Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. LD Alajuelense, Concacaf W Champions Cup: Final Score 3-0 as Pride Score Three Times in Second Half
The Pride began their Concacaf W Champions Cup campaign on the right foot, defeating LD Alajuelense at home.
The Orlando Pride (1-0-0, 3 points) were dominant in their first-ever Concacaf W Champions Cup game, defeating Costa Rican side LD Alajuelense (0-1-1, 1 point) 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. Second-half goals by Julie Doyle, Carson Pickett, and Simone Jackson lifted the Pride to all three points in their tournament opener.
Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made nine changes to the team that lost 2-0 to NJ/NY Gotham FC Friday night. Anna Moorhouse, Kerry Abello, Kylie Nadaner, Rafaelle, Emily Sams, Haley McCutcheon, Angelina, Ally Watt, and Marta were all replaced in the lineup. The only returning starters from Friday night were Ally Lemos and Prisca Chilufya.
The back line in front of goalkeeper McKinley Crone was Grace Chanda, Zara Chavoshi, Cori Dyke, and Oihane. Viviana Villacorta, Lemos, Summer Yates, and Doyle were in the midfield with Jackson and Chilufya up top. Since Marta and Nadaner were both out of the lineup, Oihane wore the armband for the first time as a member of the Pride.
Despite making nine changes to the starting lineup and playing some out of position, the Pride dominated this game from start to finish. The first half was a repeat of the previous games, creating numerous chances but failing to convert. However, things opened up in the second half when the Pride created even more opportunities and finally put some away. Most importantly, they got three points to begin group play.
The Pride got the first attempt of the game in the third minute when Chanda played the ball up the left for Jackson. The attacker used her speed to beat Gabriela Guillen into the box before firing into the outside of the net. Less than a minute later, Chavoshi found Yates making an open run up the middle of the field. As the attacker approached the top of the box, she took a long-distance shot that was blocked by Fabiola Villalobos.
Alajuelense’s first chance of the game came in the sixth minute when a long ball for Sofia Varela sent the attacker behind the Pride back line. Chavoshi caught up, blocking the shot out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece was over everyone and the Pride were able to clear.
The Pride had another chance in the 17th minute when Villalobos took Yates’ feet out from under her, giving the Pride a free kick near the top of the Alajuelense box. Before the Pride could take the set piece, Crone went down just outside of her box, giving the players a chance for a hydration break. When the goalkeeper was back up and ready to continue, Lemos stood over the ball on her own. The attacker went for goal on the set piece, sending her attempt well over the target.
Jackson had her second shot of the game in the 22nd minute and put this one on frame. It forced Noelia Bermudez to push the ball away, right to the feet of Chilufya. But the Zambian didn’t appear ready for it, sending her shot over the crossbar from close range.
The visitors nearly took the lead in the 27th minute when Kenia Rangel sent Katheryn Arroyo behind Chanda. The forward’s first touch was a shot that was off the crossbar. Valera took possession, immediately losing it to Dyke. However, Dyke and Crone ran into each other, giving it back to Valera. Fortunately, Chanda won the ball and the Pride were able to clear without conceding.
In the 31st minute, Chilufya played the ball to the left for Jackson just outside the box. The attacker spun to beat her defender, shooting on goal. However, Bermudez got her hands to the ball, tipping it over the crossbar. The ensuing free kick went to Chilufya, but she wasn’t able to keep possession, allowing Alajuelense to clear.
Alajuelense had another chance in the 35th minute when Emilie Valenciano was sent long on the right. The midfielder played her cross to the center of the box where Varela was waiting with plenty of space. The forward got her head to the ball but couldn’t turn it on target.
A Jackson blocked shot in the 40th minute ended up with Chilufya on the left side of the box. She laid the ball off for Chanda behind her, who attempted a volley that sailed well high and wide of the target.
In the 42nd minute, Lemos took a shot from outside the box that Bermudez pushed wide. The Pride kept possession and recirculated the ball. Lemos ended up in the same spot, shooting again. This time, the ball was deflected by a defender to Doyle, making a run to the far post. It appeared to be a tap-in for the speedy midfielder, but she put it wide.
