Tag: Orlando Pride

Optimizing the Pride: What Is The Best Starting XI?

Posted on by Backline Soccer

 

As the 2019 season of the National Women’s Soccer League shifts into high gear, the playoff push begins for most teams. Languishing at the bottom of the table are the usual suspects of Sky Blue FC and the Orlando Pride. Rounding into form from a brutal run since the start of the season, Orlando has managed three wins in the last five matches with ten left to play.  Building momentum is key. And being blessed with two weeks off in a row, Pride players now have an opportunity to further integrate themselves into the culture and system Marc Skinner is establishing.

If the Orlando Pride want to climb up the league table, the team will need to claim as many points as possible now that the squad is at the fullest strength it can be (barring any further injuries). Coach Skinner’s next challenge will require him to find his best starting XI moving forward; a lineup that will collect the most points while continuing the development of his culture, style of play, and growth for next year. Not accounting for specific team match-ups, the Pride starting lineup should be something along this graphic.

 

 

The netminder for the Pride, while she is available, should be Ashlyn Harris. Haley Kopmeyer served admirably when called upon to step in while Harris was with the national team, but Harris gives Orlando the best chance to win with her reliable play stemming from her ability to play with her feet, the organizational skills to command the back line and a better distribution to start the attack. Both keepers are similar, and from a statistical perspective Harris edges Kopmeyer in goals against per 90 minutes 2.00 to 2.30. Her save success rate is higher, and she earned the first clean sheet for Orlando in over a year. 

The Pride defense has been porous having allowed thirty-one goals so far this season, the most in the league. The next worst team for this stat is the Houston Dash with twenty-five goals allowed in the same number of matches. Once all the players returned from the World Cup, Coach Skinner was tasked with blending his best players who have developed while in Orlando with those whose talents are at the international level. Starting both Erin Greening and Ali Krieger versus Sky Blue FC paid off. Greening’s play has merited her a starting spot in the XI. She has lead the team in touches multiple times, and if she can improve her passing Krieger is one of the best full backs in the league. Going forward, having the ability to bring on Carson Pickett as a late game tactical substitution to change the course of the game should have a strong impact. If the Pride are protecting a lead, why not have that fifth defender on the pitch?

Tony Pressley is a player that stepped up while the World Cup players were gone. She has the ability to play multiple positions on the field; in addition to center back, she can act as a defensive mid, or full back. Her pairing with Shelina Zadorsky should be given the remainder of the season to form a solid partnership going forward, perhaps carrying into next season. Zadorsky has been a consistent player for the Pride since her arrival from the Washington Spirit. She’s a natural partner with Krieger to have communication on defense.

At full strength, the Pride midfield poses a variety of options, and there isn’t one perfect setup. Coach Skinner will have to minimize the flaws by putting each player in a position to be successful. For that reason, the most success for Orlando has come from utilizing a double pivot since the defense can have some coverage with the space taken up in a double pivot, plus offensively the midfield is less predictable since the players acting as the number six and eight can be interchanging between one another. The selection for the double pivot should be veteran international Alanna Kennedy along with Joanna Boyles. Kennedy has quality defensively, but can transition into an attacking role smoothly plus she has proven herself as another option on free kicks. Boyles has the potential to develop into something special; however, sometimes she aggressively goes to ground too often which can lead to her being out of position. Having players like Emily van Egmond, Dani Weatherholt, and Marisa Viggiano allows flexibility to adapt to specific match situations. 

On the attacking foot, the Pride should have Chioma Ubogagu, Marta, and new arrival Claire Emslie. This summer Ubogagu has stepped up her level of play to be someone Skinner can count on. There is still the occasional gaff or not quite the right decision in a timely matter, but it seems those errors are popping up less often. Marta seems to have found renewed energy since her return from France. Her ability both on and off the ball is on another level. In the short amount of time Emslie has had on the pitch she immediately proved the level of quality she brings to the squad. Additionally, her versatility allows her to play on both the left and right wing. She displaces Rachel Hill from the starters, but allows Hill to be more of a super sub for Orlando. 

