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Orlando Pride vs. Utah Royals: Final Score 1-1 as Pride Draw Last-Place Team

The Pride started the second half of the season by dropping two points against the Utah Royals at home.

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1 year ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Orlando Pride (8-4-2, 26 points) returned to action tonight drawing 1-1 with the Utah Royals (1-10-3, 6 points) at Inter&Co Stadium. Mina Tanaka gave the visitors the lead in the fourth minute, chipping Anna Moorhouse from distance. The Pride dominated the second half and got a goal from Prisca Chilufya, but they couldn’t find a late winner as they shared the points.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines was forced into some key changes for this game as Marta and Angelina wrapped up their Copa America Femenil win with Brazil Saturday night. Kerry Abello and Ally Watt were also out with injuries.

The back line in front of Moorhouse in goal was Carson Pickett, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, and Cori Dyke. Morgan Gautrat and Haley McCutcheon were the defensive midfielders behind Julie Doyle, Ally Lemos, and Summer Yates with Barbra Banda up top.

There were some notable players on the bench for this game. Luana was in the team for the first time since being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2023. Rafaelle was also healthy enough to be in the team for the first time since March 23.

The Pride came into this game in second place, but with a slim lead in the standings over multiple teams. While they were missing several players, the opposition was as well. Utah also came into this game with only one win, two draws, and 10 losses, placing the Royals last in the league.

It should’ve been a relatively easy win for the Pride, but it was the Royals that got off to the attacking start. Poor goalkeeping gave the visitors the early lead and it took a while for the hosts to get into the game. They started to gain some advantage right before an extended lightning delay and continued it for the rest of the game. But the Pride were only able to get one goal in the second half, dropping two crucial points in a tight battle atop of the NWSL standings.

The Pride created the first chance of the game in the second minute when Pickett spotted Banda making a diagonal run into the Utah third of the field. The striker got a step on her defender and fired from the left of goal, but the shot was straight into the arms of Utah goalkeeper Mia Justus.

Three minutes later, the Royals took a surprising early lead. Kaleigh Riehl played Tanaka forward in a seemingly innocuous position. With nobody stepping up and Moorhouse well off her line, the midfielder attempted to chip the ball over the Pride goalkeeper. All Moorhouse could do was watch it sail over her head and into the goal, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.

“I think we all know it’s incredibly difficult to win games in this league. The parity within the league is very close, and we can’t take for granted a team like Utah,” Hines said about going down early. “They’ve had nearly six weeks to prepare  for this game. And so they’ll have their principles. They’ll have an objective to come here and get the win. And yeah, it becomes incredibly difficult when you go one-nil down so early. But, you know, you still have enough time to get yourself back into the game.”

Aisha Solorzano was sent over the top and behind the back line in the sixth minute. Nadaner caught up with the attacker, tripping her as she approached the Pride box. Claudia Zornoza took the set piece, curling it by Moorhouse and off the post.

Bianca St-Georges received a pass on the right in the 10th minute, playing it into the box, where Solorzano was making a run. The ball was a bit too far in front of the striker, so she slid in to redirect it on goal. However, this time Moorhouse was there to make the stop.

In the 24th minute, Zornoza carried the ball into the Pride third of the field before firing from long distance. The attempt was on target, but it didn’t cause any trouble for Moorhouse, who easily caught it.

It looked like the Pride might have a golden chance for an equalizer in the 34th minute when Doyle played the ball to Banda in the box. Riehl made contact from behind and the striker went down, but referee Jaclyn Metz decided to let play continue.

Seconds later, play stopped when Dyke was taken down near the edge of the box. That gave the video assistant referee a chance to call Metz to the monitor. When the review was over, it was determined there was no foul.

The ensuing set piece by Pickett was a dangerous one, going through the box and out  of play. The only Pride player near the ball was Sams, but it was too far from her to get on the end of it.

While the weather didn’t look bad, Metz called the players off the field in the 40th minute due to lightning in the area. It was 28 minutes before the players reappeared and fans were allowed to go back to their seats. By the time the players were done warming up and play resumed, it was a 41-minute stoppage.

“We just talked about behaviors, being more intentional, like balls wide, making sure we have the intensity to go and press and affect the player on the ball, and when we did that, good things started to happen,” Hines said about his message during the delay. “So both in possession and out of possession, we’ve looked at how they were pressing and how we can manipulate them and create goal-scoring opportunities. And we made some adjustments. And yeah, towards that halftime period, we were much better.”

