We do not spend a lot of time writing about mafia movies here at The Mane Land, and I will not in this article either. But I am going to borrow Michael Corleone’s famous line from The Godfather Part III — “just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in” — and paraphrase it to be “just when I thought I was out (of Barbra Banda topics), she pulled me back in.”

Sadly, she pulled me in via a four-goal, one-assist performance for Zambia, not the Pride. It was another reminder of Banda’s all around talent. It’s that talent that the Pride sorely missed while she was playing for her country in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). Stathead’s database lists out only eight instances in the last 10 years of a women’s player having at least five goal contributions in a single international tournament game, and Banda’s name is now on that list among legends like Sam Kerr and Alex Morgan.

Funnily enough, three of those eight players have ties to Orlando, as former Pride player Emily van Egmond joined Banda and Morgan on that list thanks to her four-goal, four-assist performance against Indonesia (the final score was 18-0, yikes) in the 2021 Women’s Asian Cup.

Zambia was eliminated after the group stage in this summer’s WAFCON, but in those three games Banda scored five goals, added one assist, and drew a penalty that was converted by one of her teammates. She has missed three Pride games while away, during which Orlando as a full team scored…two goals. For all intents and purposes, Banda contributed to seven goals in three games for Zambia, and the Pride have scored a total of five goals in their last seven games. As anyone who follows the Pride is well aware, Banda is the straw that stirs the drink here in Orlando.

Even after missing those games in July, Banda remains the NWSL’s leading goal scorer with 12, and even though Zambia was eliminated in the group stage, she is still the WAFCON’s leading goal scorer with five. That is a combined 17 goals scored for Banda, and with one assist in each competition, she has a total of 19 goal contributions thus far in 2026.

I looked at every top women’s competition that has taken place exclusively in 2026, and Banda’s 17 goals ranks third overall. Among Opta’s top ranked women’s leagues, many play fall-to-spring and are therefore excluded, but I included games from all of the following competitions (Opta’s global league rank is included in parentheses for the domestic leagues):

• Africa Cup of Nations (international tournament)
• Asian Cup (international tournament)
• UEFA World Cup Qualifying (international torunament)
• UEFA Champions League (club tournament)
• USA: National Womens Soccer League (1)
• Sweden: Damallsvenskan (8)
• Brazil: Feminino A1 (9)
• Mexico: Liga MX Femenil (13)
• Norway: Toppserien (14)
• Canada: Northern Super League (15)

There certainly are more domestic leagues that play spring-to-fall seasons, but the resources put towards tracking women’s soccer statistics remain far behind the men for sites that track player stats, so with help from fbref.com, FotMob, and Sofascore I pulled together as many as I could find that took place exclusively in 2026.

As mentioned earlier, Banda’s total of 17 goals ranks third overall, trailing only Diana Ordóñez from Tigres (25) and Eugénie Le Sommer (19) from Toluca, both from Liga MX Femenil in Mexico. Sadly, assist data was not available anywhere for that league, so for both of those women and everyone else from that league their goals scored are also their total goal contributions.

Banda’s 17 goals were scored in more than 300 fewer minutes than those other two players, however, so while Ordóñez still beats her on goals scored per 90 minutes, Le Sommer does not.

An obvious issue with ranking raw totals of any metric in soccer is that players rarely play the same number of games and minutes, and this is especially true with how I set this analysis up by blending tournaments with domestic leagues. Therefore, the fairest way to compare is standardizing goals (on the x-axis) and goal contributions (on the y-axis) on per-90-minute basis, which leads to the chart below for players with at least four goal contributions across all of the listed competitions:

Four Pride players made the list, three you are likely familiar with (Banda, Haley McCutcheon, and Jacquie Ovalle) with and one (Sanne Lekven) who the Pride just acquired on Wednesday. Lekven’s stats are from her time with Aalesunds FK in Norway’s Toppsieren, where she was off to a good start with five goals in only 759 minutes, for a goals-per-90-minutes value of 0.59, which is 71st among those on the chart above.

