Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Final Score 1-0 as Pride’s Season Comes to an End
A last-minute goal in second-half stoppage time saw the Pride fall to NJ/NY Gotham FC in the NWSL playoff semifinals.
The Orlando Pride saw their 2025 campaign come to a crushing end in the NWSL playoff semifinals, falling 1-0 to NJ/NY Gotham FC at Inter&Co Stadium. Jaedyn Shaw converted a last-minute free kick for the deciding goal, the difference in a game that seemed destined for extra time with the final whistle just moments away.
Pride Head Coach Seb Hines deployed the same starting XI for the third consecutive game. Anna Moorhouse was in goal behind a back line of Kerry Abello, Rafaelle, Emily Sams, and Cori Dyke. Haley McCutcheon and Angelina were in the defensive midfield behind Jacquie Ovalle, Ally Lemos, and Julie Doyle with Marta up top, though it appeared to play more like a 4-4-2 most of the game.
“We kept the same team, but we moved personnel a little bit,” Hines said about his lineup. “We obviously played Marta as a nine, Julie as an 11, Jackie as a seven. We knew going into this game, Gotham are a very aggressive team. They want to win the ball in the opponent’s half. You know, players like Carter and Sonnett are very front-footed, so using Marta as an extra midfielder and trying to exploit that space that they left in behind was our game plan going into it.”
Chances were few and far between in this one with neither team seeming to want to move on to the NWSL Championship. Only three shots were on target in the entire match and two of those came in the final minute of second-half stoppage time. In the end, a dangerous set piece and a bit of luck were enough to send the eight-seeded Gotham FC to the final where they’ll face the Washington Spirit.
Gotham took the first shot of the game in the second minute when Rose Lavelle received the ball at the top of the Pride box. The defenders did well to stay in front, making it difficult for the attacker to find any space. As a result, Lemos easily blocked her shot.
The Pride created their first chance of the game in the fifth minute when McCutcheon found Marta entering the Gotham box. After spinning to create space from her defender, the captain sent a low pass to the near post where Ovalle was making a run. Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger blocked the shot wide as Ovalle went down after a hard challenge. When the midfielder got up, the Pride took a corner kick that didn’t cause any trouble for the opposition. It was a sign of things to come, as the Pride’s service on set pieces often served as catching practice for Berger.
Ovalle received a pass in the box again in the 10th minute. Once again, the attacker’s first touch was a shot at goal. However, Midge Purce got in front of this attempt, blocking it away and allowing the visitors to clear.
Doyle found McCutcheon making an overlapping run on the left in the 24th minute. The midfielder sent a cross toward the penalty spot that was knocked over the end line by Jaelin Howell. Lemos sent the ensuing corner kick cross too close to Berger, who punched it beyond the attackers to the far side. Marta took possession, creating enough space for a shot from outside the box. The attempt curled over Berger’s outstretched arms and just over the crossbar.
The Pride came within inches from taking the lead in the 33rd minute when Marta found Doyle on the right. The midfielder immediately sent a low cross to the back post, where Jess Carter lost Ovalle. It was almost a tap-in for the Mexican international, but she couldn’t get her feet set correctly as it deflected off a defender. Ovalle could only get a slight touch on it, sending it out of play in front of a wide-open net.
Gotham created one of its rare first-half chances in the 45th minute when Marta was put under pressure in her own box and lost the ball. Abello seemed to have time to keep the ball in play and avoid a set piece, but she didn’t pursue it and the ball slowly rolled over the end line for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece by Shaw found Emily Sonnett’s head, but she sent the free header well wide of the target.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Marta sent the ball into the box for Ovalle’s run. Carter got a piece of it, but the ball fell into the Mexican’s path. Berger did well to come off her line quickley to collect it before Ovalle could reach the ball.
That was the final dangerous attack for either team as the game went into the break scoreless.
After 45 minutes, Gotham had the advantage in possession (55%-45%), corner kicks (3-2), crosses (9-8), and passing accuracy (80%-77%). The Pride created more shots (5-3) and put more on target (1-0).
“I think in the first half we created probably the best chance of the game,” Hines said. “Some really good combination play, getting out wide, and then, unfortunately, just missing the ball. But I thought we created the better chances throughout the game, and it comes down to that last bit of execution. And, you know, some good defending and goalkeeping as well.”
Hines made one halftime change, replacing Dyke with Oihane in a like-for-like change at right back.
