Zambian striker Barbra Banda has indicated her intentions to score goals for her new side, Orlando Pride, in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
The Pride acquired the Copper Queens captain last month for a club-record transfer fee of $740,000 from Chinese Women’s Super League club Shanghai Shengli FC.
Banda arrived in Orlando last weekend and was greeted at the airport by fans and the Zambian community in Orlando.
The skipper helped Zambia secure qualification for the Paris Olympics by beating Morocco 3-2 on aggregate before heading to America.
Speaking during her introductory press conference, Banda stated that she wants to score goals for her new side.
“I love scoring,” she said. “So that’s what matters most. I have to get chances and utilize the chances that I’ll have in terms of scoring.”
The 24-year-old also expressed her admiration for the NWSL, stating that she is confident of perfectly fitting in.
“I think the league is quite good. I’ve been following it since way back. I think it’s a very interesting league, very strong. All the teams are very physically strong and fast. So I think it’s good for myself to improve,” she added.
Hines hopes Banda will help end scoring problem
Meanwhile, Orlando Pride head coach Seb Hines believes the club will benefit from Banda’s versatility in attack.
“We’ve talked a lot recently about the execution of the finishing, and I think we’re creating really good chances in the last four games. But maybe that last finishing piece has been the deciding factor in the games,” Hines said.
“So to add another layer to our game with Barbra as a nine, she could play wide or a little bit lower. We like that flexibility within the squad and the players… we have to constantly keep defenders guessing,” he added.
Banda could make her NWSL debut tomorrow morning [Zambian time] when Orlando Pride faces San Diego Wave in their fifth match of the season.
Orlando has won one and drawn three of their four games thus far, scoring five goals and conceding four, with one clean sheet in their most recent game against Utah Royals.