Dyke sent Banda forward in the 43rd minute, and the striker beat her defender to the end line. Her cross was a little behind Lemos, who got her foot to it, and out of the reach of Doyle, allowing the Royals to escape the danger unharmed.

In the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time, Banda pressured Justus as she tried to play the ball out of the back. It went directly to Gautrat, who tried to chip the goalkeeper, but the attempt was off target.

The final chance of the half came in the eighth minute of stoppage time, when a cross into the box was deflected. However, it fell right to Banda with space. The striker tried to turn it on goal but sent it high and wide.

That was the final chance of the half, with the Pride ending the extended first half down 1-0. After 45 minutes, the Pride had more possession (51%-49%), crosses (11-3), and corner kicks (4-1). But Utah had more shots (4-3), shots on target (3-1), and most importantly, the lone first-half goal.

Hines made one change during the break. Simone Jackson came into the game for Yates. It was Jackson’s second appearance for the Pride and her home debut.

Gautrat sent Banda down the left in the 46th minute and the striker got behind the back line. Looking for the equalizer, the Zambian attempted to beat Justus to her near post but sent the shot wide.

St-Georges took Utah’s first second-half shot in the 59th minute from the top corner of the Pride box, looking to beat Moorhouse to her far post. However, the shot stopper got her hands to it, pushing the attempt wide.

In the 64th minute, Janni Thomsen fouled Nadaner and Dana Foederer was booked for standing directly in front of the free kick. The stoppage gave Hines the chance to make two more changes as Chilufya and Viviana Villacorta came on for Lemos and Gautrat.

“As soon as Prisca came on, we felt like Barbara needed a little bit more support closer to her. So we took away the 10, moved Prisca as a double nine, and then had Simone Jackson and Julie giving us the width to really spread out the back line,” Hines said about the substitution. “We felt there was more spaces down the sides, but then also to get more support around Barbra was important.”

Banda turned Flynn in the 67th minute and the second-half substitute pulled Banda’s shirt, receiving a booking for the foul. Just feet from the edge of the box, it gave the Pride a free kick in a dangerous position.

Pickett stepped up to take the set piece but sent the attempt over the crossbar.

Hines made his fourth change and used his second window in the 70th minute to replace Pickett with Rafaelle. A starter at the beginning of the season, it was the center back’s first appearance in more than four months.

The change saw Dyke move from right back to left back, a change that paid dividends. In the 72nd minute, Dyke played the ball forward for Jackson, who shielded her defender to get forward. An early ball by the attacker reached Chilufya behind the back line and the Zambian slipped it past Justus to even the game at 1-1.

“In my mind, I only had one thought, which is what can I do to change the faces of the fans? What can I do to give hope to my fellow teammates? That was the only thing that was on my mind,” Chilufya said. “I was just thinking, let me do my part. But I want the opponents to feel that okay, something has changed. So my focus was on just helping the team and at least give some hope to the fans, so that they keep on cheering on us.”

The goal also saw Jackson earn her first professional goal contribution. It’s a big moment for the 22-year-old attacker, who the Pride see as a potential key component of the team moving forward.

“She’s brilliant. She’s brilliant,” Chilufya said about playing with Jackson. “And I, I always enjoy being on the same side with her. Even during training, because I feel like we read each other’s minds very well. We connect very well. So whenever she has the ball, the only thing I think of is getting in the box and just see where the ball ends. So I would say she’s one of my — obviously all of them are my favorite players, but whenever she’s on the ball, I feel like there’s so much that can be done. You know, even on the other end, when she has the ball and where the ball goes next, I feel like she’s always picking the the right spot. So it’s always good to have her on the pitch. It’s a good thing.”

After scoring the opening goal inside the first five minutes of the game, Tanaka tried to beat Moorhouse from distance again in the 74th minute. Again, she got the ball over the Pride goalkeeper, but the ball skipped off the top of the crossbar.

In the 76th minute, Chilufya took possession of a loose ball on her own side and carried it all the way into the Utah box. She beat Flynn to get a shot off but sent the attempt straight into the arms of Justus.

Hines made his final change in the 79th minute during the second-half hydration break. Simone Charley made her Pride debut, replacing Doyle.