When the Pride first joined the league, former head coach Tom Sermanni originally played Alex Morgan in a lone striker role, which wasn’t successful and isolated Morgan for the majority of the season. The difference of having her as the single attacker with Marc Skinner’s scheme involves the amount of movement from the rest of the attack, both with and without the ball, as the team looks to attack space created plus the quality of the squad has improved each year to potentially create better opportunities. As far as having Morgan start up top, that is a no-brainer; however, she has received her share of criticism for not performing at the same level for club as she has for country and whether or not she is giving maximum effort to Orlando since her husband, Servando Carrasco, no longer plays in Orlando as the men’s side of the club parted ways with him and he now plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Morgan is a professional and a competitor, and it is ludicrous to think otherwise. She isn’t being shown southern hospitality and skeptics think she has different area codes in mind.

Overall, the Orlando Pride will keep pushing to work itself out of the hole the lack of early season results buried the team in. Realistically, seventh place in the standings should be an achievement as Orlando looks to collect the most points from the last ten matches. However, the USWNT Victory Tour and other impending national team matches running through the end of the season may keep Coach Skinner from fielding this lineup. Let us know what your best starting XI for the Orlando Pride is in the comments below.



  

Sky Blue Continues Journey to Invisibility with Bumbling Loss to Orlando

Posted on by Backline Soccer

It hasn’t been easy for Sky Blue FC and it got that much harder after a 2-1, self-inflicted, loss to Orlando City on Saturday. A handball and own-goal are how the Pride scored their goals, leaving the New Jersey crew to wonder if luck is also against them in yet another disastrous season.

“I’m going to give a lot of credit to Sky Blue,” said Orlando head coach Marc Skinner after the game. “I knew they were going to be dangerous, that’s why we paid them respect and sat deeper and didn’t let them have the spaces because I think they’re pretty good.”

Sky Blue wasn’t lifeless in this game. Jen Hoy had the game’s first opportunity in the ninth minute but Orlando goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer was more than up to the task. Later on in the game, when trailing, lazy defense opened up an opportunity for Hoy to feed Raquel Rodriguez at the top of the box. The shot was saved by Hopmeyer who all but kept Sky Blue from their first win of the season.

Both of Orlando’s goals came from defensive mistakes. The first in the 32nd minute when Elizabeth Eddy threw her body in front of a shot which deflected and hit her arm. The referee made the call, awarded a penalty kick and was converted by Chioma Ubogagu. The second came late in the contest when a cross from Marisa Viggano deflected off of Gina Lewandowski for an own-goal.

Orlando escaped New Brunswick with their first win of the season and leave Sky Blue in a darker place with no answers to their dismal play. Next is a trip to Chicago on July 6th where Sky Blue will play a Red Stars team that has their sights set on leaping into playoff contention.

Coming out of the World Cup Break: No, this isn’t the 2018 Orlando Pride

Posted on by RJ Allen

Starting the second half on the National Women’s Soccer League from the World Cup break the Orlando Pride look to shake off the doldrums of starting this season without a win. Has this been a carryover from the end of the 2018 season which was rough goings for the Orlando Pride?

The team underachieved last year and played itself out of playoff contention as the Pride dropped points until the bitter end of the season. There was a cloud of general malaise hanging over the team which led to the parting of the ways with Coaches Tom Sermanni and Khano Smith. The organization also replaced the general manager which lead to a mostly stagnant off-season.

A new chapter in team history began with the appointment of a new general manager and the hire of Marc Skinner from Birmingham City Women’s FC, a club which has held firmly to fourth on the Women’s Super League table against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal.

Coach Skinner has a difficult task of instilling a new system in a three-week long preseason with a revolving door for his national team players. Orlando only had all of its players together in camp the Thursday before the first match. Compounding the challenge is the schedule of the fixtures to start the season.

The results haven’t come, but the performance on the pitch has progressively gotten better. The core players have demonstrated some of the ball and player movement Skinner is looking to instill in Orlando; however, the touch in the final third has still left the team lacking.

