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Orlando Pride Trade Sydney Leroux to Angel City

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4 years ago

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The Orlando Pride have traded forward Sydney Leroux to Angel City FC in exchange for ACFC’s natural first-round pick in 2024, $75,000 in Allocation Money, plus the potential for an additional $10,000 in 2022 Allocation Money and another $10,000 in 2023 if the forward meets certain performance-based criteria.

Leroux’s departure continues the roster gutting that began this past off-season. The House of Pride has been just about leveled to its foundation for this rebuild, but for that to happen, the club has got to start bringing in talent with the Allocation Money raked in from multiple deals and signing players who will be part of the team’s new core.

“Sydney gave all she could for the club every time she pulled on the jersey. We want to thank her for everything she has done for both our team and our community,” Orlando Pride General Manager Ian Fleming said in a club press release. “We’ll miss having Sydney and her family here in Orlando, but we believe this trade is best for all parties. We wish Syd the best of luck in this next chapter.”

“I’d like to thank the club, the fans and the community for embracing me and my family over the past five seasons,” Leroux said in the club’s release. “We had many exciting memories and moments throughout my time here, and I always will remember my time in Orlando fondly.”

Leroux, 32, was acquired from the Utah Royals on Feb. 2, 2018 in exchange for a first-round pick in 2019. The club re-signed Leroux on Feb. 3, 2021 to a new three-year deal with a club option that could have kept her in Orlando through the 2024 season. At the time, it was the maximum length deal available to NWSL teams and its players in a league that didn’t often sign players for more than one to two seasons.

During her time in Orlando, Leroux made 63 appearances (54 starts) across all competitions, playing 4,936 minutes, while scoring 18 goals and adding five assists.

In her first season in Orlando, Leroux was the Pride’s top goal scorer, finding the net six times and adding two assists in 20 appearances (15 starts), missing just a few games due to an illness and a concussion. However, those six goals came in just four different matches. She led the team in shots on target and tied Morgan for the most shots, but more was expected and she earned a rating of 6.5 out of 10 from The Mane Land that season in our end-of-year Pride player grades.

For most of the 2019 season Leroux was on maternity leave while ushering her second child into the world. As a result, she appeared in just three matches that year (no starts) and played only 28 total minutes as she worked her way back. She did not score or assist on a goal or even register a shot attempt in her limited action. As a result of playing so few minutes, she did not qualify for a TML player grade for the 2019 season.

As the Pride played only in the NWSL Fall Series in 2020, Leroux didn’t see a lot of action the following year either, playing in three games (all starts) for a total of 270 minutes. She scored one goal with no assists.

The following year was Leroux’s best in Orlando. She scored one goal in four appearances in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup in all four of the club’s matches (all starts), playing 351 minutes. During the regular season, Leroux returned to the top of the Pride’s goal-scoring list, netting eight goals to go along with two assists in 23 of the team’s 24 games (all starts), logging 2,018 minutes. The Mane Land gave Leroux a good rating of 7 out of 10 for her 2021 campaign.

After a fairly quiet 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup (no goals or assists in three games — all starts — playing 270 minutes), Leroux was the Pride’s co-leader in goals so far in 2022, with just two, tying with Mikayla Cluff, adding one assist in her seven appearances (six starts), as she played 568 minutes.

It was thought that adding the forward to a roster featuring attacking talent like Marta and Alex Morgan would elevate the Pride the season after the club’s only NWSL playoff appearance — a one-and-done postseason that saw Orlando ousted by the Portland Thorns. Leroux was also a player that could provide some cover while some of the team’s attackers were away on international duty.

Rather than improving and becoming an even bigger contender for a league title in 2018, the Pride’s fortunes turned the other way. Orlando went just 8-10-6 that year, which included a six-game winless skid to close the season, burying any hopes of a second consecutive playoff appearance. The Pride were terrible in 2019, going just 4-16-4 and finishing that year on a seven-match skid (0-5-2). The 2020 Fall Series saw the team go 0-2-2 in four matches, running the winless streak to 0-7-4 and covering more than a full calendar year.

Orlando finally won again in the third match of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, with Leroux providing the only goal in a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit, snapping the club’s 0-8-5 record across all competitions. The Pride got off to a great start in the 2021 regular season, with a club-record, seven-match unbeaten streak to begin the year (4-0-3). The roof caved in a bit once rumblings surface of then-coach Marc Skinner entertaining the idea of returning to England to manage Manchester United. The team righted the ship a bit in midseason under interim coach Becky Burleigh, but again the Pride fizzled down the stretch, finishing with five consecutive losses to fall out of playoff contention and turn a 7-5-7 record into a dismal 7-10-7 campaign.

