The Orlando Pride drafted defender Emily Sams with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft. The former Florida State player signed with the National Women’s Soccer League through 2025 and was loaned to Swedish side BK Hacken FF prior to being selected by the Pride and signing a three-year contract through the 2026 season.

Sams had a breakout year in 2024, winning NWSL Defender of the Year and helping the club win the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship. She signed a new deal on Feb. 13, 2025, keeping her in purple through the 2027 NWSL season.

The defender showed her versatility this year, playing several games at right back and center back. She was another key player in a successful season for the Pride, helping them to finish fourth in the league and reach the NWSL semifinals.

Let’s take a look at the defender’s 2025 NWSL campaign.

Statistical Breakdown

The defender’s first appearance this year came in the NWSL Challenge Cup against the Washington Spirit. Sams started and played all 90 minutes without recording any shots or goal contributions. She completed 44 of her 52 passes (87%), including four long balls. Defensively, Sams recorded a tackle, an interception, and an aerial duel won.

Sams played in 25 of the team’s 26 regular-season games, starting 24 times and playing 2,183 minutes — the second-most minutes of any Pride player and the most by an outfield player. She took two shots without putting any on target, so she obviously didn’t score any goals. The defender completed 1,284 of her 1,457 passes (88.1%), including 85 of her 146 long balls (58.2%), but didn’t record any assists. Defensively, she added 42 tackles, 33 interceptions, 92 clearances, and 13 blocks. She committed 11 fouls, suffered 25, and was booked once with a yellow card.

Sams started both playoff games, playing all 180 minutes. She didn’t take any shots or record a goal contribution, completing 82 of her 97 passes (84.5%), including five of her 12 long balls (41.7%). She recorded three tackles, four interceptions, a block, and 10 clearances defensively while committing two fouls, drawing five on her opponents, and being booked once.

While a primary starter in the regular season, Sams only played in three of the four Concacaf W Champions Cup games, starting two and playing 164 minutes without a goal contribution. She took one shot that was off target and completed 85 of her 100 passes (85.%). The defender had five tackles and wasn’t booked.

Best Game

Sams’ best game came on Oct. 18 when the Pride traveled to Washington, D.C. for an afternoon clash with the Washington Spirit. The Pride came back from two deficits to defeat their rivals 3-2 and claim a huge three points.

Sams started alongside Rafaelle at center back and was excellent. She completed 41 of her 46 passes (89%), including both long balls, a key pass, and three into the final third. She finished with one tackle, five clearances, four interceptions, and four recoveries. The defender won two of her four duels (50%) in a game where she helped the Pride keep their late lead.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Sams a 7 out of 10 for the 2025 NWSL season. It’s a decrease from her exceptional 9 in 2024, but still higher than her 6.5 grade in 2023. The grade ties Sams with Rafaelle for the second-highest grade on the team, one point behind Barbra Banda, who was given an eight for her injury-shortened season. Overall, Sams was excellent this year and fully deserves one of the highest grades as she further cements herself as one of the best defenders in the NWSL.

2026 Outlook

Perhaps no player on the Pride is a more definite starter next season than Sams. She’s arguably the team’s best defender and has been a mainstay in the starting lineup over the past three seasons. Her new contract in February means she’ll remain in purple through the 2027 season.

The only question will be where she plays. She’s started at center back and right back several times over the past two seasons, but is best in the middle of the field. However, when Kylie Nadaner and Rafaelle are available, Pride Head Coach Seb Hines has opted to use her at right back.

