Orlando Pride vs Utah Royals
When: Sunday, August 29th, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Inter.co Stadium, Orlando, Fla,
TV: NWSL+
As the Pride host the Royals on Saturday night, here are five things to watch for:
Pacing the Pride
Barbra Banda has continued to power Orlando's attack throughout the 2026 season, leading the Pride with 12 goals, tied for the second-most in the NWSL. Three of those strikes have opened the scoring in matches this season, while her assist in Orlando's most recent outing brought her to 14 goal contributions on the year (12 goals, 2 assists). The assist was also Banda's ninth regular-season helper for the Pride, tying former Orlando forward Alex Morgan for the second-most regular-season assists in club history.
Series Snapshot
The Pride hold a 4W-4L-3D record in the all-time series against the Utah Royals heading into Saturday's matchup. Utah claimed the first meeting between the clubs this season with a 1-0 victory in Salt Lake City on July 18, while the Pride went unbeaten in the two meetings during the 2025 campaign, earning a 3-1 road win behind a Barbra Banda hat trick on May 23 before the sides played to a 1-1 draw in the lone meeting at Inter.co Stadium.
Winning with Defense
Orlando earned its eighth win of the season with a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit last time out, continuing a trend that has defined the Pride's success in 2026. The Pride have conceded just two total goals across their eight victories this season and have kept a clean sheet in six of those wins. Orlando has also recorded shutouts in each of its last three victories, highlighting the defensive consistency that has fueled the club's recent success.
Comfort without the Ball
Orlando showed its ability to win in different ways in last Sunday's 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit, holding just 27.4% possession while securing all three points. That figure marked the lowest possession percentage recorded by a winning team in an NWSL match since possession statistics began being tracked in 2016. The Pride have found success in those situations this season, posting a 5W-2L-2D record in matches where they have held less than 45% possession.
Debut Shutout
Goalkeeper Cosette Morché made her NWSL debut in Orlando's 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit, helping the Pride secure their seventh clean sheet of the 2026 season. Morché recorded three saves in the match, including a diving stop in second-half stoppage time to preserve the shutout and secure all three points. With the clean sheet, Morché became the first goalkeeper in Orlando Pride history to record a shutout in her NWSL debut.
Milestone Tracker:
- Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse is two saves away from 300 regular-season saves, all of which have come with the Pride.