Less than five minutes into the second half, an injury forced another substitution. Doyle collided with Shaw on the right sideline, coming up limping. The next time the ball went out of play, the attacker wetn down and required treatment from the Pride medical staff. In the 54th minute, she was replaced by Simone Charley.
The Pride earned the first shot of the second half in the 60th mintue when a pair of crosses into the box for Charley were cleared. The second one landed at McCutcheon’s foot, but the midfielder’s shot slammed off Purce, allowing Gotham to clear. Charley found Ovalle on the left side of the box minutes later. The attacker cut inside and outside to create space from her defender before sending a shot that sailed over the crossbar.
Hines made his third change in the 75th minute. Carson Pickett came on for Lemos with the Pride looking for a late winner.
Angelina sent a cross into the box in the 79th minute that Carter headed on to the far side of the box. Pickett collected the ball and laid it off for Abello, who took a shot, but sent it straight into Purce, who was right in front of her.
Gotham had a good opportunity to open the scoring in the 83rd minute when Sams committed a foul in the Pride third of the field. Lavelle and Shaw stood over the ball with the latter taking the set piece. Lilly Reale flicked the ball on with Sonnett making a run behind. Rafaelle was on her hip and Moorhouse came out to collect it before Sonnett could tap it in.
A long ball into the Pride box in the 87th minute nearly created an opportunity for the visitors when Oihane was unable to knock it away from Shaw. The attacker kept the ball and looked to be in on goal, but Moorhouse did well to come out and collect it.
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, the Pride failed to clear the ball, creating an opportunity for the visitors. Oihane played it forward for Ovalle, who lost possession to Lavelle before pushing over the midfielder. Referee Alyssa Pennington gave Gotham a free kick near the top of the Pride box.
“We can’t give so easy free kicks like that, especially at the end of the game,” Marta said. “But honestly, my feeling, I’m sorry, I was feeling that the referee was looking to find something like that to mess up. I’m sorry, but that was a mess. That was not a foul. We should lose the game anyways but not in this way.”
Shaw sent the set piece over everyone in the box and just beyond the reach of a charging Purce. Moorhouse played for the Purce redirect, allowing it to bounce inside the far post to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
There was a brief stoppage as the video assistant referee reviewed the play to see if Purce was offside. While she didn’t touch the ball, Purce impacted the play by forcing Moorhouse to judge whether the ball would be redirected. However, the attacker was deemed onside.
The Pride had one last chance in the dying seconds when Ovalle headed the ball foward and was taken down by a charging Mandy Freeeman, winning a free kick in the final third.
Angelina faked the kick and Marta sent a cross into the box. Oihane got a head on the ball before her defender, sending her shot on target. Berger dove backwards and got a strong hand to the ball, sending it wide with a huge save.
Pennington blew the final whistle immediately after the save, bringing an end to the game. While Gotham moved on to the NWSL Championship in San Jose, CA, the Pride saw the end of another good season that came just short of reaching their goal.
At full time, Gotham had the edge in possession (52.5%-47.5%) and passing accuracy (78.9%-73.8%). The Pride had more shots (10-5), shots on target (2-1), and crosses (25-13). Both teams ended the game attempting four corner kicks.
“The result is, it’s a hard one to take. I don’t think it’s a reflection of the performance. I thought we were brilliant tonight,” Hines said. “I thought we, even towards the end, we were going to be the team that scores the first goal. But it wasn’t meant to be. This is a cruel game. You don’t always get what you deserve, but it’s going to be a motivator for us now. We’ve had so many highs in the last couple of years. Obviously, this is a disappointing result, but it will motivate us to move forward.”
It’s a devastating way to end the season for the Pride, who looked like they would have to spend the postseaosn on the road before things fell their way, allowing them to host the semifinal. The team was getting ready to play an extra 30 minutes and looking for a way to break through before Shaw’s late goal broke their hearts.
“At the end of the game, I was pretty sure that we were going to play 30 more minutes,” Marta said. “And I was talking to my players to be smart, not doing stupid things. Because they were tired. We were tired, but I thought they were more tired than us. So, for me, it was more comfortable to play 30 more minutes and take a risk and to go and score a goal.”
The Pride entered the season looking to defend their title, but a lack of offensive prowess made it more of a challenge than expected. It got worse when Barbra Banda suffered a season-ending injury and the team went winless for nine games after the summer break. But a late surge saw Orlando host a quarterfinal and semfinal before coming up just short of playing in their second consecutive NWSL Championship.