In first-half stoppage time, a Jackson cross glanced off the head of a defender for a Pride corner kick. While they couldn’t create anything off the set piece, they retained possession, playing it around for Chanda on the left. The defender went for goal from distance, sending her shot well off target.
After 45 minutes, the Pride had the advantage in possession (67.6%-32.4%), shots (15-5), shots on target (4-1), crosses (15-4), corner kicks (5-1), and passing accuracy (82.7%-63.9%). But they were unable to convert for the seventh consecutive half, keeping the game scoreless at the break.
“I think there was a bit of disappointment, but very optimistic,” Hines said about his team’s attitude in the first half. “They found the gaps that Alajuelense were presenting for us. We’ve managed to find Ally Lemos and Summer Yates in those pockets of space. And then we looked a little bit more direct once we got it in those positions, getting Simone Jackson isolated against the fullback as well.”
Hines made one halftime change, replacing Chilufya with Carson Pickett, who came on at left back and Chanda moved forward into a more attacking role.
“We moved Grace Chanda into a more familiar position. She was doing a job for us at fullback, but you could see that she was uncomfortable there,” Hines said about the change. “So moving her into a higher position was an opportunity for her to showcase her qualities.”
The Pride got the second half to an attacking start, creating multiple chances in the first few minutes. Just 20 seconds in, Yates received the ball from Villacorta near the top of the box. But her shot was blocked by Villalobos. A minute later, Chanda entered the box and took a shot that was blocked. It went straight to Oihane on the end line, who looked to cross, but it was blocked as well, and Alajuelense cleared.
The Pride quickly won possession back and stayed on the attack. Yates played the ball to the left for Jackson, who took Guillen one-on-one. The attacker found space for a shot, hitting it over the crossbar.
In the 49th minute, the Pride finally converted. Villacorta’s shot from outside the box hit Jackson’s leg and went to the left side. Pickett collected it, sending the ball into the center of the 18. Guillen got her foot to it, but it went right to Doyle, who redirected it past Bermudez to give the Pride a deserved 1-0 lead.
The goal was the first for the Pride since their 1-1 draw with Racing Louisville on Aug. 9 (320 minutes). It was the first goal by a Pride player since Chilufya’s goal in the 72nd minute in a 1-1 draw with the Utah Royals on Aug. 3 (428 minutes).
“I think we kind of can get out of our own way, and we know that we can do it because it fell tonight,” Jackson said about how ending the goalless drought will help the team moving forward. “So, there’s no difference between today or another situation where we get the same opportunities. So, it’s recreating the same situations in an NWSL match.”
Pickett played a long diagonal ball across the field in the 52nd minute that Chanda brought down well. The attacker created space from Maria Coto and fired for the near post, but Bermudez blocked it out of play with her left foot. Chanda got her foot to Lemos’ ensuing corner kick, directing it towards goal, but the shot was right into Bermudez’s arms.
The Pride won another corner kick in the 55th minute. This time it was Jackson getting her head to Lemos’ set piece. However, Bermudez got down to her right, blocking the ball wide and allowing her defense to clear.
Villacorta found Doyle at the top of the box in the 57th minute, and the goal scorer laied it back to Lemos with her first touch. After taking a couple of touches forward, Lemos fired from the top of the box, sending her shot just over the crossbar.
Hines made his second change in the 61st minute, replacing Oihane with Sams. It was a straight change, as Sams took over Oihane’s position at right back and Dyke stayed at center back. Shortly after the substitution, Lemos made a run to the end line and her cross was blocked out of play by Valenciano. The ensuing set piece found Jackson’s head at the far post, but she redirected it wide.
In the 63rd minute, the Pride scored a goal worthy of the competition. It started when Doyle dribbled into the box and her low cross was cleared. But Alajuelense couldn’t get it out of their own third before Sams took possession. The right back sent a short pass to Villacorta, who found Pickett on the left corner of the box. The left back hit a rocket past Bermudez and into the top corner on the right to give the Pride a commanding 2-0 lead.
