The Orlando Pride return home Friday after two 1-0 losses, this time without leading scorer Barbra Banda.
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The Pride (6-8-2, 20 points) take on the Chicago Stars (4-11-0, 12 points) at Inter.co Stadium at 8 p.m.
“It’s two teams that are looking to get back on form. We’ve had two disappointing results by a one-goal deficit, so we’re looking to bounce back,” Orlando head coach Seb Hines said. “(We’re) looking to get back into our own environment, play in front of our own fans, and put on a performance that everyone’s proud of.”
Orlando beat Chicago 3-0 in March, a result that snapped a four-game winless streak across all competitions. The Stars have lost two in a row, both by 2-0 scores, and will be without forward Jordyn Huitema, who tore her ACL on July 18 against Angel City and was placed on the season-ending injury list. Huitema led Chicago with four goals in 12 appearances this season.
Banda left for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after scoring 12 of the team’s 21 goals. No other Pride player has more than two, but they will need to find ways to fill the void in her absence.
That leaves Marta and Jacquie Ovalle as Orlando’s primary attacking options. Marta, now 40, is in her 10th season with the Pride since joining in 2017 but has only two goals in 10 games this season. Ovalle has three assists in her first full NWSL season after Orlando acquired her from Tigres UANL on a world-record $1.5 million fee last August.
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Banda missed the second half of last season after being placed on the season-ending injury list, and the Pride still reached the playoff semifinal.
“You think back to last year; for half a season we were without Barbra, and players stepped up,” Hines said. “It’s always a case of who’s going to step up in those moments and take their opportunity, and we’ve shown at times we were able to do that.”
Orlando sits one point out of the final playoff spot, but Denver Summit and Bay FC, the two teams directly behind the Pride, each have two games in hand. A win Friday would provide some cushion as the team pushes toward the postseason.
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