Orlando Pride’s Biggest Strength Suddenly Has Glaring Holes

As the 2026 NWSL season approaches, rosters are starting to take shape. For the Orlando Pride, one former position of strength for the team has quickly become one of the team’s primary concerns.

The Pride’s rebuild that led to their historic 2024 double-winning season went from back to front. Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse joined in 2022 and was initially Erin McLeod’s backup, taking over the starting role for the 2023 campaign.

The next step was the center back pairing. The Pride drafted Emily Sams with the third overall pick in 2023. The center back was initially paired with Caitlin Cosme, before being joined by Megan Montefusco. The Pride signed Brazilian international Rafaelle on July 3, 2023, who joined Sams in the starting lineup for the rest of the season.

Rafaelle’s second season in Orlando was marred by injuries, resulting in the need for a shift. Left back Kylie Nadaner — who joined the club in 2021 — moved to center back, creating arguably the best center back pairing in the league.

The 2024 season saw the Pride flirt with conceding the fewest goals in NWSL history. It’s a record they might have broken had Head Coach Seb Hines kept his back line together for the final games instead of resting them. However, his plan worked, as Orlando won the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship — the first trophies in team history.

As for individual honors, Sams was awarded 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year. It was just the second time a Pride player won a league end-of-season individual award after Ashlyn Harris was named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016.

The 2025 season began with Nadaner and Rafaelle in the middle of the back line and Sams on the right. However, when the oft-injured Brazilian ended up back on the injury list, it was Nadaner and Sams once again. They continued to be one of the best center back pairings in the league and a significant reason why the Pride finished fourth in the league despite the club’s lack of offensive production.

The Pride were in an envious position midway through the 2025 campaign. They had two excellent center backs starting and an international caliber defender on and off the injury list. When all three were healthy, few teams could compete, allowing the Pride to focus on other aspects of the roster.

Unfortunately, that’s all changed.

Nadaner’s final game of the 2025 season came on Aug. 29 against NJ/NY Gotham FC. For the remainder of the year, the club’s vice captain was listed as out with an “excused absence.” That typically means either problems with the club or pregnancy. Since Nadaner still joined the club on road trips, it was clearly the latter.

That suspicion was confirmed on Jan. 7 when the club shared a post from the center that she’s due in May.

While it’s happy days for the Nadaner clan, that meant the Pride were down a center back for a large portion of the 2026 season. Then, things got worse.

On Jan.9, the Pride traded Sams to Angel City FC for $650,000 in intraleague transfer funds. The reliable center back requested the move, leaving the team with just one of the three defenders available for the start of the 2026 season.

If you had to choose one of the three players to remain, Rafaelle would probably be last, but that’s not based on production. While the Brazilian plays at a high level when healthy, she’s been injured regularly. The center back started the 2024 season out of action and suffered an injury during the 2024 Olympics. That injury kept her out for the rest of the season.

Rafaelle lasted fewer than two games before she was back on the shelf. She would play sparingly the remainder of the season which will be largely remembered as another lost one for the Brazilian.

With Nadaner and Rafaelle unavailable, the other starting center back role went to rookie Zara Chavoshi. The Wake Forest product held her own for much of the season, though she was inconsistent and often assisted by excellent play by Sams.

As we near the 2026 season, there are more questions than answers when it comes to the center back position. It should be fine as is if Rafaelle can stay healthy, but that’s a big ask since she’s been injured in each of the last two seasons.

Another injury to the Brazilian would leave Chavoshi as the only natural center back on the roster. The other starting spot could go to Cori Dyke or Kerry Abello, both having played there briefly in college and once at the professional level. Hines could also insert Hailie Mace or Hannah Anderson into the role. But, like Dyke and Abello, that’s not their primary position.

The more preferable option is for the Pride to sign at least one new center back. While they’re unlikely to find someone as good as Sams or Nadaner, a starting-quality addition would provide comfort in case Rafaelle goes down with another injury. It would also sure up a position that has now become a problem.

The Pride’s recent success is largely due to the team’s stingy defense, and that’s primarily because of the center back play. But one of the three has departed the club and another will be out for a large portion of the 2026 season. As a result, a former strength has quickly become a glaring weakness.

It’s something that has to be addressed if the Pride hope to build on the last few seasons and fight fro another trophy.