Hines made his third change and used his second window in the 70th minute to replace Lemos with Luana, who accepted the captain’s armband from Sams, who had taken it earlier upon Oihane’s departure. The inclusion of Luana was a momentous one for the Pride. It’s been a long road back for the Brazilian since she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in April 2024. It’s her first appearance in a game since March 29, 2024.
It didn’t take long for Luana to get involved. In the 71st minute, she received a pass from Sams before lifting it into the box for Doyle in between two defenders. The attacker got her head to the ball, but flicked it wide of the goal.
In the 77th minute, Chanda won possession with a collision near the top of the Alajuelense box and Jackson took over. She played it to Luana as she went down and the Brazilian used some nifty footwork to keep possession. Jackson picked it up and played it to Sams entering the box. The right back fired from close range, hitting it well wide of the near post.
The Pride scored a third in the 81st minute when Jackson threw the ball in for Yates. After taking a couple of steps forward, Yates backheeled the ball to Jackson behind her. It was a tight angle for Jackson, but she beat Bermudez to score her first professional goal and give the Pride a 3-0 lead.
Immediately after the goal, Jackson and Yates were replaced by Watt and Elyse Bennett. It was a Pride debut for Bennett, who recently signed a deal through the end of the 2025 NWSL season.
Alajuelense finally created its first second-half attack in the 84th minute when Valera sent substitute Yeslim Alvarado behind Pickett, who fell trying to make the challenge. However, she couldn’t control the ball, allowing Dyke to win it back and knock it wide. Keeping possession, Villalobos sent a cross in for Alvarado, who put this one on goal. But, despite not having to do anything in the second half, Crone got down to make her first save of the half and second save of the game.
Pickett made a run down the left in the 85th minute before finding Luana with plenty of space. The Brazilian had time to put the shot on target, but sent it over the crossbar. A minute later, Pickett made another run down the left, this time finding Chavoshi making a run into the Alajuelense third of the field. The center back took a shot from about 30 yards out, sending it well over the target.
Chanda had a chance to score from distance in the 90th minute when she took possession in the Alajuelense third. The midfielder took her opportunity to shoot, but sent the attempt well off target.
Alajuelense had one last chance in the dying moments to get something positive from the game when Villacorta was called for a foul on Valera. Sianyf Aguero took the set piece, but Crone handled it well. The full time whistle blew immediately after the catch, ending the game.
The Pride ended the game with big advantages in possession (66.5%-33.5%), shots (36-7), shots on target (10-1), crosses (35-5), corner kicks (13-1), and passing accuracy (82.4%-63.8%). Most importantly, they finally converted some of their shots, scoring three goals for the first time since a 3-1 win over the Utah Royals on May 23.
“It’s a really pleasing result. A lot of positives out of the game,” Hines said. “First of all, getting a win, getting that feeling back. Secondily, scoring some goals as well, which we’ve needed. And then, I think the biggest highlight of tonight was getting Luana back onto the field. I think that was a real special moment for everyone. For her to go through what she’s been through, and then go into the field and show her class was so pleasing to see. So a lot of really good moments today.”
“I think with this different lineup, it was like, no pressure, no stress, nothing to lose,” Jackson added. “And that’s kind of like how we were training. We were just like, this is a great opportunity, and we were looking at it as a great opportunity. And I think that’s how we went into it, and we played. We just played. We played free, and it felt good.”
With these three points, the Pride move into a tie with Pachuca after one game. Club America and LD Alajuelense are two points behind, though Alajuelense has played two more games. Chorrillo FC — the Pride’s next opponent in the group stage — sits in last after losing its first game.
The Pride will now jump back into league play, facing the Chicago Stars away from home Sunday afternoon.
Orlando Pride
World Cup Break Offers Orlando Pride Chance to Stabilize Rebuilt Back Line
After a season of injuries, position shifts, and defensive reshuffling, the Pride have a chance to settle their back line.
Seb Hines has spent much of the 2026 NWSL season rebuilding the Orlando Pride back line. The FIFA World Cup break now provides the first extended opportunity for the team to settle a defensive unit that has undergone significant personnel and positional changes.
