Orlando Pride’s Biggest Off-Season Needs

The Orlando Pride regressed slightly in 2025, which isn’t a surprise after a historic 2024 campaign. Still, they finished fourth in the NWSL and were only knocked out of the semifinal after a last-minute goal.

The year showed some of the Pride’s strengths and weaknesses, including what the team needs to obtain during the off-season to get back to the mountaintop. The starting lineup is intact, but the team certainly needs some depth, something that hindered Pride in 2025.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the moves the Pride might make before the start of the 2026 season.

Striker Depth

The biggest need for the Pride was apparent during the 2025 season — striker depth. The team has lived offensively off of the presence of Barbra Banda, the team’s star striker. But the Zambian international suffered a hip injury that ended her season early. Head Coach Seb Hines played several players up top looking to replace the production but with little success.

The closest the Pride had to a replacement for Banda was Ally Watt. However, the Colorado native is returning home to play for Denver Summit FC. Aside from Banda, the closest player to a true striker currently on the roster is the young Simone Jackson. The 22-year-old attacker showed promise, but she’s not ready to take a leading role if necessary.

The Pride ended the 2025 season with 33 goals scored — seventh fewest in the league and the second fewest among playoff teams. A slightly better attack would’ve seen the Pride fighting for the NWSL Shield instead of a playoff spot.

This off-season, the Pride need to acquire backup depth that can fill in as a starter if necessary. It will take pressure off Banda, provide the striker with rest, and ensure the team doesn’t struggle to score as much as it did this year if she gets injured.

Backup Number 10

Something else that became obvious this season was the Pride’s lack of a true number 10 other than Marta. The legendary attacker, who has one year left on her contract, will be 40 years old when the 2026 season begins.

Hines has multiple options for the creative midfielder role, none of which is the ideal solution. Ally Lemos was the most commonly chosen option, but the young midfielder is more of a distributor and better in a defensive midfield position. However, with Angelina and Haley McCutcheon already filling those roles, there was no place for her. So she spent most of the season in the attack.

The other option is Summer Yates. The former University of Washington standout slipped to the fourth round of the 2023 NWSL Draft, allowing the Pride to select her. The 25-year-old has shown signs of being the possible eventual replacement for Marta, but she struggled to stay healthy in 2025 and was inconsistent throughout the year as a result.

The Pride signed Mexican star Jacquie Ovalle, but she’s a wide player. Hines might still decide to use Lemos and Yates in the backup No. 10 role, but the Pride really need someone who can create in the attack and support Banda up top.

A True Center Back

Hines has spoken at length over the past two years about wanting players with versatility. Most of the roster can play two, three, or even four positions with varying degrees of success. But that’s not always the best option.

The Pride currently have four true center backs — Emily Sams, Kylie Nadaner, Rafaelle, and Zara Chavoshi. Other players, like Cori Dyke and Kerry Abello, have filled in at times but neither are true center backs.

Four center backs on the roster is typically enough, but the Pride have had trouble. Rafaelle has been injured several times since joining the club, and Nadaner missed the final third of the season with an “excused absence.” It’s unknown when the veteran vice captain will return, and another Rafaelle injury would leave the Pride with two true center backs.

The Pride addressed the situation slightly this off-season by signing free agent Hailie Mace. The right back can also play in the middle if necessary but will likely start at fullback for the Pride. That creates some depth, because Hines started Sams at right back five times during the regular season, leaving the rookie Chavoshi as the lone center back on the bench. Sams was in her natural center back position in nearly all of the other games, replacing Nadaner or Rafaelle.

Another issue is Rafaelle’s age. While the Brazilian signed a new contract at the end of October, keeping her in purple through 2028, her age could result in a decline in the coming years.

Adding another natural, veteran center back would give the Pride some much-needed depth and prepare the team for any unforeseen injuries.

One More Left Back

The Pride’s roster construction has been somewhat questionable, being overloaded in some positions and bare in others. For example, the Pride have three natural right backs — Dyke, Oihane, and Mace — and no natural left backs. Abello has been the starter the last two seasons after joining the club as an attacking player. Carson Pickett was the lone natural left back but is out of contract and appears to be departing the team.

Even if Abello continues to start at left back, it would be wise to have someone comfortable in that position behind her. Nadaner was the former starter in the position before moving central, a position where she’s proven to be superior.

While Abello has been good at the left back position, the question is the same as center back — what if she gets hurt? Right now, the backup would either be right footed or unfamiliar in that role. Acquiring a natural left back would offer support, allowing the Pride to give Abello a rest without losing too much at the position.

The Pride won’t be able to address all of these issues this off-season. The current NWSL roster rules allow teams to have a maximum of 26 players and the Pride currently sit at 23. So, it really comes down to which are most important. The far and away biggest concern is a striker to back up Banda. Next is probably getting a number 10 to back up Marta and replace her when the Brazilian decides to retire.

The defensive additions are less critical, as the Pride still have one of the best defensive teams in the NWSL. That’s unlikely to change with the current roster. Instead, they need to figure out how to score more goals if they want to get back to being the dominant team in the league.

While the Pride have some needs, the roster is in pretty good shape compared to some other teams. The starting lineup will return next year and the bulk of the roster has had significant success over the past two years. With some additional depth, the Pride could once again be the team to beat in the NWSL.