Beyond the results on the field, Orlando has evolved its organizational structure. First, the club appointed team-specific general manager, Erik Ustruck, who is focused on adding players Skinner hopes will increase the level of quality on the squad; such as, with the signing of Scottish international Claire Emslie while allowing the head coach to concentrate on tactics, player development, and game planning for opponents. In addition, the club has committed to the future of the Pride as the team announcement stated, “…first-ever customized, exclusive training facility…tailored to and used only by a women’s team.” While the future appears bright, currently all Orlando is looking for is the first win at Houston against the Dash. The last meeting was won by Houston on an early Kealia Ohai goal which stood up to get the three points.

The obvious key to victory for the Pride comes down to the fundamentals. Players have to find their finishing boots because the offense for Orlando has been awful. The only two goals scored by the team thus far have come from a center back on a set piece. Things haven’t worked out from the run of play. In regards to his side and the preparation for the match Marc Skinner said, “We’ve got to get to a point where we can play anybody. I’m happy with the progress, not the results I will say that, but we’re happy with the progress that the players are showing. If we can limit the mistakes and make the other team make more mistakes we’ll be in a good place.”

Even though signs are pointing to a season for a rebuild, the serious work for that won’t be done until after this year. Until then, the players on the roster will attempt to demonstrate to Skinner they belong in his long-term plans. No excuses on national team players being absent, the players remaining should show progress in their development and bloom. The real question is will this be enough to move Orlando up the standings in the league?  



Backline Chat: The NWSL is back!

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charles Olney (@olneyce): Welcome to the first Backline chat of the 2019 NWSL season. We have four matches under our belts, and a lot of material to cover. To kick things off, let’s stay big picture. Did anyone see anything this weekend that changed their expectations for the year? Or is the sample size still too small to draw any conclusions?

Allison Cary (@findingallison): Too small, for me. Everything I can comment about this weekend, I can also blow off as a bad game. Or a good one

RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): It looked very Week 1 of the season to me. But I do think Portland and Houston were stand outs for me so far in this season. Both looked better in some ways already than their 2018 form.

Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): It’s still early. Most teams looked to still be in preseason mode. I felt Portland and Chicago looked the best while North Carolina was exactly what I expected.

Charles Olney: The closest I can say is that Orlando might be even worse than I was expecting. But that’s really only one the evidence of a single half. And as Allison says, anyone can have a bad half. Still, it was a REALLY bad half.

Luis Hernandez: The second half was better. I’ve watch Orlando a bit in the preseason and I know what Skinner wants to instill. It’s going to take time.

Allison Cary: I feel like the Houston game is one they would have lost in the past. Granted, they almost choked. But it meant something to me that they didn’t.

RJ Allen: Houston played like a team with a plan and the ability to (mostly) complete that plan. Which is an upgrade for them.

Allison Cary: Exactly @rjallen, completely agree.

Charles Olney: I feel like Houston did a lot to push off the unlucky loser dynamic last year, when they actually got results in lots of games that (to my eyes) they shouldn’t have. But I agree with Allison that there was something specific about those final minutes that felt different. There was definitely an intensity, combined with a joyfulness, in the Houston players post match. They knew they played well, and felt good about being able to repeat it.

Luis Hernandez: I feel better about Houston and less so for the Reign. That team can’t afford more injuries. As for the Dash, I still think they can do better but I was pleased.

RJ Allen: I do wonder if Washington looked better or if Sky Blue are just somehow worse. More matches are needed there, for sure.

Charles Olney: To dial in a little bit, let’s talk through each match briefly. Starting with North Carolina-Chicago. It was a rematch of last year’s semifinal (the #DrainageDerby), and North Carolina picked up where they left off. But Chicago managed to hang onto a draw. What were people’s thoughts there?

RJ Allen: North Carolina’s whole MO is to take a bunch of shots and have a few land. They looked a bit rusty which happens early in a season. Plus having McCall Zerboni not look 100% yet changes how that midfield plays. She is really what drove them forward.

Allison Cary: I thought it was North Carolina’s game to lose. After such a dominant season, not being able to get three points out of your home opener isn’t exactly where you wanted to start. But credit to Chicago for going toe-to-toe with them.

Luis Hernandez: I think North Carolina could have been more sharp in the attack, and if they had cleaned that up they could have beaten the Red Stars.