Regardless, there’s no question that Sams will be a regular starter on the Pride back line as long as she remains healthy. Her presence is something that will be essential if the Pride hope to make a run for a second NWSL Championship next season.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

• Luana (11/17/25)
• Cosette Morché (11/18/25)
• Elyse Bennett (11/19/25)
• Simone Charley (11/20/25)
• McKinley Crone (11/20/25)
• Grace Chanda (11/21/25)
• Viviana Villacorta (11/22/25)
• Summer Yates (11/23/25)
• Julie Doyle (11/24/25)
• Simone Jackson (11/25/25)
• Zara Chavosi (11/26/25)
• Oihane (11/27/25)
• Cori Dyke (11/28/25)
• Ally Lemos (11/29/25)
• Kylie Nadaner (11/30/25)
• Rafaelle (12/1/25)
• Kerry Abello (12/4/25)
• Haley McCutcheon (12/4/25)
• Angelina (12/5/25)
• Barbra Banda (12/6/25)
• Anna Moorhouse (12/7/25)

The Orlando Pride acquired goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse from French side Bordeaux on Jan. 31, 2022, signing her to a two-year contract through the 2023 season. In October of 2023, she signed an extension through 2025, and then on Aug. 15, she signed another extension that runs through the 2027 season. She has been the Pride’s primary starting goalkeeper since 2023, and her strong play in Orlando earned her several call-ups with the England national team and her first ever starts with the Lionesses on Nov. 29 and Dec. 2 of this year.

Let’s take a look back at Moorhouse’s fourth season with the Pride.

Statistical Breakdown

Moorhouse opened the 2025 season in the same place that she ended the 2024 season, in between the posts in a game against Washington. This time she did not shut the Spirit out though, allowing one goal on three shots on target, while making two saves. She completed 73% of her passes, including four long balls on nine attempts (44%), and while she went the right way on three of the four penalty kicks, Moorhouse did not save any of them as the Spirit defeated the Pride on penalties after the 1-1 draw.

During NWSL regular-season play, she appeared in 25 games, starting all 25 and going the full 90 in 24, while coming off due to a potential concussion in the other. The Pride went 11-8-6 in games that Moorhouse started, and already trailed when she left the first Portland game in a 1-0 road loss May 3. She played a team-high 2,211 minutes, allowing 26 goals and making 72 saves for a save percentage of 74% and a goals-against average of 1.06, which was third in the NWSL among goalkeepers who played in at least 10 games. She passed at an 77% completion rate, with 97 accurate long balls among the 215 she attempted (45%). The Liverpool Hope University graduate ended up with a plus/minus of +6 for the season, and allowed 2.1 fewer goals than Opta’s analysts projected using their post-shot expected goals tracking.

Moorhouse started and played full matches in both of the Pride’s playoff games, going 1-1-0 while logging 180 minutes and allowing only one goal on nine shots on target. She made eight saves for a save percentage of 89% and finished with a 0.5 goals-against average. She was not as accurate with her passing as she was during the regular season, completing only 58% of all passes and 29% of her long balls. The only goal she allowed was unfortunately the only goal in the semifinal game, so she ended the playoffs with a plus/minus of +1.

Moorhouse dressed during three of the Pride’s four Concacaf W Champions Cup matches, but she did not play during any of those games.

Best Game

The Pride’s No. 1 posted eight shutouts during the 2025 season, with the final shutout coming in the opening round of the playoffs against Seattle. The Reign went down a goal early, thanks to Haley McClutcheon, and thus were on the attack for the final 70 minutes. They outshot the Pride 17-9 and put eight shots on target, but Moorhouse was up to the task, stopping all eight shots for a season-high eight saves. Ironically, for a goalkeeper, her best save of the night might have come not with her hands but with her feet, as she just got her left foot extended enough to deny Seattle the game-tying goal in the 75th minute — a huge save to keep the Pride ahead.

