Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride Need Goal Production When Barbra Banda is Off the Field
Barbra Banda has been a goal-scoring machine, but the Pride need an alternative when she’s not on the field.
The Orlando Pride made waves in the women’s game when they signed Zambia international striker Barbra Banda from Chinese Women’s Super League club Shanghai Shengli. It’s been an incredibly successful acquisition with Banda immediately becoming one of the most impactful players in the NWSL. However, the club needs to figure out how to succeed without her contributions as well.
Following the 2021 NWSL season, the Pride began a complete rebuild under former general manager Ian Fleming. Using the Washington Spirit as a model, they traded stars like Alex Morgan, Ashlyn Harris, and Ali Krieger for draft picks and Allocation Money. While the moves caused frustration among the team’s fanbase, the club used the money to acquire Brazilian international Adriana, re-sign club captain Marta, and sign Banda.
The deal for Banda came close to breaking records. The $740,000 transfer fee is the second highest in the history of the women’s game. A move like that — along with her international scoring record — comes with enormous expectations and, so far, Banda has lived up to the hype.
It took some time for Banda to arrive in Orlando because the signing came while she was taking part in Olympic qualifying for Zambia. Once she arrived, the goal contributions began. She made her debut on April 19, coming on in the 61st minute for Ally Watt. While she didn’t score in her debut, she looked dangerous and the goals soon came.
The Pride have scored 15 goals in the last seven games and Banda has been part of 14. This includes eight goals, three assists, two penalties drawn, and a goal following the blocking of one of her shots. The only goal she wasn’t directly part of was Emily Sams’ opener against the Seattle Reign on May 19. However, she had a brace in that game.
To say that the Banda signing has been a successful one would be an understatement. While the Pride were a playoff caliber team without her — they narrowly missed the postseason last year — the striker’s addition makes them arguably the best team in the league. But her success this season also raises some questions about the rest of the squad.
It’s incredibly rare that a field player plays every minute of every game. That’s even more so for an attacking player that runs as much as Banda during games. Players need rest to avoid overuse and possibly seeing a dip in form later in the season. This is one of the reasons why Banda was taken off at halftime against San Diego Wave FC Friday night.
The Pride have scored multiple goals in five games this season. They netted two late in the season opener against Racing Louisville FC, before Banda’s arrival. The other four have been in Banda starts and she’s contributed to all but one of those goals. Clearly she had a significant impact on the team’s ability to score, so what happens when she’s not on the field?
Prior to May 24 against the Portland Thorns, Banda had played over 80 minutes in all of her starts for the Pride. The two most recent games she’s been replaced at halftime. In the first one, she had already netted a first-half brace and the Pride had a commanding 2-0 lead at home. However, they were only leading by a goal in San Diego when she was replaced by Marta.
The absence of Banda on the field was apparent Friday night. San Diego had chances in the first half, but the Pride created problems for the Wave’s back line throughout the first 45 minutes. After recording six shots in the first half, they only had three in the second. Makenzy Doniak equalized in the 62nd minute and, despite losing the lead, the Pride still looked lifeless in the attack. That leads to the question of whether the Pride can find goals without their star striker.
The most obvious go-to player when Banda is off the field is Watt. The speedster is the only other striker to play significant minutes this season, but she’s only scored once this year. Other than Banda, the only Pride players with multiple goals are Summer Yates (3), Julie Doyle (2), and Marta (2).
While no other players come close to Banda’s goal production, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Several players contribute to goals, which can cause problems for opposing defenses. The bigger problem is that the Pride aren’t converting when Banda isn’t on the field. That’s not a concern when Banda comes off in the final minutes with a multi-goal lead. However, the Pride have been in one-goal games without the striker in the last two matches and been unable to score a goal that would put the game away.
When Banda is on the field, she’s the go-to attacker, a large reason why she has a league-leading eight goals this year. The Pride need to find a dependable goal scorer when the striker isn’t on the field. Potential goal scorers can be overlooked when a player like Banda is scoring at the rate she has this season, but those players should show up when she’s not on the field. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been happening.
