Rafaelle lasted fewer than two games before she was back on the shelf. She would play sparingly the remainder of the season which will be largely remembered as another lost one for the Brazilian.

With Nadaner and Rafaelle unavailable, the other starting center back role went to rookie Zara Chavoshi. The Wake Forest product held her own for much of the season, though she was inconsistent and often assisted by excellent play by Sams.

As we near the 2026 season, there are more questions than answers when it comes to the center back position. It should be fine as is if Rafaelle can stay healthy, but that’s a big ask since she’s been injured in each of the last two seasons.

Another injury to the Brazilian would leave Chavoshi as the only natural center back on the roster. The other starting spot could go to Cori Dyke or Kerry Abello, both having played there briefly in college and once at the professional level. Hines could also insert Hailie Mace or Hannah Anderson into the role. But, like Dyke and Abello, that’s not their primary position.

The more preferable option is for the Pride to sign at least one new center back. While they’re unlikely to find someone as good as Sams or Nadaner, a starting-quality addition would provide comfort in case Rafaelle goes down with another injury. It would also sure up a position that has now become a problem.

The Pride’s recent success is largely due to the team’s stingy defense, and that’s primarily because of the center back play. But one of the three has departed the club and another will be out for a large portion of the 2026 season. As a result, a former strength has quickly become a glaring weakness.

It’s something that has to be addressed if the Pride hope to build on the last few seasons and fight fro another trophy.

In a surprising turn of events, the Orlando Pride have sent 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year to Angel City FC in a trade, as the Emily Sams era in the City Beautiful has come to a shock end. In exchange, the Pride receive $650,000 in intraleague transfer funds. She departs after three seasons in Orlando, during which she established herself as one of the league’s best defenders.

The Pride had just extended Sams’ stay in Orlando 11 months ago with a new contract that runs through 2027.

“Emily requested the opportunity to consider other options, and while she will be missed, we pride ourselves on being a club that supports players’ personal ambitions or choices, on and off the field,,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said in a club press release. “She leaves a lasting legacy in Orlando and we are grateful for all that she has done for the club and our community. We wish her nothing but success as she begins this next chapter of her career.”

Sams will now play out her contract in Los Angeles after asking out of Orlando — a painful reminder of a time in the Pride’s history when players regularly asked out before Haley Carter and Hines built a new, positive club culture from the ground up.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the Orlando Pride organization for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to grow as a player and a person over the last few years,” Sams said in the club’s release. “The support from the team, staff and fans has meant the world to me, and I’ll always have a huge appreciation for the city of Orlando and this club. I wish the Pride all the best moving forward and am looking forward to my next chapter of my career.”

Orlando selected the former Florida State star with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft. Sams, a two-time national champion (2018 and 2021) signed a contract with the National Women’s Soccer League through 2025 after leaving the Seminoles and was loaned to Swedish side BK Hacken FF prior to being drafted. After a stellar first year with Orlando, in which she played all but three minutes in the regular season, Sams was rewarded by the Pride with a new contract through 2026 before signing her extension last February.

During her stay in Orlando, the Pride set numerous club and league records in 2024 en route to winning both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship. In 86 appearances with the Pride across all competitions — seventh-most in club history —Sams scored one goal and added two assists. In 2024, Sams helped Orlando set the NWSL record for the most team clean sheets in a season (13) and most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal (554). 

The Pride returned to the playoffs in 2025 and came within a whisker of reaching their second straight final before falling on a last-gasp set piece goal against eventual champion Gotham FC. That success was due in no small part to the team’s defense, as the Pride struggled to score goals last season.

Orlando gave Sams the stage to play her way onto the United States Women’s National Team, and she’s earned seven caps so far, coming off the bench late on Nov. 28 in front of her club fans at Inter&Co Stadium in a 3-0 win over Italy.

“It was great, great to hear all the fans chanting my name, and just so fun to be able to represent Orlando for the national team,” Sams said after that game. “Great to see so many familiar faces that normally are in Pride gear, and today they’re in the U.S. gear. So, very cool to see all of them.”

What It Means for Orlando

Obviously, this isn’t news Orlando fans will want to hear. The Pride will be without Kylie Nadaner until she gives birth and has had time to get back into playing shape. Meanwhile, fellow starter Rafaelle has been injury prone since her arrival in Orlando. That puts a lot of pressure on others to perform, and it likely means Orlando will need to add another center back. Newly acquired Hannah Anderson and Cori Dyke can play the position, but that’s hardly a replacement and not an ideal situation, nor is relying on second-year player Zara Chavoshi, who has shown promise but has been inconsistent so far. The club does, however, have an influx of cash to spend on a replacement.

While the $650,000 in intraleague transfer funds is a club record, the second-highest total in league history, and a record sum for a defender, it still feels like an underwhelming return for a recent NWSL Defender of the Year winner when compared to some of the recent transfer fees for players who have signed in England. Still, the Pride surely shopped around to find the best deal they could while trying to respect the player’s wishes on a landing spot. How the club uses that return for Sams will ultimately determine how this transaction will be viewed in the future. For the short term, the team has a gaping hole on the back line.

The Orlando Pride announced today that the club and midfielder Grace Chanda have mutually agreed to part ways. The news comes just over six months after the club and the Zambian international made the mutual decision to exercise the 2026 option year on her contract. That seemed like an odd decision at the time, given her lack of playing time, but her time in the City Beautiful has now come to an end.

The move allowed Chanda to sign with FC Gallos Quérétaro in Mexico.

“Grace is an exceptional athlete and person, and we are grateful for the contributions she made during her time with the Pride,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said in a club press release. “After discussions with Grace, we mutually agreed that this is the best step for her career and personal goals. We wish her nothing but success in her next chapter and look forward to seeing her continue to grow both on and off the field.”

 The Pride signed Chanda on May 30, 2024 to a two-year contract, but the Zambian was injured during the 2024 Olympics in France and was put on the Season Ending Injury (SEI) list with a ruptured quadriceps tendon. That delayed Chanda’s Pride debut until she came off the bench March 19, 2025, making the first of just seven appearances across all competitions with the Pride.

Chanda made made four appearances in the 2025 NWSL regular season (all off the bench) and logged a total of just 36 minutes without a goal contribution and without putting any of her three shot attempts on target. She completed 14 of her 19 passes (73.7%) but did not record a key pass or attempt a cross or a long ball on the season. Defensively, the Zambian midfielder contributed one tackle and one interception but no blocks or clearances in her limited action. She committed two fouls, did not draw any on her opponents, and she was not booked in her first four NWSL games.

The 28-year-old native of Lusaka, Zambia appeared in three matches in the Concacaf W Champions Cup (all starts) and played all 270 available minutes in those games. She did not register a goal contribution, taking seven shots and putting three on target. She completed 78 of her 100 passes (78%) without a key pass. On the defensive end, Chanda contributed 14 tackles in the tournament. She committed five fouls, drew three on her opponents, and was not booked in the competition.

What It Means for Orlando

Ultimately, this move won’t affect the club much. Chanda barely played and wasn’t especially effective when she did. This is a move that will allow the player to find a better situation where she may receive more minutes. The club, meanwhile, merely frees up a roster spot that wasn’t producing.

While the addition seemed like a good one at the time, it ultimately didn’t work out for either side.