In the wake of the Orlando Pride’s fourth loss in five games and a 2026 season that is quickly slipping away, the club announced today that it has parted ways with head coach Seb Hines and goalkeeper coach Paul Crichton. In the interim, Assistant Coach Yolanda Thomas will handle head coaching duties.

This move comes with the Pride mired in 12th place in the 16-team NWSL at 8-12-2 and five points below the playoff line. It also takes place less than two years since Hines was named 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year and just two years and 24 days since the Pride gave Hines a new contract through this season with an option for 2027 on Aug. 7, 2024.

“We want to express our gratitude to Seb for the dedication, leadership, and professionalism he brought to the club during his time with us,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations & General Manager Caitlin Carducci said in a club press release. “He will always have a special place in our history for helping lead the Pride to levels it had never reached before. However, as we look toward the club’s long-term vision and future objectives, we believe that this is the appropriate time for a leadership change. We are grateful for all that Seb has contributed and wish him nothing but success in the next chapter of his career.”

Hines, 38, is easily the most successful coach in the club’s history, having signed on as an assistant coach with the Pride in May of 2020 — a few years after the end of his professional playing career. He took over as interim head coach in June of 2022 when then-coach Amanda Cromwell and assistant Sam Greene were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into potential violations of the league’s policy to prevent and eliminate workplace discrimination, harassment, and bullying. The NWSL concluded that Cromwell and Greene were in violation of that policy and terminated their contracts in October 2022, leaving the future of the team’s coaching position in limbo.

Hines had led the Pride to a seven-game unbeaten run during his stewardship as the investigation went on, but the team also finished that year with a six-game winless skid to quickly drop out of playoff contention. Some felt at the time Cromwell’s contract was terminated that Hines had done enough to win the job, while his 3-7-5 record wasn’t exactly a mandate to hand him the position, nor was the club-record 6-0 loss his team suffered at Portland in his second match in charge.

However, Hines did land the gig. The Pride named him the full-time head coach on Nov. 11, 2022, at the same time the club parted ways with general manager Ian Fleming. Hines led the Pride to the cusp of its first playoff appearance since 2017 during his first full year in charge in 2023. The Pride finished in a three-way tie for fifth on 31 points but fell short of the final playoff spot by losing the goal-difference tiebreaker on the last matchday of the season, when Angel City throttled Portland 5-1 on Decision Day. The Pride beat the Houston Dash by just a 1-0 scoreline that day to get jumped. Orlando had more wins than either fifth-place Angel City or sixth-place Gotham FC (the eventual NWSL Championship winners), but goal difference was the first tiebreaker. It was a heartbreaking end, especially considering an own goal that goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse punched into her own net in the penultimate match against Louisville City turned what could have been a road draw into a road loss.

The Pride set numerous NWSL records under Hines in 2024 and won their first-ever postseason matches on the way to winning the club’s first two trophies — the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship. Hines led Orlando to a record of 18-2-6, finishing third in the league in goals scored (46) and tying for first in fewest goals conceded (20). That year’s team set five league records, including most points in a season (60), most wins in a season (18), longest winning streak (8), longest shutout streak (554 minutes), and longest single-season unbeaten run (23 games). The Pride also tied the league record for clean sheets in a season (13). In all, the Pride went 24 NWSL matches without a loss under Hines from the end of 2023 through deep into 2024, when he rotated several players during a road trip to Portland after clinching the NWSL Shield.

Hines led the Pride to a fourth-place finish in the 2025 regular season, earning the team a second consecutive playoff appearance for the first time in club history. The Pride went 11-8-7 in 2025 and reached the NWSL semifinals, losing a late heartbreaker to Gotham FC deep in stoppage time.

The former Orlando City center back leaves the Pride with a career coaching record of 32-38-15 in the regular season (3-7-5 as interim head coach and 29-31-10 as full-time head coach) and 4-1 in the postseason.

“Seb leaves an undeniable legacy with the Pride,” Orlando Pride Owner & Chairman Mark Wilf said in the club’s press release. “His commitment to our players, his staff, and this club helped deliver some of the most important moments in our history. Beyond the results, he helped establish a culture that elevated expectations for what this organization could achieve. We are thankful for everything Seb has contributed and wish him and his family the very best moving forward.”