A poor 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup (0-4-2) indicated things weren’t likely going to get better, particularly after an off-season of unloading veteran players without bringing in proper reinforcements to replace them. But the team got off to a solid 2-1-1 mark to begin the regular season and things were potentially looking up until the suspension of Head Coach Amanda Cromwell and Assistant Coach Sam Greene.

What It Means for Orlando

As one of the veterans that the Pride didn’t move in the off-season, Leroux was one of the faces of the team in 2022 and, outside of Marta, who was injured during the Challenge Cup prior to the regular season, she was the highest profile player on the squad. On the field, Leroux’s work rate was an important part the Pride’s play. Losing her at this point in the season likely won’t make anything too much worse in the win/loss column. The team may score slightly fewer goals, but results are unlikely to change much until the roster can be improved.

For her part, Leroux has not finished at a high enough rate in 2022. She has gotten herself into good scoring positions with the ball several times this season in which she should have done better. During those moments, she’s either hit her shot directly at the goalkeeper’s chest or missed the net entirely. All strikers go through periods where they aren’t lethal enough, but the Pride needed more from a player of her stature.

The team seemed to fracture around the time of the Cromwell and Greene suspensions and results have gotten worse. In the wake of those suspensions, the club subsequently bought out the contract of defender Amy Turner, who had a solid 2021 season on the Pride’s back line but inexplicably couldn’t find her way onto the field in 2022. Speculation has run rampant that whatever Cromwell and Greene are being investigated for, it may have been related to Turner not being on the field. We won’t speculate on that in this space; however, it wasn’t a good look for the team when Leroux was liking fans’ social media posts asking why Turner wasn’t in the lineup in Chicago — a game for which the Pride had no center backs on the bench.

The thin Orlando roster now gets stretched even further without a player of Leroux’s caliber. That in itself isn’t a reason to keep a player if they are creating or enhancing divisiveness in the locker room — and I want to stress that we have no evidence (even circumstantial) that this was the case. The team will have even more available money to make roster improvements, but it’s worth noting that having Allocation Money or the means to add players hasn’t been the issue since the Wilf family took over ownership. The front office simply hasn’t gotten the job done, regardless of the reason.

The roster — at forward and elsewhere — is not likely to improve until the Cromwell situation is resolved. It’s much easier to bring in players if they know who who they’ll be playing for when they arrive. The Pride have a lot of holes to fill on the roster and the means to do it, which was true before trading Leroux, but the coaching situation makes things more difficult in the short term.

In the end, Orlando loses a player who led the team in scoring for both of the seasons in which she was available for most of the scheduled games. She was also popular with the fans, which won’t help the club with marketing efforts or ticket sales, although those effects might be minimal in the end.

Ultimately, this move will be judged by what the team adds with the resources it received — most notably the draft pick, for which the team will have to wait until 2024, unless it uses that asset to address needs sooner. Less obvious will be how the Allocation Money ends up being spent as it has simply been added to a growing pool that has yet to be used.

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Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Final Score 3-1 as Banda Brace Leads Pride to Victory

Barbra Banda bags a brace and an assist but goes down injured late in the victory.

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3 days ago

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May 29, 2026

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Image of Barbra Banda celebrating her goal against Bay FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

After dropping two games to expansion teams and stealing a win in San Diego, the Orlando Pride looked to enter the summer break on a good note. The Pride (5-5-2, 17 points) had never lost to Bay FC (3-6-2, 11 points) and used a second-half burst to maintain that winning record and won 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium.

Barbra Banda opened the scoring in the fourth minute and followed it up in the 51st minute with her second. She added an assist to Cori Dyke in the 55th minute to close out the Pride scoring. Caroline Conti scored the lone Bay FC goal at the seven-minute mark.

“No better gift than a 3-1 victory at home in front of our fans,” Pride Head Coach (and birthday boy) Seb Hines said after the game. “It feels good that we’re ending this period on a high. I think it’s the first time this season we’ve got back-to-back victories.”

The Pride made one change in the lineup, giving Kerry Abello her first start of the season over Julie Doyle. Anna Moorhouse started in goal with Abello, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Oihane on defense. Haley McCutcheon and Ally Lemos played midfield in front of them with Mace, Luana, and Nicole Payne attacking from the midfield. Banda and her leading-leading nine goals played alone up top.

After an hour weather delay, the Pride went with the in-vogue start these days by kicking the ball straight out of bounds deep on the start and pressing high. It led to an opening three minutes of play in which the Pride kept the pressure up and forced the ball to stay on the Bay FC side. In the fourth minute, Luana headed a ball towards the center which Banda controlled, bodied Bay FC’s Joelle Anderson off the ball, and slotted the opening goal with her left foot.

