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Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner Meets the Media

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7 years ago

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New Orlando Pride head coach Marc Skinner met with the media for a roundtable discussion today and discussed a number of topics, including his philosophies, his transition from Birmingham City to the NWSL, how he worked behind the scenes during the NWSL College Draft, and much more.

Here is what the new gaffer had to say:

On when he finally arrived in Orlando:

I got in yesterday, so I arrived at the hotel. I actually got to sleep. I woke up with the worst headache today because I probably had more sleep than I’m used to. But now it’s down to business. I’m here for five days, doing a little bit of scouting around the area so I know things for when I come over (permanently). As soon as visas are sorted and so on I’ll be back over to do it fully.

On how his hiring to lead the Pride came to pass:

We’d had contact prior to Christmas. I think it solidified towards near the start of January. And at that point I was obviously still with my club team in England and once the decision was made it was pretty swift. As soon as the decisions and the contracts were signed — which was going back and forth probably about seven to 10 days. I made my decision, handed in my resignation, and here I am. I just couldn’t turn down this opportunity. It’s such a great opportunity with such an up-and-coming team that could do great, great things.

On whether he’s had time to reach out to his players yet:

We’ve had initial contact. So, I always send the players an email with a questionnaire. The questions on there are just about them, very, very simple. Because I need to know what they’re like as people first and foremost before (learning how) they are as players. They’ve got until the 31st of January to reply to me. I’ve had quite a few back already. And that allows me to read things about them before I meet them as footballers. I can’t judge what they’ve done on the field — I can see what they’ve done but I can’t judge it because what Tom would have asked them to do is different to what I will ask them to do. So, we’ve had that initial contact. And then before we start, have a one-to-one meeting with every single player. And that then, it’s not that initial meeting where we don’t know each other. I’ll have a little bit of background on them. They’ll have a bit of background on me. So it allows us to flow into conversation very quickly.

On his overview of the club:

One of the words that’s mentioned quite frequently — because I’ve just been around the offices upstairs — is that family orientation. So the family basis, the connection to the fans, how important they are to what we do. Because, and I’ll stress this: without them, we are nothing. We don’t exist. To play in that beautiful stadium empty every week would not be worth it. So I think that family orientation. Everybody’s important. Everybody’s a key part to what happens. It doesn’t matter what your role is. I think that’s really important because we have some of the world’s best talent, but everybody plays their part and I’ve got to make sure I connect to all of that. That’s my job, because everybody’s important. So, it was that that really drew me. Just being around the people upstairs and the back team staff, I’m even more excited than I was when I kind of just knew it was just the job. Because you work for these people too and everybody’s equally important.

On whether he can guide the Pride into the playoffs:

That’s my job, isn’t it? You’ll get to know me. I’m very, very accountable for my job. I’m not saying when I’m coming in it’s going to be easy to get the team to playoffs consistently and so on — I’m not saying that at all. It’s very tough. There are some exceptional teams in this league with exceptional managers and exceptional players. My job is to work every day to do that. When I first went into Birmingham, they were an underdog team, so they were successful but they needed the underdog status. They needed to have somebody say, ‘you’re not good enough, it’s us versus them.’ Where I took that off them. I said, ‘look, you want pressure situations so you have to be able to deal with them psychologically. So I’m going to make sure that this group are prepared to deal with the ideas of success.’ All these players are successful in their own rights and last but one season, they were in the playoffs. So it’s my job not just to be a flash in the pan, and I don’t just want to come here and go ‘right, let’s have a smash, there we go,’ and then it finishes a season later. It’s about consistency. I’ve got to build a foundation and that’s what I’m going to aim to do.

On whether he’s reached out to Tom Sermanni to discuss the team:

I’ll speak to Tom once I’m settled in. He’s been great, I know. You all know how personable Tom is and what a good guy he is. I’m hopeful that once I’ve settled in and spoken to all the players, I’ve got my own ideas, I can then rub ideas with him as well.

