When it comes to soccer jerseys, I can perhaps be unfairly critical. I like what I like, and in a time when new jerseys cost at least $100 if not closer to $150, I have to be seriously impressed by something in order to shell out that much money. While I’ve liked most of the jerseys that Orlando City and the Orlando Pride have put out over the years, I’ve never liked one enough to spend my own money to buy one, although I did receive a Heart and Sol jersey as a birthday present several years ago. The one exception has been the Sea Cow prematch top that the club put out in 2023, which I bought instantly and would have happily forked over one of my kidneys to acquire (as any sane person would).

I might very well be adding a new jersey to the closet soon though, because the Orlando Pride absolutely knocked it out of the park with the Unity Kit that they released on Thursday. I’m now going to shut up for a second and let you feast your eyes on this beauty.

That is just fantastic, and let’s talk about why. First of all, the base color is light purple, and while that isn’t traditionally in the Pride’s color palette as they favor a more royal purple shared by Orlando City, it is still purple. It’s also a light enough base color for the team to be able to use it as an away jersey without simply making the background color white. While I wouldn’t necessarily have an issue with a white base, that’s pretty common with away jerseys and the light purple is a good way to do something different while still providing a good contrast between it and an opponent’s dark home jersey.

If you were missing the Pride’s more traditional color of purple, fear not! The decision to use it on the collar and sleeves is a great one, as it gives the jersey a really nice splash of contrast in a shirt that could otherwise risk being washed out by all of the pastel tones that are present. The same color is also present in the badge, name, numbers, sponsors, and jock tag, and pops very well because its used so sparingly.

When viewed from a distance, the collars and sleeves provide a good outline for the kit, while the eye gets a general sense of intermingled pastel tones as the ribbons blend into each other well, and while no one color is definable, it isn’t an assault on the eyes either.

Closer up though, the ribbons are far more vibrant and detailed, and you notice that rather than simply being uniform colors for each one, they’re actually made up of several different colors that blend together and intertwine, and the effect is pulled off really well. For me, its a shirt that be appreciated both further away, and right in front of your face, and that isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

Suffice it to say, I’m a huge fan of how this thing looks. A lot of thought was clearly put into the design, and it was executed well. I want to talk about more than just the way it looks though.

We’re 10 years on from the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub that took the lives of 49 people, and the Pride and overarching ownership have a new way of honoring the victims and remembering a period of time that was so difficult for the city. The rainbow seats at Inter&Co Stadium have served the same purpose since the ground was opened back in 2017, but the Pride will be using the new jersey to honor both the victims and the way in which the city came together after the tragedy, while also putting their money where their mouth is.

The team’s decision to donate $20,000 from sales of the jersey to The Center Orlando and its Orlando United Resiliency Services (OURS) program is a very good touch on what was already a well-thought out kit. The program’s purpose is to provide advocacy, education, and support for the Orlando area’s LGBTQ+ community, and as someone who believes sports teams should be active and positive pillars in the community where they play, I couldn’t be happier to see this. It’s a decision that the team was under no obligation to make, but in choosing to go the extra mile, it proved that the club is more than just empty words and gestures when it comes to issues that hit close to home.

In short, the Unity Kit checks all the boxes for me, including ones I didn’t even know I had. It looks great from a distance, has thoughtful and well-executed details when seen up close, and represents something important while also actively honoring and helping to provide resources for a marginalized community. To everyone who was involved with the concept and execution of this jersey, I salute you. Consider it a job very well done.

As preseason continues for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride, little is known about the progress the team is making in their preparations for the upcoming seasons. But it wasn’t always that way. The club used to be quite open about their preseason scrimmages. The social media accounts would provide lineups, substitutions, goals, and other game updates, allowing fans to follow along.

But there was more.

When the Wilf family took over ownership, they opened the doors to the club during preseason. In 2022, two games were open to season ticket members and both teams had a preseason game open to all fans and media.

The club continued providing an open preseason game for both teams in 2023, giving a chance to see the teams in action before the regular season started. However, less and less access has been provided to the outside world since then.

The 2024 season saw the open preseason games removed for both City and the Pride. The Lions had an FC Series game against Flamengo before camp began and a late game for Society XXI members. Last year, the Lions started with an FC Series game again, this time against Atletico Mineiro. They ended with a season ticket member game.

The club released very little information other than the FC Series contest. That leads us to this preseason, in which the club has been as tight-lipped as it has been since the Wilf family took charge of the club.

There has been even less information about the Pride. Since Seb Hines became the permanent head coach leading into the 2023 season, the club doesn’t even provide an official preseason schedule anymore.

While the club at one time provided updates on games and opened one to media and at least season ticket members, you’re lucky to even get a reference that the team still exists. The occasional photo is the only way fans know the team has even begun preseason.

