Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Striker Barbra Banda Ruled Out for the Season

The Zambian international goes onto the Season Ending Injury list after sustaining a serious injury in Orlando’s draw at Kansas City.

Published

5 months ago

August 23, 2025

Michael Citro

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The news is worse than expected regarding Barbra Banda’s injury. The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has placed the Zambian international striker and NWSL Golden Boot candidate on the Season Ending Injury (SEI) list after she sustained a hip injury one week ago in Orlando’s scoreless draw on the road against Kansas City.

According to the club’s press release, Banda suffered “a full thickness avulsion of her right adductor longus tendon.” In layman’s terms, in this type of injury the tendon completely detaches from the bone. It is considered a Grade 3 injury, which is the most severe type of soft tissue injury.

Banda sustained the injury when bumped by Temwa Chawinga while following through on a shot attempt against the Current in the early moments of the match. After sustaining contact while in the air, Banda came down awkwardly, stayed down, and was helped to the locker room by club medical staff. She was later shown in good spirits on the Pride bench, but the injury turned out to be a season-ender.

The club’s press release does not mention surgery, stating only: “Banda will work with the Pride’s medical team and partners at Orlando Health to put together a recovery and rehabilitation program.”

Multiple independent physicians and sports medicine practitioners The Mane Land reached out to — with the enormous disclaimer of not being on the Pride’s medical team and having no familiarity with Banda’s specific case — placed a minimum average timeline for recovery from this type of injury at roughly three to four months without surgery, and potentially longer if surgery is part of the treatment plan. However, they all cautioned that athletes respond to treatment at varying rates, so while some may find it useful to have a rough estimate, the above is not meant to be taken as an actual timeline for Banda’s return.

“We are devastated to announce Barbra Banda has been placed on the Season Ending Injury list following the soft-tissue injury she sustained during our recent match against Kansas City Current,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in the club’s press release. “Barbra has been instrumental to our success, and losing a player of her caliber is heartbreaking for the entire organization. We are committed to providing her with the highest level of care and support throughout her recovery. Her contributions to this team both on and off the field have been immeasurable, and we know she will approach her rehabilitation with the same determination and professionalism she brings to everything she does.”

Pride fans were understandably excited at this week’s signing of Mexican international winger Lizbeth Jacqueline Ovalle and how her presence would augment Banda’s dynamic presence in the team’s attack. That will now have to wait a considerable amount of time and seriously jeopardizes the club’s chase for a second straight NWSL title run, because — and this is not a knock on the roster but an honest assessment of Banda’s ability — there simply is no other player on the Pride roster who can do what Banda does at the level in which she does it. She is, after all, a Ballon d’Or nominee.

Since signing with Orlando on March 7, 2024, Banda has produced 25 goals and eight assists in 41 matches with the club across all competitions according to the NWSL website. Her dynamic play helped lead the Pride to the club’s first two trophies — the 2024 NWSL Shield and 2024 NWSL Championship. She was a finalist for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, a member of the NWSL Best XI, the NWSL Championship MVP, the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year, and a selection for the FIFPRO Women’s World 11 a year ago.

What It Means for Orlando

No one on the Pride has Banda’s combination of speed, power, and finishing, although some of her teammates have one…maybe two…of those traits. Without her on the pitch, there is no one to keep opposing back lines occupied and cautious. That was obvious in a dreadful second-half performance Thursday night at Angel City, in which the hosts’ center backs were playing in positions normally occupied by defensive midfielders. Without Banda on the pitch, Angel City was able to push its entire back line into the attacking half, keeping the Pride on their heels for nearly the entire 45 minutes after halftime and limiting Orlando to just one shot attempt.

However, even prior to Banda’s injury, the club struggled to score goals this season. The Zambian was often isolated and forced to either hold up play under pressure from multiple defenders or to take those defenders on and find a way to goal all by herself.

Despite the Pride sitting third in the NWSL table, only five teams have scored fewer than Orlando’s 22 goals so far this season. Orlando has been shut out in two straight matches and was the fortunate recipient of an opposition own goal the game before that. No Pride player has scored a goal for the club since Prisca Chilufya’s game-tying strike in the 72nd minute on Aug. 3 against the Utah Royals — a span of 288 minutes.