Charles Olney: This very much felt like a game that NC dominated – and I fully expected them to do their normal thing of reeling off two or three goals around the 60th minute. But they didn’t, and Chicago actually ended up with the final great chance. I do think that was more to Carolina being unable to put them away than any special performance from them.

But from Chicago’s perspective, getting a point away to North Carolina, in a game they didn’t actually play that well, is hardly a bad way to start the season.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I’m happy if I’m Chicago.

RJ Allen: That is the magic of Sam Kerr.

Luis Hernandez: However, I felt the Red Stars came in with a smart game plan and Chicago was able to get a result. Taking points from the Courage at Cary is going to be a win for any team.

Charles Olney: I do sort of disagree there. I don’t think Chicago really had a great game plan. The Courage ran right through them most of the game and they depended a lot on excellent performances from the keeper and center backs. Which…it succeeded, I guess, and maybe there wasn’t any better option available. But I don’t think it was a successful game plan. But we’ll have to see them with a full strength team to really draw any conclusions, I think.

Charles Olney: Okay, the other Saturday game was Washington-Sky Blue. In the matchup of the two bottom teams from last year, Washington managed to find a win. How much of that was due to improvements on their end, and how much was due to Sky Blue’s continued problems?

RJ Allen: 40% improvements and 60% Sky Blue being terrible.

Charles Olney: I’ll admit this is one that I’ve still only seen the first half of. But at least there, the quality on both sides was still pretty lacking. But Washington at least seemed to be reasonably coherent, and occasionally exciting. It was, as usual, hard to even tell what Sky Blue thought they were doing.

RJ Allen: Sky Blue just looked bad. And I’m not sure there is anything that can be done at this point that isn’t new ownership or moving the team to fix it. A lot of the changes are a bit like putting lipstick on a pig.

Charles Olney: You do have to wonder about a team coming straight out of preseason, when they’ve had a month to talk about their approach and style, with no particular idea of how to play. And a coach whose postgame comments make clear that she doesn’t have a vision, either. That’s bad, no matter how you dress it up.

Allison Cary: Neither team really looked “good.” I feel like they’re gonna be hard to judge until they go up against other opponents, but if I’m Sky Blue I’m pretty terrified.

Luis Hernandez: The Washington/SkyBlue game was really hard to watch, and I’m not taking Yahoo Sports stream.

Charles Olney: We’ve spent a lot of time on these chats feeling sad about Sky Blue, so let’s turn our attention to the positive side. Do people see this Washington with a real chance to break out from the bottom tier? Or not? Or, again, still too soon to know?

Luis Hernandez: I can’t say too much against the Spirit since they won. I’m reserving judgment on them until they play a game or two more.

Allison Cary: I think it’s too soon but… I’m not encouraged.

Luis Hernandez: It just isn’t an accurate indicator because of who they played.

Charles Olney: The Spirit have Utah next weekend, which could be a good match to tell us a lot about both teams. Or maybe will end up being another game that will just leave us scratching our heads for more data.

The one thing I’ll say for the Spirit is that, whatever the history behind Burke as a coach (which I continue to think has not been taken nearly seriously enough by the team), he seems to be pretty popular at the moment with the players.

Allison Cary: Yeah, I’m not really a fan but I guess I’ll give him a chance to change my mind.

Charles Olney: The real test will be when things go poorly for a while, so it’s absolutely something to keep our eyes on.

Charles Olney: Okay, turning to Sunday’s games, the first was Orlando-Portland. As we’ve already mentioned, the first half was very good for Portland and very not good for Orlando, but the second was much more even. Thoughts on what that tells us?

I’ll start with the controversial statement that Tobin Heath looked very very good, which is a good sign for the US this summer, but a bad sign for other NWSL teams.

Luis Hernandez: It’s going to be a rough year for the Pride. Portland was Portland. Very good. Talented. Deep.

RJ Allen: Orlando is not a good soccer team and hasn’t really been since they were founded. For a team that has some of the best players in the world it is not a good sign. I understand it takes time to build a team and with a new coach it takes more. But they do not have 1-20 a good or solid roster.

Allison Cary: Even if they aren’t as bad as they were in the first half, Orlando is not gonna be able to compete with the top teams in this league.