The Pride have had a fantastic start to the 2024 NWSL season, including a 12-game unbeaten run and a league record eight-game winning streak. Much of the success can be attributed to the play of Banda, but the Pride need to find goals when she’s not on the field. If they can figure out that last piece, they might be unstoppable.
Orlando Pride
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Viviana Villacorta
Viviana Villacorta returned to the field late in the 2024 season. Let’s see how she performed this year.
The Orlando Pride selected Viviana Villacorta with the ninth overall pick of the 2021 NWSL Draft out of UCLA. The defensive midfielder opted to remain in school for her senior season, but tore her ACL shortly after, which kept her out of action for the 2021 NWSL campaign. She suffered an ankle injury in the 2022 season that required surgery and tore her ACL for the second time late in the 2023 season.
Villacorta didn’t re-enter the team until late in the year in 2024, making some league appearances and a playoff appearance as the season wound down. While she didn’t have a significant impact on the championship run, the fact that she got back onto the field was an accomplishment.
Let’s take a look at how Villacorta did in the few minutes she received in 2024.
Statistical Breakdown
Villacorta was in the team for the first time this season on Sept. 28, coming on as a substitute at home against the Houston Dash. She made three regular-season appearances in 2024, starting one — the last game of the season against Seattle Reign FC. She played 69 minutes in the regular season without a goal or an assist, completing 31 of 35 passes (91.2%). Villacorta attempted one shot but it was not on frame. Defensively, she recorded one tackle and two interceptions, commited three fouls, and was not booked.
She also came on as a substitute in the first playoff game against the Chicago Red Stars, making her professional playoff debut. The midfielder played three minutes in the match without a goal contribution, helping to see out the game. She completed four of her five passes (80%).
Best Game
The 25-year-old’s best game has to be her lone start against Seattle on Nov. 2. She had a season-high 26 touches, completed 95% of her 18 passes, and recorded one of her two interceptions in 45 minutes of action. She also took her only shot of the season in that game, though it was off target. She was replaced by regular starter Angelina at halftime.
2024 Final Grade
The Mane Land staff gave Villacorta a 5.5 for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but she didn’t play enough minutes (400 across all competitions) this year to get a grade. As a result, she receives an incomplete grade for the 2024 NWSL season.
2025 Outlook
Despite suffering multiple season-ending injuries, the Pride continue to believe in Villacorta, signing her to a new contract on July 16 that runs through the 2025 season with a mutual option for 2026. The defensive midfielder has shown her quality when healthy, but she’s been unable to remain on the field for long periods of time. The Pride have also strengthened that position, adding Angelina and Morgan Gautrat to the roster, as well as Luana, who is attempting to work her way back from cancer treatment. As a result, it will be hard for Villacorta to get significant minutes, even if she is able to remain healthy. With her experience, however, she can be a key depth player at the position.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
Orlando Pride
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Mariana Larroquette
The Argentine international’s second season with Orlando did not produce the larger role with the team she may have expected.
In the middle of the 2023 season, the Orlando Pride signed forward Mariana Larroquette, adding her to the roster July 6 on a deal through the 2025 season. The Argentine international represented her country in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, meaning she didn’t join the Pride until after the competition. Although she was a signing made with an eye toward bolstering the offense, Larroquette made only five appearances in her first season in Orlando — all of them off the bench. With a full preseason with the Pride under her belt, many expected to see her play a more significant role in 2024, but ultimately, it didn’t work out that way. The Pride’s signing of Barbra Banda didn’t help matters for Larroquette in terms of playing time.
Let’s take a look at how Larroquette performed in her second season in Orlando.
Statistical Breakdown
Larroquette made her season debut March 22 against Angel City, which was one of just four appearances during the regular season — all off the bench — logging 48 total minutes. She did not contribute a goal or an assist, failing to attempt a shot. The 32-year-old completed just 41.2% of her 17 passes without a key pass. Larroquette won four of her six tackle attempts (66.7%) and two headed duels. She committed one foul and drew three on the opposition and was not booked.
In the Summer Cup, Larroquette made three appearances, starting once — in the team’s 2-2 draw against CF Monterrey, in which Orlando captured the extra point in penalties. Larroquette played 107 minutes but did not contribute a goal or an assist, attempting three shots but putting neither on target. She completed 68% of her 25 passes but did not create a scoring chance from them. Defensively, she won two headed duels and recorded three interceptions, but she did not attempt a tackle. Larroquette committed one foul in the Summer Cup, drew four on the opposition, and was not booked.
