The ultimate NWSL striker showdown: Barbra Banda vs Temwa Chawinga
Ahead of a crunch tie between Orlando Pride and KC Current, with a place in the final on the line, Olympics.com takes a look at two of the most prolific strikers in world football.
Football
North America, specifically the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), is home to some of the best players in the world.
Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga, who play for the Orlando Pride and KC Current, are comfortably in that category.
The pair have broken new ground for their respective clubs in their first season Stateside.
And there’s little to separate them. The first time they faced off it ended in favour of the Pride, who won 2-1. Banda scored in the 37th minute and Chawinga equalised in the 39th minute, signifying just how much they went toe-for-toe during the campaign.
Now, they are ready to face off in the semi-final of the 2024 playoffs, as they each look to be the catalyst for their respective sides' first-ever Championship title.
Ahead of a crunch tie, with a place in the final on the line, Olympics.com takes a look at two of the most prolific strikers in world football.
Which one of them can guide their team to within touching distance of glory?
Barbra Banda for Orlando Pride
Numbers as of 15 November 2024
- Games: 23
- Goals: 15
- Assists: 6
Banda was a latecomer to the NWSL this season, making her debut in mid-April in the Pride’s fifth game. Expectations were high given the heavy investment; a move which saw the Zambian international being the subject of the second-highest transfer fee in women’s football.
The 24-year-old hit the ground running almost instantly. Her first start was in a 3-2 win over the Washington Spirit in which she assisted, scored, and drew a penalty – a clear indication of what she intended to bring to the NWSL. In May, she was crowned Player of the Month after bagging seven goals in five games.
Ultimately, her 19 goal contributions (13 goals, six assists) in the regular season would help the Pride do something they have never done before: win silverware. Just two defeats all campaign meant the Florida-based side were crowned Shield winners, securing top-of-the-table with games to spare.
Such form can be somewhat chalked down to a shift in play styles, with Pride head coach Seb Hines opting to play her further forward as an out-and-out striker as opposed to slightly deeper.
“The way I used to play in Shanghai is not the way I’m playing here,” she told the New York Times. “It’s a different football, a different philosophy of how the team wants you to play and everything.”
Banda’s impact for Orlando can be measured in the difference in front of goal between last season and this one, one which is night and day. In 2023, they scored 27 goals and missed out on a playoff spot as a result of their poor form up front. This time around, they netted 46 goals and had the joint-best goal differential alongside, unsurprisingly, Chawgina’s KC Current.
A brace already in the playoffs, Banda is the textbook definition of a difference-maker.
Temwa Chawinga leading the line for Kansas City Current.
Temwa Chawinga for the Kansas City Current
Numbers as of 15 November 2024
- Games: 26
- Goals: 21
- Assists: 6
Like Banda, this is Chawinga’s first season in the NWSL. The 26-year-old wasted no time settling in – rewriting the history books for expansion side Kansas City Current. A player who finished 2023 as football’s leading goal scorer, across the men’s and women’s game, was always going to contribute to the attack. But what she did defied expectations.
Her history-making tour of North America began in March when her side saw off Angel City 4-2 and she became the first Malawian goalscorer in the league’s history. Four goals in her first five outings set the precedent for what was to come. Between June and September, she was successful in front of goal in eight consecutive games, something no player has done before, adding another league record to her name.
October came and so did Chawinga’s 19th goal, breaking the record for the most scored in a single campaign, pipping Sam Kerr’s previous tally of 18. With her 20th against the San Diego Wave, Temwa became the first player to score against all 13 opponents in a single term. It also meant she won the 2024 Golden Boot.
Despite making the headlines for her impact, she is humble in her success.
“If I don’t have players that help me, I cannot make my name,” she told The Star. “This league is so hard.”
Much like Banda, the impact of Chawinga is evident when looking at the league standings. Last time out, KC Current finished 11th - just two points off the bottom - with 30 goals scored. With the Malawian leading the line, they scored 57 and finished fourth. Now they are one win away from the Championship final.
It is a position familiar for KC, who reached the finale in 2022 but lost 2-0 to the Portland Thorns. But perhaps this time will be different, with a star striker destined to make history leading their line.
Barbra Banda vs. Temwa Chawinga: How to watch the striker showdown in the NWSL
Semi-finals
Sunday 17 November
- Orlando Pride vs. KC Current (20:00 GMT/21:00 CET)
CBS Sports is the home of the NWSL Championship. Fans can watch all of the action unfold across the CBS platforms and on Paramount+.
The final will also be shown live on the NWSL website, which is also the place to be for international supporters to tune in.