Charles Olney: In some ways, I wonder if that great run at the end of 2017 actually ended up hurting the Pride overall. I think it’s pretty clear on the evidence of the past few years that this roster isn’t actually a world-beating group, but for a couple months they just looked that way. But because they had that success, they maybe stuck with the plan longer than might have otherwise happened.

Luis Hernandez: Orlando had to field supplemental players in the first match. What else do people need to know?

Charles Olney: That said, it was pretty clear this offseason that things needed changing, and they didn’t change much, so maybe not.

Allison Cary: Yeah, they didn’t fix their problems from last year. Even with a new head coach, they needed to do more. It’s gonna be a long year.

Luis Hernandez: The main problem from last year was that they underachieved.

Charles Olney: I do think there’s space in this squad to set things up for the next few years, in anticipation of the team that will come after Morgan and Marta leave. But it may be a bit of a slog.

RJ Allen: The league wants Orlando to be a good team. They might even need Orlando to be a good team. So I hope they can get it together.

Luis Hernandez: I know sports isn’t about patience but that’s exactly what everyone will need to have for the Pride. The roster isn’t even complete.

RJ Allen: That makes it so much worse though.

Luis Hernandez: And look at the first ten matches for Orlando, it’s brutal. Hi. Let’s play Portland at home then travel to North Carolina then to the Reign in one week.

Charles Olney: For Portland, any other thoughts? They looked good, certainly. Better than I was expecting for them out of the gate. I do really worry about what they’ll be able to do during the World Cup, but if they can play this well outside of that window it may not matter.

RJ Allen: I do think they dip a bit during the World Cup but I think they will still end up in the playoff picture and end strong.

Allison Cary: They looked impressive, albeit with very little resistance.

Luis Hernandez: Yeah, I wanted to call out Kling for a dirty foul on Morgan that didn’t get called.

Allison Cary: Yeah, that was a bad missed call.

Charles Olney: I think we’re all pretty sick of rough play going uncalled. This was just one more example.

RJ Allen: A lot of players in the league play to whatever level of reffing there is. Kling is one of them. If they let her get away with murder, she and a lot of other players will go for it.

Luis Hernandez: The Thorns need to grab all the points while they have their starters. They will make the playoffs. I didn’t think they would until Sunday.

RJ Allen: Can we talk about the surprise front runner for best match of the week now?

Charles Olney: Absolutely. In the final game of the weekend, Houston drew with Reign FC. I was able to make it up to Houston for this one, and it was one of the most enjoyable games I’ve attended in a long time. We’ve already talked a bit about Houston, but any further thoughts there, or about the Reign?

Allison Cary: Injuries suck

RJ Allen: Two subs for two hurt players in quickly is going to hurt any team. I think Seattle handled it about as well as you could.

Allison Cary: Yeah, especially considering who they lost and who was already out.

Charles Olney: I’ve got a full post coming up on the site about this game, so I won’t repeat myself too much here. But the main point I do want to hit is that I saw qualities from both of these teams that helped answer some of the lingering questions I had about them.

RJ Allen: Houston had 8 shots on goal. 8! And they were good chances too.

Charles Olney: Houston actually possessed the ball really well, which is a huge change from last year. They also pressed well, which is different, and gives them a new angle. Those suggest a team who isn’t just hanging on. They think they’re good enough to outplay the opposition. That’s great.

For the Reign, the first half was really rough, but the second half showed that they should be very good again. Even accounting for injuries, and for the strange poor play from Theresa Nielsen. They’ve got a real player in Darian Jenkins. They’ve got a potential replacement for what they’ve traditionally gotten from Rapinoe (playmaking from the wings drifting inward) in Shea Groom. They have real depth in the defense, with McNabb and Celia both performing well. But oh boy do they need to get Fishlock back and/or need better performances from Andrews and Kellond-Knight.

RJ Allen: Charles took the words right off my keyboard.

Luis Hernandez: The game I felt was officiated well. I don’t give credit when that happens but I kind of feel like I need to since I’ve been bashing the refs in Orlando.

RJ Allen: Also maybe have Allie Long take the Seattle PKs?