On working with Pride GM Erik Ustruck:

Almost like we’ve known each other for the most time. Erik’s so personable — and again I’d like to thank him for the opportunity to be here, because I think we can do wonderful things. With his guidance and his help and support, and obviously the club’s support, I think we can create something special. That’s the aim, anyway.

On his familiarity with the league and the Orlando Pride:

I think there’s a mixed response on that because you can watch games but there’s also the feeling side of the game. What’s it like on the raw emotion from the side. In England I quite liked to sit high on the side to see the game tactically. Whether you can or can’t do that with the connection with the fans is something I’ve got to experience when I’m here. Having watched it, it’s the best, most intense, physical league in the world, in my opinion, for women’s football. For me, I’ve got to look at ways in which we can control that physical battle to ensure we have a way of playing around that. I’ve watched near enough all of the games that Orlando played but I’ve got to do so much more work than that. I’ve got to be watching all the other teams as well.

On reaching out to Utah Royals coach Laura Harvey:

She’s been brilliant. So Laura and my partner Laura are from the same village. So she was back prior to Christmas and we were having a conversation just about the league and so on, and she’s reached out and she’s helped me. She’ll help me with just the little things that you don’t really know about…which obviously the guys here will help me with anyway. And she’s talked about the league. I know she’s tried to adapt a slightly different style than what’s already been tried in the U.S. It’s just those little insights I think are really, really valuable and I’m going to listen to as many of those as I can because they’re maybe the little golden nuggets that I need to be aware of.

On his coaching philosophy and style, and whether or not he has a preferred shape for the team:

I’m going to make bold statements here but I think people rely on shapes too much and I think they think that’s the be-all and end-all. For me, it’s about having a series of principles and foundations that players can play from, so that when they’re in a situation they can make an effective decision. If you ask a coach what’s one of the most sellable factors of a player, it’s that they make the correct decisions. So, for me, I have to work on the decision-making process and that’s habitual work in training. So that takes a little bit longer, but with that, I want them to do that so they have the ability to adapt to shape within the game. So if I said to them, ‘play three at the back now for the next 15 minutes’ — and I’m a big, big fan of people like Maurizio Sarri and Pep Guardiola and they adapt within the game to the needs of the game. I think if you look at it through a different lens, you learn to control the spaces on the field rather than the players on the field and that’s how I look at it. If we were to sort of talk about what would success look like for me, can my players, with the simplest of instructions, adapt the shape to be effective on the field. So that’s the shape that I’d go with, whether we need two at the back, one at the back, three at the back, if we’re chasing, if we’re controlling counter-attacks. If we can do that, then I will have been effective at my job.

On the fact that a good chunk of the team will be missing for the World Cup and whether he’s already started preparing for that:

There are some things that we’re looking at and discussing, and that’s why coaching is so, so important. So, I’m not just here to coach a shape and put it on the field. I’m here to effect people and effect players and make them better, regardless of their stature within the game. We have a shortfall of players if all are selected, hopefully, for the World Cup. My job is to make sure that the (players) that are holding the fort while they’re out are already playing and improving, and if I can do that, we’ll be fine in that short period that we won’t have them for. But in the meantime, we are looking at different strategies.

On naming his assistant coaches on the staff:

For reasons that are out of our control at the minute, we can’t name who they are but they are already identified, contracts have already been signed, so they’ll be in and working. So you’ll know in due course who that is. Just for other reasons I can’t tell you who that is at the moment. But yeah, that’s all in place and we’re ready to go.

On whether missing his international players will be his biggest coaching challenge in 2019:

That will definitely be one of them. There’s going to be so, so many challenges — adapting to the style of play, adapting to the league and the way that we want to play, personalities, conversations. There’s so many challenges but I think if you take them all at once, it would be silly. So we have to break them down individually. But we’ll have plenty of players ready if there is a shortfall within that window. But again, a lot of things can happen between now and that period. Having a partner that’s played in the World Cup, I know how important it is for people to do that. I’ve just got to make sure we’re going to have to look after the club and I’ll do that as I see fit based on the information I receive over the next couple of months.