Defense has been one of the team’s defining strengths in recent seasons. The Pride built much of their success on consistency at the back with a settled group of players who understood their roles and rarely needed adjustments. This year, however, that stability has been tested.
The departure of center back Emily Sams, Kylie Nadaner’s pregnancy, and an early-season injury to Kerry Abello forced Hines into changes before the team had the chance to establish continuity. Rather than working from a fixed defensive base, the team has been forced to adjust.
At the start of the season, Hines paired Rafaelle with Hailie Mace in central defense. Mace has experience at center back from her time in Kansas City, but the position isn’t her natural role. On the outside, Cori Dyke began the season at left back, while Oihane started on the right.
As the season progressed, Hines continued to adjust his back line. In early May, Mace moved back into her natural right back position. Dyke shifted into central defense alongside Rafaelle, and Oihane moved to the left side. The changes provided more comfort for Mace, but also required players to adjust to new roles with games coming quick and fast.
Making things more difficult were injuries to Rafaelle that forced Hannah Anderson into the lineup. While the veteran played well, it was yet another change the back line had to get used to while trying to stay in a playoff position.
Between late April and mid May, the Pride lost four of five matches, conceding multiple goals in each defeat. That run included a 4–2 home loss to the Washington Spirit, as well as back-to-back defeats to expansion sides Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC.
The performances showed a back line still searching for consistency and chemistry in its defensive setup. With different combinations being used across the back line, the Pride had little time to get used to their new positions and partnerships before the next game arrived.
Following the loss in Denver, the Pride opted to remain on the road rather than return to Orlando before facing San Diego Wave FC on the West Coast. The decision appeared to pay off. The Pride earned a 1–0 win over San Diego before returning home to close the first half of the season with a 3–1 victory over Bay FC.
Those results suggested that Hines may have finally found the back line he’ll go with as the season continues. Dyke has grown more comfortable alongside Rafaelle in central defense, Mace’s return to right back has added stability on the flank, and Oihane has shown quality when playing on either side.
In the team’s most recent game against Bay FC, Hines was able to make adjustments that didn’t hinder the team’s performance. Abello started at left back and Oihane moved back to her natural role at right back. Meanwhile, Dyke and Rafaelle remained the center back pairing and continued to look more comfortable together.
Despite the recent successes, the group has still had limited time to build consistency together. Most of the changes were made during the season rather than in preseason, meaning relationships and understanding across the back line have had to develop in real time.
That’s what makes the World Cup break particularly valuable.
Instead of focusing entirely on match preparation from week to week, the break gives Hines and his staff a rare stretch of time to work on organization and consistency across the back line. It also allows players to become more familiar with one another in their current roles, rather than constantly adjusting to new combinations.
For a team that has made several midseason changes, that kind of continuity can’t be built in games alone. Training time becomes especially important for communication, spacing, and defensive coordination — the small details that often decide whether a back line is stable or exposed.
The Pride entered the break with some momentum, having won two of their last three games and showing signs of improvement defensively. But the first half of the season has also made clear how long it can take to get used to positional changes, even if the personnel remain the same.
If the Pride are going to climb up the NWSL standings, it will largely depend on how well this current group can settle during the break.
For a team that has spent months adapting on the move, the timing of the pause may prove to be exactly what the defense needs.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride So Far in 2026: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
A look back at some key elements of the season at the break.
With the NWSL on a break, this is a good time to take a look at a few key components of the club so far this season. It might turn out that this break is exactly what the Orlando Pride need to get healthy and climb back up to the top of the table. Let’s look at the good, the bad, and the ugly so far this season.
The Good
Was there any doubt that this section would be about Barbra Banda? The Pride’s striker has 11 goals and an assist in 12 matches. A goal contribution per match is pretty darn good. Actually, it’s good enough lead the league in goals, shots, and shots on target. The Pride have scored 18 goals total in that time, meaning Banda has contributed to two-thirds of all goals the team has scored.
Most impressively, she’s done it without having Jacquie Ovalle and Marta out there with her at the same time. Both have dealt with injuries, leaving Banda to do most of it herself. Once the season resumes, both Ovalle and Marta will be available and healthy. That should open up even more opportunities for Banda to add goals to an already outstanding season. The caveat to this is that we don’t know the exact severity of the injury that forced Banda off the pitch in the last game.