Marta, the team’s second-leading goal scorer in 2025 to Banda’s eight, has scored just three goals, and two of those have come from the penalty spot. The team’s 39-year-old captain racked up 11 goals in 2024, turning back the clock to a run of form from much earlier in her career. Banda, who is adept at drawing penalties, will no longer be able to provide even that service for the club for the rest of 2025.

The team’s offense has looked disjointed in nearly every match since the Pride’s 6-0 demolition of Chicago on opening day. Orlando has only scored more than one goal in a game five times in 17 NWSL matches, more than two goals on only three occasions, and notched just one goal in the NWSL Challenge Cup. Injuries, international absences, and a regression in form for several players has resulted in a curious power outage in the attack, and Orlando has dropped points against teams in the bottom half of the table in recent weeks.

Once she arrives, Ovalle will now likely have to shoulder more of the team’s scoring burden without the presence of Banda to provide her with space. Seb Hines’ team will need more production from everyone to account for Banda’s loss, especially those who have not reached their 2024 levels — players like Marta, Summer Yates (who has battled injuries), Ally Watt, Julie Doyle, and Angelina.

Chilufya, who was brought in to replace the departed Adriana, has scored just twice in 15 appearances, covering 444 minutes. The Zambian international has started just three times in her first season in Orlando. Rookie Simone Jackson has looked threatening at times since signing on May 29, but she’s been inconsistent in her first professional year.

Zambian international winger Grace Chanda returned from serious injury and was cleared to play, but Hines has not played her, whether due to form, fitness, a lack of trust in her, or a combination of those. Simone Charley has looked threatening in limited minutes since returning from back-to-back Achilles injuries, but she has understandably had her minutes managed, and it may be some time before she’s given enough playing time to settle in and build chemistry with her teammates under game conditions.

There is still time for the Pride to gel and get hot before season’s end, regaining their status as championship contenders/favorites. It will be more difficult without Banda, but it remains to be seen what Ovalle can do to lift the Pride. The season isn’t over, and despite this horrific injury news, Hines still has a formidable group of players who have previously performed at higher levels. The 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year will need to figure out how to make the pieces he’s got work together over the regular season’s final nine games. He’ll also need to find a combination that works ahead of the Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup matches, which begin during a crowded September schedule.

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Sign Jamaican International Forward Solai Washington

The Pride add attacking depth by signing former Florida State forward Solai Washington.

Published

3 days ago

January 19, 2026

Michael Citro

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has signed Jamaican international forward Solai Washington. The former Florida State Seminole through the 2027 season with a mutual option for the 2028 season.

“Solai is a player we’ve had an eye on for a while during her two years in college,” Orlando Pride head coach Seb Hines said in a club press release. “Her composure on the ball, her ability to break lines, and the maturity she showed at Florida State make her a fantastic fit for what we’re building here. She brings energy, versatility, and a real competitive edge, which is what we look for in players. We’re excited to have her here in Orlando and to see the impact she can make in our environment both on and off the field.”

The 20-year-old attacker from Atlanta made 35 appearances in her two years in Tallahassee, scoring eight goals and adding four assists while helping the Seminoles win the 2025 NCAA national championship and the 2024 ACC tournament. Washington was a member of the 2024 ACC All-Freshmen Team, the 2024 All-ACC Academic Team, and was named to TopDrawerSoccer’s postseason Top 100 Freshman list (at No. 42).

On the international stage, Washington has already represented Jamaica at the senior level on the biggest stage, making three appearances with the Reggae Girlz at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, debuting in a scoreless draw with France.

What It Means for Orlando

The Pride’s need for depth in the attacking positions is well documented, and Washington is a young player with a ton of upside in an area of need. From that perspective alone, this is a signing that makes sense. While it would be nice for the club to sign some proven NWSL-level scorers to provide depth for Barbra Banda, Marta, and Jacquie Ovalle, it’s always good to develop young talent. Since the abolition of the NWSL Draft, teams must work harder to secure the services of players like Washington.

It will require some time to know whether Orlando’s faith in Washington will be rewarded, and she wasn’t the most prolific scorer at FSU, but it says something about a player that they can get minutes at age 17 in a World Cup. It will be up to Hines and his staff to develop Washington, who will have no shortage of great mentors as teammates.

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Announce 2026 NWSL Schedule

We now know who, when, and where the Pride will play during the 2026 NWSL regular season.