On his main attribute in landing the Orlando Pride job:

Do you know what I think it was? We literally had to do everything. We’re a club with a budget that was quite low compared to some of the competitors we had and we had to build a competitive team. I’ve done everything with the club so I think I’ve worked from the ground up, and there are some amazing people at Birmingham. And it feels like there are some amazing people here, so that’s going to be a good transition for me. So, I think that my grounding and my background at what we had to achieve and what we did achieve — although we didn’t win anything (trophy-wise), which is something I would have liked to have seen out of the project, but when this opportunity came, I just couldn’t turn it down. I think that we can create something special and that’s what I’ve got to try and do.

On the Pride hiring a general manager in Ustruck and what it means:

I think it shows the progressive nature of soccer in America as well, but Orlando especially. Just seeing the intentions upstairs to make this a special place and make it a hub of football goes a long, long way. And I think my experience prior to understanding a general manager role — because I think in England, it’s slightly different of an experience. I would usually negotiate contracts with players, lengths and that, so I’ve done all of that work. Erik will take that part off me so I can concentrate solely on getting a good team on the field. So it’s a testament to Orlando just the resource they’re putting into making a successful team.

On his role with the Pride on draft day:

I was sitting on the sidelines but the players that were selected were my players. I selected them. If you noticed they’re on the phone…I’m on the phone. I’m the one on the other end. I’m watching it live on YouTube through our TV. So I was part of everything. I made the decisions. And then the two girls we selected, Erin (Greening) and Marisa (Viggiano), I see them for the qualities they have that people potentially overlook because of the nature of the league — because they’re that ingrained in what the league does but I’ve got a fresh set of eyes on the league and that’s where I selected those players. And I’m sure with work we can really make them ready for this league.

On whether his identifying talent where others might not see it is something he’s done through his career:

We had to. Before my time as first team manager at Birmingham…what I ended up doing was identifying players, and there’s no bigger satisfaction than bringing players through and growing with you and the club because that’s the identity that the club wants. And I suppose it’s the same for like the draft system even though you get them a little bit older, because you took the chance on them. They become part of your club and they’re ingrained in the fabric of your club, and there’s so much benefit to that. I look at them differently because of the way I want to play, potentially, but I still see the value in everything that the players already here have and now it’s just about adaptation. The biggest skill set that I’ll use is adaptation. For me, the players will have to adapt to be the best players going forward. 

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2025 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Marta

The captain once again provided the competitive spark for the Pride in 2025.

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18 hours ago

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December 11, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Marta signed with the Orlando Pride way back in 2017. She has been the constant for the club through ups and mostly downs. That all changed last season as she captained her club to two trophies. In 2022, she signed a new two-year contract, taking her through 2024. She then signed yet another two-year contract through 2026.

Marta didn’t have the same type of year as she did in 2024, but she was still one of the better players for the Pride. She remains the heart of this team, showing the others what passion and effort looks like even as she edges closer to the end of her playing career. Let’s take a look at the GOAT’s 2025 season.

Statistical Breakdown

Marta started and played the full 90 minutes in the 2025 Challenge Cup match. She did not record a goal contribution and took two off-target shots. However, her free kick was blocked, resulting in Rafaelle’s opening goal. Marta also set a shot up for the defender in the match but the effort was off target. The Brazilian legend completed 26 of her 37 passes (82%), took four corner kicks, and she did not record a completed long ball. Defensively, she recorded three tackles and won three headed duels. She committed one foul, drew one on the Washington Spirit, and was not booked.