Opta’s analysts estimated that Seattle’s post-shot expected goals tally was 1.6, so Moorhouse was +1.6 on actual goals allowed vs. expected goals allowed, her best differential of 2025. It was an excellent performance in what was to that point the biggest game of the Pride’s season, and her efforts helped the Pride get through to the semifinals for the second consecutive season.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Moorhouse a composite grade of 6.5 out of 10, a slight drop from the 7 out of 10 we gave her last season and a slight improvement from the 6 out of 10 she received in 2023. Her shot-stopping skills and reflexes were still strong, but there were once again a few goals that she just gave away — in particular against Utah, when she was caught well off her line, and then more egregiously against San Diego, when she was under very little pressure and yet passed the ball directly to a Wave player, who then made her pay by putting the ball into the open net. Goalkeepers are always under the microscope, and Moorhouse had a solid season for the most part, but a few of the goals the Pride allowed only occurred due to her errors and that is why her grade dipped just a little bit from 2024.

2026 Outlook

Moorhouse’s contract runs through the 2027 season, so barring an off-season transaction, she will be back with the Pride next season and will return as the presumptive starting goalkeeper. The Pride are bringing back all four of their goalkeepers, who are all under contract though, so clearly they see something in each of the other three goalkeepers (Kat Asman, McKinley Crone, and Cosette Morché). That means that Moorhouse will not just be handed the starting gloves for 2026; she will have to earn them. The England international is by far the most experienced of the Pride’s goalkeeping quartet, but Crone and Morché both showed potential during their minutes this season, and they will both try to unseat Moorhouse during the preseason. I expect Moorhouse will retain her spot as the starter, but she will be pushed like never before.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

• Luana (11/17/25)
• Cosette Morché (11/18/25)
• Elyse Bennett (11/19/25)
• Simone Charley (11/20/25)
• McKinley Crone (11/20/25)
• Grace Chanda (11/21/25)
• Viviana Villacorta (11/22/25)
• Summer Yates (11/23/25)
• Julie Doyle (11/24/25)
• Simone Jackson (11/25/25)
• Zara Chavosi (11/26/25)
• Oihane (11/27/25)
• Cori Dyke (11/28/25)
• Ally Lemos (11/29/25)
• Kylie Nadaner (11/30/25)
• Rafaelle (12/1/25)
• Kerry Abello (12/4/25)
• Haley McCutcheon (12/4/25)
• Angelina (12/5/25)
• Barbra Banda (12/6/25)

The Orlando Pride signed Zambian international striker Barbra Banda on March 7, 2024 from Chinese Women’s Super League side Shanghai Shengli FC to a contract through the 2027 season. Banda arrived a few weeks later when her exit from Shanghai Shengli and international paperwork were taken care of, and from the moment she stepped onto the pitch with her Pride teammates on April 19 of last year in a home win over the San Diego Wave, she completely changed the team’s attack, embarking on a season that resulted in NWSL regular-season and playoff titles and racking up a full trophy case worth of individual awards.

Banda’s second year with the club was off to a great start, with eight goals in the first 12 games, including the first hat trick in Orlando Pride history, before her production tailed off a bit and then she was then lost for the season to a hip injury sustained early in the match at Kansas City on Aug. 16.

Let’s take a look back at Banda’s injury-shortened second season in Orlando.

Statistical Breakdown

Banda started and played the first 82 minutes in the 2025 Challenge Cup match. She did not record a goal contribution and took just one off-target shot. She passed at an 84% rate but that was on just six total attempts, and she did not record a completed long ball or a key pass, although she was successful on one of her two dribble attempts. Defensively, she won one aerial duel. She committed one foul, drew two on the Washington Spirit, and was not booked.

During the regular season, Banda made 16 appearances (15 starts), playing 1,299 minutes. She contributed eight goals and an assist, putting 35 of her 58 shots on target. She completed just 61% of her 182 passes, two of her 14 crosses (14.3%), and two of her four long balls (50%) with 15 key passes. On the defensive end, the Zambian forward contributed 14 tackles, two interceptions, two clearances, and two blocked shots. She committed 37 fouls, drew 21 on the opposition, and picked up three yellow cards on the season.

Banda did not participate in the Concacaf W Champions Cup or the playoffs, which both took place after her season-ending injury.

