Barbra Banda Dominates NWSL with Best XI Selection
ORLANDO, Fla. — Barbra Banda is turning the NWSL Best XI into her personal season-long residency.
The Orlando Pride striker has been named to the league’s Best XI of the Month for May, presented by Prime, the NWSL announced Friday. It’s her third straight appearance to start the 2026 campaign, a run that underlines not just form, but dominance.
Eight different clubs place players in May’s Top 11, yet the spotlight keeps snapping back to Banda. The Zambian forward leads the Golden Boot race with 11 goals in 12 games this season, a pace that has defenders backing off and record books edging closer.
May Performance
May was her most ruthless stretch yet. Seven goal contributions in a single month: six goals, one assist. She didn’t just pad stats; she decided matches.
Two of those goals stood as winners at Inter&Co Stadium, the kind of moments that define a title push. On May 8, Banda delivered the only strike in a tight 1-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage. When Bay FC came to town on May 29, she tore into them again, scoring twice in a 3-1 win that felt like a statement from a Pride side growing bolder by the week.
The numbers tell one story. The pattern tells another. Banda posted two braces in May alone. The first came on May 2 against the Washington Spirit, a performance that set the tone for the month. The second arrived in that same 3-1 dismantling of Bay FC, a reminder that once she smells blood, she rarely stops at one.
Historical Impact
Her impact in Orlando is already historic. Banda now sits second on the Pride’s all-time scoring chart with 36 goals in 54 matches across all competitions, a strike rate that belongs to the elite. She is not easing into club folklore; she is sprinting into it.
The league now pauses for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, a rare chance for defenders to breathe and for Banda’s Golden Boot rivals to regroup. The Pride, though, will want this form bottled, stored, and ready.
They return on Friday, July 3, when they travel west to face Angel City FC at BMO Stadium. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
By then, one question will hang over the restart: can anyone slow Barbra Banda, or is this already her season to own?
