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Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Get First Home Win

Messiah Bright’s first-half goal was enough to give the Pride their second consecutive win and their first of the year at Exploria Stadium.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride (2-4-0, 6 points) won their first home game of the year and their second consecutive match, defeating Racing Louisville FC (0-2-4, 4 points) 1-0 at Exploria Stadium. Messiah Bright scored her second goal of the season in the 21st minute and the Pride held onto the lead for 69 minutes to claim all three points.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines started the same lineup as last weekend’s win over San Diego Wave FC — the first time the Pride have had the same back-to-back lineups this season. Anna Moorhouse started in goal in front of a back line of Kylie Strom, Emily Madril, Megan Montefusco, and Haley McCutcheon. Mikayla Cluff and Viviana Villacorta were in the defensive midfield behind Marta, Erika Tymrak, and Adriana. As has become the norm, Bright started up top.

Louisville had the better of the possession early, ultimately resulting in a shot by Uchenna Kanu that missed the target. Other than that, the early possession didn’t result in much as Moorhouse took care of everything near her six-yard box.

The first attack for the Pride came in the fourth minute when Marta won the ball near midfield from Carson Pickett. She had space moving forward, but Jaelin Howell caught up and knocked it out of play for the game’s first corner kick.

Marta took the ensuing corner and curled it towards goal. It looked to be heading in, but Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund tipped it over the crossbar. The Pride didn’t get another shot during that attacking sequence.

In the 10th minute, the Pride thought they should’ve had a penalty when Adriana played the ball back for Bright in the box. The forward shot and the ball hit the hand of Howell. Despite her arm being away from her body, neither referee Jeremy Scheer, nor video assistant referee Kevin Broadley, felt it was enough to award a spot kick.

The Pride had a good chance on a counterattack in the 18th minute. Tymrak found Adriana to her left and played the Brazilian forward. Bright was making a run into the box, but Adriana decided to take the shot herself from just outside of the box, sending it right into the hands of Lund.

Three minutes later, the Pride took the lead through their rookie striker. It started when Adriana’s shot was blocked out of play by Abby Erceg for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece went all the way through the box, ending up with Strom on the far side. The left back sent a cross into the box, finding the head of Bright. Lund got her hand on the ball, but didn’t get enough of it and it got behind her to give the Pride the 1-0 lead.

“We’ve been focusing a lot on set plays. Paul, our goalkeeper coach, talks a lot about how the game is won between the two boxes. And so that’s been a huge focus for us,” Strom said about the goal off a corner kick. “And you can see from the last two games, we’ve gotten results off of set pieces. So yeah, you just gotta put it in the mixer and ‘Messi’ (Bright) had a great header to get on the end of it. And it was just a desire and willingness to get in the box and score a goal.”

“I’m really happy for her. I’m happy that she got another goal as well,” Hines said about Bright. “I think it always helps as a forward. You know, I want her to be more ruthless as well. I want her to start really believing in her ability and be a little bit selfish as well at times. Like, you take a shot. It’s okay. You’re a forward. It’s fine to shoot.”

Bright almost had her second goal in the 30th minute when she made a strong run, beating Lauren Milliet and shielding Julia Lester to get space for a shot to the near post. Lund did well to block the attempt, sending it off the post. It went back to the striker, who sent her second attempt towards the far post. However, Lund responded quickly and stopped that one as well, keeping her team’s deficit at one goal.

Moorhouse was called into action in the 35th minute when a poor clearance attempt by Montefusco provided a one-touch shot for Ary Borges. The midfielder’s shot was on target, but Moorhouse reacted quickly, knocking it out of play with her right hand.

Louisville had a late first-half chance when Kayla Fischer created enough space on the right to take a shot. But Strom got in front of the attempt and knocked it out for a corner kick. The ensuing corner was caught by Moorhouse at her back post, ending the threat.

In the final minute of first-half injury time, the Pride almost got a second when they sprinted towards the Louisville goal. Receiving the ball from Tymrak, Adriana cut it to her left foot and shot. Lund dove to her left to make an excellent one-handed save. The ball reached Pickett behind the goalkeeper and rolled towards the goal line, but Pickett was able to recover and clear it before it went over.

The Pride had the better chances in the first half and probably should’ve had a three-goal lead. However, Lund had some key saves for the visitors, enabling them to remain within one goal.

