Racheal Banda's NWSL Dominance Continues with Third Best XI Selection
ORLANDO, Fla. — Racheal Banda is turning a hot start into a full-blown takeover of the NWSL season.
The league confirmed on Friday that the Orlando Pride forward has been named to the NWSL Best XI of the Month for May, presented by Prime, her third consecutive selection to open the 2026 campaign. Eight different clubs are represented in the May lineup, but it is Banda who once again sits at the center of the conversation.
She’s earned it the hard way: by scoring, and then scoring again.
Banda leads the NWSL Golden Boot race with 11 goals in 12 games this year, a pace that has stretched defenses and redefined what opponents expect when they see Orlando on the schedule. May was her sharpest stretch yet. She piled up six goals and one assist across the month, dragging the Pride through tight matches and turning half-chances into decisive moments.
The pressure told early. On May 2, against the Washington Spirit, Banda struck twice, her first brace of the month, setting the tone for what would follow. When the Pride needed a ruthless edge in front of goal, she supplied it.
Game-Winners
Then came the game-winners.
On May 8 at Inter&Co Stadium, Banda delivered the only goal in a 1-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage, a classic striker’s contribution in a tight, nervy contest. Weeks later, back on home turf on May 29, she did it again — and more. Facing Bay FC, Banda produced her second brace of the month in a 3-1 win, including the decisive strike that broke the game open and underlined her status as the league’s most in-form finisher.
Those numbers are not just padding a seasonal highlight reel; they are rewriting the club’s record book. With 36 goals in 54 matches across all competitions, Banda now sits second on the Pride’s all-time scoring list. She has climbed that ladder at speed, and with months still to play, the top spot is no longer a distant target but a looming inevitability.
Her form has helped keep Orlando firmly in the national spotlight during a year already packed with storylines. As the NWSL pauses for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, Banda’s surge becomes one of the league’s defining threads: a striker in full flow, dominating month after month, refusing to cool off.
The break offers a breath, not a reset. When the league resumes, the Pride step straight back into the glare.
Orlando returns to action on Friday, July 3, traveling west to face Angel City FC at BMO Stadium, with kickoff set for 10 p.m. ET on Prime Video. By then, every defender in Los Angeles will know the numbers. The real question is whether anyone can actually stop her.