“It’s bittersweet because we’ve done so much great things this year,” Hines said. “We’ve faced so much adversity. One thing that I’ll speak highly of this team is we’ve got grit. We’ve got some grit about this team, and we have to continue that. That’s part of the culture, that’s part of the togetherness, and that will never end.”
With the season now in the rearview mirror, the team will look to the future. The Pride still have a solid nucleus and must shore up some of the team’s weaknesses to make a run at another title, and that will be the goal when they take the field again in the spring.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs Angel City FC: Final Score 2-1 as McCutcheon’s Brace Lifts Pride to Win
Three goals in the last 15 minutes thrilled the crowd in Orlando as the Pride picked up their first home win of the season and ended Angel City’s perfect start.
The Orlando Pride shut down March NWSL Player of the Month Svendis Jonsdottir and got a brace from Haley McCutcheon in a 2-1 win over Angel City in front of 8,040 fans at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. Orlando (2-1-2, 8 points) picked up its first home win of the season, extended its unbeaten run to four games (2-0-2), and snapped the perfect start to the season for Angel City (3-1-0, 9 points)
“If we have a good defensive structure, that makes us have more possibilities of winning games, of having more chances in the front,” midfielder Angelina said after the match. “We’re going to be confident on the back and gaining the ball high up the field. The last few games, we’ve done a good job of that — lowering the chances of the opponent to just hit the target.”
The Pride came out the aggressors in the first half but it wasn’t enough to put anything on the scoreboard. The second half was heading toward a scoreless draw until the last six minutes of normal time, when the teams engaged in a mad scramble to see who could put the decisive winning goal in after trading opening goals in an eight-minute span.
Pride Head Coach Seb Hines rolled out the same lineup as Sunday in the scoreless draw against NJ/NY Gotham FC. This was the first time this season the Pride were able to put together a grouping that had played together in a match in 2026.
Anna Moorhouse started in goal behind a back line of Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace, Rafaelle, and Oihane. Ally Lemos and Angelina lined up in the defensive midfield behind an attacking midfield line of Jacquie Ovalle, Haley McCutcheon, and Solai Washington. Barbra Banda started up top looking to add to her total of three goals.
“Chemistry is always helpful” McCutcheon said. “It helps to be able to get that communication and trust that people are going to do their jobs.”
Both teams traded empty possessions for the first 10 minutes of the game until Angelina turned Banda loose on a long ball for the first shot of the game. The Zambian got behind the back line but did not make good contact on her shot, sending it at Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson. McCutcheon got on the end of an Ovalle cross but headed it over the bar one minute later. There was a scramble off a free kick that Lemos fired off a defender and, on the rebound, Banda put it well wide in the 13th minute.
Angel City had its first significant offensive chance when Rafaelle fouled Jonsdottir in the 20th minute, leading to a free kick from 30 yards out. However, Kennedy Fuller sent it into the defense.
Savy King was booked holding back Ovalle in the 21st minute, giving the Pride a 30-yard free kick, but Angelina sent it straight into the wall. It was into the head of Maiara Niehues, who needed a couple of minutes after to recover.
Shortly after that, Dyke was fooled on a dummy by Gisele Thompson that turned Fuller loose into the box. However, Rafaelle blocked Fuller’s attempt on goal. Banda won a corner kick in the 30th and Ovalle sent the ball across the goal mouth to Rafaelle, who put the header on goal, but Anderson made a big save, deflecting it out for another corner. Angelina took the next corner, which Rafaelle put into the net but the Pride center back was called for a push on the play, nullifying the goal.
The Pride left Jonsdottir alone at the top of the 18 in the 35th minute, but she shot the ball well high. In the 41st, McCutcheon fouled Thompson on the right side, leaving a 25-yard free kick, which Fuller sent long and it turned into nothing.
Banda worked herself free outside the left corner of the box in the 45th minute, but she wasn’t able to get anything on the attempt to Anderson. The two teams closed out the half without any significant action and headed into the locker room scoreless.
Even though Angel City dominated possession in the first half (66%-34%), the Pride were certainly the more dangerous team. The Pride attempted more shots (9-3), with seven of those from inside the box but couldn’t score on any. Banda continued to prove to be her dangerous self with four shots (two of them forcing a save) and had support from her teammates, yet nothing ended up on the scoreboard. On the other side of the matchup of league-leading forwards, Orlando limited Jonsdottir’s touches in dangerous areas.