The lack of availability during preseason is quite unique to American soccer. Other major American sports — the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL — allow fans and media to attend their preseason games. Soccer teams from other countries also sell tickets to preseason games and local fans often travel abroad, following the team.

Also, not all MLS teams are this quiet as they prepare for the season. On Sunday, for example, the LA Galaxy live streamed a scrimmage against the Chicago Fire.

Orlando City played Nashville SC in a scrimmage Saturday afternoon. The opposition provided lineups, substitutions, goals, and other updates throughout the contest. The only thing they didn’t offer was Orlando CIty goal scorers, something likely requested by the Lions.

But what advantage does Orlando City gain from this?

It could be argued that the club is working on tactics and doesn’t want to give anything away. But it hasn’t been like that in the past, and that argument doesn’t hold water when you see teams that routinely are more open about their preseasons making deep playoff runs.

Oscar Pareja made the most significant tactical change since arriving in Orlando during the 2024 preseason. He moved attacking midfielder Dagur Dan Thorhallsson to right back and put either David Brekalo or Wilder Cartagena at left back. The team played five in the back defensively and three in the back while in the attack. It was a significant change, but the club still provided information to fans.

In today’s sports world, fans have more access than ever before. Television networks and streaming services regularly give fans a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most popular sports teams in the world. These programs aren’t the teams or leagues showing gratitude to fans. They’ve realized that giving fans this glimpse makes them feel more connected to the teams they follow and builds a buzz heading into the season. As a result, they’re more likely to watch games on television or attend games in person.

Unfortunately, Orlando fans aren’t getting that connection anymore. The excitement for the start of preseason is nearly gone, because City and Pride fans know they’ll receive little, if any, information until the season begins.

The club will argue that it provides several experiences for all fans leading up to the regular season opener — from public jersey unveilings to drinks with coaches and players. But what would help build fan excitement about the upcoming season would be the ability to see the team in action and catch glimpses of new signings. Or at least to know how they’re progressing.

Whether the club’s habits revert to how they were just a couple of years ago remains to be seen. There’s definitely an appetite as The Mane Land and other outlets regularly field requests from fans looking for any possible information. But even those that cover the club regularly are kept at a distance.

For the time being, fans will have to be content with the occasional player signing, community event, and photo from a scrimmage the club may or may not admit is happening. And they’ll continue to count down until Orlando City’s first MLS game on Feb. 21 and the Orlando Pride’s first NWSL game on March 15.

Is it just me, or has the off-season seemed even longer than usual this year? It feels like forever since any of the Orlando clubs played a match, and while we are getting social media pictures and videos from their respective preseasons, we are still weeks away from the season openers. The off-season just seems to keep going and going.

It reminds me of “Rapper’s Delight,” the 1979 song that is often cited (incorrectly, but that is a story for another time and website) as the first-ever hip hop song. It’s a 14-plus-minute audio experience that also just seems to keep going and going, and it starts off with one of the most well-known lines in contemporary pop music: “I said a hip hop, the hippie, the hippie to the hip, hip hop and you don’t stop.”

The hips that Wonder Mike was rapping about are not the same ones that were in the news recently, as those are not hips but HIPs, as in High Impact Players — the NWSL’s new roster mechanism (introduced in December) that will allow teams to go beyond the salary cap to sign certain players to much higher salaries than previously.

Without belaboring over the details, a simple definition for a HIP is that the player must have met at least one classification from the list below:

• 2025 SportsPro Media Top 150 Most Marketable Athletes.
• 2025 Ballon d’Or voting (top 30 players).
• 2024 Ballon d’Or voting (top 30 players).
• 2025 Guardian Top 100 football players in the world (top 40 players).
• 2024 Guardian Top 100 football players in the world (top 40 players).
• 2025 ESPN FC Top 50 football players in the world (top 40 players).
• 2024 ESPN FC Top 50 football players in the world (top 40 players).
• 2025 minutes played for the USWNT (top 11 field players, top goalkeeper).
• 2024 minutes played for the USWNT (top 11 field players, top goalkeeper).
• 2025 NWSL MVP Finalists.
• 2024 NWSL MVP Finalists.
• 2025 End of Year NWSL Best XI First Team. 
• 2024 End of Year NWSL Best XI First Team .

As of December 2025, The Equalizer reported there are 102 players around the world who qualify, though that number is fluid because some of the 2024 lists will be replaced by new lists, once they are released. The Pride currently have two players on the roster who are HIP eligible: Barbra Banda and Marta, each of whom qualified under eight of the 13 possible qualifications, though in reality they went eight for 11 since Banda is Zambian and Marta is Brazilian, making neither eligible to play for the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT). Emily Sams was also eligible while a member of the Pride, but she is now a member of Angel City, so she is dead to me.

Just kidding, I will still root for Sams, but only when she is playing for the USWNT. Or if she comes to her senses and asks to return back to a club that actually has won something in the league.