She did not appear in the Pride’s playoff run.
Best Game
Larroquette’s best game has to be the one in which she started and played a season-high 65 minutes — the Pride’s 2-2 draw and 5-4 penalty shootout victory over CF Monterrey in the Summer Cup. Although Larroquette was already off the pitch by the time the shootout took place, she still made her biggest impact in this match, as it was the only game of the year in which she attempted any shots. While she didn’t impact the scoresheet on the attacking end, Larroquette recorded three interceptions in the match as she helped out in the press and defending the Mexican side.
2024 Final Grade
With 155 total minutes across all competitions, Larroquette fell short of the required 400 minutes to qualify for a grade from The Mane Land staff. As a result, she’s given an incomplete for the 2024 NWSL season. She played more in 2024 than she did in 2023, but she was also on the roster all year.
2024 Outlook
Larroquette’s contract runs through the 2025 NWSL season, but the writing may be on the wall after getting few minutes the last two seasons. She’s also on the wrong side of 30 to see much of an increase in that department. This may be an off-season that sees the club part ways with the veteran striker, who may seek a chance to get more minutes elsewhere as she the shelf life on her professional career grows shorter. If she remains on the roster, I would expect her role to remain the same in 2025, giving the club a few minutes here and there later in games and perhaps seeing a larger role in midseason cup competitions.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
Orlando Pride
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Sofia Manner
The Finnish goalkeeper spent her first season in Orlando. Let’s look back to see how she performed.
The Orlando Pride signed Finnish goalkeeper Sofia Manner on Dec. 1, 2023 on a deal through the 2025 season with an option for 2026. At the time, Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said the club expected Manner to challenge Anna Moorhouse for the starting goalkeeper role. Given that Moorhouse played every minute of the season and McKinley Crone dressed as the primary backup, that didn’t exactly happen.
However, Manner did get some minutes in her first year in Orlando in the Summer Cup, giving Head Coach Seb Hines a look at her under competitive match conditions.
Let’s take a look back at Manner’s first season with the Pride.
Statistical Breakdown
Manner did not play in the regular season, as Moorhouse played every minute of the season (and postseason) for the Pride in goal. However, Manner got the start in Orlando’s second game in the competition, a home match against CF Monterrey on July 28. The contest ended in a 2-2 draw before the Pride won 5-4 in penalties in the ensuing shootout.
Manner played 90 minutes, allowing two goals and making three saves, for a 60% save percentage. She only faced seven non-blocked shots, but five of them were on target. The Helsinki native completed 16 of 21 passes (73%), including four of 10 long balls. Following the draw, Manner made the difference in the shootout, stopping a shot by Merel Van Dongen, who was the only player of the 10 shooters not to convert.
Best Game
Having played in only one match, this is an easy choice. Manner’s debut was her only match of the year, meaning the 2-2 draw vs. CF Monterrey in the Summer Cup was also her best game of the 2024 season. The visitors took the lead twice in the match, but Manner kept her team in the game, allowing the Pride to equalize twice. Once the match moved to penalties, Manner did well to stop a shot from one of Monterrey’s most dangerous players, allowing her team to claim an extra point.
2024 Final Grade
With only 90 minutes to her credit across all competitions in 2024, Manner didn’t play enough to get a grade for the 2024 season, receiving an incomplete from The Mane Land staff. Despite a small sample size, backup goalkeepers don’t always get a chance to play, so it’s good that the coaching staff got a look at the 27-year-old during a competitive match against international competition.
2025 Outlook
With Moorhouse signed through the 2025 season and McKinley Crone also under contract, Manner could remain and try to battle her way up the depth chart. However, if the prospects don’t look good for her to get playing time, there’s a chance that she and the club could mutually agree to part ways. Crone looked good in her limited time, but it’s always nice to have a more experienced option behind Moorhouse as well. Unless there are injuries, I would expect Manner’s minutes to be limited in 2025 as well, unless she can elevate her game and earn more looks.
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