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Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner Meets the Media

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6 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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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.

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7 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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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.

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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.

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3 days ago

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November 19, 2024

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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.

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Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 3-2 as Pride Advance to NWSL Championship

The Pride advance to the NWSL Championship after a gutsy home win over Kansas City.

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4 days ago

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November 17, 2024

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Orlando Pride defeated the Kansas City Current 3-2 at Inter&Co Stadium this afternoon to claim a spot in the NWSL Championship. The Current took the lead through Debinha, but Haley McCutcheon scored eight minutes later to make it 1-1 at the break. Barbra Banda gave her team the lead in the 53rd minute and an excellent individual effort by Marta in the 82nd minute appeared to put the game away. Vanessa DiBernardo converted a penalty deep in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride advanced to their first-ever final.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines deployed almost the same lineup that beat the Chicago Red Stars 4-1 on Nov. 8. The only change was Adriana re-entering the lineup for Summer Yates, who left the Chicago game with a first-half injury. However, Yates was on the bench for this one.

The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, and Cori Dyke. McCutcheon and Angelina were in the defensive midfield behind Ally Watt, Marta, and Adriana, with Banda up top.

This game started slowly with neither team able to create chances in the early minutes. Once the teams settled in, both had opportunities to take the lead. A great cross by Michelle Cooper in the 33rd minute and a missed clearance by Sams assisted Debinha in the opener. But the Pride fought back and equalized through McCutcheon shortly before halftime.

The Pride were the better team through most of the second half, mainly because of the power and speed of Banda. They took the lead in the 53rd minute and continued to push for a third goal, eventually converting in the 82nd minute. The Current were given a lifeline with 12 minutes of stoppage time and won a penalty with a handball by Abello in the box, but they nearly had an equalizer in the 15th and 16th minutes of stoppage time. The Pride ultimately survived and advanced to the NWSL Championship for the first time.

The first chance of the game didn’t come until the 11th minute and it was due to a mistake by Adriana. After the Pride won a throw-in, Adriana’s pass for Abello was directly to Cooper. The attacker split Abello and Adriana before shooting for the far post. Moorhouse seemed to have the shot the whole way, watching it roll wide.

Banda used a strong move on the left in the 15th minute to beat Hailie Mace and get into the box. As Mace caught up to her from behind, Banda went down. However, while Banda threw her arms up, there was very little contact and referee Danielle Chesky didn’t consider pointing to the spot to award a penalty.

The Pride maintained possession and created another pair of chances. It started when Marta’s cross was knocked out of play by Alana Cook, earning a corner kick. The set piece was chested out by Cook, but only to Abello, whose shot was blocked. Angelina took possession just outside the box and shot, but she fired her shot attempt wide.

The visitors created their second chance in the 14th minute when Claire Hutton dribbled towards the Pride box before pulling up and shooting from distance. The midfielder was unable to get over the ball and it sailed over the target without threatening Moorhouse.

In the 18th minute, Banda had a chance when Watt played her wide on the right. The forward created enough space from Ellie Wheeler for a tight-angle shot that was blocked over the crossbar by Current goalkeeper Almuth Schult. The ensuing corner kick was blocked out by Cook and the second corner went out of play for a goal kick, ending the attack.

Marta intercepted a pass in the 32nd minute, moved around her defender and made a long run to the Kansas City box. She had Banda and Adriana on either side of her, but decided to take the shot herself. Unfortunately, the attempt was directly into a defender.

On the other end, the Current took the lead in the 33rd minute. DiBernardo played the ball wide for Cooper, who sent a gorgeous ball across the face of goal. It was just beyond the reach of Sams and found Debhina at the far post. The Brazilian didn’t make any mistakes, tapping it past Moorhouse to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

“I think just to stay calm and we knew that we were better than them and that we could score on them,” Sams stated about what was said in the team huddle after the goal. “It was unfortunate that we had to go down, but I think too, we just kept our composure and stuck together as a team and knew that we would be able to break them down at some point.”

Eight minutes later, the Pride found their equalizer and it was McCutcheon for the second straight game. Watt made a strong run to the end line, beating Wheeler to get a cross off. It initially looked like Adriana would tap it in, but McCutcheon was making a run completely unmarked into the six. The defensive midfielder tapped it in and, after not scoring since April 29, 2023, she has now scored in back-to-back playoff games.

“The first goal was brilliant,” Hines said after the game. “You know, playing through the middle to then get out wide. Ally Watt, you know, dribbling, driving, great cross. And McCutcheon scores a goal. And, you know, she’s two in two right now. So it’s not bad for a holding midfielder.”

The Pride nearly got a second just before halftime when Watt played a dangerous ball into the box for Banda. The striker had her back to goal and tried to backheel it, but she couldn’t get anything on it and the Current were able to clear. That was the last chance for either team as the game went into the break at 1-1.

At halftime, the Current had more possession (55%-45%), but the Pride had more shots (7-5), shots on target (2-1), corner kicks (3-2), and crosses (12-6). Both teams completed 79% of their first-half passes.

Watt dribbled from the right to the top of the Kansas City box in the 49th minute. Chawinga challenged her from behind and the attacker ran directly into Nichelle Prince. It appeared as though Watt had her breath knocked out of her after being caught in the neck area, requiring attention. After receiving some treatment, she walked off on her own and was able to continue.

Marta and Angelina stood over the ball, with Marta taking the set piece. Her shot was aimed for the near post, but Schult had it well covered, collecting the free kick.

The Pride took their first lead of the game in the 53rd minute when Strom lifted the ball into the Kansas City box. Banda used her body to turn Kayla Sharples before hitting a hard shot past Schult to give her team a 2-1 lead.