After a long kickoff out of bounds by Angel City to open the half, McCutcheon put Banda through on goal, but she was on the right from a difficult angle, and her shot was straight at Anderson. Oihane won a corner a minute later, but Ovalle sent it too long and over the goal line. In the 49th minute, Ovalle crossed the ball to McCutcheon, but she couldn’t put it on frame, sending it well wide.
Lemos sent a dangerous pass forward in the 52nd minute to Banda, who put it across the goal mouth and McCutcheon put it into the goal, but the flag came up immediately as the ball went in, as the Pride midfielder was a step offside. Washington was held by Thompson on the left side of the box at the 55-minute mark, leading to an Orlando free kick. Angelina sent a hard cross to Banda in the box on the set piece, and it deflected out to Dyke, who saw her shot easily blocked, igniting the Angel City counter.
Jonsdottir picked up the loose ball and sprinted down the field, muscling her way past Ovalle and then nutmegging Mace before turning a shot loose that went wide of the right post. It was a disastrous play for the Pride, as Ovalle remained down for a while after grabbing her hamstring. She was carried off the field by trainers and replaced by Summer Yates.
In the 60th minute, Oihane and Jonsdottir banged heads, leading to a long free kick by Angel City, which turned into a harmless header over the end line.
Angelina received a yellow card in the 62nd minute 40 yards, out but Kennedy Fuller wasn’t able to connect with anyone on the set piece. Banda picked up a booking of her own in the 65th trying to swim past Sarah Gorden.
Both teams brought on a sub in the 66th minute, with Marta taking Washington’s place and Taylor Suarez subbing in for Nealy Martin.
Shortly after the restart, Oihane worked her way into the box and King knocked the ball out for a corner in the 70th minute. Marta had her first significant contribution with the corner delivery, which sent the ball pinging around, leading to an open shot at the penalty spot by Angelina, who was wide open but put it over the bar, wasting a golden opportunity to open the scoring.
Jonsdottir floated a ball from deep left that almost caught Moorhouse off her line, but she scrambled back and just got a hand to it. It came off yet another deep throw-in, where Angel City interestingly has Jonsdottir take, even though she’s clearly the team’s most dangerous attacker.
Oihane went down injured in the 75th minute, leading to an eventual substitution with Hannah Anderson replacing her. It was deemed a concussion substitution due to the previous contact, sparing Orlando a sub.
At this stage of the game, Orlando was getting sloppy with its passing and struggling to keep possession, and all the attacking pressure started to come from Angel City. However, it was the Pride that broke the scoreless deadlock.
Banda worked in from the left side and put the ball across the goal mouth where it bounced around and ended up in front of McCutcheon, who put one in that counted. It was a team effort as Lemos, Rafaelle, Marta, and Hannah Anderson all moved the ball around and kept Angel City from escaping with it. McCutcheon’s 84th-minute strike was reviewed for a possible offside, but the replay was inconclusive and the goal stood.
“We brought in Marta, put her at the 9, and shifted Barbra wide,” Hines said about his late-game tactics, which led to the goal. “Get her directness dribbling at people, receiving the ball facing forward, taking players on. A great cross into a dangerous area with her left foot. We discussed as a staff that it’s a great idea to put her more on that left side to receive it and get away from players like Gorden and Emily (Sams).”
Dyke picked up a booking in the 89th minute for a tough challenge that the referee let play on and came back to give her the caution. Angel City then subbed Evelyn Shores on for King and Prisca Chilufya for Fuller.
Rafaelle was given a yellow card for a handball near the left sideline in the first minute of added time, leading to a free kick from next to the sideline. Shores put the kick in front of the goal, which Tiernan passed out to the top of the box. Thompson then blasted the ball off the underside of the crossbar and just over the goal line to even the score up. It was Angel City’s only shot on target, tying the game in the second minute of stoppage time.
Angel City stayed on the front foot after the goal, looking for a late winner. But again, it was Orlando that went the other way and found the back of the net.
The Pride won a corner on a drive into the box. Marta put the corner on the far post, where Hannah Anderson kept it alive, knocking it back in front. The ball pinged off a couple of bodies before falling to McCutcheon again, who poked it home in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
There were 10 minutes of stoppage time originally added, but the game went 14 minutes beyond the 90th. However, the Pride were able to see out one final scramble in front of goal, in which Moorhouse came off her line but was beaten to the ball by former Pride striker Chilufya. Angel City could not work through the traffic in front, and Orlando held on for the win.
