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Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 0-0 as Pride Now Winless in Four

The defense held strong but it was another no-show from the offense.

Published

7 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

After a three-and-a-half hour delay due to extreme heat in Kansas City, the Orlando Pride (8-4-4, 28 points) became the first team to ever shut out the Kansas City Current (13-2-1, 40 points) in CPKC Stadium, keeping a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw.

The Pride made four changes from the lineup they used in the previous game against Racing Louisville, as Angelina, Rafaelle, Marta, and Prsica Chilufya started in place of Ally Lemos, Cori Dyke, Ally Lemos, and Julie Doyle.

The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Carson Pickett, Kylie Nadaner, Rafaelle, and Emily Sams. Haley McCutcheon and Angelina were the defensive midfielders behind Ally Watt, Marta, and Prisca Chilufya with Barbra Banda up top.

The game was set to be broadcast nationally on CBS as it was one of the marquee matchups of the season, but the temperature in Kansas City did not cooperate, as it was in the high 90s and well above the league’s threshold to allow a game to commence. The game eventually was delayed from the intended 4 p.m. start to a 7:30 p.m. start, and Seb Hines noted his frustration with how the decision was made and the communication as to when the game would start.

“It was a difficult situation,” Hines said. “We would have liked that decision to have been made earlier on, before warmups. There was a lot of confusion and a lack of communication about what the next steps were.”

When the game finally kicked off, Kansas City had the run of play early, possessing the ball for most of the opening minutes and taking three shots, though none were on goal.

The Pride finally got going in the ninth minute, as Marta made a long run down the middle of the field before sliding a pass off to Banda on her right. Banda lined up a shot from the right side of the box but had it blocked out of bounds for a corner kick.

Unfortunately that was Banda’s final action during the game, as she was injured on her shot attempt, landing awkwardly after making contact with Temwa Chawinga on her follow-through, and walked gingerly off the field and up the steps into the locker room. The Zambian returned later in the half and was able to watch the rest of the game from the bench, but Lemos replaced her on the pitch. We will have to wait and see on the extent of Banda’s injury.

The formation shifted a bit to have Lemos and Marta at the top of the attack, but without Banda on the field they played more like a team with a false 9 than a true striker.

Shortly after play resumed, Chilufya made a move up the right and earned the Pride a corner. The corner did not threaten the Current, but a minute later, the ball found Marta’s feet and the Brazilian executed a nice 360-degree spin and played a ball to McCutcheon in the box, but the midfielder’s shot went high over the crossbar.

Three minutes later, Kansas City went on the attack. Chawinga cut back from left to right into the middle of the box but had her shot blocked. The ball went up in the air, and Debinha and Nadaner both went after it. Debinha got her foot high in the air and won the ball, bringing it down and shooting it hard and low to Moorhouse’s left. Moorhouse made a great save, but the whistle blew and that save turned out to be for naught as Debinha was called for her high kick moments earlier.

In the 27th minute, Ally Watt made a speedy run up the left side and got a cross into the box, Current goalkeeper Lorena got a hand on it but could not hold it, sending it out for a corner. Angelina took an in-swinging corner but swung it right to Lorena, who sprinted to the top of the box and initiated a counterattack. Rafaelle stepped in to intercept a pass as the Current approached the Pride’s defensive third, ending the threat.

Both teams went to the sidelines for the hydration break, as the temperature was still in the high 80s with high humidity.

Soon after the restart, Michelle Cooper tried to play Chawinga in after making a run up the right side, but Moorhouse came out to claim the long ball near the top of the box.

Several minutes later, Izzy Rodriguez nutmegged Chilufya and sprung free on the left side, but but once again Rafaelle stepped in and intercepted another pass attempt. Hines mentioned how pleased he was to have the Brazilian defender back.

“She is a top player,” he said. “We would love to have her start more games, but due to injury and especially this period, we still have to be careful with her and manage her correctly and give her the right amount of minutes. We want Rafa fit and ready to go to multiple games this season.” 

In the 43rd minute Angelina found some space and hit a long ball over the top. Chilufya almost ran it down after splitting two defenders, but Lorena came out to claim the ball before Chilufya could get there.

The fourth official indicated six minutes of stoppage time, because after waiting for nearly four hours for kickoff, the fans definitely deserved some free soccer.

In the second minute of stoppage time Chilufya committed an unnecessary push, giving Kansas City a free kick in a dangerous location, right between the edge of the box and the corner flag. Debinha whipped it in, but Pickett stepped into the path of the ball and cleared it away.

Two minutes later, a nice 1-2 between Marta and Pickett freed up the left back, but Pickett bombed her cross a little farther than she wanted and nobody in purple was there.

At the half the game was pretty even statistically, with the Pride winning on possession (52% to 48%) and corners (4-0), but the Current led in shots (4-2).