“Defenders will always be tight, but as a striker, you need to have a lot of creativity as a striker for you to score,” Banda said about her goal. “I’m a goal machine, so I had to figure it out how I’m going to score for this. So it came into my mind, and I saw the defender. Then I had to take my advantage.”

The Pride had a chance to extend their lead in the 57th minute when Mace fouled Banda hard near the Kansas City box, earning a yellow card for the challenge. After Banda received some treatment, Adriana stepped up to take the set piece. However, she hit the attempt over the top of the goal.

The Current had a chance to get back on even terms in the 61st minute when Chawinga was sent long by Mace. Dyke kept up with the attacker and slid in to win the ball but didn’t connect with it. Sams was between Chawinga and goal as the forward shot for the near post, missing wide.

The visitors nearly found an equalizer in the 65th minute when Cooper volleyed a ball across the box in front of the goal. Prince volleyed the ball on target, but it was blocked by Sams. It went straight to Chawinga, who tried to put a first-touch shot on target, but she sent it over the top.

A mistake at midfield nearly cost the Pride in the 71st when Angelina lost possession. Chawinga carried the ball to the top of the box while Pride defenders tried desperately to get in front. The forward shot before entering the 18, but hit the attempt wide.

Hines made his first changes of the game in the 79th minute, as Julie Doyle and Yates came on for Adriana and Watt.

Banda won the ball from Sharples in the 82nd minute before going down, knocking it to Marta, who took it from there. The Pride captain dribbled to her left and cut back, resulting in Sharples and Cook going down. She dribbled past Schult before passing the ball in to make it 3-1.

“It was so amazing. I just saw all the defenders went down, but I know that’s what Marta can do,” Banda said about Marta’s goal. “So, I know it’s an assist because I was down, unfortunately. But she scored and we know her for that.”

“I feel like she’s been in situations like that before,” Sams added. “And, you know, I feel like she might take the shot earlier. So just to see her like, you know, see two players go to ground and slide, and Marta cuts them back, and then cuts back the goalkeeper and just slots it home. I mean, it’s just such a hard goal. I mean, she’s the GOAT and she proves it. And she proved it tonight.”

It was a fantastic goal by Marta, but the celebrations were cut short as Banda remained down near midfield and required medical assistance. She had to be helped off the field and was replaced by Carson Pickett. Fortunately, she was soon seen laughing on the bench with Watt, which suggests she was fine.

The fourth official showed 12 minutes of second-half stoppage time and the Current had to find something quick trailing by two goals. In the sixth minute, they won a corner kick and sent Schult to the other end. The Pride knocked the first attempt out of play and cleared the second one.

Hines made his third change of the game in the seventh minute of added time, replacing Dyke with Celia. While the substitution might’ve been to waste some time, it also gave Celia one last chance to play at Inter&Co Stadium as she announced she’s retiring following the season.

Marta looked for her second goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time, dribbling into the left side of the box. She split a pair of defenders and shot, but the attempt sailed well wide.

In the 10th minute of stoppage time, Mace took a shot from just inside the Pride box. Abello blocked the attempt, sending it out of play for a corner kick. However, the ball was off of Abello’s arm and the video assistant referee indicated that Chesky should have a second look.

After a brief check, Chesky returned to the field and pointed to the spot. DiBernardo stepped up to take the spot kick and took it well. As Moorhouse dove to her right, DiBernardo sent the attempt the other way to make it 3-2.

The visitors continued to push as the game neared its end. In the 15th minute of stoppage time, Wheeler cut back to lose her defender and fired on goal, but she missed the target. A minute later, Chawinga was sent down the right and took possession when Moorhouse came way off her line and missed the ball. Chawinga had Sharples making a run into the six as Celia came over to cover her. The center back got her head to the ball, but sent the attempt over the crossbar. That was the last chance as the Pride came away with a 3-2 win.

The Current ended the game with more possession (51.8%-48.2%), shots (20-13), and corner kicks (4-3). The Pride had the advantage in shots on target (5-4), crosses (11-9), and better passing accuracy (78%-75.2%).

“They sat back, waited for transition moments. And, you know, they’re very good at it,” Hines said about the game. “You know, they’ve built that in the last second half of the season. Get the threatening players running in behind. But I thought in moments we were really good.

“What an effort from the players. I can’t speak highly enough for them. They’ve put so much work and effort, and they really wanted this tonight. You know, in front of our home fans and their hunger and desire.”

The Pride have played ahead most of the season, not needing to come from behind. The last time they came back from a deficit to win prior to this game was a 3-1 win over the Portland Thorns on June 11, 2023. They hadn’t come from behind to claim points since the second game of the season on March 22, something they did in each of the first two games of the season.

It’s rare that playoffs go according to plan, but this NWSL postseason has done just that. The higher-seeded team has won every game in this postseason, resulting in the top two teams meeting in Kansas City for the championship. That might bode well for the Pride, who finished the season with the league’s best record, making them the higher seed for the final.

“It’s great,” Hines said about reaching the championship. “You know, you’ve put all the hard work and effort into it. Obviously, in the regular season, 26-game group stage to then get into a three-game tournament. So we’ve done two of it, and there’s one more to go. So obviously, the spirits are really high right now, and we’re ready to go on Saturday.”

The Pride have six days before they take the field again. The Washington Spirit drew NJ/NY Gotham FC 1-1 Saturday and advanced on penalties to claim the other spot. So the top two teams will meet at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City Saturday night at 8 p.m. for the NWSL Championship.

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