Banda’s goals per 90 of 1.11 ranks tied for 11th, and her goal contributions per 90 of 1.24 ranks 27th, but many of those ahead of her racked up their stats in lesser competitions (the two outliers on the chart — Kiko Seiki and Riko Ueki — both play for Japan and won their three group stage games in the Asian Cup by a combined score of 22-0). Banda ranks in fourth place in both metrics in the NWSL (Opta’s top-ranked league among all domestic women’s leagues), and hopefully hits the ground running at that same high level when she returns to action.

Perhaps she can match her four goals in a game for Zambia with a similar game for Orlando. I support this idea.

The Pride are desperate for offense, and hopefully the combination of Banda’s return and the recent acquisitions of Lekven and Gabi Nunes can turn the season around. Banda is undoubtedly a boss, and we will see shortly if she and her consiglieri can whack a few teams in the final portion of the season and leave them swimming with the non-playoff fishes.

Vamos Orlando!

The Orlando Pride continue looking for ways to bolster the team’s anemic attack with today’s announcement that the club has signed forward Sanne Lekven. The Norwegian attacker has signed a deal through the 2028 season with a club option for 2029 and will join Orlando once the NWSL has received her P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate.

“Sanne is a strong, dynamic attacker with the speed to stretch defenses and the work rate to impact the game in multiple phases,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Caitlin Carducci said in a club press release. “At 25 years old, she has already gained valuable experience and is entering an exciting stage of her career. We believe she can make an immediate contribution to our attack, and we’re excited to welcome her to Orlando.”

Lekven is the third player Carducci has added in the past month, joining Zoe Matthews and Gabi Nunes, as the Pride continue searching for answers to an offense that struggles to score goals both with and without Barbra Banda in the lineup. Orlando has scored 23 goals in 19 matches (1.21 goals per game), and Banda has 12 of those.

The Pride’s latest signee arrives after scoring five goals in 10 matches with Norwegian top flight side Aalesunds FK, the Toppserien (which translates to “the top series”). Lekven came up through the Stord Idrettslag youth system, making her senior team debut in 2016 in Norway’s fourth division. She scored 60 goals in 71 appearances from 2016 through 2019, before jumping to the top flight with Idrettslaget Sandviken in 2020. However, she played in only four matches with Sandviken. Signing with Viking FK, Lekven played three years from 2021 through 2024 and scored 33 times in 70 matches. She then moved to Arna-Bjørna for 2025-2026, where she struggled for a team that suffered relegation, scoring just four goals in 34 games. She then landed with Aalesunds.

Although she has not yet featured for Norway’s senior team, Lekven has represented her country at the U-16 and U-17 youth levels.

Lekven will wear jersey No. 22 for the Pride.

What It Means for Orlando

Carducci obviously has seen the team struggling to score goals, and signings like Lekven and Nunes are attempts to address the issue. The Pride have added youth (Matthews), experience (Nunes), and now, a player breaking into her prime in Lekven. Jacquie Ovalle needs more talent around her to unlock her playmaking abilities and Banda needs someone to take some of the heat off of her in the attacking third. While Lekven can’t do that alone, the trio of recent signings may collectively address some of the issues Orlando has had this season.

At the same time, the NWSL is a big step up in degree of difficulty. Lekven will need to adjust to a new league, a new culture, and the usual variables that any foreign-born player experiences when arriving in the United States — more demanding travel, a variety of climates and altitudes, and the speed and physicality of the league.

It is interesting that the club lists her as a forward, as she has played quite a bit of wingback while in Norway, where she’s shown good pace and strength while being adept at dribbling past opponents. One should always beware relying too heavily on highlight videos, but the one below shows good crossing skills as well.

She seems to be well suited to play on either wing, and that’s an area where the Pride could use more help. Ovalle’s pace limits her effectiveness out there, but the Mexican international has shown some promise when playing through the middle, which could be a good spot for her after Marta departs.

Time will tell whether bringing Lekven can produce in this league, and with her signing being for the next couple of years, this is essentially the first new player to whom Carducci has made a significant commitment. Matthews and Nunes are only on deals through the end of this season, with no option years.