Thomas joined the Pride as an assistant coach on March 3, 2023. Prior to joining the Orlando staff, Thomas served as sporting director, head coach, and director of coaching with Tulsa Soccer Club and Fortuna Tulsa of the WPSL. She led Tulsa to Franchise of the Year honors in 2019 and 2021 and was named 2019 WPSL Red River Conference Coach of the Year. Over four seasons, Thomas guided Fortuna Tulsa — now known as Tulsa SC — to two conference championships, and appearances in the National Final Four, Regional Championship, and National Elite Eight.  

She previously served as an assistant coach in the college ranks at Oklahoma State University and the University of Tulsa, before becoming head coach at Roger State University.  

She has recently served as the U-23 United States Women’s National Team head coach during two camps in 2025.

Thomas takes over a team that has not scored more than one goal in a match since July 10 and has beaten two of the league’s best teams since NWSL play restarted following the World Cup break but has lost to everyone else. The Pride have been shut out four times in the 10 games since the league restarted.

What It Means for Orlando

While Hines must shoulder his share of the responsibility for the team’s lack of grit and slow development of younger players, it seems clear that his highest highs of 2024 featured a significant number of players elevating their play far beyond anything they’ve shown since. Players such as Summer Yates and Angelina haven’t been anywhere close to their 2024 levels.

Is that coaching or something else? Perhaps the 2024 double-winning season was simply the perfect storm of players buying in; a more talented roster that featured Adriana, Emily Sams, Ally Watt, and a not-yet-gone-on-maternity-leave Kylie Nadaner; the team playing for Luana during her battle with cancer; and the team pushing hard at the end for Marta (who somehow turned back the clock and played as she did in her prime). But the drop-off in quality across the board from returning players on that team and this year is unmistakable, and some players who were fine as bench/role players in 2024 have been asked to log more minutes since, and they haven’t been up to the task.

There is nothing Hines could do about the parade of injury absences the 2026 Pride have endured, and to his credit, he never used it as an excuse. There is also (probably) little Hines could have done about the level of talent he was given on this year’s team. Sams was “replaced” by Hailie Mace and/or Hannah Anderson, depending on how you look at it, but neither player was ever going to provide anything close to what the former NWSL Defender of the Year did during her stay in Orlando. Watt was ostensibly replaced by Nicole Payne, who is also fast but not nearly as polished.

Rafaelle’s fitness issues have been numerous during her Pride career, and this season, her presence has been as big a liability as her absence. Kerry Abello has likewise not been able to get/stay available for selection in 2026. Marta, who has not produced much of her usual magic this year, has had limited availability all season after falling off significantly in form in 2025.

Additionally, Orlando’s commitment to getting younger didn’t work as well as the club had hoped. None of the younger players have panned out (though Solai Washington has shown promising signs), and some of those players have been shipped out on loan to gain experience.

Under Haley Carter, players who were nearing the ends of their deals were locked down early if they were deemed important to the club’s future. Yet this season, we’ve seen only Seven Castain and Cara Martin get extensions thus far, despite the Pride having a number of players either out of contract entirely or coming up on option years at the end of the season.

With all due respect to Castain and Martin, they did not seem like priority signings, considering playing time, but that may be where Hines held different opinions of his players than Carducci. One also wonders whether the reluctance to change goalkeepers amidst Anna Moorhouse’s major struggles in 2026 was a directive from above or solely Hines’ opinion that Moorhouse gave the club the best chance to win and that she would regain her form.

The Pride will now move on, and a new coach isn’t going to be able to find much more success than Hines did — certainly not more than he had in 2024 — without building a team that can adequately defend, win battles in the midfield, and string accurate passes together long enough to work the ball forward to Barbra Banda and Jacquie Ovalle. And better supporting attackers for those two expensive signings must be found as well. Ovalle has not been nearly good enough to justify her pricetag, although the glimpses of what she could provide the club appear from time to time.

There is still time for Orlando to make the playoffs, although the task will be difficult. Thomas is well regarded as a coach and is ready for a head coaching position. This will be her opportunity to see if she can get this Pride roster to elevate its level down the stretch.

The Orlando Pride took a 1-0 lead into halftime on Barbra Banda’s strike, but the Utah Royals took control in the second half, taking advantage of a slow and struggling Orlando back line to come from behind and win 2-1 at Inter.co Stadium tonight.

It was another disappointing performance by the Pride (8-12-2, 26 points), who slipped to 12th place in the NWSL, while the Royals (12-7-3, 39 points), who had been inconsistent in recent weeks, vaulted to second in the league table.