During the regular season, Marta made 22 appearances (18 starts), playing 1,599 minutes. She contributed four goals and an assist, putting 13 of her 27 shots on target. She completed 519 of her 731 passes (71%), 13 crosses, and two of her four long balls (50%) with 43 chances created. On the defensive end, the Brazilian contributed 22 tackles, 19 interceptions, and one blocked shot. She committed 14 fouls, drew 28 on the opposition, and was not booked.

Marta started both playoff games, playing all 180 minutes. She took one shot but did not record a goal contribution, although she was involved in both goals against the Reign, working a give-and-go with Julie Doyle prior to Haley McCutcheon’s opening goal and drawing the penalty that handed Luana the late insurance tally. The captain completed 52 of her 69 passes (75.4%), including three of her six long balls (50%) and four key passes. She recorded one tackle, two interceptions, and one clearance defensively while committing one foul, drawing six on her opponents, and being booked once.

Marta participated in one of the Concacaf W Champions Cup matches against Pachuca. She played all 90 minutes and scored the Pride’s only goal on two shots, one of which was on target. She completed 27 of 34 passes (79%). Defensively, she recorded three tackles, while committing two fouls, and suffering two fouls. She was not booked.

Best Game

While Marta had several good games, I think her best game was the Pride’s 3-2 victory over the Washington Spirit on Oct. 18. Marta was named Player of the Match by both Michael Citro and myself on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast. The captain caused an own goal and scored on a penalty kick to give the Pride an important road win heading into the playoffs. Washington scored first on a Kerry Abello own goal, but Abello then corrected that mistake by scoring one for her own team minutes later. The Spirit took the lead again and held it at halftime. Seb Hines substituted Marta in at the start of the second half, and it’s a good thing he did. It literally only took her 52 seconds to even the score.

In the 70th minute, Ally Watt was fouled in the box, setting up a penalty for the Pride. There was no doubt who would take the kick, and it turned out there was no doubt Marta would bury it in the back of the net for the winning goal.

Marta might have only played 45 minutes plus stoppage but her impact was monumental. In this match, she took one shot, which was on target, scoring the aforementioned goal. She had 27 touches, completed nine of her 13 passes (70%), two of her three long balls (67%) and took one corner kick. Defensively, she contributed one block and one clearance. She committed one foul, did not suffer any fouls, and was not booked.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Marta a composite rating of 7 out of 10 for her ninth season with the club. This was a point lower than the 8 we gave her last year. Much like many of the Pride’s players, Marta’s 2025 wasn’t as good as her 2024, but she was still a critical part of the successes of the team. In 2024, she had a banner year, but despite being a year older, she was still productive in 2025.

2026 Outlook

The 39-year-old is entering the last year of her contract, and it would be surprising — though not totally inconceivable —that she will get another. Despite the fact she will turn 40-years-old before the beginning of the season, she will remain the Pride’s captain as long as she can take to the pitch. Assuming she’s healthy, there’s no reason to assume she can’t contribute to at least the same level as she did in 2025. There’s even a possibility that she finds something closer to her 2024 form. No one plays with more passion than Marta, and I will not doubt what she can do when she has the look in her eye.

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This concludes our 2025 Orlando Pride player-by-player Season in Review series. We hope you’ve enjoyed looking back on the players’ performances from the past year as we move closer toward seeing what lies ahead in 2026.

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2025 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Jacquie Ovalle

The Pride broke the world transfer record to land the Mexican international in 2025.

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2 days ago

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December 10, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride signed Mexican international winger Jacquie Ovalle for a then-world record transfer fee on Aug. 21, acquiring the attacker’s services from Tigres UANL in Liga MX Femenil. While the club did not announce the transfer fee, it was reportedly around $1.5 million. That transfer record has since been broken a couple of times since, but it was an ambitious move by the Pride to try to provide Barbra Banda a playmaking wing of the highest caliber.

The move ultimately didn’t pay many dividends in 2025, as Banda went down with a season-ending injury before Ovalle arrived, and the Mexican international struggled to get comfortable with her new team, the new league, and a new culture in what could best be described as an inconsistent performance after she joined the Pride.