At full time, Angel City held the advantage in possession (63%-37%) and passing accuracy (83%-77%), but the Pride had more shots (17-15), shots on target (6-1), and corner kicks (5-3).
It was a big win for Orlando, which finally sent the supporters at Inter&Co Stadium home happy. The Pride continue to play standout defense, limiting Angel City to one shot on target and only a few threatening looks at goal for a team that entered with a top-tier attack.
The Pride are off for three weeks for the international break before traveling to Kentucky to take on Racing Louisville on April 24. Orlando has never won at Louisville.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Angel City FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride return home looking to keep up their positive momentum after a strong road trip.
Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (1-1-2, 5 points) welcome league-leading Angel City FC (3-0-0, 9 points). This is the first of two meetings between these two teams this year, with the return game in California scheduled for July 3.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
Angel City was one of the NWSL’s two expansion teams entering the league in 2022. As a result, the Pride have only played tonight’s opponents eight times. The Pride are 4-2-2 in those games, all in NWSL regular-season play. While the Pride have a 3-1-0 record against Angel City in Los Angeles, they’re only 1-1-2 at home.
The most recent matchup between these two teams took place on Aug. 21, 2025 in Los Angeles. The hosts dominated possession and the number of chances as the game appeared to be heading to a scoreless draw. But Alyssa Thompson converted in the 86th minute as Angel City took all three points.
The first game last year between the two teams occurred on April 25 in Orlando. The visitors got off to a great start with first-half goals by Riley Tiernan and Katie Zelem. But the Pride took over in the second half. Marta got one back midway through the second period, and Barbra Banda equalized four minutes later. An own goal by M.A. Vignola in the third minute of stoppage time gave the Pride a 3-2 win.
The first of two meetings in 2024 took place on March 22 in Orlando. Former Pride attacker Claire Emslie gave the visitors the lead from the penalty spot, and it looked as though the Pride would drop their first game of the season. But Marta volleyed home an equalizer from an Angelina corner kick late, pulling out a 1-1 draw. On June 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, Adriana gave the Pride the lead early and scored a second goal six minutes later. Banda netted a goal of her own six minutes into stoppage time, leading the Pride to a dominating 3-0 win.
The first meeting of the 2023 season took place April 2 in Orlando. Emily Sams took down Thompson in the first half, giving the visitors a penalty. Emslie stepped up and converted to give her team a 1-0 lead. Messiah Bright responded just after halftime to make it 1-1, and the game appeared to be heading for a draw. But Katie Johnson scored the winner in the 10th minute of second-half injury time. On Oct. 2, 2023 in Los Angeles, an Adriana volley beat Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson to her near post for the only goal as the Pride won a crucial late-season game.
The first-ever game between the teams took place on May 8, 2022 in Los Angeles. In the third minute, Gunny Jonsdottir’s cross was tipped by Angel City goalkeeper DiDi Haracic, but it went right to Sydney Leroux. The Pride striker fired right at Morgan Reid standing in front of goal. The ball bounced off the defender and went in to give the Pride an early lead. The hosts controlled the final hour, but the Pride held on for 87 minutes to claim their first win of the season.
The teams met again on Aug. 7 in Orlando. Former Pride defender Ali Riley opened the scoring with a wonderful strike from the left side. The Pride responded in the second half through Julie Doyle, three minutes after she entered the game, to even it at 1-1. The visitors took another lead when Cari Roccaro beat Viviana Villacorta to a corner kick, putting it past Erin McLeod. The Pride equalized for a second time in the 90th minute when Doyle and Paige Nielsen raced for a Thais Reiss cross, with the defender reaching it first. But Nielsen’s attempted clearance went into her own net, allowing the Pride to claim a 2-2 draw and extend their unbeaten run to five games.
Overview
The Pride return home tonight after a two-game road trip in which they claimed four points. They had a dominant performance in Chicago on March 25, defeating the Stars 3-0. Banda, Jacquie Ovalle, and Hannah Anderson scored in the first half and the Pride held onto that lead in the second 45 minutes to claim their first win of the season.
It was a quick turnaround as they played defending champion NJ/NY Gotham FC Sunday night in New Jersey. The hosts dominated possession in the game, but the Pride were able to keep the opposition from creating too many opportunities, pulling out a scoreless draw.
