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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.

Published

1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

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.

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Orlando Pride

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

4 hours 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

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

By

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

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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