The Bad
The Orlando Pride have conceded 17 goals so far this season. That is a rate of 1.42 goals per match. For context, the team allowed 27 goals during the 2025 regular season for a rate of 1.04 goals per match. In 2024, the team only allowed 20 goals for a rate of 0.77 goals per match. The Pride are allowing goals at almost double the rate of the championship season, which is why they are sitting in eighth place.
I see two main reasons for the relatively leaky defense. The first is that the back line is still looking for an identity. The departure of Emily Sams threw things into flux and the team has not been able to stabilize the back line. Rafaelle has been the anchor, while there’s been a rotating crew by her side. I still believe that Hailie Mace was brought in to be the other center back. Seb Hines has mostly abandoned that experiment. Surprisingly, Cori Dyke has stepped in and done a serviceable job. Still, what could have been the best center back pairing in the league is a position of concern.
The other issue is the lack of attitude. As I’ve said numerous times on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast, the Pride don’t have the same chip on their shoulder when it comes to defending. In 2024, the Pride took it personally if an opposing team scored. The players hated it with a fiery rage. That’s mostly been missing this season. I did see some of it during the Pride’s 1-0 win over the San Diego Wave, but one match isn’t enough to win a trophy.
The Ugly
The midfield has been ugly in 2026. Marta has mostly been missing, and as Michael Citro pointed out in his recent article, she is a difficult player to replace. Most of the team has regressed since the high of 2024, and Angelina is no different. She was arguably one of the best players on the team in 2024 but hasn’t contributed as much in 2026. She’s also been booked more, including an ill-advised red card against the Denver Summit. Ally Lemos has plenty of minutes, but she gives the ball away almost as often as she makes a good pass. Summer Yates has seemingly fallen off a cliff.
All of those factors and more have made it more difficult to produce offensive chances, and that has contributed to the leaky defense. The lack of control in the midfield is a large factor in the Pride’s struggles this season. I’m not entirely certain what needs to happen to fix it, but I’m hoping the team can figure it out before the season resumes.
This is obviously not a complete list, so I encourage you to contribute your own thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando Pride
An Early Look at Orlando Pride’s Contract Decisions
Let’s look ahead to roster decisions that Caitlin Carducci and the Pride will need to make either at or before the end of the 2026 NWSL season.
Now that the monthlong NWSL break is upon us, we’ve got a little time to take a breath and look ahead. As we did with Orlando City a week ago, let’s look forward at the roster decisions Caitlin Carducci and the Orlando Pride will have coming up at season’s end. Unlike the MLS side, we don’t have the luxury of the salaries for the players, but we still know which contracts will expire and which ones will have contract options available to exercise at the end of 2026.
Kerry Abello — Defender/Midfielder
Abello arrived via the 2021 NWSL Draft, in which the Pride selected her in the third round (No. 24 overall), but she opted to return to Penn State for one more year of eligibility. Orlando signed Abello in January of 2022 through the 2023 season. The Pride ripped up that deal in February of 2023, signing Abello to a new contract through 2024 with an option for 2025. Abello then signed another new deal in March of 2024 that runs through the end of this year.
Just 26, Abello is an intriguing player still in her prime years who has shown flashes of being a top-notch starter. However, she still has defensive lapses in games, turns the ball over far too frequently in others, provides little in terms of goal-scoring contributions (three goals, five assists in all competitions since the start of 2022), and hasn’t settled into the kind of consistency you’d hope for in a veteran player who has been in the league since 2022.
She started the 2026 season on the injured list but started to see game action just before the break, including her first start of the 2026 season. The versatile defender/midfielder can play a variety of positions in both the defense and the attack and is only two years removed from MLS Bext XI Second Team honors, when she played primarily left back for the double-winning Pride. That makes her worth keeping around, even if it’s as a depth player on a strong, deep team.