At the half Hines made his second substitution, replacing Rafaelle with Dyke. Sams shifted inside to play as the right center back and Dyke played as the right back.

The Pride went on the attack immediately, with McCutcheon playing a nice ball ahead for Watt to run onto. The left winger played a dangerous cross into the box, and the Current took no chances and dumped it out of play for a corner kick. Pickett took an in-swinging corner, but the Current extinguished the threat.

Four minutes later, Lemos made a good run to the top of the box but mishit her pass to Chilufya. The ball bounced out and Marta picked it up and got a shot off, but it was blocked and deflected out for a corner.

In the 53rd minute the Current played a dangerous cross into the middle after a long spell of possession, but Sams was able to get a head on it and skip it out of the box. Kansas City recycled the ball and eventually Claire Hutton found space at the top of the box. Hutton hit a rocket, just missing the near post. The crowd thought it went in and started to cheer, but the crowd was incorrect.

In the 61st minute Chilufya came off for Oihane, who made her first appearance since before the summer break.

The game was pretty open for the next 10 minutes or so, with both teams stretched. Marta tried a few long balls over the top, while Kansas City was playing more short passes, but neither team created great opportunities once they got near the goal.

Watt went down injured twice in short succession, and after the second time she came off for Simone Jackson. Kerry Abello also made her return to action, entering at left back for Pickett as Hines made his final substitutions.

In the 73rd minute the Current tried to go route one again with a long ball over the top for Chawinga, but Moorhouse was quick off her line to take the ball up high at the top of the box.

Seven minutes later, Marta fouled Lo’eau Labonta after a long run up the left side, giving Kansas City a free kick. Ally Sentnor put the ball into the box, but Moorhouse got a foot on it and it bounced away and out of danger.

The Current had one of their most dangerous attacks in the 87th minute. Chawinga got forward on a counterattack after Labonta played her in. Chawinga was able to get herself free from Sams but had to cut back into the middle to do so, and as the ball ran from right to left, she saw Bia Zaneratto coming towards goal. She let her onrushing teammate strike the ball, but it blazed over the bar.

Three minutes later, the referee announced eight minutes of stoppage time, to the great displeasure of Hines.

Halfway through stoppage time, Lemos lined up a shot from long range and struck it well, forcing Lorena to tip it over the top of the crossbar. After a short corner, Lemos got it back and smoked a low hard cross into the middle, but Oihane was offside.

As the clock ticked past eight minutes, the Current got one last chance, as Hutton was able to get the ball to Zaneratto right in front of goal, but her well-struck ball went straight at Moorhouse, who swallowed up the shot and preserved the clean sheet.

Kansas City outshot the Pride (16-5) and completed a higher percentage of its passes (84% – 81%), but the Pride had more possession (52%-48%) and won more corners (8-3). Both teams only managed one shot on target, and it definitely felt like that watching the game.

Losing Banda early in the match definitely changed the complexion of the game, as while the Pride did not park the bus and defend for the rest of the game, they were limited in their offensive output without their Ballon D’or finalist on the field. Hines spoke about the effort after the game, praising the players efforts and noting that he believed they could have come away with all three points.

“I thought the players were phenomenal with their attitude and energy that they showed,” he said. “Even the way that we played was brave. I loved the bravery that they played with, especially in an environment like this, and the success that Kansas City has had. There is almost a little bit of disappointment that we didn’t come away with more. Credit to the players. They adapted really well. Really pleased with the players who started and who were able to adapt, and really pleased with the players who came on as well.”

“It was a tough game. It is always hard to play here against Kansas City,” Rafaelle said. “They are a good team and are top of the table. I think the performance we showed today will set the tone for the next games in our schedule. I thought we did a good job defensively and we will build from that.”

The draw extended Orlando’s winless streak to four games in league play. It’s the Pride’s longest winless streak since they lost the first four matches of the 2023 NWSL season.

After three straight draws the Pride will try to get three points from one game when they head to Los Angeles to play Angel City on Thursday evening.

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Opinion

In Praise of the Unity Kit

The Orlando Pride hit it out of the park on their newest secondary kit.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

February 27, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

When it comes to soccer jerseys, I can perhaps be unfairly critical. I like what I like, and in a time when new jerseys cost at least $100 if not closer to $150, I have to be seriously impressed by something in order to shell out that much money. While I’ve liked most of the jerseys that Orlando City and the Orlando Pride have put out over the years, I’ve never liked one enough to spend my own money to buy one, although I did receive a Heart and Sol jersey as a birthday present several years ago. The one exception has been the Sea Cow prematch top that the club put out in 2023, which I bought instantly and would have happily forked over one of my kidneys to acquire (as any sane person would).

