Zambia’s Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga have taken a foothold in the race for the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Golden Boot heading into the regular season summer break.
The Southern African pair has registered 12 goals each for Orlando Pride and KC Current, respectively, in the United States women’s topflight this year.
Quite astonishingly, they have already surpassed the number of goals with which Sophia Smith won the NWSL Golden Boot last season. The U.S. international scored 11 goals in 18 games for Portland Thorns FC, leading them to the NWSL playoff semifinals.
This season, it’s Banda and Chawinga’s sides, Orlando Pride and KC Current, respectively, who are leading the race to qualify for the playoffs. Both teams were on historic unbeaten runs before they clashed horns on Matchday 16.
The 10-player Orlando Pride eventually carried the day with a hard-fought 2-1 victory, setting the record for the longest unbeaten run in NWSL history (17 games). The record, of course, belonged to the day’s opponents, KC Current, who failed to extend it after Sunday’s defeat.
Following Banda and Chawinga’s start to life in the United States, a panel of analysts on CBS Sports’ Attacking Third show sat down to discuss who was the better of the two.
Lisa Roman who is part of the panel has made a verdict on who’s the better player between Banda and Chawinga.
When quizzed about who had more potential and upside, Roman responded, “I think Barbra Banda.”
“Her ability to score in such a variety of ways allows her to be a multi-dimensional threat: because she is an aerial presence, she can get in behind [and] set her teammates up,” she argued.
Stats comparisons between Banda and Chawinga
Well, statistics compiled by BolaNews from Sofascore validate those claims. Here is a comparison of the number of goals Banda and Chawinga have scored with their right foot, left foot, and head, respectively.
| Right foot | Left foot | Headers | |
| Barbra Banda | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Temwa Chawinga | 8 | 4 | 0 |
Hence, the Copper Queens skipper is a more versatile goalscorer than her Southern African counterpart.
Chawinga will be recharging during the NWSL summer break, while Banda will aim to set new records at the Summer Olympics.
Zambia has been pitted against the United States, Germany, and Australia in Group B of the women’s tournament, which is set to kick off on July 15.
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