At the end of the first half, Louisville had more possession (52.9%-47.1%) and passing accuracy (82.1%-80.6%), but the Pride had more shots (9-8), shots on target (4-3), corners (8-2), and crosses (13-9).

Louisville got off to the better start in the second half, putting pressure on the Pride and creating chances. Borges took a low shot in the 47th minute that was right to Moorhouse and Wang Shuang fired from the top corner of the box in the 52nd minute that was well wide of the goal.

Despite conceding a large amount of possession in the opening minutes of the second half, it was the Pride that nearly scored. Adriana made a long run in the 56th minute, shielding off defenders to enter the box. Instead of shooting herself, she found Marta arriving at the top of the 18. The Brazilian’s first touch was a hard shot on goal, but Lund tipped it over the crossbar.

A poor pass by Marta to Villacorta in the 61st minute gave Louisville a good chance to get back even. The ball was behind the midfielder, allowing halftime substitute Kristen Davis to take over. Madril and Montefusco closed her down at the top of the box, but she took a shot before they could arrive. Fortunately, Moorhouse was able to get down to gather the ball, ending the threat.

In the 65th minute, Pickett created a chance for herself near the top of the Pride box. Dribbling in from the left, she found space for a shot, but Moorhouse did well to get down and block it away. However, the flag went up because Davis was in an offside position and obstructing the view of Moorhouse, so it wouldn’t have counted anyway.

Louisville forced Moorhouse into another save in the 74th minute when second-half substitute Alex Chidiac played the ball forward for Davis. The forward turned Montefusco nicely, getting past the center back for a shot on goal. Her attempt was from the left and inside the six-yard box, but Moorhouse did well to get down and block it out of play with her right hand.

It looked like the Pride had a good chance to double their lead in the 76th minute when Marta took over possession near midfield and charged the other way. After entering the box, she cut inside to lose Erceg, but tripped and was unable to take a shot.

In the 80th minute, quick passing between Marta and Cluff created a chance for Kerry Abello, who came on for Tymrak in the 68th minute. But Lund blocked it away.

Seconds later, Adriana forced Lund into another good save from the left. This time the ball went right to McCutcheon right in front of goal, but she sent the second attempt over the crossbar from close distance.

As the Pride looked to see off their second consecutive win, Hines made two more changes. Ally Watt came on for Cluff in the 81st minute and Amanda Allen made her Pride debut, replacing Bright in the 86th minute.

Despite Louisville needing a goal, the Pride held a fair amount of possession as time wound down. The visitors did have a chance in the 82nd minute when a corner kick fell to the foot of Howell, but her shot fell right into the arms of Moorhouse.

The Pride had one last chance for a second goal a minute into second-half injury time when Marta skillfully flicked the ball over the defense for Allen. The rookie took the ball down well and shot, but Lester got in the way.

As the score would suggest, the game was quite even. Louisville had more possession (52.2%-47.8%), shots (17-16), crosses (12-14), and passing accuracy (80.2%-76.4%). The Pride had more corners (9-7) and duels won (49-47). Both teams put seven of their shots on target.

“It’s a nice feeling,” Hines said about the win. “I thought in this game, it was a moment, an opportunity to really show how far we’ve come from the start of the season. You know, it’s nice to get a clean sheet, but I think that it could have been a three or four-nil game and that’s why we need to be better. I think we need to be more ruthless in front of goal. And that’s something that we’ll talk about after the game with the players. But I’m really happy for them. I’m really pleased for them. It was a nail biter at the end and you start thinking about the previous games and how they’ve ended. But, you know, we saw it out and we’ll take a lot of confidence on how we finished the game.”

“It felt amazing to finally get a clean sheet,” Montefusco added. “We’ve been working towards that for a long time. So it felt right to finally get that tonight.”

The Pride have had good performances at Exploria Stadium this season, but have conceded late goals that saw them drop several points. This is the second straight game that the Pride have been able to see out the win and the first time this year at home.

“We sat in a locker room after a game really late one night. The coaches didn’t even come and talk to us after. It was just our team. We had to look each other in the eye and really get down to it. We were like, what is holding us back here? What is going on? We gotta figure this out,” Montefusco said about seeing out games. “And we just said it is how it is and now it’s ingrained in us that that is not something that we want. That’s not a part of our team identity. We have to close out games, we have to manage them better, and the focus is for 90-plus minutes. I mean, it takes 100 and whatever minutes. We have to play all the way through and I think because we’ve talked about it so much, because it happened, you live and you learn and that experience is now showing and we’re not going to do that again.”