I might very well be adding a new jersey to the closet soon though, because the Orlando Pride absolutely knocked it out of the park with the Unity Kit that they released on Thursday. I’m now going to shut up for a second and let you feast your eyes on this beauty.

That is just fantastic, and let’s talk about why. First of all, the base color is light purple, and while that isn’t traditionally in the Pride’s color palette as they favor a more royal purple shared by Orlando City, it is still purple. It’s also a light enough base color for the team to be able to use it as an away jersey without simply making the background color white. While I wouldn’t necessarily have an issue with a white base, that’s pretty common with away jerseys and the light purple is a good way to do something different while still providing a good contrast between it and an opponent’s dark home jersey.

If you were missing the Pride’s more traditional color of purple, fear not! The decision to use it on the collar and sleeves is a great one, as it gives the jersey a really nice splash of contrast in a shirt that could otherwise risk being washed out by all of the pastel tones that are present. The same color is also present in the badge, name, numbers, sponsors, and jock tag, and pops very well because its used so sparingly.

When viewed from a distance, the collars and sleeves provide a good outline for the kit, while the eye gets a general sense of intermingled pastel tones as the ribbons blend into each other well, and while no one color is definable, it isn’t an assault on the eyes either.

Closer up though, the ribbons are far more vibrant and detailed, and you notice that rather than simply being uniform colors for each one, they’re actually made up of several different colors that blend together and intertwine, and the effect is pulled off really well. For me, its a shirt that be appreciated both further away, and right in front of your face, and that isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

Suffice it to say, I’m a huge fan of how this thing looks. A lot of thought was clearly put into the design, and it was executed well. I want to talk about more than just the way it looks though.

We’re 10 years on from the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub that took the lives of 49 people, and the Pride and overarching ownership have a new way of honoring the victims and remembering a period of time that was so difficult for the city. The rainbow seats at Inter&Co Stadium have served the same purpose since the ground was opened back in 2017, but the Pride will be using the new jersey to honor both the victims and the way in which the city came together after the tragedy, while also putting their money where their mouth is.

The team’s decision to donate $20,000 from sales of the jersey to The Center Orlando and its Orlando United Resiliency Services (OURS) program is a very good touch on what was already a well-thought out kit. The program’s purpose is to provide advocacy, education, and support for the Orlando area’s LGBTQ+ community, and as someone who believes sports teams should be active and positive pillars in the community where they play, I couldn’t be happier to see this. It’s a decision that the team was under no obligation to make, but in choosing to go the extra mile, it proved that the club is more than just empty words and gestures when it comes to issues that hit close to home.

In short, the Unity Kit checks all the boxes for me, including ones I didn’t even know I had. It looks great from a distance, has thoughtful and well-executed details when seen up close, and represents something important while also actively honoring and helping to provide resources for a marginalized community. To everyone who was involved with the concept and execution of this jersey, I salute you. Consider it a job very well done.

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Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Unveil New ‘Unity Kit’ Ahead of 2026 Season

The Pride dropped their new secondary kits ahead of the 2026 season, paying tribute to the strength of the community shown after the Pulse nightclub tragedy.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

February 26, 2026

By

Image of Marta showing off the Pride's new Unity Kit.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

With their new secondary kits, the Orlando Pride paid tribute to the strength and spirit of the Orlando community in the wake of the horrific 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub. That senseless tragedy still resonates in the team’s home stadium with the 49 rainbow-colored seats that honor the victims. The ‘Unity Kit,’ which will serve as the secondary kit for the Pride through the 2027 NWSL season, features multicolored interlocking ribbons to symbolize the way Central Florida came together at that time, now 10 years past.

The Pride not only unveiled the new kits today, with a special launch event planned for tonight at The Final Whistle at Thornton Park Pub at 6 p.m., but the club also announced it will donate $20,000 from jersey sales to The Center Orlando, whose Orlando United Resiliency Services (OURS) program continues to provide crucial education, advocacy and support for the LGBT+ community and its allies.

“Orlando’s strength has always come from its people, and the Unity Kit reflects the love, resilience, and courage that define this city,” Orlando Pride/Orlando City Vice President of Community Impact & DEI and Orlando Soccer Foundation Executive Director Kaia Hyde said in a club press release. “In the days after the Pulse tragedy, our community adopted a simple but powerful message: ‘keep dancing.’ It became a reminder that even in the face of unimaginable loss, Orlando would choose optimism, unity and love. This jersey honors that spirit, and we’re proud that its launch will directly support The Center Orlando and the vital work they do for our community.”

The multicolored ribbons weave their way across the front of the new kit in pastels. The jersey’s jock tag features the universal symbol of peace: a dove, carrying an olive branch. The collar, sleeves, name and number on the back, and the front jersey sponsor logo and back bottom jersey sponsor logo feature the club’s standard purple, which pops on the light kits. Orlando Health continues as the kit sponsor, with Publix as the lower-back sponsor and the Heart of United Way returning as the sleeve sponsor.

