The Orlando Pride and head coach Seb Hines have agreed to a new contract through the 2026 National Women's Soccer League season with an option for 2027, the team announced on Wednesday.
Orlando, once a bottom-dweller of the NWSL, is unbeaten this year through 19 games in all competitions. The Pride sit atop the NWSL regular-season standings through 16 games after winning a battle of the unbeatens -- on the road and down a player for more than a half -- against the Kansas City Current on July 6.
"Seb has helped build one of the hardest working and most cohesive locker rooms I've seen in my career, and I'm thankful for the teamwork and collaboration he fosters every day with both our athletes and our staff," Orlando Pride general manager and vice president of soccer operations Haley Carter said in a statement.
Hines has been with the wider organization for 10 years, first as a player with Orlando City in MLS (which shares ownership), then on the Pride's coaching staff for the past seven seasons.
He served as an assistant coach on multiple Pride staffs during that time before taking over as interim coach in 2022, following the suspension (and eventual termination) of Amanda Cromwell for allegedly violating the NWSL discrimination, harassment and bullying policy for retaliation.
Hines became the first Black head coach in NWSL history and guided the Pride to a seven-game unbeaten run while serving in the interim role. He was hired full-time ahead of the 2023 NWSL season.
He has since compiled a 21-11-6 record in the regular season and helped overhaul Orlando's roster to include Zambian forward Barbra Banda, who is tied for the league lead in scoring with 12 goals in 12 games.
Earlier this year, the Pride won an NWSL record eight straight games from April 12 to May 24.
"I'm proud of what we have accomplished to this point, but our work isn't done yet," Hines said in a statement.
"At the end of the day, we want to win something. We want to build a legacy here. We want to give back to the community and to make sure that fans are wanting to come watch this group of athletes go out there and perform every week. I'm excited to continue leading this club and to continue giving back to a city that means so much to me and my family."
Orlando settled for a draw in all three recent NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup games, winning one of the three penalty shootouts in the group stage.
Orlando's form stands in stark contrast to the club's difficult history. Orlando has only made the NWSL playoffs once, in 2017, a year after entering the league. The team's nadir on the field came in 2019, when Orlando finished in last place, conceding 53 goals (still a league record) and collecting only 16 points from 24 matches.
Last year, Hines' first in charge full time, the Pride finished seventh of 12 teams, missing the playoffs on a three-way tiebreaker due to an inferior goal difference.
Hines, 36, is a native of England and played professionally there for Middlesbrough in the Premier League before stints with Derby County, Oldham Athletic and Coventry City. He joined Orlando City for its inaugural MLS season in 2015 and retired after the 2017 season.