Allison Cary: Yeah that PK from Taylor was… not good.

Charles Olney: Okay, we’ll wrap up with the conversation about matters ON the pitch there. But let’s also take a moment to discuss everyone’s favorite topic: streaming. How was the experience using Yahoo for the first time?

RJ Allen: My Roku played the Yahoo app without issue. The only problem was the steams on day 1 being switched and then switched back.

Luis Hernandez: I had difficulties casting to my TV but I could watch on my laptop. I didn’t try to use the mobile app

Allison Cary: I just watched on my laptop. It was fine.

RJ Allen: Chromecast doesn’t allow Yahoo steams to be cast, so I’ve been told.

Charles Olney: Everything also basically worked for me. I do have some nitpicks: the streams swapping, some difficulty actually finding the streams on the app, technical issues causing problems with the replays (both during the broadcast, and with attempts to watch the streams after the match was over), and the obligatory name-flubs and other commentary issues. But it’s far better than the go90 rollout. And we heard some nice new voices in the broadcasts, too.

Luis Hernandez: I wasn’t expecting Dan on the broadcast.

RJ Allen: Having someone with as much woso knowledge as him back, was nice.

Luis Hernandez: I’m going to try the other options as the matches come up. Or invest in a Roku.

RJ Allen: Roku’s are the best.

Charles Olney: On the whole, it sounds like our experiences were okay, though there could always be improvements. I certainly would like to see more and better options for streaming, casting, and watching. It continues to frustrate me that the experience on the league website is clearly superior to the official one through a huge tech company. But que sera.

RJ Allen: VPNs are good my friends.

Charles Olney: Alright, any thoughts on the matches coming up this week? We’ve got North Carolina and Orlando tonight, and four more games on the weekend. Any that particularly catch your eye?

Luis Hernandez: I’m looking forward to seeing Utah.

Allison Cary: Orlando is gonna get killed.

Luis Hernandez: Which match Allison?

RJ Allen: Both.

Charles Olney: Both.

Allison Cary: I meant NC, but both.

Charles Olney: I actually would be a little surprised if they lose both. But not that surprised.

Luis Hernandez: I think they’ll fare better in Tacoma.

Charles Olney: To me, Chicago-Portland looks like the game of the week, and could give us a real sense of where those teams stand at this point. But I also am excited about Utah and Washington, as a game with two teams that have some potential to make big improvements this year facing off.

RJ Allen: I’m just glad the NWSL is back and we can talk soccer weekly.

Allison Cary: Amen

Charles Olney: RT @rjallen

Luis Hernandez: Are we expecting a Chicago win at home or a Portland win on the road. RJ picked a draw.

RJ Allen: Spoilers!

Allison Cary: Portland win. Because why not.

Charles Olney: Draw seems like a fair call. I wouldn’t be surprised at any result, though.

Luis Hernandez: I expect Chicago to find a way to win.

I also expect Kerr to get fouled like it was going out of style.

Allison Cary: Fair prediction.

Charles Olney: Alright, with that we’ll call it a wrap for this week. Thanks to everyone for joining us. And as always, feel free to hit me any of us up on twitter with questions or comments.

Let The Erik Ustruck Era Commence

Posted on by RJ Allen

There’s a new face leading the Orlando Pride. We’re not talking about first year head coach Marc Skinner, but Erik Ustruck, the first dedicated general manager for the team.

In prior years, Orlando City, the Major League Soccer side who is the parent club for the Pride, would have the general manager for men’s side also act in the same role for the women. At the time, head coach Tom Sermanni seemed to have developed his preferred method to build the Pride roster for his tenure at Orlando. Fast forward to late 2018, Orlando City had parted ways with the club’s general manager, and the Pride head coach position was vacant. The club officially named Luiz Muzzi the general manager for the organization on December 18, and after only a short time there came to the conclusion that to do the job successfully, he could not focus on both MLS and NWSL sides. Erik Ustruck was then named Pride general manager, a role focusing on managing all aspects of the Pride’s technical operations on January 7.

