By OkayGoal 
Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The Orlando Pride defeated the Houston Dash 2-1 on Sunday, but it was not enough to keep their slim playoff hopes alive another weekend. As Seattle Reign won 3-1 over the Chicago Stars, Orlando qualifying for the 2026 National Women’s Soccer League playoffs became mathematically impossible.
Orlando were in a very tough position entering the weekend. They also could have been eliminated by five other individual outcomes: had they lost or drawn, if Denver had won (instead of losing 3-2 to Angel City), or if North Carolina won or drew (instead of losing 2-1 to San Diego).
The Pride pulled out the necessary result over Houston despite being without star Zambian forward Barbra Banda, who is unable to return from international duty in Uganda due to Ebola travel restrictions. Orlando struck first in the 15th minute when Solai Washington earned a penalty that was calmly converted by Luana. The rookie Washington doubled their lead in the 31st minute with her first professional goal, getting the assist from her childhood icon Marta. But the win wasn’t enough as another result ended their playoff hopes.
Not qualifying for the postseason is a drastic turnaround from the 2024 season when they won the NWSL Shield and Championship. Seb Hines, who coached Orlando to the double that year, was fired midseason, and interim head coach Yolanda Thomas has been in charge since, accumulating a
3-2-1 (W-L-D) record.
Despite their elimination, Orlando can still play spoiler and affect the playoff picture as their last two games are against NJ/NY Gotham FC and Seattle.
