Kundananji Banda's Third NWSL Best XI Selection

ORLANDO, Fla. — The numbers say one thing. Watching her says the rest.

Kundananji Banda has been named to the NWSL Best XI of the Month for May, her third straight selection to open the 2026 season. The Orlando Pride striker is not just in form; she is setting the pace for the entire league.

Eight different clubs are represented in May’s Best XI, underscoring the depth of talent across the NWSL. Yet Banda keeps forcing her way to the front of the conversation. Every month. Every matchday. Every decisive moment.

She leads the NWSL Golden Boot race with 11 goals in 12 games this campaign, a ruthless return for a forward who seems to need only half a chance to tilt a match. May was her sharpest month yet: six goals, one assist, and a constant sense that if the Pride needed something, she would supply it.

The pressure told on May 8 at Inter&Co Stadium. In a tight, nervy contest against the North Carolina Courage, Banda delivered the only goal in a 1-0 win, the kind of single-strike performance that defines title pushes and Golden Boot campaigns alike.

Then came May 29. Same stadium, different opponent, same story. Facing Bay FC, Banda struck twice in a 3-1 victory, turning a solid home outing into a statement. Those two matches alone produced both of her game-winning goals for the month and underlined why defenders are starting to track her from the moment she steps off the team bus.

Her May also featured two braces, the first arriving on May 2 against the Washington Spirit. When Banda finds rhythm, she doesn’t just score; she overwhelms. The second brace came in that 3-1 win over Bay FC, another reminder that if she senses vulnerability, she goes for the throat.

This is not a short-lived hot streak. It’s a body of work.

With 36 goals in 54 appearances across all competitions, Banda already sits second on the Pride’s all-time scoring list. She has climbed that chart with a mix of power, timing, and sheer relentlessness in the box, dragging Orlando into contention and forcing the league to adjust to her, not the other way around.

Now comes a pause.

The NWSL steps aside for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, a rare mid-season stillness that can either cool a striker or sharpen the edge. When the Pride return on Friday, July 3, they will head west to face Angel City FC at BMO Stadium, with kickoff set for 10 p.m. ET on Prime Video.

By then, the Golden Boot race may feel like its own kind of World Cup final. The question is simple: after three straight Best XI honors and a scoring rate that refuses to dip, who is going to stop Kundananji Banda when the league restarts?