At the time of Ustruck’s appointment, Muzzi stated, “We are very happy to promote Erik to this newly established position, which will allow us to continue increasing our resources and focus on building the Pride. Erik has been dedicated to the success of this Club from his time as a player through his positions in the front office, and we believe he will be a great asset in strengthening and supporting our NWSL operations.”

Prior to this appointment, fans of the Pride had been critical on marketing efforts, and at times a perceived lack of support. Having Ustruck in the role allows allows the coach to focus on the team while still have an advocate in the club front office. His time being a part of the Orlando City organization since 2011, first as a player, then joining the front office after his playing day in 2014. He was able to hire Marc Skinner with a solid understanding of the Orlando organizational environment.

Coach Skinner’s transition as Pride coach has appeared to have gone smoothly with full support of the club. Ustruck was able to add coach Carl Green from Birmingham City to re-join Skinner in Orlando as part of a larger technical staff. With Erik Ustruck as GM, the Pride have broken the mold on valuing draft picks. The team currently hold their first, second, and third round picks while adding Houston’s third and fourth round picks for the 2020 draft where in past years Orlando didn’t put much stock in keeping picks and building through the draft.

The approach for preseason matches were also changed up. This off-season instead of completely playing junior college and college sides, the Pride took on professional teams in the North Carolina Courage and Puerto Rico Sol FC.

Off the pitch, the Pride had a full series of stand alone kickoff week events leading to their opening day match against the Portland Thorns. Some events were mainstays like the fourth annual Scarf the City while adding the open to the public aforementioned Puerto Rico Sol match that drew over 2,000 fans. Additionally, the team held an exclusive supporter group event at Orlando City Stadium, along with Pride in the Park, a family-friendly night out at Lake Eola Park, a venue in the heart of downtown Orlando, with music, games and activities which culminated in the 2019 home kit reveal. The night before the match Coach Skinner hosted at Lion’s Pride, a club owned sports bar, a two hour Q&A session with players in attendance that will also feature the debut of a new menu item, the Pride Burger.

Coach Skinner has suggested his roster is a work in progress. Having Erik Ustruck as GM, allows Skinner to focus on the job of coaching the players while Ustruck can address ways to improve the roster as a whole once the coaching staff identifies potential areas of improvement such as the recent trade with North Carolina for defender Morgan Reid for added depth during the absences of players heading to the World Cup in France this summer. It’s anticipated that Orlando will add more players and fill the two open international slots once the leagues in Europe end their season. The Women’s Super League in England wraps up May 11 and no doubt Ustruck will be busy adding reinforcements.

As the NWSL season begins the appointment of Erik Ustruck seems to have heralded a new chapter in the short history of the Pride. All appearances so far this year make it seems like there is a greater vision for growth of the team’s brand off the field as the changes in support have shown, and if the front office with Erik Ustruck as the focal point show the patience to cultivate results on the pitch for the long haul. It will be a very bright future for Coach Skinner and the Orlando Pride.

The NWSL Is About To Start, Three Things I’m Excited For

Posted on by RJ Allen

Like most who follow the National Women’s Soccer League, I’ve been eagerly counting down the days to the start of the 2019 season. The off-season lacked a bit of drama for most teams, and while there was the occasional huge news drop, like the termination of the deal between the NWSL and A&E which will no longer have game of the week broadcasts on the Lifetime network, the late “will she or won’t she” drama of Tierna Davidson declaring for the NWSL draft, or the Reign FC name change that came with the move to Tacoma. As teams finalize rosters for the upcoming campaign in the shadow of the World Cup this summer, and league activity ramps up to come at us fast and furious, here are what I’m looking forward to this year.

New Gaffers In Charge

One of the signs on how competitive the NWSL is a team changing a head coach when results are poor or when a team needs a new voice to get the players over the hump, and into the playoffs. Washington and Orlando sacked veteran coaches when the teams ended in the bottom third of the standings, while Houston parted ways with Vera Pauw and hold new manager James Clarkson.  I’m excited to see how the Marc Skinner can give Orlando a new identity in what is to be a challenging year. As players heading to the World Cup come and go, will Orlando be able to take a step forward in development? I’m curious how the Spirit will bounce back with what has to be a shift in culture from how Jim Gabarra ran the show. Coach Clarkson has the pieces to finish higher than the 2018 version of the team. However, the Houston Dash appear to have the talent in place to see the team make the playoffs for the first time in team history. Houston appears less impacted from the World Cup as the other teams with new coaches. Could this be the year the Dash make the postseason?