Bay FC fought right back in the seventh minute as the visitors didn’t have to fight through the press off their kickoff. Claire Hutton crossed the ball into the box, Abello deflected it wide but there was no Pride defender there and it fell to Caroline Conti. Abello tried to fight all the way over but Conti was able to put it past Moorhouse before any help arrived.

The entire back line got pulled to the right on the play and Mace could not get back to help out wide.

“Hailie Mace came into NWSL as a winger. She’s got some tendencies that fit a winger profile. We knew Bay FC had a high back line. How do we get behind that back line? Having someone to support Barbra and not just Nicole but add in another player who can get into the attack,” Hines said regarding the switch.

In the 16th minute, Rachael Kundananji beat Oihane and crossed the ball to Hannah Bebar, who headed it into the net, but Cristiana Girelli was in an offside position threatening the goal, so the assistant referee ruled that it put Moorhouse off enough to interfere with the play.

The teams settled down a bit and traded possession until the 27th minute when Oihane centered the ball to Payne, who scuffed the shot high. One minute later, Luana sent a through ball for Banda to run onto and she went down in the box in a collision with Brooklyn Courtnall. It was fairly evident, however, that Banda got her leg into Courtnall’s to either try to control the ball or draw a foul, and the referee, Jaclyn Metz, saw it the same way.

In the 33rd minute, Oihane was subbed out for Hannah Anderson. Oihane had been laboring a little and may have picked up a knock somewhere.

The Pride couldn’t re-establish the high press so they turned into a lot of possession by Bay FC. Any attack by the Pride ended in a turnover off a bad pass or ill-conceived long shots as Orlando’s attackers were impatient in building play. Turnover after turnover plagued the Pride for the remainder of the half as they did not threaten at all until the 45th minute, when Banda took on Maddie Moreau and Kundananji, shook them both loose, and then crossed the ball into an empty area at the back post with no one to finish.

It was a fitting final piece of sound and fury, signifying nothing, as the half wrapped without any plays of interest. The Pride weren’t able to lead any of the statistics, tying Bay FC in shots (4-4), while Bay FC led in shots on target (3-1), possession (53%-47%), and passing accuracy (85%-83%). Neither team was able to force a corner in the first half.

To start the second half, Hines subbed in Summer Yates for Abello, which pushed Mace back to the back line. In the 48th minute, Kundananji got behind when Anderson got caught out and was sizing up a one-on-one with Moorhouse. Dyke hustled back and blocked the shot.

“We started the game super strong, super intense, but I think we fell off towards the end of that first half,” Dyke said. “We got a little too stretched between the lines and weren’t getting enough pressure on the ball and we talked about that at halftime. We needed to stay more compact and then pick our moments to go.”

Go they did. Three minutes later, Yates sent a through ball angled behind Banda which allowed her to run onto the ball unopposed. She beat goalkeeper Emmie Allen, who came out of the box aggressively to defend, and then passed the ball into the net in the 51st minute.

Four minutes later, Banda pressured Allen, forcing the goalkeeper into a clearance out of play. On the ensuing throw-in, Banda held off Bebar in the box, spun, and crossed the ball to Dyke, who put the ball in off the crossbar. The ability of the Pride to retain possession and work the ball in against a lesser opponent opened up the scoring and turned the game on its head.

Bay FC didn’t have a lot to do over the next stretch of time and Taylor Huff went down with an injury in the 61st minute, prompting a change as she was subbed out for Karlie Lema. Dorian Bailey came on for Joelle Anderson in the same stoppage but at the 62nd minute.

The teams went back and forth for a bit until the Pride drew a corner in the 71st minute. It deflected off a Bay FC defender and fell to Rafaelle at the far post, who headed it just wide. Three minutes later, Jacquie Ovalle and Zara Chavoshi wrapped up the Pride substitutions by coming in for Payne and Mace. Bay FC also took the stoppage in the 74th minute to sub two players in, bringing on Keria Barry and Onyeka Gamero for Kundananji and Girelli.

Unfortunately, in the 81st minute, Banda was dribbling down the left side when she pulled up lame and went to the ground off the pitch. She stayed there until tended to and was obviously upset. We’ll have to wait for any injury news on her. Bay FC made its final substitution in the ensuing stoppage in the 82nd minute, bringing on Kelli Hubly for Conti.

The injury to Banda left the Pride playing with only 10 players for the remaining 15 minutes (including added time) due to using up all three substitution windows. They stayed fairly solid in defense and played a lot of keep-away ball to see out the victory while playing short.