The Washington Spirit signed Trinity Rodman to the NWSL’s first-ever deal using the HIP mechanism last week, making her the highest paid women’s soccer player in the world, earning more than $2 million annually according to reports. Unlike MLS, the NWSL does not release contract details, so we do not know how much more that is than the next-highest-paid players in the league, but we know that she just set the new bar, and deservedly so.

But is it deservedly so? Let’s take a look.

Let me start by saying that Rodman is one of my favorite athletes to watch across all sports. Not among women’s athletes, among all athletes. She plays with speed, power, skill, and joy, and even though she plays for a rival team in the NWSL, I root for her to succeed, because her style of play is one that every athlete should aspire to replicate. It certainly helps that she also plays (and when healthy, starts) for the USWNT, my second favorite soccer team behind the Pride, but even if she was playing elsewhere I am confident I would still be a fan. How could you not, when she makes plays like this and then gets her coach to join the celebration?

That combination of success on the field and likeability is what makes her one of the most marketable athletes in the NWSL as well, and marketability was included in the list of HIP criteria, so I think it is a quick and resounding yes, it is deservedly so that Rodman set the new bar.

But once a bar is set, another player will want to jump over it. Rodman has a tremendous mix of soccer skills and marketability, but NWSL general managers want to win championships more than just the hearts and minds of fans, so they are generally more interested in bringing in the best players than they are the most marketable players. Rodman is a great player and has set that bar very high, but now every GM in the league has a target they can use to try to acquire a new player by pulling a Jerry Maguire and showing them the money.

Rodman might not have many peers in the marketability space, but let’s take a look at a few players on the soccer side. Just for fun we’ll call them Player B and Player M, to see if they match up with her and might want a similar salary. Here are their stats per 90 minutes from the combined 2024 and 2025 seasons with their NWSL ranks included in parentheses:

*data from what’s still available on fbref.com (goal contributions, plus/minus), as well as FotMob (chances created (a.k.a. key passes), FotMob rating) and American Soccer Analysis (goals added).

You did not need to be a Bletchley Park-level codebreaker (deep cut for the history buffs) to figure out that Player B is Banda and Player M is Marta. Banda compares quite favorably to Rodman, exceeding her performance in nearly every category, and while Marta lags behind the other two in a few categories (reminder, she played those seasons at 37 and 38 years old and is the oldest player in the league), she surpasses both of them, and the rest of the soccer world, in the categories of heart and, you know, being the greatest of all time. That, however, probably will not translate into the Pride signing her to a HIP deal at this point in her soccer career, even though there is no player in soccer who more perfectly fits the definition of high impact than Marta.

Banda does not have Marta’s global profile or status, but at 25 years old (she will turn 26 in March) she is already a superstar, with high-level achievements already in the Summer Olympics and World Cup for Zambia, a goals-scored-per-90-minutes ranking of fourth in NWSL history (0.62 per 90), and she played a pivotal role in helping the Pride win the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship during the 2024 season. The injury she suffered during the 2025 season did not completely derail the Pride’s season, but the offense was not the same without her in the lineup — one of the main reasons that the Pride came up short in their quest to win back-to-back titles.

When she was acquired in 2024, Banda reportedly (again, it would be ideal for the NWSL to actually release this information instead of forcing people to use words like “reportedly”) signed a four-year deal worth up to $2.1 million over the life of the contract, but with Rodman’s deal now worth nearly that amount per year, it is certain that Banda’s agent has already been in discussions with the Pride’s front office about signing her to a brand new contract using the HIP mechanism.

Her current contract runs through the 2027 season, but in recent months the trends have pointed to more players wanting to go to Europe than stay in the NWSL. While that is not exclusively about money, the ability of European teams to offer whatever they want certainly has played a role in enticing players to make a move. With two years left on her contract the Pride are not at risk of losing Banda imminently, but there are few strikers like her in the world (she is one of only 44 women across fbref.com’s database of 16 women’s leagues who have averaged more than 0.60 goals scored per 90 minutes while playing more than 3,000 minutes in the last two seasons), and she is still in the early prime of her career.

I expect the Pride to offer Banda a HIP contract in the upcoming months, as now that Rodman’s deal has been signed, every team has a benchmark in place, and they can negotiate with the agents and players using that deal as a starting point. Banda’s statistical performance and age is similar to Rodman’s, though the Pride will likely offer her a lower amount as she does not have the same commercial profile. There are no hard and fast rules to defining “commercial profile” or “marketability,” so it is more about perception than anything, but I think the Pride will discount something off of Banda’s offer, even though a good argument can be made that Banda delivers more on the field than Rodman.

Hopefully, the Pride’s front office and Banda can come to an agreement on a new contract in the near future, and when they do, it will only be right that we all shout out HIP HIP hooray!

Vamos Pride!