Orlando Pride star Barbra Banda has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a hip abductor injury, the NWSL club announced Saturday.
Banda, the 2024 NWSL Championship MVP, suffered the injury in a draw with the Kansas City Current on Aug. 16.
The Pride said in a statement that the Zambia international had “a full thickness avulsion of her right adductor longus tendon.”
“We are devastated to announce Barbra Banda has been placed on the Season Ending Injury list following the soft-tissue injury she sustained during our recent match against Kansas City Current,” said Orlando Pride sporting director and VP of soccer operations Haley Carter said.
“Barbra has been instrumental to our success and losing a player of her caliber is heartbreaking for the entire organization. We are committed to providing her with the highest level of care and support throughout her recovery.
“Her contributions to this team both on and off the field have been immeasurable, and we know she will approach her rehabilitation with the same determination and professionalism she brings to everything she does.”
Banda scored 13 goals in the 2024 regular season and then struck a record four goals in the playoffs, including the only goal of the game as Orlando beat the Washington Spirit in the NWSL Championship.
This season she has scored a team-leading eight goals in 16 appearances, with the Pride sitting fourth in the NWSL standings.
A Ballon d’Or nominee, Banda has played for Zambia’s national team since 2016. She had hat tricks in the Tokyo Olympics and last year’s Paris Games. In 2024, she was named the African women’s player of the year and the BBC’s women’s footballer of the year.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