“A great way to finish this part of the season with a win at home. I think we were consistent today and we took the chances we created,” Luana said. “We’ve been having highs and lows in this part of the season but we bounced back in these two wins and it brought us a lot of confidence.”

Orlando City was ahead in the only stat that matters, goals, but trailed in every other major stat. Bay FC finished ahead in shots (14-8), shots on target (5-4), possession (54%-46%), passing accuracy (85%-84%), and corners (4-1).

The Orlando Pride now will be off until early July for the NWSL World Cup break. The next match is scheduled for July 3 in Los Angeles against Angel City FC.

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

The Pride return home to face Bay FC in their final game before the FIFA World Cup break.

Published

3 days ago

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May 29, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (4-5-2, 14 points) return home from a three-game road trip to take on Bay FC (3-5-2, 11 points). This is the first of two meetings between the two teams with the return game scheduled for Sept. 27 in San Jose.

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

History

Bay FC is one of two expansion teams that entered the NWSL for the 2024 season. The teams have met four times, with the Pride holding a 3-0-1 record and a 1-0-1 mark at home in the series.

The most recent meeting took place on Sept. 13, 2025, in Orlando. The visitors took the lead just before halftime when Racheal Kundananji headed in a long pass by Caprice Dydasco. The Pride equalized in the second half, when Ally Watt headed a Jacquie Ovalle cross past Jordan Silkowitz to claim a 1-1 draw.

On June 13 of last year in San Jose, CA, Bay FC led almost every statistical category, but the Pride defense held strong until Barbra Banda scored shortly after halftime. The Pride withstood attack after attack, coming away with a hard-fought 1-0 win.

The teams met twice in 2024, with the first-ever game between the clubs occurring on May 11. Just prior to the half-hour mark, Banda dribbled inside and Deyna Castellanos attempted an ill-advised challenge, resulting in a foul in the box and a Pride penalty. Adriana put the ball into the bottom left corner for the only goal, lifting the Pride to a 1-0 win. It was the sixth win in an NWSL-record, eight-game win streak.

The teams met for the second time on Sept. 20, 2024. It looked like the game might be headed for a scoreless draw until Banda got her head on the end of a Carson Pickett cross, redirecting it past Katelyn Rowland to give the Pride the 1-0 win.

Overview

The Pride return home tonight after a difficult road trip that saw the team fall 2-1 to Boston Legacy FC and 3-1 to Denver Summit FC. Having already lost to both expansion teams, they headed west to face San Diego Wave FC, a team near the top of the standings. But Nicole Payne’s first professional goal lifted Orlando to a 1-0 win.

Despite not scoring in two of the last three games, Banda still leads the league with nine goals in 10 games this season. She has a two-goal lead on Ashley Sanchez, who is second in the league. Haley McCutcheon is the only other Pride player with multiple goals, scoring twice in the same game. Ovalle, Marta, and Hannah Anderson have the team’s other three goals. The assists have been spread out much more evenly with Ovalle, McCutcheon, and Rafaelle all sharing the team lead with two.

The clean sheet against San Diego was big for the back line as the team has conceded too many goals recently. Dating back to their 3-2 loss to Racing Louisville FC on April 24, the Pride have conceded multiple goals in four of the last six games. The only other game in which they didn’t concede at least twice was a 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage on May 8, their last home game.

Tonight is the Pride’s last game before the league breaks for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After the game, they won’t play again until July 3 and won’t play at home until July 10. That makes getting a quality result tonight essential for momentum going through the remainder of the season.

If you’re looking for a team to win against, Bay FC is one of the most likely candidates. The Bay -area side sits 13th in the NWSL on 11 points, just four points ahead of Louisville for last place. Tonight’s visitors are currently on a four-game winless run (0-2-2) and a two-game losing streak. Their last win was a 1-0 victory against San Diego on May 3. The club’s most recent games are a 2-0 loss to Portland Thorns FC on May 20 and a 1-0 loss to Chicago Stars FC on May 24.

Bay FC has struggled this year on both ends of the field. Its eight goals are second fewest in the league and Bay is one of three teams with single-digit goals this year. Meanwhile, the team’s 14 goals conceded are sixth in the league. The California side has been better defensively overall than the Pride, who have conceded 16 goals, but worse offensively, as the Pride have scored 15 goals so far this year.

Bay FC has been led in the attack by Alex Pfeiffer and Dorian Bailey with two goals each. Kundananji, Taylor Huff, Keira Barry, and Joelle Anderson have one apiece. Pfeiffer also leads the team in assists with two, tied with Cristina Girelli. Huff and Sydney Collins are the only other players with assists this season.

