The start of the 2026 season has finally arrived for the Orlando Pride, and coach Seb Hines and his squad are gearing up for another title challenge.
Orlando kicks off the season with a visit from Seattle Reign FC on Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
“I think it’s been a luxury, having so long of a preseason,” Hines said. “It’s allowed us to integrate a lot of the new players on how we want to play, our principles, our style of play, our intensity of everything that we do here, and so with that, it’s all preparation for this home opener.
“With our fans here supporting us, it’s going to be a great opportunity for us to put everything in place, for us to go out there and perform,” Hines added. “So we’re really excited. We’re ready to get going, and hopefully we have a really good season.”
Orlando’s attacking trio of Barbra Banda, Jacquie Ovalle, and Marta has yet to play together, and there is a chance fans get to finally watch all of Orlando’s firepower on the field at the same time. Banda is returning from injury, and Marta, at 40 years old, might take time to reach full fitness, but they are in contention to play on Sunday.
This will be the third time in four competitive games, dating back to the end of the regular season last year, that the Pride will face Seattle. It presents a unique opportunity to face a foe that Orlando is familiar with. Hines and his squad are purely focused on what they bring to the table. The plan is to play their best game, regardless of the opponent, and they will get the chance to prove their ability to do that on Sunday.
“I think there’s a lot of focus on ourselves. You know, it’s very cliche, but we are the home team,” Hines added. “We’ve been working extremely hard to kind of stick to our identity, adapt a few things with our style of play, and hopefully all come into place on Sunday against Seattle.”