Best Game

There’s really no contest. Banda recorded the first hat trick in club history and the NWSL’s first first-half hat trick on the road in a 3-1 road win over the Utah Royals on May 23. It was a dominant first 45 minutes for the Zambian international, who started scoring early. Oihane sent Ally Watt down the right flank and Banda made a quick, heads-up move to get inside her defender as Watt’s cross arrived. She flicked her shot home with a first-touch shot to put the Pride ahead 1-0 in the sixth minute.

Although Utah tied the game eight minutes later, Banda was just getting started. Showing off her impressive speed and physicality, Banda punished Utah for a soft back pass, blazing forward to beat the center back to the ball and poking it into space. She took a couple of dribbles, pushed the ball right to round the keeper while holding off the other center back, and slotted home her second goal of the game in the 37th minute to restore Orlando’s lead.

Less than a minute later, Haley McCutcheon sent Banda down the left flank with a long ball. The Zambian entered the box from the side while weighing her options in a ton of space. She then blasted a near-post shot past goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn to make it 3-1, completing her hat trick from start to finish in just 32 minutes.

Banda fired six shots in total in the game and put all six of them on target, coming close to a fourth goal several times, making the most of her 24 touches in the game in her 72 minutes on the pitch. If there was a downside to her match, it was completing only four of her 10 passes (40%), but she did all the damage on the day, logging a game-high three successful dribbles on four attempts. She also had five recoveries on the defensive end and won four of her eight duels. She committed three fouls and drew one on Utah, picking up one of her three yellow cards on the season in this match.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Banda a composite rating of 8 out of 10 for her second season in Orlando. This was a point lower than the 9 we gave her last year. Banda was as dangerous as ever, but at times she was impatient and often isolated, which no doubt led to most of her 199 turnovers on the season. Although she finished with eight goals, tying for sixth among all NWSL players despite missing nearly half the season, Banda still left a few goals on the field with misses or firing straight at the goalkeeper, but that’s admittedly a nitpick. She still somehow finished the year with the league’s most shots on target (35). There wasn’t much drop in Banda’s play, but the overall slight drop in team play was likely more costly to her individual stats than anyone else’s on the team. It’s a shame her injury occurred prior to Jacquie Ovalle’s arrival, as the Mexican international’s skillset seems well suited to play to Banda’s strengths.

2026 Outlook

The 25-year-old is in the prime of her career and under contract through 2027, so unless she requests a transfer, she’ll be a big part of Orlando’s team in 2026. Banda will be an automatic starter when she returns to action. Depending on her recovery timeline and how much time she can get in preseason training, she might start the season on the bench before returning to the starting XI, but as one of the league’s most lethal players, she’ll be a starter as soon as she’s fully fit.

As mentioned above, Ovalle’s acquisition was largely due to a skillset that complements Banda’s. Ovalle’s ability to pick out teammates should unlock more scoring chances for Banda, and in turn, Banda’s presence on the pitch will open up space for Ovalle that was missing in 2025. The partnership, once it’s had some time to gel, should be a fruitful one for Orlando. A return to double-digit goals in 2026 is not only possible, but with a healthy Banda, it’s probable. That would put her back at NWSL Best XI level.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

• Luana (11/17/25)
• Cosette Morché (11/18/25)
• Elyse Bennett (11/19/25)
• Simone Charley (11/20/25)
• McKinley Crone (11/20/25)
• Grace Chanda (11/21/25)
• Viviana Villacorta (11/22/25)
• Summer Yates (11/23/25)
• Julie Doyle (11/24/25)
• Simone Jackson (11/25/25)
• Zara Chavosi (11/26/25)
• Oihane (11/27/25)
• Cori Dyke (11/28/25)
• Ally Lemos (11/29/25)
• Kylie Nadaner (11/30/25)
• Rafaelle (12/1/25)
• Kerry Abello (12/4/25)
• Haley McCutcheon (12/4/25)
• Angelina (12/5/25)