Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Preseason Creates Talking Points

Published

6 years ago

April 1, 2019

The Orlando Pride are in transition. After only one playoff appearance in three seasons, they come into 2019 with a new head coach and renewed vigor. Fans will get a chance to see the team for the first time under new boss Marc Skinner when the Pride take to Orlando City Stadium for their final of three preseason outings. Reigning Liga Puerto Rico Femenino champions Puerto Rico Sol will visit for a friendly open to the public for free next Sunday, April 7 (tickets here). It’s been a tough preseason to assess so far, but it hasn’t been without its talking points.

New Philosophy

NWSL preseason camps officially started on March 4 and senior internationals have been in and out with national team duty, something that will continue to be a factor across the entire NWSL season with the impending FIFA Women’s World Cup and preceding warm-up fixtures. The missing players don’t make for ideal conditions for implementing an entire new philosophy. Skinner, when asked about his playing style at media day, said he doesn’t put any great emphasis on shape or formation but instead sets his team up to play in a way that “makes people want to come and watch” and one the players will “enjoy playing.”

He has cited Maurizio Sarri and Pep Guardiola as influences, admiring their sides’ positional fluidity, high press, and control of space on the field. Despite the world class talent among the ranks, the Englishman has warned that it may take time to get it right and it is as much about creating good habits as it is being talented — as seen in Orlando’s 4–0 defeat to the North Carolina Courage, a game where the score line doesn’t tell the story and was ultimately decided by Pride mistakes rather than Courage quality according to Skinner and his players.

The team had a much better showing in the 6–0 victory over USF, the biggest margin of victory across the four preseason meetings between the sides over the years. Regardless of the opposition, putting the principles into practice to such a clinical extent is good to see. The Pride’s highest competitive goal total to date is five and no player has ever scored a hat trick, something Rachel Hill managed in five minutes at the weekend. Remember, it was only last year that the Pride lost to college opposition in the preseason.

Learning Process

It is not just the players who are learning. Skinner comes to the NWSL for the first time and is still getting used to the league. Playing the reigning NWSL champions, who have a league-leading 2.208 points per game average over the last two seasons where they appeared in consecutive championship games, was called a litmus test at Media Day by both Skinner and new Pride General Manager Erik Ustruck. It also gave Skinner a chance to see his opposition in person instead of on tape and provided all the staff with the experience of the type of travel involved in the league. While others may have seen the result as a setback, Skinner and the Pride only saw it as valuable learning experience against the toughest opposition they could find.

Transfer Business…or Lack Thereof

On the surface, it had seemed worryingly quiet this off-season with the head coach position remaining vacant until after the NWSL College Draft in January. However, contact had been made with Skinner (who was still under contract with Birmingham City at the time) before Christmas. Perhaps the lengthy hiring process, coupled with many players heading out to Australia to compete in the W-league, delayed any player movement. It wasn’t until March 4, the opening day of preseason camp, that we found out the five remaining players who were not yet under contract, had been re-signed. But so far those are the only signings the team has made, although Skinner was keen to emphasize his role in the draft, saying, “the players that were selected were my players. I selected them. I was part of everything. I made the decisions.”

Currently, rookies Erin Greening and Marisa Viggiano, although neither have signed with the club yet, along with the seven trialists, remain the only prospective additions in an off-season that saw three regular starters depart (although defender Mônica is not only still training with the Pride, but also started in the friendly over the weekend — more on that below). Heading into a season with a team that missed the playoffs and one that will see the team decimated by international call-ups, it’s a risky strategy to say the least.

However, Skinner has already said that he doesn’t want to rush, bring in bodies to fill gaps, and have them be the wrong players. He wants to assess what he has already and eventually select the right players to improve the squad, also likely hinting that he will wait to sign at least one player he is familiar with from his time in England, especially given the acquisition of a 2019 international roster slot in the Christine Nairn trade, but only after their season ends on May 11.

Youth Movement

Skinner spent a lot of time in youth development and coaching prior to his senior appointment in England, which should be a boost to the younger members of the squad, particularly given the chances that will be presented to them this year. Rachel Hill (23) and Dani Weatherholt (25) are both coming off the back of successful spells in Australia with their confidence high and they are likely to be given more senior roles in their third and fourth seasons, respectively.