Angelina — Midfielder
The Brazilian international signed a three-year deal on Dec. 13, 2023, running through the end of 2026. That’s set to expire later this year, so there is some work to do in keeping the midfielder around. So far this season, Angelina has registered one assist. Over her three-year NWSL career with the Pride, the Brazilian has scored two goals (both in 2024) and added four assists in the regular season, contributing sparingly from her often deep-lying position. She has also been a solid, if unspectacular, set-piece taker.
Angelina was one of the best players on the Pride in 2024. Like many others, her game took a step back in 2025 (no goals, one assist), and she hasn’t been her best self yet in 2026 yet either. The recent hair-pulling incident that cost her a red card and an additional game suspension was a costly mistake that veteran leaders shouldn’t make. Still, when she’s on her game, Angelina is one of the best deep-lying midfielders in the NWSL. She can unlock a defense with a single through ball or long ball, as she did in the 2024 NWSL Championship, when she set up Barbra Banda’s game-winning goal. Angelina is a good player who the Pride will likely want to bring back, as long as the cost isn’t too high.
Kat Asman — Goalkeeper
Another player signed through 2026 but not beyond, Asman has spent a good chunk of her time with the Pride while on loan with Lexington FC in the USL Super League since signing with Orlando on Dec. 11, 2024. Asman has been a good goalkeeper in that league, winning the 2025-2026 USL Super League Golden Glove award. It seems unlikely the Pride will prioritize signing Asman, although she’s played well in competitive action and may have shown more than McKinley Crone and Cosette Morche have combined.
Seven Castain — Forward
Castain signed a one-year deal through the end of 2026 back on Jan. 16. The TCU product has shown flashes of promise in her first year with Orlando, but she has also looked overmatched and not ready for the NWSL at times as well. She seems to have fallen down the depth chart as other young players emerge and other Pride players have come off the injury list. It’s unclear if the club thinks highly enough of Castain at this point to re-sign her, but she still has time in 2026 to make an impact and give Carducci something to think about.
McKinley Crone — Goalkeeper
Orlando’s current backup to Anna Moorhouse will see her deal expire at the end of the season as well. Crone signed a short-term deal in late September of 2023 through the end of that season and earned a new contract. She signed through the 2024 season on March 11, 2024, and must have impressed everyone, because the club signed her through 2026 just six months later in a new deal announced on Sept. 6, 2024.
It remains to be seen who will emerge as the primary backup when Morche returns from injury. Crone has looked good in her infrequent matches, but has primarily been used outside of NWSL competition since her arrival.
Julie Doyle — Midfielder/Forward
Doyle was Orlando’s third selection in the first round (No. 11 overall) in the 2022 NWSL Draft. The Santa Clara product signed her first pro contract on Jan. 27, 2022, through that season with an option year for 2023, which the club exercised in November following her rookie season. Doyle then signed a new two-year contract through the 2024 season on May 8, 2023. The Pride signed her to another new contract on Oct. 1, 2024, a two-year deal through the 2026 season, meaning she’s out of contract at the end of this year.
During her time in Orlando, Doyle has been a decent bench option and spot starter, but she hasn’t exactly broken out and has struggled to get into the starting lineup at times. Given her position, one might reasonably expect a former first-round pick to contribute more offensively, but Doyle has never exceeded two goals in league play in any season despite getting herself into some good scoring positions. Now 27, Doyle has shown the Pride who she is over the course of the last four-and-a-half seasons. It will be interesting if she’s shown enough to stick around on another new contract.
Luana — Midfielder
The first player we’ll discuss who has a contract option year after 2026 is the Brazilian international midfielder, who has battled back from a scary Hodgkins lymphoma diagnosis during her first year with the Pride in 2024. Luana signed with Orlando on Dec. 14, 2023, but played only a few games before showing up on the availability report as an excused absence. The Pride announced on April 29, 2024, that the Brazilian would miss the rest of the season to undergo treatment. She battled her illness while her teammates won the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship, inspired largely by her courage. Luana beat the disease, but it took a while to come back. She returned to the pitch in the second half of 2025 and did enough to earn herself a new contract, which she signed on Nov. 13, 2025. Her contract runs through this season but there is a mutual option year on the deal for 2027.
