The Orlando Pride know what they need to do to challenge for the NWSL Championship next season. But they’ll do it without the Sporting Director who helped them get there in 2024.
The next Sporting Director who replaces departing Haley Carter will keep fitting them with a winning roster, to begin with. The major responsibility for strategy will remain with the coaches. They know as well as the players what they need to do.
In the NWSL semi-finals that eliminated the Pride, Gotham FC had a clearer understanding of winning objectives than the Orlando Pride. This dedication to objectives by Gotham players had served them well as they moved onto the pitch to face Orlando.
They began the playoff match with the Pride on a league record of three playoff wins. They were a low seed in the playoffs. The Pride, the fourth seed, began the match expecting to grind Gotham down over time for a low-scoring win. But they were playing without their key scorer, Barbara Banda.
Both teams played shakily throughout the first half. Marta acknowledged that late in the game, they expected they’d play another 30 minutes. By effectively grinding against Gotham, both teams were tired. But Pride players expected their opponents to tire even more.
But there were Gotham components the Pride hadn’t considered. After going through the entire match without a shot on goal, Gotham saw a chance late in the final stoppage time. Midfielder Jaedyn Shaw scored the latest regulation game-winner in a semifinal in league history at 96:06.
That score made Gotham the first No. 8 seed, and lowest seed ever, to advance to the NWSL Championship.
Either Pride players and coaches must start listening closer to scouts, or the incoming Sporting Director must immediately beef up the organization’s scouting crew.
Jaedyn Shaw didn’t appear out of the shadows to net the game-winner. She contributed to all three Gotham playoff goals in the 2025 postseason as she tied the club record for combined playoff goals and assists with three.
So to get competitive quickly next season, the Pride have to keep up their level of aggression. But they can’t rely only on that quality. They must work on more effective finishing early as well as late.
The Orlando Pride, more than anything, must perfectly synchronize communications with their scouts. They can’t afford any more late surprises from accomplished scorers.