Of the seven trialists currently with the team, Lainey Burdett, Leah Mohammadi and Caitlin Farrell are undrafted rookies, while Bridget Callahan, Abby Elinsky, and Joanna Boyles all graduated in 2018 and enter their second years as professionals. A trademark of Birmingham City is its productive youth setup and Skinner wasn’t shy in bringing that through. A former goalkeeper coach, he entrusted teenagers with the starting goalkeeper job on two separate occasions to great effect following the departure of his first choice. Add to that the increased roster size and additional supplemental roster now available and it might be worth remembering a few names if Skinner’s Media Day response was anything to go by: “The name of today isn’t the name of tomorrow”.

Reigniting a Spark

It’s a colloquialism of today’s coaching carousel, but many believe a lot of coaches only have a shelf life of two or three seasons before their message grows old and players start to tune out. Jose Mourinho was the perfect example of the so-called third season syndrome and there are many more tales of a sophomore slump. Obviously, there are logical arguments in favor of long-term stability and building for the future but perhaps the departure of Tom Sermanni, although never pleasant, has renewed the fire and hunger in the squad.

Veteran defender Ali Krieger, newly engaged to Pride teammate Ashlyn Harris and back with the U.S. Women’s National Team for the first time since 2017, said the following on opening day of training camp: “I feel like I’m 25. I feel good. I’ve been training my ass off this whole off-season and am really preparing for this day.”

Alex Morgan has already sung the new man’s praises following a two-hour conversation they had over coffee: “It was pretty exciting to see a coach just so eager to dive in and really coach, and I’m looking for that in my club team. I think he’s going to be the perfect fit.”

Skinner also takes a physiological and humanistic approach to coaching, publicly reminding the media that his players are first and foremost normal people and he must treat them as such. He also sent short questionnaires to each of his players prior to his arrival in order to get a better sense of what makes the person behind the athlete tick.

Mônica

The Brazilian center back and three-year Pride veteran said her goodbyes to Central Florida in the off-season as she decided to decline Orlando’s contract offer with reports suggesting she was moving back to Brazil. As mentioned above, the club confirmed she has been training with the Pride, something not unusual for out-of-contract players as they like to keep their fitness up and teams find it useful to have extra players to play training matches with.

However, the major talking point was that Mônica unexpectedly earned minutes in the victory over USF — significant minutes in fact, playing the full 90. With the Pride currently at risk of losing four of their six listed defenders to international duty, defensive reinforcement is essential, but Mônica would not be a solution as she too will also be in France, so it’s confusing to say the least.

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Pride need to do to secure an NWSL Championship win over the Washington Spirit on Saturday?

Published

3 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Sam Denker

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Win or lose, the Orlando Pride’s season comes to an end on Saturday night at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. After they defeated the Chicago Red Stars and the Kansas City Current in prior playoff matches, this final match could see the Pride lift the NWSL Championship trophy. The Pride have already won the NWSL Shield earlier in the year, and this second trophy would cement them as one of the greatest teams in NWSL history. Standing in their way is the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, the same Washington Spirit club the Pride defeated to clinch the Shield.

So, what do the Pride need to do to defeat the Spirit and bring home more silverware?

Prepare for a Better Spirit

During the regular season, the Pride defeated the Spirit twice, 3-2 in Washington all the way back in April, and 2-0 at home in October. The Pride may need to scrub these results from their memory and prepare for a more capable and complete opponent. For starters, in the first matchup, the Spirit were led by interim head coach Adrián González, who is still with the club as an assistant. While González performed well in the role, the Spirit are now led by one of the best coaches in the game, Jonatan Giráldez, who took over in July. Before joining the Spirit, Giráldez led Barcelona Femeni, the single most dominant club in Europe during his tenure. In each of the past two seasons, Giráldez’ Barcelona won the Copa de la Reina, Spain’s domestic cup tournament, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League, showcasing his skill in coaching championship games.

The Pride were able to beat Giráldez’ Spirit squad just over a month ago, but that matchup was missing several key players on Washington’s side of the pitch. The Spirit were without NWSL Best XI players Trinity Rodman and Casey Krueger as well as Best XI Second Team representative Hal Hershfelt. All three of these players have since returned and are likely to play in the NWSL Championship. Ouleye Sarr, the joint leading scorer for Washington along with Rodman, was also out for the October matchup, but she is struggling with a back injury and may not play this weekend. While the Spirit were limited in the last meeting, Orlando was convincing in its 2-0 win. This time around, the Pride will have to prepare for a Spirit team that looks a lot different than the last time out.