Let’s take a look at Ovalle’s first season in the City Beautiful.

Statistical Breakdown

Ovalle was signed well after the season-opening NWSL Challenge Cup, so she saw no action in the competition. She made her Pride debut in the regular season on Sept. 7 off the bench. It was an inauspicious start, as Orlando got flattened 5-2 at Chicago that day, with all of the goals happening in the second half. Ovalle played in eight regular-season matches with Orlando, starting seven and logging 666 minutes. She contributed a goal and two assists in her time on the pitch with the Pride, attempting 20 shots and putting seven on target. She completed 84% of her 201 passes during the regular season, with 18 key passes. Ovalle was accurate on 19 of her 48 crosses (39.6%) and three of her seven long balls (42.9%). Defensively, Ovalle chipped in 13 tackles, three interceptions, and five clearances but no blocks during the regular season. She committed six fouls, drew five, and received one yellow card.

In the playoffs, Ovalle started both of the Pride’s matches and played 173 minutes. She did not log a goal contribution in the postseason, putting one of her six shot attempts on target. The winger completed 34 of her 42 passes (81%) with two key passes but completed just three of her 13 crosses and neither of her two long balls. On the defensive end, Ovalle recorded three tackles, one clearance, and two interceptions. She committed three fouls, drew two on her opponents, and was not booked.

Ovalle appeared in two of Orlando’s games in the Concacaf W Champions Cup, logging 57 minutes off the bench without a goal contribution, attempting one off-target shot. She completed 10 of her 13 passes (76.9%) without a key pass, chipping in three tackles on the defensive end. She committed two fouls, drew two on her opponents, and she wasn’t booked in the competition.

Best Game

There were a few possible games to choose from in this category, and while I was close to choosing the match with her lone goal of the season (Sept. 26 in a 2-1 road win over San Diego), I ended up going a different route. Still, she scored a nice goal, so here it is:

Instead, I’m going back to her first NWSL start. Ovalle started for Orlando for the first time on Sept. 13 in a 1-1 home draw against Bay FC. She was excellent all game long, but her best moment came in the 70th minute, when La Maga sent in a perfect cross for Ally Watt to flick home with a header to equalize, rescuing a point for Orlando.

Ovalle was Fotmob’s highest rated player in the match from either side with a rating of 8.4 and was a danger all night. She fired eight shot attempts, putting three on target and one off the woodwork. She also completed six of her nine crosses in the game, creating four scoring chances in the game with key passes. One of those should have been an assist on a Marta goal on a beautiful back-post ball, but the captain hit the left post with her shot. She chipped in two tackles, one interception, a clearance, and a recovery on the defensive end, committing two fouls and drawing one in what was a standout performance.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Ovalle a composite rating of 6.5 out of 10 for her 2025 season. While the Mexican winger played inconsistently, that was to be expected after a midseason move to a new team that was missing its attacking focal point with Banda out. There were signs of the kind of magic moments Ovalle can bring to the Pride attack, they were too few and far between. In fairness, in most of the matches she played there was no one close to her level in the attack with her, and she looked at times too eager to make something happen. Three goal contributions isn’t bad for her first eight NWSL games, but Ovalle clearly needs another threat up top with her to help provide her the space she needs to shoot or deliver one of her lethal passes.

2026 Outlook

Ovalle will be a starter next season and will get to go through a full preseason training camp with the club, which should help her get a better understanding of both what Seb Hines wants from her and how her teammates like to play. She should also get to play with Banda (finally), which could create one of the most dynamic attacking tandems in the league, because some of Banda’s struggles were due to poor service, which Ovalle can help with, and some of Ovalle’s issues were down to a lack of the kind of quick, decisive attacking movements that Banda provides. I expect Ovalle’s production in both goals and assists to jump in 2026 for multiple reasons, but with a healthy Banda, there will be a lot more room for her (and Marta) to operate. A front line of Marta, Banda, and Ovalle is tantalizing.