“We’ve been in situations where you’re hanging on to a 1-0 lead, trying to manage the game,” Hines added. “And we spoke heavily about previous games, about managing games, how to take the ball into the corner, run the clock, being a little bit more direct, and you see the rewards by getting three points at the end.”

After starting at the bottom of the league, the back-to-back wins have moved the Pride up to ninth, jumping Racing Louisville, the Chicago Red Stars, and Angel City FC.


The Pride will look to carry this momentum into the Challenge Cup Wednesday night when they face the Washington Spirit at Audi Field.

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Orlando Pride Re-Sign Forward Barbra Banda through 2029

The Pride lock down the Zambian international striker through 2029 with a new deal.

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Image of Barbra Banda celebrating a goal against Louisville.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has re-signed forward Barbra Banda to a new contract through the 2029 season. According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Banda’s new deal uses the NWSL’s High Impact Player (HIP) mechanism.

Per this recent league rule, enacted on July 1, HIP signings allow the club to exceed the salary cap and counts only part of the player’s salary against the cap limit. The Ballon d’Or candidate fits the requirements and is a signing worthy of spending that slot on.

“Barbra is a transformational player whose impact extends far beyond the goals she scores on the field,” Orlando Pride Owner and Chairman Mark Wilf said in a club press release. “She represents the ambition, excellence, and winning culture we’ve built and want to sustain long-term. Since arriving in Orlando, she has helped elevate our club to new heights and establish us among the world’s premier women’s football organizations. Securing Barbra’s future is a reflection of our commitment to competing for championships year after year and investing in the players who define our club. We are proud that Orlando will continue to be her home for
years to come.”

“Barbra is a cornerstone of everything we are building at the Pride,” Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Caitlin Carducci added in the club’s release. “She is one of the most dynamic players in world football and her impact on our club has been extraordinary from the moment she arrived in Orlando. As we continue to compete for championships, it is critical that we not only attract top talent but also create an environment where the world’s best players want to stay and build their careers. Barbra’s decision to
commit her future to Orlando is a reflection of the culture, ambition and standards that have been established throughout the club. We are excited to continue building around a player of her caliber as we pursue even greater success in the years ahead.”

The Pride signed the Zambian international for a then-record transfer fee of $740,000 from Chinese Women’s Super League side Shanghai Shengli FC on March 7, 2024. Her initial deal with Orlando was set to run through 2027, but her performances have warranted a new contract to extend her stay in the City Beautiful.

Banda, 26, led Orlando to the 2024 NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship in her first year with the club, scoring in each of the Pride’s three playoff games en route to the title and won the NWSL Championship MVP Award. She scored 13 goals to lead the Pride during the 2024 season, adding six assists, becoming one of the league’s most dangerous attacking players. That year, she ended the Pride’s long wait for a hat trick, scoring the club’s first. At season’s end, she was named to the 2024 NWSL Best XI First Team and won BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year honors.

Banda added eight more goals in 16 games in an injury-shortened 2025 season as the Pride again reached the NWSL playoff semifinals and came within a goal of a second consecutive final appearance.

Now in her third season in Orlando, Banda has spent much of the 2026 season leading the league’s Golden Boot race before being jumped by North Carolina’s Ashley Sanchez, who is having a career year. With six games still to play, Banda has scored a club single-season record 16 goals in 2026, besting the 13 she and Marta (2017) previously shared, and she’s chipped in three assists for 19 total goal contributions on the Pride’s 31 goals this season, despite missing four games due to injury/international duty and being limited in minutes in a few others. She sits three goals behind Sanchez in the Golden Boot race.

The Zambian’s totals with Orlando are staggering: 41 goals and 11 assists in 62 appearances across all competitions in three years, while drawing several penalties that others have converted — something that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. Over that span, she has also been selected to the FIFPRO Women’s World 11 in 2024 and 2025, and she has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or Fémenin three times in her career

“I am very happy to continue my journey with Pride,” Banda said in the club’s release. “I want to thank my teammates, coaches, staff, and the fans for believing in me and supporting me every day. Orlando has become a special place for me, and I am excited to keep fighting for this club and win more trophies together.”