Published

1 week ago

January 15, 2026

Sean Rollins

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

The National Women’s Soccer League schedule was announced this morning, telling us who, where, and when the Orlando Pride will play this year. The 2026 season will once again feature a balanced schedule with all teams playing the other 15 teams once at home and once on the road. The addition of Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC will see each team play 30 games, making it the longest regular season in league history.

The Pride will begin the season at home, facing the Seattle Reign on March 15. This season begins with a two-game homestand, ending with the club’s first-ever match against the Summit and the return of Ally Watt. The first road game will occur on March 25 when the Pride face Chicago Stars FC in Evanston, IL.

The Pride’s home schedule will end on Oct. 25 when they face NJ/NY Gotham FC. They’ll then travel west to face Seattle on Decision Day in the return game on Nov. 1, concluding the team’s 11th season in existence.

Orlando’s games this year are well distributed among the league’s various broadcast partners. The Pride will play nine times on Victory+ — the league’s new free streaming partner. Additionally, they’ll play six times on Prime Video, five times on Ion, twice on CBS Sports Network, once on ESPN, and once on ESPN2. The remaining games will be available on NWSL+.

Should the Pride qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive year, the quarterfinals will take play Nov. 6-8, followed by the semifinals on Nov. 14-15. The championship game will take place on Nov. 21 at a location yet to be determined.

The longest homestand this year is two games and will occur three times. As previously mentioned, the Pride begin with a pair of home games against Seattle and Denver on March 15 and March 20, respectively. They’ll host the Washington Spirit and North Carolina Courage on May 2 and May 8, respectively; the Kansas City Current and Boston on July 10 and July 15, respectively; and Utah Royals FC and the Houston Dash on Aug. 29 and Sept. 6, respectively.

The longest road trip this year is a three-game swing in May. Orlando will face Boston at Gillette Stadium on May 12, Denver on May 16, and San Diego Wave FC on May 24.

The league will take a month-long break during June as the country hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Pride’s final game before the break is on May 29 at home against Bay FC and they will return to action on July 3 against Angel City FC in Los Angeles.

The busiest months of the season will be May and July, when the Pride will play six times in each month. They’ll play four times in March, August, and September, three times in October, twice in April, and once in November.

Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of the regular season:

March — 4
April — 2
May — 6
June — 0
July — 6
August — 4
September — 4
October — 3
November — 1

The most common day the Pride will play this year will be Friday (11 times), the same as last year. They’ll play nine games on Sunday, seven on Saturday, two on Wednesday, and one rare Tuesday match.

Here’s the Pride’s breakdown by day for the regular season:

Monday — 0
Tuesday — 1
Wednesday — 2
Thursday — 0
Friday — 11
Saturday — 7
Sunday — 9

For fans that follow Orlando City and the Pride, the teams will play on the same day five times. However, two of the days won’t see the games overlap. On May 2, the Pride hosts the Spirit at 4 p.m. and the Lions face Inter Miami away at 7 p.m. On Sept. 19, the Pride host the Portland Thorns at 4 p.m while City plays at the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m.

The teams’ games will overlap on three occasions, but they never start at the same time. On May 16, Orlando City hosts Atlanta United at 7:30 p.m. before the Pride play in Denver at 8:45 p.m. On Aug. 15, Orlando City hosts FC Cincinnati at 7:30 p.m. and the Pride play in Portland at 8:45 p.m. On Aug. 29, the Pride host the Royals at 7 p.m. and Orlando City faces Minnesota United FC away at 8:30 p.m.