Sunday night’s draw saw Banda’s three-game goal streak come to an end. However, after conceding three goals in the first two games, the Pride recorded their second consecutive clean sheet, something Head Coach Seb Hines is very happy with.
Another positive was that Rafaelle played all 90 minutes. The Brazilian has had constant injury issues since joining the Pride in 2023, which seemed to return when she was listed as questionable for the game in Chicago. The center back came on in the second half of that game and started against Gotham, providing a solid performance.
While the Pride are pleased with their performances away from home, they need to play better at home. The team has now played four games with new players like Hailie Mace and Hannah Anderson, so they’ll be expecting better results than the first two games, although they dominated those matches and created lots of scoring chances.
That will be difficult tonight as the Pride welcome the league-leading Angel City. The California-based team had an eventful off-season, losing Thompson to Chelsea FC and Riley and Christen Press to retirement. Meanwhile, they added Ary Borges and former Pride center back Emily Sams.
Angel CIty has been terrific offensively this season, scoring multiple goals in all three games. However, tonight’s visitors have only played Chicago, Bay FC, and the Houston Dash, three of the worst teams in the league. Additionally, two of those three games were at home and the other was in California.
Tonight will be a much harder challenge. The Pride are widely expected to be a team challenging for at least a top four spot. They’re a stronger team offensively and defensively than the teams Angel City have played this year.
Angel City is led in the attack by Sveindis Jonsdottir, who has three goals in her first three games of the season. She’s the only player on the team with multiple goals. Tiernan, Gisele Thompson, Evelyn Shores, Maiara Niehues, Kennedy Fuller, and Ary Borges each have scored one goal. Jonsdottir and Fuller lead the team in assists with two each.
Defensively, Angel City has a solid center back pairing of Sams and Savy King, who returns after missing most of last season after suffering a cardiac issue on the field. They’ll line up in front of Anderson, who returns as the starting goalkeeper.
“I think with Angel City, they’re a team that’s got a lot of good momentum right now,” Hines said ahead of the match. “Obviously, sitting top of the table. Three wins after three games. They’ll come with the expectation that they’ll go four for four, and we want to stop that of course. We want to get off to a good start as well, being back at home in front of our own fans. We’ve had a good road trip as well, four points in two games. So, to finish this part of the season with a win at home is where our minds are at right now.”
The Pride are still without Kerry Abello (hip), Zara Chavoshi (lower leg), Cosette Morche (ankle), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), and Viviana Villacorta (knee). Angel City will be without Karsyn Cherry (thigh), Emslie (maternity leave), Jun Endo (knee), Leroux (excused absence), Rajanah Reed (ankle), and Hina Sugita (knee).
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Cori Dyke, Rafaelle, Hailie Mace, Oihane.
Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Angelina.
Midfielders: Jacquie Ovalle, Haley McCutcheon, Solai Washington.
Forward: Barbra Banda.
Bench: Cara Martin, Hannah Anderson, Reagan Raabe, Luana, Summer Yates, Seven Castain, Marta, Julie Doyle, Simone Jackson.
Angel City FC (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Angelina Anderson.
Defenders: Savy King, Sarah Gorden, Emily Sams, Gisele Thompson.
Defensive Midfielders: Ary Borges, Nealy Martin.
Midfielders: Riley Tiernan, Maiara Niehues, Kennedy Fuller.
Forward: Sveindis Jonsdottir.
Bench: Hannah Seabert, Faith Nguyen, Sophia Mattice, Evelyn Shores, Carina Lageyre, Taylor Suarez, Casey Phair, Prisca Chilufya.
Referees
REF: Jeremy Scheer.
AR1: Kendall McCardell.
AR2: Race Williams.
4TH: Stefan Perri.
VAR: Elijio Arreguin.
AVAR: Karen Coulson.
How to Watch
Match Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.
TV: None.
Streaming: Prime Video.
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!
Orlando Pride
The Pride’s Offense Often Relies on Bank of Banda for a Bailout
A look at how Banda-dependent the Pride’s offense has been this season, and how that compares to prior seasons and the rest of the NWSL.
It feels like Orlando City’s season has been going on for months and the Orlando Pride’s season just started. But all of a sudden, the Pride are already four games into the new season, with their fifth match — the same number of games as Orlando City has played — coming on Friday night. The Pride are off to a better start than the Lions, both in the standings and in how they have looked on the field, and the basis behind their better start is brought to you by the letter B, and Barbra Banda.