What It Means for Orlando

Locking Banda down for another three seasons allows Carducci to rebuild the struggling club around her. The Pride have had an unexpectedly subpar 2026 season due to injuries, inconsistencies, and poor form. No secondary scorer has truly emerged behind Banda, which was costly during her time with the Zambian Women’s National Team for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The poor results eventually led to the club parting ways with 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year Seb Hines less than a year since he guided the Pride to the NWSL playoff semifinals for the second straight year.

Several Pride players will be out of contract or will have their option considered at season’s end. One of those players is Marta, whose availability has been less-than-reliable in 2026. If the 40-year-old retires, it will free up an important chunk of salary and a spot on the team Carducci can fill.

Banda’s presence in Orlando should also help the club attract interest from a number of coaches and players around the world. She is a prolific attacker and there are several pieces in place who can play with her, but upgrades to the attacking group are needed — and what defender wouldn’t want to have a target to hit over the top for an assist? And by using the HIP designation, this deal should ease fan concerns that a club in Europe will try to sign her away. That could happen anyway, but all Orlando can do is make one of the league’s top-tier talents one of the NWSL’s best-paid players.

Even if Carducci and whoever the next permanent coach is can’t get the Pride back to where they were in 2024, Banda will continue to be worth the price of admission. Her two goals Friday at Kansas City were magical moments in an eventual 2-2 draw in which the team was badly outplayed. Getting a point in that game comes down to having someone like Banda, who can make the difference between no points on the road and at least bringing home one. She is, in short, a difference maker.

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Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 2-2 as Pride Let Two-Goal Lead Slip Away

The Pride saw a two-goal lead evaporate in three minutes and draw in Kansas City.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

The Orlando Pride (9-12-3, 30 points) squandered a 2-0 second-half lead tonight, drawing 2-2 with the Kansas City Current (11-8-5, 38 points) at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, MO. Barbra Banda gave the Pride that lead with goals in the 43rd and 50th minutes. But goals by Temwa Chawinga in the 53rd minute and Elizabeth Ball in the 56th minute saw the team share the points.

Pride interim head coach Yolanda Thomas deployed the same starting lineup that defeated the Houston Dash 3-1 Sunday night. The back line in front of goalkeeper Cosette Morche was Hailie Mace, Hannah Anderson, Cori Dyke, and Oihane. Angelina and Ally Lemos were the defensive midfielders behind Jacquie Ovalle, Haley McCutcheon, and Summer Yates with Banda up top.

It was the first time the Pride have had the same starting lineup in back-to-back games since May 2 and May 8.

Getting anything would’ve been a success coming into the game. But it looked like the Pride might take all three points when they went up 2-0 shortly after halftime. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be as the Current responded with two quick goals. It then appeared as though it was only a matter of time before the Pride gave up a third, but they held on to get a point away from home.

The Current dominated play from the opening whistle, putting the Pride on their heels. However, the only early chance the hosts could muster was a Debinha shot from the top of the box with Anderson right in front of her.

The hosts nearly took the lead in the 17th minute when Kayla Sharples tried to flick on a throw-in in front of goal, but Oihane blocked it over the end line. Morche tipped but couldn’t punch away the ensuing corner kick, resulting in the goalkeeper being caught out of position. Ball played the ball to Sharples at the top of the box, but her shot was blocked. Ball then got a shot of her own, but Morche got back in time to block the attempt and fall on the loose ball.

The Pride got their first good look in the 24th minute when Michelle Cooper fouled Jacquie Ovalle in the Current third of the field. Lemos and Ovalle stood over the ball with Ovalle sending the set piece toward the penalty spot. McCutcheon made a diagonal run and attempted to head it inside the near post, but Current goalkeeper Lorena was there to make the stop.

Kansas City quickly went the other way and created a chance of its own. Cooper dribbled into the Pride third before playing the ball wide right for Debinha. The Brazilian sent a beautiful ball to the far post, where Haley Hopkins was making a wide-open run. The attacker had time to settle the ball, but decided to one-time it instead. That was a mistake, as the ball got caught in her feet and went wide of the target.

Vanessa DiBernardo forced Morche into action in the 29th minute when the defensive midfielder sent a shot from outside the box to the far post. The ball was heading in until Morche dove to her right and tipped it wide. The Pride cleared the ensuing set piece to keep the game scoreless.

Lemos played the ball wide left for Mace in the 37th minute. It appeared as though the defender would cross, but she shot toward goal instead. Lorena backpedaled and tipped the ball over the crossbar. The Current headed the ensuing set piece out, where Mace collected it. This time she did cross the ball, but it was right into the Lorena’s hands.