Luana has looked fantastic at times, and it’s easy to forget that she started the 2024 campaign as a starter for a team that went on to shatter club and league records en route to winning the double. She scored her first goal with the Pride in Orlando’s 2-0 home playoff win over the Seattle Reign on Nov. 7, 2025 (actually, it was her first goal contribution of any kind with Orlando). She was a big part of the buildup for the Pride’s winning goal at San Diego on May 24, although she did not get an assist because a defender touched the ball. Luana finally notched her first NWSL assist in the Pride’s most recent match — the 3-1 win on May 29, which sent the team into the break on a two-game winning streak. If her trajectory continues, it’s not hard to imagine her returning as a regular starter when all players are available, and she could once again play for the Brazilian Women’s National Team. On the other hand, at 33 years of age, time is not on her side in terms of her remaining career.
Marta — Midfielder/Forward
Look, at some point Marta has to retire, right? The 40-year-old legend has earned the right to go out on her own terms, but the two-year contract she signed on Jan. 9, 2025, seems likely to be her last. That contract concludes after this season, and this could be the Pride’s most important off-season decision.
Marta turned back the clock in 2024, playing at one of the highest levels of her illustrious career. That was an encouraging sign, and even though it would have been a storybook ending to a glorious career for the Brazilian icon to exit the world stage as a player after winning the double, Pride fans understandably celebrated her announcement that she signed a new contract with Orlando.
Her performances fell off in 2025 — something that plagued the entire team — but her availability in 2026 has been an even bigger issue. The Marta problem is that despite her age and lack of availability, she’s still hard to replace, because even in limited minutes, she’s performing better and helping the team win and retain possession more than most of her teammates and better than most potential replacements could do in her place. The goal production has tailed off, however, and that’s having an impact in the standings, because if Marta isn’t producing, the Pride have little offense outside of Banda (though Jacquie Ovalle’s return from injury should help).
The Pride would likely offer Marta a new one-year contract if she wants to keep playing. Few could blame them, and it’s hard to fault an athlete who loves the game so much that they don’t mind the diminishing returns they bring to their club as they extend their career. However, Orlando is in a transition phase, and using Marta’s salary elsewhere could help the club get younger, faster, and more threatening. Ultimately, this may be more Marta’s decision than Orlando’s, because the club will want Marta to end her career in purple. And while it seems the bell is tolling on a legendary career, it would surprise almost no one if she has another surge left in her.
Cara Martin — Goalkeeper
Pride fans could be forgiven for thinking Martin is an AI construct, because when have we seen proof of life? (OK, she’s made the substitutes’ bench a few times. Allegedly.) Martin signed Jan. 16 along with Castain and Nicole Payne. The former Big East Goalkeeper of the Year with Georgetown has not appeared for Orlando and her bio isn’t in the team’s game notes. Martin’s contract is up at the end of the season, and with Orlando collecting backup goalkeepers to work with the team in training and wait in line behind Moorhouse, the question is whether she’ll do enough to remain in the Pride’s stable of backup netminders.
Kylie Nadaner — Defender
The club’s vice captain has been away on what has seemed more like eternity leave than maternity leave. Nadaner had her baby in May, and the long process of getting back into playing shape lies ahead. Meanwhile, she’s in the final season of a three-year deal she signed on Dec. 7, 2023. Nadaner began her time in Orlando as a struggling left back who worked her way into becoming one of the team’s most dependable center backs.
Nadaner will be 35 early next season as her birthday is in March. While it’s difficult for players to return to playing shape after giving birth to a brand-new human, doing it in your mid-30s is even tougher, though it’s doable. Whether Nadaner is offered a new contract may depend on her ability to get back on the field in the second half of 2026 and show she can still perform.
Oihane – Defender
The Spanish fullback is in the last guaranteed season of a two-year deal she signed on Feb. 14, 2025. However, that contract includes a 2027 option year. Oihane has looked strong at times, although some minor knocks here and there have disrupted her continuity. She’s been one of the team’s better crossers in open play, posting three assists in just under a year and a half with Orlando.