Keep the Match to 90 Minutes

One of the key storylines heading into the NWSL Championship is the paths each team has taken. While the higher-seeded teams have won each match of the 2024 playoffs, Orlando has won its matches in regulation, while Washington required extra time to beat Bay FC and penalty kicks to get past NJ/NY Gotham FC. As a result, Orlando has played fewer high-stress minutes in recent weeks and comes in on a great run of form. On the other hand, the Spirit are battle tested, knowing the challenges that come from tight matches. Their goals forcing extra time have come late in matches — the 86th minute against Bay, and the third minute of stoppage time against Gotham. To their credit, the Spirit never know when they are beaten, so Orlando will need to be locked in all the way to the final whistle, hoping to avoid the chaos that ensued at the end of the Kansas City match.

Despite looking shaky at the end of the match against the Current, Orlando’s success this season has come about in the opposite manner of the Spirit’s postseason wins. Orlando has done exceedingly well to get the lead and secure the result. The Pride have only dropped points from winning positions twice, losing none. The semifinal match against Kansas City was also their first come-from-behind victory of the year, showcasing how uncommon it was for them to fall behind in an NWSL match in their 18-win season. Should the NWSL Championship go to extra time, it would be uncharted territory for Orlando. With so few elimination matches in their history, very few players on the roster would have any experience with extra time. The Orlando Pride as a club only participated in their first-ever (then their second and third) penalty shootout in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, winning one of three shootouts. In the end, Orlando will be in a much better position if it can keep this game to 90 minutes.

Marta Magic

The Orlando Pride have four players on the NWSL Best XI first and second teams, but no player is more easily recognized in purple than 38-year-old Marta, the GOAT. While she has been with the Pride since 2017, this campaign (11 goals, 1 assist) has been her most productive since 2017, her first in Orlando (13 goals, 6 assists). The 2017 season was also the last time that Orlando made the playoffs. In 2024, Marta has scored two postseason goals so far, including a magical game winner against the Current. Orlando’s success is inexorably linked to the performances of its best-ever player. Yet, as hard as it is to imagine, the NWSL Championship will be the last match of her existing contract with the Pride, and win or lose, this could be farewell, at least for now.

On the pitch, Marta will be a focal point for the Orlando attack against the Washington Spirit. While Washington’s Best XI defenders Krueger and Tara McKeown attempt to slow down Barbra Banda and Ally Watt, Marta is likely to drop deep and connect the play. Her precision passing and driving runs in recent matches have contributed mightily to an attack that has now scored 10 goals in the past three matches — three by Marta herself. Beyond these traits, Marta will also be a pitch general for the Pride in this final match, directing traffic and keeping the team locked in and organized. Earlier this year, Marta announced her retirement from international soccer with Brazil and took home the silver medal in the Summer Olympics. Expect Marta to leave it all on the pitch on Saturday, and if it were to be her last match for the Pride, it would be incredible to leave with an NWSL Championship.

Saturday night the NWSL Champions will be crowned. Could one of these keys to victory make the critical difference? Vamos Orlando!

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Center Back Emily Sams Named 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year

Pride center back Emily Sams adds another honor to her trophy case after being named the NWSL Defender of the Year.

Published

20 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Sean Rollins

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The National Women’s Soccer League announced this evening that Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams has been named the 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year. She’s the first player in club history to win the award. It was the second major NWSL award won by the Pride after Seb Hines was named the league’s Coach of the Year on Tuesday.

Sams played center back during her 2023 rookie season, but moved to right back at the beginning of this year. Brazilian international Rafaelle’s injury trouble forced Sams back to her natural position where she partnered Kylie Strom, forming arguably the best center back partnership in the league. Together with goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse and the rest of the back line, the Pride conceded a league-best 20 goals while tying the league records for most shutouts in a season (13) and setting a new mark for most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal (554).

Individually, Sams was second in the league with 163 recoveries, and she led the Pride with 108 possessions in the defensive third, 76 clearances, and 16 blocks. Additionally, her 88.18% passing accuracy led all Pride defenders.

Including the playoffs, Sams has played in 27 games this season with 26 starts and recorded 2,365 minutes. She’s recorded 25 tackles and 28 interceptions, winning 30 headed duels and 47% of her tackles. She’s also contributed offensively with a goal and three assists, including assisting Barbra Banda’s first goal in the NWSL quarterfinals against the Chicago Red Stars.