After Dyke headed a Current 39th-minute corner kick over the end line, the hosts nearly took the lead. Sharples flicked the second set piece to the back post, where Ball was waiting. The center back put her first-touch shot inside the near post, where it bounced off Morche and Oihane before the Pride goalkeeper fell on it inches from the goal line.

Despite spending most of the first half defending, it was the Pride who took the lead in the 43rd minute. Lemos sent a hopeful ball down the field for Banda between two defenders. The striker was the first to reach it and sent her first-touch shot from long range over Lorena — who was off her line — to give the visitors a shocking 1-0 lead.

Following the goal, the Current went on the hunt for an equalizer and came close twice. As the game entered first-half stoppage time, Lo’eau LaBonta sent a long ball down the right for Cooper. Debinha, who played the initial ball to LaBonta, continued her run to the top of the box. Cooper spotted her teammate wide open and the Brazilian’s first touch was a shot. But she was leaning back, sending her attempt off the crossbar and out of play.

The final chance came in the third minute of stoppage time when DiBernardo found Izzy Rodriguez making a run down the left. Chawinga got her head to the cross, directing the ball wide of the far post. The halftime whistle blew immediately after the miss.

While the teams split possession in the first half, the Current doubled the Pride’s number of shots (12-6). However, both teams put three on target. Kansas City also had the advantage in crosses (20-9), corner kicks (6-4), and passing accuracy (86%-81%).

Thomas made one halftime change, replacing Yates with Solai Washington.

The Pride didn’t take long after the restart to double their advantage, doing so in the 50th minute. Mace played the ball down the left for Banda with Ball on her back. The striker made a lightning-quick turn, powered past her defender, and sent her shot under Lorena’s left arm to make it 2-0.

“When she’s on the field, we’re never out of the game,” Thomas said. “That’s just the reality. So that is another source of confidence and just comfort almost for her teammates to know that if they keep fighting, she’s going to find a way to create something. Whether that’s them serving it up or her just creating something out of nothing. So it also keeps opponents on their back foot because you can’t relax when she’s still on the field. So, really excited for her to get back to scoring multiple goals, and we’re ready to support her to continue chasing more.”

Unfortunately, the game turned following that goal. As the Pride looked to defend their lead, the Current went on the attack, looking to continue their season-long unbeaten run at home. And it didn’t take long for their response.

A poor header by Mace in the 53rd minute allowed Cooper to start a two-on-two counter attack with Chawinga to her left. Mace caught up with the attacker, but opted not to take a tactical foul. Cooper was then free to play the ball between Oihane and Cori Dyke for Chawinga. The striker’s initial touch held her up and it looked like the Pride defense might survive. But she dribbled through them before playing the ball past Morche to make it 2-1.

The Current then tied the game three minutes later when the Pride were unable to defend a set piece. Debinha couldn’t turn the near-post corner kick on goal and Morche blocked Rodriguez’s follow-up shot. Unfortunately, her save went to the top of the six-yard box. Hopkins couldn’t get a solid foot on the ball, but it went to Ball, who put it in to even the game at 2-2.

“They’re a team that’s going to take advantage and try to punish your mistakes, so mental lapses, being safe, and taking low risks, and then them punishing us,” Thomas said about the Kansas City goals. “And when you’ve got a player like Temwa Chawinga and Michelle Cooper transitioning to your own goal, they’re likely to get something, right? So just not really managing those moments right after we’ve gotten scored on, which we know those are vulnerable moments for any team. So they’re learning points.”

“I just think it’s two lapses,” Lemos added. “Teams are always most vulnerable whenever you score. So I think really just focusing on the big five moments. The five minutes after you score, you’re the most vulnerable. So I think really just focusing in and honing in on all the little details and just staying fully locked in those next 5-10 minutes would have really helped us. And we had two unfortunate lapses.”

The second goal completely changed the momentum of the game and it felt like only a matter of time before the hosts would take their first lead. In the 61st minute, Morche punched a corner kick away and, after Debinha’s sliding shot was blocked, the defense blocked LaBonta’s attempt over the target.

The Pride were again unable to clear a set piece, allowing the Current to keep the ball in the Pride box. The ball was touched off Hopkins’ foot, going to Cooper outside the 18. The attacker fired from distance, sending her attempt off target.