The shorts and socks are a more subdued purple that makes the jersey stand out even more.

Fans can purchase the new kit online now at ShopOrlandoPride.com or in person at the jersey launch tonight. The launch party will include appearances by Pride players Julie Doyle, Oihane, and Hannah Anderson, Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines, and new Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Caitlin Carducci. Those who pick up their Unity jersey tonight in person can get a an Orlando United patch while supplies last. Fans can also participate in a silent disco dance party, and there will be prize giveaways. The new kit will be available at The Den starting on Friday.

You can check out the kit in all its glory in the gallery of images below:

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Orlando City

Orlando City, Orlando Pride Remain Hidden During Preseason

Orlando City and the Orlando Pride continue the odd policy of hiding information from fans as they prepare for the upcoming seasons.

Published

1 month ago

on

February 9, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

As preseason continues for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride, little is known about the progress the team is making in their preparations for the upcoming seasons. But it wasn’t always that way. The club used to be quite open about their preseason scrimmages. The social media accounts would provide lineups, substitutions, goals, and other game updates, allowing fans to follow along.

But there was more.

When the Wilf family took over ownership, they opened the doors to the club during preseason. In 2022, two games were open to season ticket members and both teams had a preseason game open to all fans and media.

The club continued providing an open preseason game for both teams in 2023, giving a chance to see the teams in action before the regular season started. However, less and less access has been provided to the outside world since then.

The 2024 season saw the open preseason games removed for both City and the Pride. The Lions had an FC Series game against Flamengo before camp began and a late game for Society XXI members. Last year, the Lions started with an FC Series game again, this time against Atletico Mineiro. They ended with a season ticket member game.

The club released very little information other than the FC Series contest. That leads us to this preseason, in which the club has been as tight-lipped as it has been since the Wilf family took charge of the club.

There has been even less information about the Pride. Since Seb Hines became the permanent head coach leading into the 2023 season, the club doesn’t even provide an official preseason schedule anymore.

While the club at one time provided updates on games and opened one to media and at least season ticket members, you’re lucky to even get a reference that the team still exists. The occasional photo is the only way fans know the team has even begun preseason.

The lack of availability during preseason is quite unique to American soccer. Other major American sports — the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL — allow fans and media to attend their preseason games. Soccer teams from other countries also sell tickets to preseason games and local fans often travel abroad, following the team.

Also, not all MLS teams are this quiet as they prepare for the season. On Sunday, for example, the LA Galaxy live streamed a scrimmage against the Chicago Fire.

Orlando City played Nashville SC in a scrimmage Saturday afternoon. The opposition provided lineups, substitutions, goals, and other updates throughout the contest. The only thing they didn’t offer was Orlando CIty goal scorers, something likely requested by the Lions.

But what advantage does Orlando City gain from this?

It could be argued that the club is working on tactics and doesn’t want to give anything away. But it hasn’t been like that in the past, and that argument doesn’t hold water when you see teams that routinely are more open about their preseasons making deep playoff runs.

Oscar Pareja made the most significant tactical change since arriving in Orlando during the 2024 preseason. He moved attacking midfielder Dagur Dan Thorhallsson to right back and put either David Brekalo or Wilder Cartagena at left back. The team played five in the back defensively and three in the back while in the attack. It was a significant change, but the club still provided information to fans.

In today’s sports world, fans have more access than ever before. Television networks and streaming services regularly give fans a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most popular sports teams in the world. These programs aren’t the teams or leagues showing gratitude to fans. They’ve realized that giving fans this glimpse makes them feel more connected to the teams they follow and builds a buzz heading into the season. As a result, they’re more likely to watch games on television or attend games in person.

Unfortunately, Orlando fans aren’t getting that connection anymore. The excitement for the start of preseason is nearly gone, because City and Pride fans know they’ll receive little, if any, information until the season begins.

The club will argue that it provides several experiences for all fans leading up to the regular season opener — from public jersey unveilings to drinks with coaches and players. But what would help build fan excitement about the upcoming season would be the ability to see the team in action and catch glimpses of new signings. Or at least to know how they’re progressing.

Whether the club’s habits revert to how they were just a couple of years ago remains to be seen. There’s definitely an appetite as The Mane Land and other outlets regularly field requests from fans looking for any possible information. But even those that cover the club regularly are kept at a distance.

For the time being, fans will have to be content with the occasional player signing, community event, and photo from a scrimmage the club may or may not admit is happening. And they’ll continue to count down until Orlando City’s first MLS game on Feb. 21 and the Orlando Pride’s first NWSL game on March 15.

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