“It’s been a journey, to say the least. 854 days, to be exact,” Charley said about her return. “And yeah, it was just surreal. I think I’m just so grateful for the belief that this club has had in me and just being a part of the whole journey. And I think just stepping on the field like right before, I just think back to how many people worked so hard to get me there. And I feel like those are all the people who come to mind as I stand there and just standing on their shoulders. And then I run out on the field and I’m like, it’s happening, guys, it’s happening. It’s been two years, and it’s here. It feels surreal. I feel like it’s a dream. Someone pinch me.”

It didn’t take the substitute long to get involved, taking her first shot in the 80th minute. Villacorta chipped the ball forward, which Charley took down well. She cut inside to lose Kate Del Fava, but Flynn caught her from behind, getting enough contact on the attacker to put her off. Charley took the shot, but Justus had no trouble with it.

The Pride nearly found a winner in the 90th minute when Chilufya took the ball to the end line and played it through the box. Jackson controlled it on the far side and shot. However, Del Fava got in front of the attempt, heading it over the crossbar to keep the game even.

Chilufya sent Banda down the right in the fourth minute of stoppage time and the striker outran Flynn to create space for a shot. Unfortunately, it was a tight angle and the attempt sailed high and wide of the far post without troubling Justus.

In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Banda dribbled to the end line before winning a corner kick. The set piece was headed out, but only to Sams at the top of the box. The center back’s shot was on target, forcing Justus to tip it over the crossbar.

The ensuing set piece from the opposite side found the head of Rafaelle, who sent her attempt over the target.

The Pride continued to press, looking for a late winner. But it wasn’t to be as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

At full time, the Pride had the advantage in possession (54.6%-45.4%), shots (14-8), shots on target (6-5), crosses (16-6), corner kicks (8-2), and passing accuracy (79.9%-74.4%). The Royals’ physicality was on display in the number fouls, doubling the Pride at 20-10.

“Kind of mixed because we didn’t start the way that we would have liked,” Hines said about the game. “It wasn’t ourselves early on, and obviously Utah capitalized on that. They took an early lead, and it was much better in the second half. You know, more energy, more intensity, a willingness to go and put pressure on them. And we got the well-deserved equalizer. But it wasn’t enough to win the game after that. So, yeah, I think overall, it’s two points dropped. You know, we’ve always been very proud to play here in front of our own fans and try and get three points, regardless of who we play. And we fell short today.”

Unfortunately, this was a game that’s been seen way too often with the Pride. They had a slow start and, while they created plenty of chances, were only able to ripple the net once.

“I think in that first 20 minutes, we weren’t ourselves. We couldn’t connect too many passes. Other than probably the early opportunity from Barbra, we didn’t really create much either,” Hines said. “And so the weather delay came out a good time for us, because after that, we were much better. We were a lot more intentional with everything that we did. We had full belief that we’d come away with a win tonight. We knew that the equalizer would come. We put immense pressure on Utah’s back line. And, yeah, we just fell short. You know, people made some good saves, some good blocks. But I sound like a broken record because it keeps happening. And so we need to continue to work on that, of when we’re on top scoring the goal.”

The Pride remain in second in the NWSL, 10 points behind the Kansas City Current. They’re tied on points with the Washington Spirit, but have a seven-goal advantage for the tiebreaker. Meanwhile, they’re one point ahead of the San Diego Wave, two points ahead of the Seattle Reign, and four points ahead of the Portland Thorns.

The Pride will look to bounce back from this disappointing result when they host Racing Louisville FC Saturday night.

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

The Pride look to build on their recent run of points as they welcome the Portland Thorns to Orlando.

Published

1 hour ago

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September 19, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match preview and live thread as the Orlando Pride (9-12-3, 30 points) welcome the Portland Thorns (11-7-6, 39 points) to Inter.co Stadium. This is the second and final time the two teams will meet during the NWSL regular season.

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

History

The Pride have struggled historically against the Thorns with a record of 5-16-2 in 23 games (5-15-2 in league play and 0-1-0 in the playoffs). Orlando is 4-5-2 at home in the series.

The most recent meeting between the two teams came on Aug. 15 in Portland. The hosts took the lead just before the hour mark when Deyna Castellanos caught Anna Moorhouse off her line. The Pride equalized five minutes later when an Oihane cross bounced around, eventually going off Jacquie Ovalle and in. It looked like the game would end in a draw until Caiya Hanks beat Moorhouse from distance in stoppage time, giving Portland the 2-1 win.