Rodriguez took Angelina down near midfield in the 70th minute, earning a yellow card and giving Thomas a chance for a second substitution. This time, Ovalle made way for Sanne Lekven. It was the second appearance for Lekven, who continues to acclimate herself to her new team.

“Step one is really get to know your teammates, get to know the league. In Florida, get acclimated to the weather. So, we’re doing what we can do to bring her along. And she’s a fun personality,” Thomas said about Lekven’s minutes these last two games. “Sanne speaks Norwegian. I speak Swedish. So, we understand each other quite well. So, it’s really just about getting her acclimated.”

LaBonta found Hopkins near the top of the six-yard box in the 76th minute, forcing Morche into a terrific save, tipping the ball over the crossbar. However, Hopkins was deemed offside anyway, so the save didn’t count. Thomas used the stoppage to make her third sub, replacing Lemos with Marta.

Chawinga tried to dribble through the Pride defense in the 80th minute, but Mace blocked her last move. The Pride went the other way, resulting in Banda carrying the ball into the Current third of the field. The striker unleashed a long-distance shot for the near post, but it sailed wide.

Banda played a square ball behind Lekven and Marta in the 86th minute, allowing Angelina to collect it on the left. The defensive midfielder dribbled inside before taking a shot that forced Lorena to block it wide. Marta’s ensuing corner kick found Anderson beyond the back post, but her header attempt was into Lorena’s arms.

Penelope Hocking tried to find Hopkins inside the six-yard box in the 88th minute, but Dyke got a foot in to block it out of play. Despite heading the ensuing corner kick out of the box, the Pride were unable to get it out of their own third. Cooper collected it and shot from distance, sending her attempt well off target.

Thomas used the stoppage to make her final change of the game, replacing Angelina with Luana.

In the 90th minute, Rodriguez chested a short clearance down and dribbled into the Pride box. Anderson initially stuck her leg out, but pulled it back just before Rodriguez went to the ground. The Current players wanted a penalty, but the referee rightfully allowed play to continue.

The hosts created a couple more chances as the game reached the final seconds. The first was a Rodriguez cross that Sharples headed wide. Then Hocking found Amelia White on the right side of the box, but her shot was over the target.

At full time, Kansas City had the edge in every category: possession (56%-44%), shots (24-12), shots on target (8-6), crosses (36-16), corner kicks (13-8), and passing accuracy (88%-80%). However, the Current had to erase a two-goal deficit at home just to get a point.

“It feels disappointing when you’re up 2-0 and you don’t come out with three points,” Thomas said. “But the fact that we are now feeling disappointed about not getting three points in a game like this is a testament to how far we’ve come in just a week and a half. So, still to go into this atmosphere, given what we’ve been through, and to get a point is still a good thing for us. And I’m proud of the effort put forth and the fact that we’ve come out of here with a point.”

“Hard environment to come away and play in. And, at the end of the day, we got a point,” Lemos added. “Still not fully satisfied, but it’s a step forward.”

Three points would’ve been crucial for the Pride’s chances of reaching the postseason for the third consecutive year. They would’ve moved into ninth, one point behind the Seattle Reign while playing two more games than the teams around them. Instead, they remain in 11th and a postseason appearance is an even longer shot than before the night began.

On the plus side, the point ensures the Pride remain the only NWSL team to be undefeated at CPKC Stadium, something that’s not lost on them.

“We talked about it. We talked about it yesterday and today,” Thomas said about their undefeated record in the stadium. “So I reminded them of listen, this is a tough environment. It’s going to be tough. But also I’m going to challenge you to actually thrive in it because we have a history of thriving here. A lot of us have really good memories in this place, and so can you channel that? But I also reminded them that each time we’ve actually gotten a result here, something crazy has happened. So, whether it’s a weather delay, a red card, an injury, we’ve found a way to overcome. So, those were reminders that we used throughout the week.”

They also have now claimed points in two consecutive games, something they haven’t done since they beat San Diego Wave FC 1-0 on May 24 and Bay FC 3-1 on May 29.


The Pride will look to extend that point streak on Sept. 19 when they welcome the Portland Thorns to Orlando.

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Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride look to build on their win over the Houston Dash as the take on the Kansas City Current in Missouri.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread as the Orlando Pride (9-12-2, 29 points) take on the Kansas City Current (11-8-4, 37 points) in Missouri (8 p.m., Prime Video). This is the second and final time the two teams will face off during the 2026 NWSL regular season.