The Orlando Pride have reached a point in the 2026 NWSL season in which reinforcements aren’t simply welcome — they could be necessary.

After winning the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship in 2024 and following that with another playoff semifinal appearance in 2025, the Pride entered this season with high expectations. But the season hasn’t followed the same script. They fell to a 7-10-2 record after a 3-1 home loss to Racing Louisville FC Friday night, leaving Seb Hines’ team with 23 points and plenty of work to do during the final stretch of the regular season.

That’s why the team signed two new additions.

The Pride signed 19-year-old midfielder Zoe Matthews on July 16 and Brazilian international forward Gabi Nunes on Aug. 4. The pair have very different backgrounds and bring different qualities to the Pride. But that could be precisely why the moves make sense.

Matthews provides youth, size, and versatility. Nunes provides experience, attacking versatility, and a proven history of scoring goals.

Neither player should be expected to single-handedly rescue the season. But if both can give the Pride something they’ve been missing, they could make a meaningful difference down the stretch.

Matthews Gives Orlando Youth, Different Look

Matthews’ signing isn’t necessarily about finding an immediate star. Instead, the Pride are adding a player who could give Hines another option while potentially developing into a more important contributor.

The 19-year-old has already taken an unusual path for someone her age. She began her professional career with the Houston Dash at just 17 before gaining experience in Spain and Portugal. The Pride signed her through the end of the 2026 season in July, with general manager Caitlin Carducci describing her as a player with tremendous potential.

Her physical profile immediately makes her intriguing. At 6-foot-2, Matthews provides a size and presence that isn’t easy to find in midfield and a target in the attack with size — something the Pride have lacked. Her experience also isn’t limited to one position, giving Hines some flexibility in determining where she can best help the team.

That’s particularly useful for a roster that has had to deal with absences throughout the season.

Matthews doesn’t have to walk into the team and immediately become a starter. If she can provide reliable minutes, compete for a place in the rotation, and give Hines another player capable of handling different responsibilities, she’s already providing something the team needs.

And there’s potentially more to come.

At only 19, Matthews has plenty of room to develop. The Pride may be getting a depth piece for the remainder of this season, but they could also be getting a player who becomes considerably more important in the future.

Nunes Could Provide Another Attacking Threat

While Matthews may contribute more in the future than this season, Nunes could make more of an immediate impact.

The 29-year-old Brazilian forward has spent much of her career playing at a high level in Brazil, Spain, and England, and she’s represented Brazil on the international stage. She’s played for Corinthians, Madrid CFF, Levante, and Aston Villa, while appearing for Brazil at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

That experience matters.

Nunes isn’t arriving in Orlando as an unknown prospect trying to figure out professional soccer. She’s played in major competitions, faced high-level defenders, and scored plenty of goals throughout her career.

The Pride specifically pointed to her versatility and proven ability to score when announcing the signing. That could be important for an Orlando attack that has struggled to find consistency this season.

The answer isn’t necessarily for Nunes to replace one of the Pride’s existing stars. In fact, her biggest contribution could come from making those players more dangerous.

If Nunes can establish herself as a legitimate threat in the final third, opposing defenses have another player they need to account for. That could create additional space for the Pride’s creative players and make the team less dependent on one or two individuals to manufacture chances.

That’s particularly relevant when Marta or Barbra Banda aren’t available.

The Pride experienced that problem against Louisville with Banda away on international duty and Marta unavailable because of concussion protocol. The Pride ultimately managed only one goal in the defeat.

Nunes can’t solve every problem caused by missing players. But she gives Hines another option when the usual formula isn’t available.

And, unlike Matthews, Nunes doesn’t have years to figure everything out. She’s here to help now.

Nunes can’t solve every problem caused by missing players, and Matthews isn’t going to become an overnight star. But the Pride don’t need either player to be a miracle solution. Orlando needs them to give Hines more options.

Matthews can provide versatility and upside. Nunes can provide experience and another attacking threat. If both can settle in quickly, their contributions could give the Pride more ways to win.