The first meeting of 2025 took place on May 3 in Oregon. The difference was a nice goal by Reyna Reyes, who made a turn to create space and put her shot past Anna Moorhouse to give the Thorns a 1-0 win. The last meeting in Orlando happened on Oct. 10, 2025. In second-half stoppage time, Mallie McKenzie redirected in a Marta corner kick for an own goal, lifting the Pride to a 1-0 win.

The first game in 2024 took place May 24 in Orlando. It was the Barbra Banda show as the Pride striker scored two goals 10 minutes apart, giving her team a 2-0 halftime lead. Izzy D’Aquila got one back for the visitors, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride won 2-1.

The Pride secured the NWSL Shield the game before the match between these two teams on Oct. 11, 2024, so Orlando gave several starters a break. It showed on the field as the Pride lost 2-0, ending a league-record, 23-game unbeaten run. Morgan Weaver gave hosts the lead early and Christine Sincalir doubled the advantage in the second half.

The first meeting of 2023 took place March 26 at Providence Park. Weaver opened the scoring early and Sophia Smith doubled the advantage a few minutes later. Hina Sugita made it three, and Michele Vasconcelos tacked on another as the Thorns won 4-0. On June 11, 2023, in Orlando, Smith gave the visitors the lead, but the Pride took over after that. Adriana scored a brace and Messiah Bright’s strike sealed a 3-1 Pride win. 

The teams met twice in 2022, with the series finale coming on Sept. 9 at Exploria Stadium. Yazmeen Ryan gave the visitors the lead and Sugita doubled the advantage as the Thorns won 2-0. The teams also met on June 19 in Portland. In Seb Hines’ second game as interim head coach, the Thorns smashed the Pride, 6-0.

The Pride and Thorns played on May 26, 2021, in Orlando. The host Pride won 2-1 with goals from Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux. The second meeting that year came on July 18 in Portland, and the home team won again. Smith gave the hosts the lead and Marissa Everett doubled the advantage. Marisa Viggiano got one back in second-half stoppage time, but the Thorns won, 2-1. They met a third time on Aug. 14. The Pride took an early lead when Courtney Petersen found Jodie Taylor for the opening goal. But Simone Charley equalized and the teams drew 1-1.

The Pride and Thorns didn’t play in 2020 after the season was canceled due to the global pandemic, and they weren’t in the same group for the NWSL Fall Series. As a result, the most recent meeting prior to 2021 happened in 2019.

The teams opened the 2019 season against each other in Orlando, but the Thorns got the better of the clash. The game was decided on either side of halftime as Caitlin Foord scored just before the break and Tobin Heath scored minutes after the restart, lifting Portland to a 2-0 win. They met again in Orlando on May 11 and the Thorns won again. Toni Pressley gave the Pride an early lead, but it was all Portland after that. Dagny Brynjarsdottir equalized, Andressinha gave Portland the lead, and Foord finished it off.

The final meeting between the two in 2019 was a goal fest in Portland and another Thorns win. Hayley Raso gave Portland the lead early and Midge Purce’s goal made it look like it would be a dominant performance by the hosts. But Marta got one back to make it 2-1. Sinclair made it 3-1, followed by a Thorns own goal by Emily Menges. It looked like the Pride would get a rare point through Erin Greening’s 90th-minute goal, but Tyler Lussi scored in second-half injury time, dooming the Pride to another loss in Oregon.

The teams faced each other three times in 2018, which featured the Pride’s lone win in Portland to date. The Thorns won the first game, 2-1 on April 15. But on May 12, goals by Morgan and Christine Nairn gave the Pride a 2-0 lead. Sinclair got one back for the hosts, but the Pride held on for their only result at Providence Park. The third meeting went back to usual, with the Thorns winning 2-0 through Lindsey Horan and Raso.

The teams started the 2017 season against each other in Portland with the Thorns winning 2-0. They met again in the penultimate game of the season in Orlando, ending in a scoreless draw. The most important game between the two teams was the Pride’s first playoff appearance. Unfortunately, it was all Portland, as the Thorns beat the Pride 4-1.

The first meeting of 2016 was the Pride’s first-ever game. Steph Catley gave the expansion Pride a surprising lead, but Brynjarsdottir equalized and Horan won it for Portland. They met again on June 26 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Two second-half goals by Brynjarsdottir and Horan lifted the Thorns to another 2-1 win.

Overview

The Pride are in their best form since before the FIFA World Cup break, which isn’t saying much. They’ve gained points in three of their last four games, including a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit on Aug. 23, a 3-1 win over the Houston Dash on Sept. 6, and a 2-2 draw with the Kansas City Current on Sept. 11.