While the Pride are off to a better start than Orlando City, they are not off to a bodacious beginning (all right, all right, enough with the “b”words), as they have only earned five points from their four games played and are currently seventh in the league standings. With league leaders Angel City coming to Inter&Co Stadium on Friday night it is possible that by the end of the weekend Orlando will drop out of the playoff spots, but even if they do, they will probably not be too worried, as the Pride had a difficult schedule in their opening five games and Marta has only been on the field for a total of 18 minutes through the first four.
The Brazilian superstar’s absence has deprived the Pride of the opportunity to roll out an offense with Banda, Marta, and Jacquie Ovalle all on the field together for the first time, but with Marta working her way back to fitness, that is going to happen soon. It may not happen against Angel City, but with a long break between that game and the next game against Racing Louisville on April 24, it seems likely that soon we will finally see the attacking group that Pride fans have been excited about ever since the acquisition of Ovalle last August.
La Maga (the magician) joined the Pride right after Banda’s season-ending injury last summer, and she looks much more comfortable this season than she did during the closing months of the 2025 season. She scored her first goal of the season last week against Chicago and she has two assists as well, which ties her for the team lead in goal contributions with Banda, who picked up right where she left off and is leading the team — and the league — in goals scored with three.
The Pride have only scored five goals on the season for an average of 1.25 goals per game, and Banda’s three gives her 60% of their goals scored. Four games is a small sample size, only 13% of the season, so Banda’s high share of the goals scored is not a huge concern this early in the year. What is a bit of a concern, however, is Orlando’s reliance on the Zambian for so much of its offensive threat.
The scatterplot below is from the past three NWSL seasons and shows the 246 players who took at least 12 shots during each season (I chose 12 shots because of a limitation in Microsoft Excel that does not allow more than 255 dots on a scatterplot; if you were wondering, 826 players have taken at least one shot during any of the last three seasons). Most of the dots are from 2024 and 2025, but there are four players in 2026, Banda included, who have already taken at least 12 shots this season. I put a purple circle around Banda’s 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons.
There is no official measure for “reliance,” but the location of Banda’s three pairings for the percentage of goals scored (excluding opposition own goals) and the percentage of shots taken show just how much the Pride rely on her to generate offense, how much more that is than many teams, and how they rely on their top attackers. It is strongly unlikely that Banda’s percentages in 2026 will stay as high as they have been through four games, especially when Marta is back to full health, but by looking at 2024 and 2025, it is unlikely that she is going to see a drastic reduction either.
Banda will miss a few games later this summer when she goes to Morocco to represent Zambia during the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), but she also missed nearly half of the 2025 season and still ended up as Orlando’s leading scorer and shot taker by wide margins (twice as many goals scored and shots taken as her next closest teammates).
Seb Hines and the Pride’s coaching staff would probably prefer a more balanced set of numbers long before her departure, as it is harder to defend multiple threats than one, but in the end, they will not care who scores as long as the Pride score enough goals to win games. The early dependency on Banda is not yet majorly alarming, especially considering that she is one of the best strikers in the world. I am somewhat concerned about her share of both shots taken and goals scored though and am hoping to see some other players step up their offensive contributions as the season progresses.
Friday night will be a big test for Orlando against Angel City and its NWSL-leading (only two goals allowed through three games) defense. Stopping Banda will be the clear priority, but that is a lot easier said than done. Solai Washington has looked good during the last few games and Ovalle is playing well also, and Marta will likely play for as many minutes as the training staff clears her for. Hopefully, between those three, Angelina, Ally Lemos, Haley McCutcheon, and any defenders who creep up into the attacking third of the field, they can either draw enough attention that Banda can get free, or use the open space that exists because of the gravity around the Zambian international to their advantage and put some shots into the back of the net.
Either way, the offense will need to deliver against Angel City, whether they are using Plan A or Plan B(anda).
Vamos Pride!
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Poor Starts Hurting Orlando City
Lion Links: 4/10/26
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks agoOrlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City vs. LAFC: Five Takeaways
-
Orlando Pride1 week agoOrlando Pride vs. Angel City FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City vs. LAFC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links: 3/30/26
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City vs. LAFC: Final Score 6-0 as Lions Continue Club’s Worst Ever Start
-
Orlando City6 days agoOrlando City Off to Historically Bad Start
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks agoOrlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Final Score 0-0 as Pride Claim Point Against Defending Champions