The problem for Oihane is she’s in the Pride’s deepest position group. Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace, Haley McCutcheon, Nicole Payne, and Reagan Raabe can all play right back. Oihane has also filled in at left back, but there is coverage there, too. We may not know until the postseason roster decisions whether the Spanish international will remain in the club’s plans.
Nicole Payne — Defender/Winger
A former Portland Thorns and (briefly) Paris Saint-Germain player, Payne signed a one-year contract with the Pride on Jan. 16 that expires after the season. She showed off her pace playing right back in her first appearance with Orlando, but she’s since seen time at right wing, scoring a big goal in a solid outing at San Diego in the final week before the break. She didn’t back up that performance well five days later against Bay FC, but you can see there’s talent, speed, and potential scoring punch from the USC product.
Whether Payne is brought back is likely still up in the air, but there has been some promise, and her potential has not been questioned. Staying healthy has been a challenge for Payne. If she can stay fit, she would at least make a good depth option if she can turn in consistent performances like the one she had against the Wave.
Reagan Raabe — Forward/Defender
Raabe arrived as a non-roster invitee in preseason camp and earned a short-term contract on March 5. She’s made a couple of appearances off the bench in different positions but hasn’t been able to show a lot in her limited action. Will it be enough for the 24-year-old Nebraska product to earn a fulltime contract? We’ll find out soon.
Viviana Villacorta — Midfielder
The Orlando Pride had high hopes for Villacorta after drafting her at No. 9 overall in the first round of the 2021 NWSL Draft. And while she’s shown flashes of the potential she had coming out of UCLA throughout her time in Orlando, injuries have plagued her career and have completely derailed multiple seasons. Even in 2026, Villacorta has been on the club’s availability list, most recently with a knee injury. She’s done enough to hang around and earn three different contracts with the Pride, who exercised her 2026 option on June 30, 2025, meaning she’ll be out of contract again at the end of the year.
Whether the club still values Villacorta as a good depth option or is ready to turn the page on the 27-year-old — or whether Villacorta even wants to continue her career — is a decision we’ll have to wait to find out.
Summer Yates — Midfielder
Yates was a highly regarded prospect out of the University of Washington who somehow fell to Orlando in the fourth round (No. 39 overall) in the 2023 NWSL Draft. She quickly earned a rookie contract on March 7, 2023, through 2024 with an option year for 2025. She played so well during the club’s 2024 run to the double that she earned a new contract on July 11, 2024, through 2025 with an option year for 2026. Unfortunately, Yates followed many other Pride players in regressing in 2025, but Orlando and Yates had already mutually exercised her 2026 option year in October of 2024. That means she’s out of contract after this season, like so many others.
The 25-year-old native of Pasco, Washington, is just entering her prime years, but her play since the start of 2025 has not shown many signs of the improvements we saw in 2024. Former general manager Haley Carter touted her off-season work on our podcast prior to the club’s 2024 double-winning campaign. Since then, Yates has not scored a league goal and has tallied only two assists in the regular season, although she notably notched a hat trick in a 5-0 win at Chorrillo FC in Panama a year ago. Her most recent game against Bay FC saw Yates thread the needle to set up Banda’s second goal of the night, which turned out to be the game-winner.
Yates does so many things well, but putting together consistent performances has been a struggle since the start of 2025. Some of that has been related to playing through some minor knocks. Every dribble into a blind alley or misplaced pass in the attacking third seems worthwhile when Yates sticks a gorgeous through ball into Banda’s path, but a return to her 2024 form, in which she scored five NWSL goals, would be her best path to a lucrative new deal with the Pride.
The Pride roster provides a lot of flexibility for Carducci. There are as many as 14 expiring contracts either, outright or with an option decision, and the competition for new deals will be stiff. Carducci can spend the rest of the 2026 season evaluating the squad, looking at the areas she wants to improve, and making informed choices about which players to re-sign and which to let go.
That, of course, is a double-edged sword, because letting things go too long can result in players becoming free agents and leaving for free. In the past, the Pride under Carter liked to lock players down before their deals expired. This year, we may yet see some signings before season’s end, but Carducci has the opportunity to overhaul the roster. At the very least, the bottom of the roster can (and should) be churned a bit.
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