A large part of that recent success is due to Banda’s production. The Zambian has goals in each of the last three games, including a brace in Kansas City. The striker scored on either side of halftime in that game and it looked as though the Pride were headed for three points away from home. But the Pride conceded twice in three minutes shortly after the second goal, allowing the hosts to take a point.

The Pride have gone through quite a bit of turmoil in recent weeks. First, head coach Seb Hines was fired on Aug. 31, with assistant coach Yolanda Thomas taking over on an interim basis. Then, the team sent starting goalkeeper Moorhouse on loan to Manchester City. Cosette Morche is now the number one in her place.

On a positive note, Banda signed an extension this week, keeping her in Orlando through 2029. It’s a big lift for a team that sits in 11th in the NWSL with slim chances of making the postseason.

Today, the Pride return home with a chance to extend their point streak to three games. However, it will be a tall task as they face one of the better teams in the league. Portland currently sits in sixth place on 39 points, tied with the North Carolina Courage for fifth.

The Thorns’ offense is their strength. They’re tied for fifth in the league in goals with 38. They’re led by U.S. international striker Sophia Wilson, who missed the entire 2025 season on maternity leave. Wilson continues to be one of the most dangetrous strikers in the league with 12 goals in 24 games. Other attacking threats to be aware of include Pietra Tordin with seven goals and Reilyn Turner and Olivia Moultire with five goals each.

Portland is coming off a 1-1 draw against the Chicago Stars on Sept. 13, which followed a 2-1 loss to the Spirit on Sept. 6. Both games were at home. For this reason, the Pride might be catching the Thorns at the right time.

“We’re excited. Excited to play at home in front of our fans,” Thomas said about today’s game. “Didn’t obviously get the three points in the last game, but still walked away feeling like we had a pretty good performance and we’re building on that. So, we’re ready to tackle a really good opponent. We’re ready to play in front of our fans.”

The Pride are as healthy as they’ve been all season, only missing Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave) and Viviana Villacorta (knee). The Thorns will be without Bella Bixby (knee), Julie Dufour (knee), Moultrie (knee), Isabelle Obaze (thigh), M.A. Vignola (hip), and Valerin Loboa (international duty).

Projected 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, Haley McCutcheon, Summer Yates.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Portland Thorns FC (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Mackenzie Arnold.

Defenders: Marie Muller, Jayden Perry, Sam Hiatt, Carolyn Calzada.

Defensive Midfielders: Jessie Fleming, Nina Nijstad.

Attacking Midfielders: Reilyn Turner, Pietra Tordin, Morgan Weaver.

Forward: Sophia Wilson.

Referees

REF: Elvis Osmanovic.
AR1: Zeno Cho.
AR2: Alicia Messer.
4TH: Alejo Calume.
VAR: Jamie Padilla.
AVAR: Jay Norris.

How to Watch

Match Time: 4 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: Ion.

Streaming: None.

Social Media: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter (@ORLPride) or Bluesky (@orlpride.com) feed.

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!

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Orlando Pride Exhibit Unity in Kits, Division in Performance

The Pride’s new kit looks excellent on the field, but many of the players wearing it have regressed in 2026.

Published

1 day ago

on

September 18, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

In late February the Pride released their Unity Kit, a beautiful away jersey that replaced another outstanding jersey, the Citrus Kit that they had started wearing for the 2024 season. The Unity Kit was so nice that we wrote two articles on it in two days. I followed our Ben Miller’s advice to add one to my collection, and I wore it to every Pride game that I attended this season. It looks good. I mean, really good. Ron Burgundy knows what I am talking about.

It is extremely difficult to create two consecutive brand new ideas for jersey designs that are nearly universally beloved, but the Pride went back-to-back with top tier away jersey designs.

While they have looked resplendent in those jerseys this season, the play on the field has not always been quite as good, and with six games remaining, the Pride are seven points back from the final playoff spot. Seven points back with only six games to play is not impossible to make up, but nearly everything will have break right for the Pride to qualify for the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

It is hard to go back to back in sports, as the Pride found out last season, but the 2025 team at least followed up its championship season in 2024 with a fourth-place finish, making the playoff playoff semifinals before losing to eventual champion Gotham FC. The 2026 team seems on the verge of an even larger drop in the standings, and even though the regular season contains four more games in 2026 than in 2025, the Pride may not even reach the 40 points they earned last season. That is not good. I mean, really not good.