It should help the Pride tonight that Bay FC will be missing two key players. Silkowitz and starting center back Aldana Cometti were sent off against Chicago Sunday, meaning they’ll miss tonight’s game.

However, the Pride have their own key absences. In addition to injuries that have accumulated this season, Angelina was handed an additional game’s suspension after being sent off on May 16 for pulling Delanie Sheehan’s hair.

“We’re looking forward to it. Looking forward to being back home,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s game. “It’s been a long road trip. Excited to get in front of our own fans. Want to create that atmosphere, make it hostile for Bay FC. We know it’s a quick turnaround for both teams as well, so we want to make sure that we start off on the front foot, build on what we achieved last Sunday in San Diego, and finish this part of the season on a high.”

The Pride will be without Angelina (suspension), Cosette Morche (ankle), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Solai Washington (knee). Marta (thigh) and Ovalle (thigh) are listed as questionable. Bay FC will be without Cornetti (suspension), Abby Dahlkemper (maternity leave), Anouk Denton (lower leg), Dydasco (maternity leave), Heather Gilchrist (knee), Alyssa Malonson (knee), Emily Menges (maternity leave), Pfeiffer (knee), and Silkowitz (suspension).

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Oihane, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace.

Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Haley McCutcheon.

Attacking Midfielders: Kerry Abello, Luana, Nicole Payne.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Zara Chavoshi, Hannah Anderson, Julie Doyle, Marta, Jacquie Ovalle, Summer Yates, Seven Castain, Simone Jackson.

Bay FC (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Emmie Allen.

Defenders: Sydney Collins, Joelle Anderson, Brooklyn Courtnall, Maddie Moreau.

Defensive Midfielders: Hannah Bebar, Claire Hutton.

Attacking Midfielders: Racheal Kundananji, Caroline Conti, Taylor Huff.

Forward: Cristiana Girelli.

Bench: Camryn Miller, Kelli Hubly, Jamie Shepherd, Dorian Bailey, Karlie Lema, Onyeka Gamero, Tess Boade, Keira Barry.

Referees

REF: Jaclyn Metz.
AR1: Art Arustamyan.
AR2: Adam Cook.
4TH: Edson Carvajal.
VAR: Anya Voigt.
AVAR: Katarzyna Wasiak.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: None.

Streaming: NWSL+.

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 vs. Bay FC: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Pride need to do to earn all three points against Bay FC?

Published

4 days ago

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May 28, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride welcome Bay FC to Inter&Co Stadium this Friday night for the last match before the World Cup break. This is an opportunity to get a win over a team lower in the table and move up in the standings. What must the Pride do to earn all three points against Bay FC this weekend?

Keep the Chip

I have been asking all season on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast for the Pride to play with the chip on their shoulder that they had when they won the double in 2024. We saw that against the San Diego Wave. My hope is that the players have now remembered what that feels like and will execute with the same level of intensity going forward.

The task is potentially a little easier against Bay FC, as the California-based side has scored less than half the number of goals that the Wave have this season. Of course, that is the trap. The Pride cannot slack off against Bay FC. Having Rafaelle anchoring the defense is a big help, and moving Hailie Mace out to right back has proven effective. In 2024, this team hated — with a capital “H” — conceding goals. They took it personally. That is the passion I want again. The chip on the shoulder.

Overwhelm and Outscore

As I mentioned above, Bay FC is not a prolific scoring team. Friday’s visitors have also given up 14 goals this season. That’s not the best or the worst in the league, but they haven’t faced Barbra Banda yet. The Orlando Pride don’t have any trouble creating chances, but they have had trouble getting anyone other than Banda to finish them this season. Banda leads the league in goals, and she has an opportunity to maintain or extend that lead against Bay FC.

What will truly make the difference for the Pride against Bay FC is if any of the other players can contribute a goal. We saw the space that Banda can provide her teammates when Nicole Payne scored her first goal against San Diego. Now I want other players to take advantage of that space to provide some goals for the Pride.

More Luana

Luana got her first start since coming back to the squad cancer-free. I think we’ve forgotten that she was a starter on the 2024 squad before her Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis. She was a starter on a team that won the double. Now she is back and she is a leader and an inspiration for her fellow players.

Given Marta’s limited minutes, having Luana out there as a stabilizing presence is important. Obviously, she brings a different skill set than Marta but still a critical one. Much like the defense, the midfield was better last match, and I feel she was a big part of that.

That is what I will be looking for on Friday night. The Pride can head into the World Cup break on a high with a victory. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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