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2025 Orlando Pride Season In Review: Emily Sams

The center back was once again one of the best defenders for the Pride, helping them reach their second straight NWSL semifinal.

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4 days ago

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December 8, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The Orlando Pride drafted defender Emily Sams with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft. The former Florida State player signed with the National Women’s Soccer League through 2025 and was loaned to Swedish side BK Hacken FF prior to being selected by the Pride and signing a three-year contract through the 2026 season.

Sams had a breakout year in 2024, winning NWSL Defender of the Year and helping the club win the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship. She signed a new deal on Feb. 13, 2025, keeping her in purple through the 2027 NWSL season.

The defender showed her versatility this year, playing several games at right back and center back. She was another key player in a successful season for the Pride, helping them to finish fourth in the league and reach the NWSL semifinals.

Let’s take a look at the defender’s 2025 NWSL campaign.

Statistical Breakdown

The defender’s first appearance this year came in the NWSL Challenge Cup against the Washington Spirit. Sams started and played all 90 minutes without recording any shots or goal contributions. She completed 44 of her 52 passes (87%), including four long balls. Defensively, Sams recorded a tackle, an interception, and an aerial duel won.

Sams played in 25 of the team’s 26 regular-season games, starting 24 times and playing 2,183 minutes — the second-most minutes of any Pride player and the most by an outfield player. She took two shots without putting any on target, so she obviously didn’t score any goals. The defender completed 1,284 of her 1,457 passes (88.1%), including 85 of her 146 long balls (58.2%), but didn’t record any assists. Defensively, she added 42 tackles, 33 interceptions, 92 clearances, and 13 blocks. She committed 11 fouls, suffered 25, and was booked once with a yellow card.

Sams started both playoff games, playing all 180 minutes. She didn’t take any shots or record a goal contribution, completing 82 of her 97 passes (84.5%), including five of her 12 long balls (41.7%). She recorded three tackles, four interceptions, a block, and 10 clearances defensively while committing two fouls, drawing five on her opponents, and being booked once.

While a primary starter in the regular season, Sams only played in three of the four Concacaf W Champions Cup games, starting two and playing 164 minutes without a goal contribution. She took one shot that was off target and completed 85 of her 100 passes (85.%). The defender had five tackles and wasn’t booked.

Best Game

Sams’ best game came on Oct. 18 when the Pride traveled to Washington, D.C. for an afternoon clash with the Washington Spirit. The Pride came back from two deficits to defeat their rivals 3-2 and claim a huge three points.

Sams started alongside Rafaelle at center back and was excellent. She completed 41 of her 46 passes (89%), including both long balls, a key pass, and three into the final third. She finished with one tackle, five clearances, four interceptions, and four recoveries. The defender won two of her four duels (50%) in a game where she helped the Pride keep their late lead.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Sams a 7 out of 10 for the 2025 NWSL season. It’s a decrease from her exceptional 9 in 2024, but still higher than her 6.5 grade in 2023. The grade ties Sams with Rafaelle for the second-highest grade on the team, one point behind Barbra Banda, who was given an eight for her injury-shortened season. Overall, Sams was excellent this year and fully deserves one of the highest grades as she further cements herself as one of the best defenders in the NWSL.

2026 Outlook

Perhaps no player on the Pride is a more definite starter next season than Sams. She’s arguably the team’s best defender and has been a mainstay in the starting lineup over the past three seasons. Her new contract in February means she’ll remain in purple through the 2027 season.

The only question will be where she plays. She’s started at center back and right back several times over the past two seasons, but is best in the middle of the field. However, when Kylie Nadaner and Rafaelle are available, Pride Head Coach Seb Hines has opted to use her at right back.

Regardless, there’s no question that Sams will be a regular starter on the Pride back line as long as she remains healthy. Her presence is something that will be essential if the Pride hope to make a run for a second NWSL Championship next season.

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