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

History

The Current joined the NWSL in 2021 after the team’s ownership group bought the Utah Royals and relocated the club to Kansas City. It’s the second NWSL team in the city — FC Kansas City played there from 2013 to 2017 before moving to Utah — and the current team was known as NWSL Kansas City for its inaugural season.

The Pride and Current have played 11 games against each other in the regular season and once in the playoffs. Orlando has a 4-3-4 record in the regular-season series (2-1-2 away) and is 5-3-4 in all competitions.

The two teams last met on July 10 in Orlando. It was a dominant performance by the Pride, especially in the second half. After a scoreless opening half, Marta gave the hosts the lead early in the second half, and Hannah Anderson doubled the advantage a short time later. Barbra Banda came off the bench to add a late insurance goal, lifting the Pride to a 3-0 victory.

The first meeting of 2025 took place on May 16 in Orlando, Temwa Chawinga was the difference, scoring the game’s lone goal in a 1-0 win by the Current. On Aug. 16, 2025, in Kansas City, the Current outshot the Pride 16-5, but each team only put one on target in a scoreless draw.

The first game in 2024 happened on July 6 in Kansas City, Banda gave the Pride the lead, but the hosts responded two minutes later through Chawinga. Despite a second yellow card for Carrie Lawrence dropping the Pride to 10 players just before halftime, Marta converted a second-half penalty, lifting her team to a 2-1 win.

On Sept. 13, 2024, in Orlando, the teams combined for 27 shots, but neither converted as the game ended in a scoreless draw. The final meeting of the 2024 season came on Nov. 17 in the NWSL semifinals in Orlando. Debinha gave the Current the lead and Haley McCutcheon equalized just before halftime. Banda made it 2-1 in the second half and Marta doubled the advantage late in normal time. Vanessa DiBernardo got one back deep in stoppage time from the penalty spot, but the Pride won 3-2 to advance to the NWSL Championship in the Current’s home stadium.

The teams first met during the 2023 season on April 23 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City. It was scoreless after an hour before the Current got a quick flurry of goals by Debinha and CeCe Kizer, lifting Kansas City to a 2-0 win. On June 23, 2023, in Orlando, the visitors took the lead through Debinha, and Kizer doubled the advantage just before halftime. Marta converted a penalty to pull one back, but the Pride fell 2-1.

The first meeting in 2022 took place May 14 at Exploria Stadium. The Pride took the lead early in the second half on a Gunny Jonsdottir goal. Elyse Bennett scored late in the second half, and the visitors appeared to win the game a minute into injury time through Kristen Hamilton. However, Kylie Strom was pulled down in the box five minutes later, resulting in a penalty. With Marta injured, center back Toni Pressley stepped up and drilled the ball into the roof of the net, pulling out a 2-2 draw.

Their second meeting in 2022 came on July 31 in Kansas City while the Pride were in the middle of a seven-game unbeaten run. The Pride opened the scoring when Erika Tymrak found Celia, whose header made it 1-0, and doubled the lead just after halftime through Julie Doyle. The Current stormed back with goals by Bennett and Kizer, pulling out a 2-2 draw.

The teams played twice during the 2021 NWSL season, with the first game held on May 30 at Exploria Stadium. Courtney Petersen found Alex Morgan just outside the six-yard box and the striker headed in the game’s lone goal as the Pride won 1-0.

The Pride and Current met again on June 23 at Legends Field in Kansas City. The Pride had a weakened squad as then-coach Marc Skinner left some key players at home, preparing to lose them to the Olympics. It looked to be costly when Mariana Larroquette gave the hosts the lead late in first-half injury time. But the Pride responded well. Two minutes after Larroquette’s goal, Sydney Leroux’s shot took a deflection off a defender and went in to make it 1-1. Shortly after halftime, Leroux scored on a great individual effort from just outside the box. Marta then scored the goal of the game, beating Kansas City goalkeeper Abby Smith from the top of the center circle, lifting the Pride to a 3-1 win.

Overview

Last week was a tough one for the Pride. Head Coach Seb Hines was fired on Monday with Yolanda Thomas taking over on an interim basis. Thomas did well to keep team spirits as high as possible, allowing the Pride to defeat the Houston Dash 3-1 Sunday night.

