The Orlando Pride head on the road for the first time in 2026, looking for their first win of the season. It’s a quick turnaround after Friday’s 1-1 draw with Denver Summit FC, but Orlando is confident it can earn the three points.
The Pride (0-1-1, 1 point) take on the Chicago Stars (1-1-0, 3 points) at Martin Stadium on Wednesday night at 8 p.m.
“It’s not our first time doing this, we had a lot of experience last year with quick turnarounds. We’ll go on the road, we’ll go to Chicago,” Orlando head coach Seb Hines said. “It will be a different climate to how it is here in Florida, so we have to adjust to that, but it’s part of the game. It’s part of playing in NWSL, and we have to thrive in those moments.”
Orlando has dominated the stat sheet in the first two matches, outshooting opponents by a wide margin. Barbra Banda is back to her scoring ways, with a goal in both games, but the rest of the team is struggling to make the most of the opportunities created. They hope to finally break through, but Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher has proven difficult to beat, even at age 37.
Chicago has been a mixed bag this season, losing 4-0 at Angel City to open the season before beating Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday. Head coach Martin Sjögren is new to the league after success in Norway and Sweden, but it remains to be seen how quickly he can elevate a Chicago team that has sat in the middle of the pack the past few years.
The key for Orlando is to control the midfield, something the team struggled to do against Denver. Haley McCutcheon dropped into a deeper role in the second half, so expect to see her do something similar against Chicago to help control possession. The Pride’s back line has looked disconnected at times this season, but if they can continue to improve, then Orlando stands a chance of earning its first win of the season.