2026 Orlando Pride Schedule (All Times Eastern)

Sunday, March 15 — vs. Seattle Reign FC, 4 p.m. (Victory+)
Friday, March 20 — vs. Denver Summit FC, 8 p.m. (Victory+)
Wednesday, March 25 — at Chicago Stars FC 8 p.m. (Victory+)
Sunday, March 29 — at NJ/NY Gotham FC, 7 p.m. (Victory+)
Friday, April 3 — vs. Angel City FC, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
Friday, April 24 — at Racing Louisville FC, 5:30 p.m. (Victory+)
Saturday, May 2 — vs. Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. (ION)
Friday, May 8 — vs. North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
Tuesday, May 12 — at Boston Legacy FC, 8 p.m. (Victory+)
Saturday, May 16 — at Denver Summit FC, 8:45 p.m. (ION)
Sunday, May 24 — at San Diego Wave FC, 7 p.m. (Victory+)
Friday, May 29 — vs. Bay FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
Friday, July 3 — at Angel City FC, 10 p.m. (Prime Video)
Friday, July 10 — vs. Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
Wednesday, July 15 — vs. Boston Legacy FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
Saturday, July 18 — at Utah Royals FC, 8:45 p.m. (ION)
Friday, July 24 — vs. Chicago Stars FC, 8 p.m. (Victory+)
Friday, July 31 — at North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
Saturday, Aug. 8 — vs. Racing Louisville FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
Saturday, Aug. 15 — at Portland Thorns, 8:45 p.m. (ION)
Sunday, Aug. 23 — at Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
Saturday, Aug. 29 — vs. Utah Royals FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
Sunday, Sept. 6 — vs. Houston Dash, 7 p.m. (Victory+)
Friday, Sept. 11 — at Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
Saturday, Sept. 19 — vs. Portland Thorns, 4 p.m. (ION)
Sunday, Sept. 27 — at Bay FC, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, Oct. 2 — vs. San Diego Wave FC, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
Sunday, Oct. 18 — at Houston Dash, 1 p.m. (CBSSN)
Sunday, Oct. 25 — vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 3 p.m. (CBSSN)
Sunday, Nov. 1 — at Seattle Reign FC, 5 p.m. (TBD)

Orlando Pride

How the Orlando Pride Can Return to the Mountaintop

What needs to happen for the Pride to win hardware in 2026?

Published

1 week ago

January 15, 2026

David Rohe

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

A fall-off after winning the double in 2024 was probably inevitable, yet the Orlando Pride still managed to come within minutes of playing in a second straight NWSL championship match. Many of the pieces are still there, and there are resources to get more. However, there have been some big changes in personnel on and off the pitch.

What needs to happen for the Pride to challenge for another double in 2026?

Reinvigorate the Attack

The return of Barbra Banda is the balm to soothe the worries of Orlando Pride fans. Even when the Pride struggled before she was injured, Banda scored plenty of goals. The biggest problem is she was left on an island as the team tried lobbing the ball up the field to her, hoping she’d do it all herself. Jacquie Ovalle didn’t take the NWSL by storm as we hoped, but it sometimes takes time for a player to adjust to a new league and club. If they had been able to work together, it’s likely the Orlando attack wouldn’t have faltered. Ovalle’s ability to deliver the ball into the box, combined with Banda’s ability to put the ball in the net, is a dangerous combo.

Of course, the Pride will need more than the two of them if the club is to win some trophies in 2026. I made this point several times last season, but Marta needs to find her form from 2024. With Banda and Ovalle in the attack, it should allow Marta the freedom she needs to be creative without having to carry the offense. Additionally, the Pride need other attackers to also find their 2024 form. I’m looking at Julie Doyle and Summer Yates in particular.

Fill the Roster

Haley Carter didn’t leave the cupboard bare when she departed for the wicked Washington Spirit. As such, Seb Hines and new Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Caitlin Carducci don’t have too much to do. But, the transfer of Emily Sams did create a need at center back. Fortunately, the Orlando Pride received $650,000 in intraleague transfer funds for Sams. That kind of cash can go a long way to filling the gaps in the roster.

With Kylie Nadaner on maternity leave and Rafaelle seemingly always on the verge of injury, finding a replacement for Sams is a priority. Some might point to Zara Chavoshi, but unless she levels up quickly, Carducci will need to look elsewhere. Offensively, as important as Banda is, adding another striker is necessary for quality depth. The departures of Ally Watt and Prisca Chilufya mean there’s a spot for an even better backup striker. I’m also not opposed to a quality left back.

Find the Grit

In 2024, the entire Pride team was personally offended if the opposition scored a goal. The level of defending up and down the pitch was a big factor in breaking records and winning hardware. The players need to pick up the chip and put it back on their metaphorical shoulders. I somewhat addressed this with the need to replace Sams, but there’s more to it than that. The Pride wore teams down over the course of a match, meaning it wasn’t necessary to score tons of goals. Of course, it’s not just the back line that needs to be better, but the entire team. Fortunately, Hines knows a thing or two about defenses. The Pride still have Marta to motivate them, and that — while not everything — is not a small advantage.

Those are the things I will be looking for in 2026. Let me know your thoughts or ideas in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!