“I thought first half we were all right. We created some good opportunities, took the lead,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said after the match. “Going to the second half, we felt we needed to put a little bit more pressure on the ball, not allow Utah to get too much territory, and you know we were half a step off, and they were able to carve us open and get that goal. I’m disappointed to sit here and say there’s another defeat at home in front of our own fans.”

Hines deployed his typical 4-2-3-1 formation with goalkeeper Cosette Morché behind a back line made up of Hailie Mace, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Oihane . Ally Lemos and Haley McCutcheon served as the defensive midfielders, with Summer Yates, Jacquie Ovalle, and Angelina taking up the attacking midfield roles and Banda up top.

Orlando came out the stronger side early, spending long stretches of possession in Utah’s half. Kate Del Fava was shown an early yellow card in the fourth minute for impeding Banda, the first sign of the physical match that would follow.

A ball over the top played Banda in behind in the ninth minute and fired a shot on target, but the play was called back for offside. She broke forward again moments later on a promising run, only to be fouled just outside the box by Tatumn Milazzo, who was shown a yellow card of her own in the 10th minute. Ovalle sent the resulting free kick into Utah’s defensive wall, ending the threat.

Utah began to find its footing in the middle stretch of the first half. Miyabi Moriya fired over the bar in the 14th minute after the visitors won a corner, and Cece Delzer got in behind after a giveaway by Lemos on a ball over the top two minutes later, squaring for Kiana Palacios, whose effort went wide right. Del Fava sailed an effort over the bar in the 18th minute off another Utah corner, and Mina Tanaka headed wide in the 22nd minute after meeting Del Fava’s long ball into the box. Two minutes later, Cloé Lacasse’s corner was cleared away before the ball came back to Tanaka, who saw Oihane block her follow-up effort.

Orlando began to funnel much of its attacking play down the right side as the half wore on, though Utah continued to threaten as well. McCutcheon produced a point-blank block to deny Tanaka in the 28th minute, although the play was called for offside in the buildup. Orlando answered a minute later down the same flank, with Banda charging into the box and squaring a cross beyond Mandy McGlynn, but McCutcheon’s effort on the end of it went just wide, with the offside flag coming up once again.

Cards began to pile up as the half continued. Ovalle was shown a yellow card in the 32nd minute for fouling Moriya, who was trying to work her way past her about 24 yards from goal. Nuria Rábano took the resulting free kick, sailing it wide right in the 33rd minute. Angelina picked up a caution in the 35th minute, pulling back Delzer to snuff out a Utah break. The foul was unnecessary, as there were several Pride players behind the ball.

The visitors worked the ball down the left from Tanaka to Lacasse to Madison Hammond, whose shot in the 40th minute was straight at Morché. Delzer tested Morché again a minute later, but she came up with another save to keep the game scoreless.

Orlando broke the deadlock in the 44th minute. The Pride won the ball back in midfield, and Yates slid a through ball in behind for Banda. The Zambian international drove into the box, with McGlynn coming out to meet her. The Utah goalkeeper deflected the ball but it hit Banda and spilled out in front of the striker, allowing her to calmly slot it into an empty net to make it 1-0.

“It’s definitely been up and down for me. I feel like coming in, kind of getting some starts and then dealing with some injuries, have kind of just made the season a little bit of a roller coaster for me,” Yates said. “Being able to start tonight was awesome, and being able to assist Barbra is something we work on in training a lot, so it was nice to go out and see that shine on the field.”

Utah earned a corner in stoppage time that Lacasse sent right to Morché, who saved it easily. The Pride took their 1-0 lead into the half following two minutes of stoppage time.

The Royals led every category in the first half: possession (60%-40%), shots (9-3), shots on target (2-1), passing accuracy (85%-76%), and corners (5-0).

Utah drew level just five minutes into the second half. Palacios blazed past the slower Rafaelle and sent in a cross from the right that found Lacasse, who had similarly blown past Oihane. Lacasse tapped it past Morché to tie the match at 1-1.

Rábano was whistled for a foul in the 51st minute, and the ensuing minute brought a flurry of chances at both ends. Del Fava blocked Ovalle’s effort, and Utah countered immediately. Ana Tejada shot, but Morché punched it out of play for a corner. Lacasse played the set piece short, but it came to nothing.

Tejada tried to test Morché again in the 56th minute off a set piece Oihane conceded, but her effort missed the target. Lacasse forced a save out of the goalkeeper in the 57th minute with a shot from outside the box. She was off target three minutes later as well, firing over the crossbar after another spell of Utah possession just outside Orlando’s box.