It was one of the team’s best performances since the FIFA World Cup break, which isn’t saying much. The team has only won four times in its last 11 games, including a 3-0 win over the Current, a 1-0 win over the Chicago Stars, and a 1-0 road win against the Washington Spirit. The latter saw the team concede the majority of possession and chances, but Orlando held onto its slim lead for 87 minutes.

While Sunday night’s win will provide some confidence, the team still finds itself in a tough spot. The Pride are currently in 11th place, three spots and five points behind the Seattle Reign for the eighth and final playoff spot. With only seven games to go in the season, it would take an impressive and unexpected run to make the postseason for the third consecutive year.

Banda leads the Pride attack and is second in the NWSL with 14 goals, four behind North Carolina’s Ashley Sanchez. The Zambian led the league until recently, when Sanchez went on a tear to overtake Banda. However, Banda has played four fewer games. Outside of Banda, goals have been hard to come by. McCutcheon is second on the team with four goals, scoring her fourth Sunday night. Nobody else on the team has netted more than two.

Prior to the game against Houston, Thomas emphasized that a win could be a building block moving forward. It could provide the confidence to go ahead and get three points in the next game. Unfortunately, that next game is in Kansas City.

After dominating the regular season last year, the Current have had more of a struggle in 2026. They sit seventh with 37 points, but they’re just two points out of third. The Current team you see typically depends on where they’re playing. While Kansas City is 3-8-1 on the road, the Current have been literally unbeatable at home with an 8-0-3 record.

The Current are on a good run of form, gaining points in six of their last seven games. The only loss was a 2-1 defeat away to first-place NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Chawinga leads the Kansas City attack and has caused the rest of the league problems since joining in 2024. She’s only scored nine goals this year, but that’s largely due to her missing time at the beginning of the season with an adductor injury. Those nine goals have come in 12 games and 10 starts, making her one of the most dangerous attacking threats in the league.

Croix Bethune is another leader in the Kansas City attack. The 25-year-old attacker has 10 assists this year out of the midfield, tying her with Cloe Lacasse of the Utah Royals for the league lead.

However, both Bethune and Chawinga are listed as questionable for this game, so they might not play a role. That would improve the Pride’s chances of coming away with points, especially considering they played Sunday night and the Current have a full week’s rest.

“It’s a short week, so we want to build on the momentum of getting a win at home,” Thomas said ahead of tonight’s game. “But really, it’s about deciding how we are going to attack it quickly and then make the most of the sessions. The reality is we have about one full session to prepare, so it’s really about getting the message across clearly and quickly this week, and the players taking that on. I think the bigger picture is we’ve gone to Kansas City many times and have found a way to get a result. So, it’s embracing the difficulty and knowing that we can do hard things.”

The Pride are relatively healthy for this game with no new names on the injury report. They’ll be without Kerry Abello (thigh), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Rafaelle (head), and Viviana Villacorta (knee). The Current are without Ellie Bravo-Young (maternity leave), Alana Cook (knee), Claire Gagne (head), Mary Long (knee), Gianna Paul (excused absence), Gabrielle Robinson (knee), Kolo Suliafu (thigh), and Katie Scott (international duty). Additionally, Bethune (hip) and Chawinga (illness) are listed as questionable.


Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Cosette Morche.

Defenders: Hailie Mace, Hannah Anderson, Cori Dyke, Oihane.

Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Angelina.

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

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: Cara Martin, Luana, Marta, Zara Chavoshi, Gabi Nunes, Julie Doyle, Sanne Lekven, Nicole Payne, Solai Washington.

Kansas City Current (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Lorena.

Defenders: Izzy Rodriguez, Kayla Sharples, Elizabeth Ball, Laney Rouse.

Defensive Midfielders: Vanessa DiBernardo, Lo’eau LaBonta.

Attacking Midfielders: Haley Hopkins, Debinha, Michelle Cooper.

Forward: Temwa Chawinga.

Bench: Marisa Jordan, Kaylin Williams-Mosier, Amelia White, Rocky Rodriguez, Bayley Feist, Itala Gemelli, Penelope Hocking.

Referees

REF: Gerald Flores.
AR1: Chris Schurfranz.
AR2: Nicholas Seymour.
4TH: Kaitlyn Trowbridge.
VAR: Amin Hadzic.
AVAR: Matthew Seem.


How to Watch

Match Time: 8 p.m.

Venue: CPKC Stadium — Kansas City, MO.

TV: None.

Streaming: Prime Video.

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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