There are many different factors that can lead to a dip in a team’s performance, but at the macro level, the main two are that other teams around them improve and/or that the team itself does not play up to the same level as it did previously.

Demonstrating that there has been improvement across other teams is difficult, as sports leagues are zero-sum endeavors. Opta has had the NWSL as the strongest league top to bottom for several years, though it also has had the top-rated NWSL team behind several European teams for years as well. Gotham is currently the top-rated NWSL team in Opta’s rankings, at eighth in the world, and the top team in the NWSL has generally been around that range during the last few years with the Current reaching as high as sixth during their record-setting season in 2025.

Suffice to say, the NWSL is a strong league, and as of this moment, six of the eight teams that made the playoffs last season are in playoff positions again, with only Louisville and Orlando falling out of the top eight. Some argument could be made that the top teams are improving compared to last year, but it is hard to use anything other than the eye test to really demonstrate that.

What is easier, however, is to look at the play of individual players, and for that we have our old friend goals added (g+) from the tracking database at American Soccer Analysis (ASA). As a brief reminder, the definition of goals added is the estimated impact of a player on a team’s goal differential, so positive values indicate that a player increased a team’s goal differential, and negative values indicate that they decreased the goal differential as compared to the average player at their position.

There is no way to sugarcoat it, the g+ stats for the Pride’s players this year are not great. This is not a huge surprise, considering the team is outside of the playoff places and closer to last place than first place, but the numbers themselves were revealing and eye-opening (all data comes from ASA’s goals added database for players who have played more than 300 minutes this season, including stoppage time):

MetricPrideNWSL Rank
Count of players with a positive g+ in 20265T-11
Percent of players with a positive g+ in 202623% T-14
Percent of players with g+ improvement over 202539%T-14
Count of g+ improved vs. 2025 and is negative in 20263*
Count of g+ improved vs. 2025 and is positive in 20264*
Count of g+ declined vs. 2025 and is negative in 202611*
Count of g+ declined vs. 2025 and is positive in 20260*
  • * Each of these subsets is so small that most teams are bunched up and ranking does not make sense

The five players with positive g+ values are Barbra Banda (+5.1), Rafaelle (+0.98), Solai Washington (+0.75), Kerry Abello (+0.30), and Hannah Anderson (+0.16). Every other player is considered league average or below league average through last week’s games, and the Pride have 22 players who have played at least 300+ minutes, so that means 17 of 22, or 77%, are showing as negative goal differential players.

Among the 18 players on the Pride’s roster that have a g+ value from last season’s NWSL, seven improved and 11 declined. The breakouts of the seven improvers were three that improved but were still negative (Ally Lemos [-1.34 to -0.29], Julie Doyle [-0.97 to -0.47], and Marta[-0.70 to -0.62]) and four that improved and were still positive (Banda, Rafaelle, Abello, and Anderson). Every other Pride player that was in the league last year has a worse g+ than they did in 2025, and I do not want to pick on her, but Anna Moorhouse’s -7.00 g+ value ranks 195th out of 199 goalkeeper-seasons since 2016.

Just because a g+ value decreases from year to year does not necessarily mean a player got worse, as g+ values are comparisons against the overall performance of all players at a specific position. What it does mean is that the Pride’s roster construction is slipping as compared to the rest of the league, because players are declining and/or the rest of the league is improving. Some of that comes from coaching, and we will see Yolanda Thomas’ influence on both the team’s performance and the players’ performances during the final stretch of the season, but we will probably also see a good bit of roster turnover in the off-season as Caitlin Carducci remakes the roster after her first season as vice president of soccer operations and general manager.

Hopefully, the Pride will go on a last-gasp run and sneak into the playoffs, and then with Banda on the roster (with a new High Impact Player contract through 2029, whoop whoop), who knows what is possible? If they make the playoffs, it will mean the team and the players executed tremendously well during their final six games, just like members of the club’s marketing team did when they designed the beautiful Unity Kit. And considering how much ground the team still has to make up, the Pride would probably be on the road throughout the playoffs, wearing those kits.

Maybe this whole season has just been a ploy to try to get the most exposure for the Unity Kit by tanking for a low seed and then wearing them throughout the playoffs. I’m here for it, if the Pride can make it happen.

Vamos Orlando!

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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.

Published

5 days ago

on

September 14, 2026

By

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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