McCutcheon fired into the side netting in the 63rd minute, but the wayward effort was about all Orlando could muster as the Pride’s play grew increasingly flat.

Utah made a double substitution in the 64th minute, bringing on Paige Cronin for Moriya and Dayana Pierre-Louis for Hammond. Hines countered a minute later with a triple substitution of his own, sending on Zara Chavoshi for Rafaelle in a concussion substitution, Nicole Payne for Yates, and Luana for Lemos.

The changes did little to slow Utah down. Lacasse worked the ball well inside the box down the left in the 69th minute. Oihane was trying to defend it but failed her tackle attempt and fell down, leaving Lacasse free to square it to the top of the box for Cronin — on the field for only four minutes — who fired a shot past Morché that the goalkeeper couldn’t keep out to put the visitors in front, 2-1.

Gabi Nunes replaced Angelina in the 75th minute as Orlando added an attacker, searching for an equalizer.

Banda won a corner in the 78th minute with a shot that deflected off a Utah defender, and Ovalle’s ensuing delivery started a scramble in the box. McGlynn punched the initial ball away, and Milazzo blocked Banda’s follow-up effort. The loose ball fell to Payne, whose shot was also blocked and cleared. McGlynn was eventually able to collect the recycle attempt to end the sequence.

Tejada’s foul earned her a yellow card in the 81st minute, conceding a free kick. Luana delivered the set piece into the box, but it didn’t trouble McGlynn, who collected it easily.

Hines made his fifth and final substitution in the 85th minute, sending on Hannah Anderson for Hailie Mace.

Orlando’s buildup play was never quite good enough to break down the Utah defense as the minutes ticked down, and the Royals read what the Pride were trying to do well enough to control the game and run the clock.

Utah nearly extended its lead in the 91st minute. Chavoshi mishit a clearance, and with Lacasse set up to fire on the loose ball, Oihane fouled from behind. The referee pointed to the spot, but a video review showed Lacasse handled the ball prior to the foul and the penalty was overturned.

Banda fired a desperate effort from distance in the seventh added minute that deflected off a Utah player and out for a corner. Ovalle’s ensuing delivery sailed over everyone in the box in the 98th minute, and Orlando recovered the loose ball, but the passage didn’t produce a shot. A minute later, Orlando worked another ball into the box that Banda met with a header on target, but McGlynn was there again to make the save.

That was the final look at goal as the Pride dropped their fourth game out of the last five.

Utah led in every statistical category after a dominant second half, finishing with the advantage in possession (60%-40%), shots (18-9), shots on target (6-2), passing accuracy (83%-69%), and corners (7-2).

“This game was really frustrating for us because we do feel like, you know, we were up 1-0 in the first half and then give up two and lose the game in the second,” Lemos said. “I think we’re just really excited and really eager to go improve ourselves and show that, you know, we’re here to make a run for playoffs and it’s still possible.”

Next up, the Pride stay home to host the Houston Dash on Sunday, Sept. 6.

Welcome to your match preview and live thread as the Orlando Pride (8-11-2, 26 points) return home to face the Utah Royals (11-7-3, 36 points) at Inter.co Stadium (7 p.m., NWSL+). This is the second and final time these teams will meet during the 2026 regular season.

Here’s everything you need to know.

History

The original Utah Royals first played in 2018 and 2019 before the team was purchased and relocated to Kansas City. The new owners of Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake bought an expansion side, so 2024 was the first season the two teams met since 2019, although this is an all-new side. After going 1-3-2 against the old Royals, the Pride are 3-1-1 against the current iteration of the club, with all games coming in the NWSL regular season. The Pride are 1-0-1 vs. the Royals in Orlando.

The last time the Pride and Royals met was July 18 in Utah, with the lone goal in Utah’s 1-0 win coming in the first half when Narumi Miura caught Anna Moorhouse off her line, lifting the ball over the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the goal.

The first meeting of 2025 took place on May 23 in Utah. It was the Barbra Banda show, as the striker became the first Pride player to score a hat trick, doing so in just 38 minutes. Brecken Mozingo scored the only goal for the hosts early in the game, getting behind the back line. But a scoreless second half resulted in a 3-1 win for the Pride. On Aug. 3, 2025 in Orlando, the visitors led early through Mina Tanaka off an assist from Kaleigh Riehl. But Simone Jackson set up Prisca Chilufya for the 72nd minute equalizer, ensuring the Pride came away with a 1-1 draw.