The center back was named to the league’s monthly Best XI three times this year — in May, September, and October/November — and was named to the league’s end-of-the-year Best XI.

The Boise, ID, native played three seasons over five years at Florida State before signing with Racing Louisville’s W League team for the 2022 season. She decided to forgo her senior year at Florida State, signing with the NWSL instead on Aug. 31, 2022. The league loaned her to Swedish club BK Hacken for the remainder of the 2022 season, enabling her to enter the 2023 NWSL Draft. The Pride selected Sams with the third overall pick and she immediately became a key player on the team’s back line.

She was paired with veteran Megan Montefusco at the beginning of her rookie season and Brazilian international Rafaelle after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Sams played 22 regular-season games last year, recording 1,977 minutes, 19 interceptions, and 17 tackles. She won 61% of her tackles and 33 headed duels.

Despite not having any caps, Sams was selected by new USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes to compete for the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, earning a gold medal. Her first appearance for the national side came on Oct. 24 when she started against Iceland in Nashville, TN.

Preliminary voting for the NWSL Defender of the Year award included league owners, general managers, coaches, players, and media. The finalists were then voted on by fans, owners, general managers, coaches, players, and the media with the winner announced this evening. Strom, San Diego Wave FC center back Naomi Girma, North Carolina Courage center back Kaleigh Kurtz, and Washington Spirit center back Tara McKeown were the other finalists.

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines Named NWSL Coach of the Year

After a record-breaking regular season, Pride Head Coach Seb Hines has been named the 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year.

Published

3 days ago

November 19, 2024

Sean Rollins

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The National Women’s Soccer League announced this afternoon that Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines had been named the 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year. It’s the first time in the club’s history that a coach has won the award.

In his second year as permanent head coach, Hines led the Pride to a record-breaking season that saw them finish 18-2-6, winning the NWSL Shield. They finished third in the league with 46 goals scored and tied with NJ/NY Gotham FC for a league-best 20 goals conceded. They set five league records this year, including most points in a season (60), most wins in a season (18), longest winning streak (8), longest shutout streak (554 minutes), and longest single-season unbeaten run (23 games). The Pride also tied the league record for clean sheets in a season (13). Dating back to last season’s finale, the club went 24 matches without a loss under Hines. Orlando also drew all three Summer Cup matches this season, giving the Pride 26 matches without a loss in all competitions under Hines in 2023 and 27 games overall dating back to last year. Orlando’s 2.31 points per game in 2024 is second in league history behind the 2018 North Carolina Courage, who had 2.4 points per game.

The 2024 season caps a rebuild that started following the 2021 NWSL season when the Pride traded away several star players. They hired Amanda Cromwell as head coach for the 2022 season, but she and assistant Sam Greene were suspended and eventually fired for retaliatory behavior. Assistants Michelle Akers and Aline Villares Reis left their positions following the suspensions, leaving Hines as the club’s only option as head coach.

The controversy turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Hines finished the season strong as interim coach, taking the team to a 3-7-5 mark in the final 15 games, which included a seven-game unbeaten run (3-0-4). His performance down the stretch was enough to earn the permanent role. The Pride elevated Hines from interim coach to head coach on Nov. 11, 2022.

In his first year as the club’s permanent head coach, Hines nearly led the Pride to their first playoff appearance since 2017 and second in club history last year, missing out on the goal difference tiebreaker on the final match day of the 2023 campaign. This year, the team came back with the goal of making the postseason and soon became the best team in the league, going the full season without a single home loss in any competition.

Since taking over in June 2022, Hines has become the Pride’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 31-30-12 in league play. His 1.67 points per game and .492 winning percentage also top all previous Pride coaches.

Despite a turnaround that saw the Pride go from one of the worst teams in the league to narrowly missing out on the playoffs, Hines wasn’t a finalist for coach of the year in 2023. It was an easy choice this year as he led the team to its best-ever season and the first trophy in team history.

The team’s 4-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars on Nov. 8 was the first playoff win in club history and the Pride defeated the Kansas City Current 3-2 Sunday afternoon to secure their spot in the 2024 NWSL Championship, which will be in Kansas City on Saturday night.

The NWSL Coach of the Year Award began with a preliminary round voted on by owners, general managers, coaches, players, and the media. The finalists were then voted on by fans, owners, general managers, coaches, players, and the media to determine the winner. The other finalists were Current Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski and Gotham Head Coach Juan Carlos Amoros, last year’s winner.