The first game between the two since this new version of the Royals began NWSL play took place on April 12, 2024 in Sandy, UT. Marta started on the bench and came on for Adriana in the second half. It didn’t take long for the Pride captain to make an impact, netting the game’s lone goal six minutes after entering the match, as Orlando left the Beehive State with a 1-0 victory.

On June 21, 2024 in Orlando, it was a dominant performance from start to finish as the Pride roared to a 6-0 win. Banda started the scoring, and Summer Yates made it 2-0 just before halftime. The Pride took off in the second half with goals by Banda and Ally Watt, along with a Marta brace.

Overview

The Pride entered the last game on a three-game losing streak and having lost six of their last eight games. It looked like it would get worse as they faced the Washington Spirit away from home. But Haley McCutcheon’s third-minute goal was enough to escape with a slim 1-0 victory.

The Pride’s offense this year has been largely dependent on Banda, who sits second in the league with 12 goals, three behind Ashley Sanchez. McCutcheon’s goal in Washington was her third of the year, moving into sole possession of second on the team. Jacquie Ovalle, Marta, and Hannah Anderson are the only other Pride players with multiple goals, each scoring twice.

Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse has been inconsistent this season, resulting in Cosette Morche getting her regular-season debut for the Pride in Washington. While she only saw three shots on target, the 29-year-old made a huge save at the end of the game, tipping a potentially game-tying goal over the crossbar.

Utah enters the matchup in fourth place in the NWSL with an 11-7-3 record and 36 points. The Royals are tied with San Diego for third place but sit behind the Wave on the tiebreaker. The Royals have been one of the league’s most productive offensive teams, scoring 37 goals, which ranks first in the NWSL. They’ve conceded 27 goals, ranking eighth in the league, giving them a +10 goal difference, which ranks third in the NWSL.

Utah has struggled a bit recently, losing three of its last five games. That stretch started with a 5-1 victory over the Portland Thorns on Aug. 2 before a 2-1 loss to the Denver Summit on Aug. 8 and a 3-2 win over Bay FC on Aug. 14. The club’s most recent game was a 4-2 loss to the San Diego Wave, with Tanaka scoring both of Utah’s goals.

Cloé Lacasse leads the Royals with 15 goal contributions on six goals and nine assists, while Tanaka has eight goals and four assists. Tanaka’s eight goals rank among the league leaders, while her 12 goal contributions are second on the team. Lacasse’s nine assists are tied for the league lead, making the duo the primary offensive threats the Pride will have to account for.

The Royals have also had a consistent back line throughout the season, with Kate Del Fava and Ana Tejada starting the majority of games at center back. They have also had consistency in goal, with Mandy McGlynn starting 20 of Utah’s 21 games this season. That stability has helped Utah remain one of the better teams in the league despite some recent defensive struggles.

“We want to get back to winning ways. We want some level of consistency as well,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said ahead of tonight’s game. “With our last performance, bring it home in front of our own fans. It’s going to be important to create that momentum. Utah are having a good run of form (this season) as well, so we have to be aware of that. But I think the onus is on us to keep building on our last performance.”

The Pride will take the field tonight without Kerry Abello (thigh), Julie Doyle (knee), Marta (excused absence), Zoe Matthews (head), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Solai Washington (head). Utah will be without Alex Loera (knee), Mozingo (concussion), Narumi (hamstring), and KK Ream (knee).

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Cosette Morche.

Defenders: Hailie Mace, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, Oihane.

Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Angelina.

Attacking Midfielders: Jacquie Ovalle, Haley McCutcheon, Summer Yates.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: Anna Moorhouse, Cara Martin, Zara Chavoshi, Hannah Anderson, Luana, Nicole Payne, Gabi Nunes.

Utah Royals (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Mandy McGlynn.

Defenders: Nuria Rabano, Tatumn Milazzo Kate Del Fava, Miyabi Moriya.

Defensive Midfielders: Ana Tejada, Madison Hammond.

Attacking Midfielders: Cloe Lacasse, Mina Tanaka, Cece Delzer.

Forward: Kiana Palacios.

Bench: Mia Justus, Deaira Jackson, Kameron Simmonds, Kaleigh Riehl, Dayana Pierre-Louis, Courtney Brown, Paige Cronin, Alexa Spaanstra, Ali Swenson.

Referees

REF: Matt Thompson.
AR1: Brian Marshall.
AR2: Justin Fillmore.
4TH: Stefan Perri.
VAR: Anya Voigt.
AVAR: Katarzyna Wasiak.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: None.

Streaming: NWSL+.

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

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!