 World Cup Bounce

With the league not on television and attendance dropping for most teams last season, the “World Cup bounce” is something that needs to happen for the league to continue on a positive trajectory. NWSL matches will be streaming on Yahoo Sports domestically, but I want to see what sort of TV deal the league can get in place after the World Cup is over. My expectation is the league has to have at a minimum the playoffs and championship games broadcasted on television. I’m trying to give the league office the benefit of the doubt on having a plan to boost the presence of its players and the product on the field once all the players that missed time in France return. Additionally, I’m hoping to see a spike across the league at the gate. Each team in the league should be thinking of marketing during and after the World Cup, and I know it isn’t going to have the same impact across the teams. I just want the momentum to actually be a thing. Perhaps even have the league announce any plans of expansion around this time. This pipe dream is starting to get carried away.

Can Lightning Strike Twice For the Courage?

I think it’s fair to say that North Carolina was one of the most dominant teams to play in the world. On top of all the Courage achieved domestically, the team came away with the International Champions Cup over the likes of PSG and Lyon. Recently, the ICC was announced to take place in Cary with the Courage defending the cup at home. Obviously the champions of the league last year are also favored for this season, and even though my loyalty isn’t with North Carolina, I’m just looking forward to seeing if they can be as successful this year as they were in 2018. Every match played for the Courage will be must-watch as far as I’m concerned, either to watch the dynasty continue or to see them stumble, it will be entertaining to me.

Those are my top three things I’m excited for this NWSL season. Hopefully, we are all in for a treat as women’s soccer will be in the spotlight. There are several unanswered questions still to be seen, such as how will the season go for Sky Blue or will the Reign attendance change with a new location. That being said: Are you not entertained?

What should be Marc Skinner’s Top Priority For the Orlando Pride?

Posted on by RJ Allen

Teams entering the 2019 National Women’s Soccer League season, which coincides with a World Cup year, would be challenged with the loss of federated players preparing for the global tournament in France. Compounded to some of the teams woes is the appointment of a new coach, or like the Orlando Pride no coach officially named until after the draft. Barring any trades, Coach Marc Skinner will need to find players to fill the now twenty-two roster spots, and additionally the four supplemental players will also be important due to the potential of missing ten starters this summer.

Coach Skinner explained his thoughts on the World Cup absences impact to his roster in his initial statements by saying, “But what we need to do is look at what we have, who we’ll have to use during the World Cup, and then we as a coaching staff will work everyday to make those players better. So while our players are out representing in the World Cup, we’ll make sure those holding the fort will be doing their best, keeping us competitive and winning games.”


Head Coach Marc Skinner at Orlando City Stadium – Courtesy Orlando Pride

Impacting the Pride significantly will be the national team players who may end up missing more time than just the World Cup however since the U.S. women’s national team, along with Brazil and England, will be participating in a series of matches in preparation. While the Aussies will be participating in their own set of friendlies at that time. Most national team players have extensive commitments away from their club team leading into France.

In his brief time with the team so far, Coach Skinner has already made his started to make his mark on the roster for the Pride with his selections of Erin Greening and Marisa Viggiano in the 2019 NWSL college draft; additionally,the team announced waiving Brazilian defender Poliana after she expressed her desire to return to her homeland and play there.  Not claiming a preferred formation, Skinner will have a few potential formations to tinker with, based on the remaining non-federated players on the Pride roster there currently won’t be enough players to field a starting XI.

It’s not a matter of if Orlando adds more players to the roster, but when those players will be announced. Until then instead of speculating on where specific players will be on the pitch during the World Cup absences, Coach Skinner will need to address the main hurdle which plagued Orlando last year: who in the remaining group of the roster will step up and score goals for the team. The focus will partly turn to both Danica Evans and Rachel Hill. However, if Chioma Ubogagu doesn’t make the roster for England, the Pride could maintain three forward on the attack in a potential 4-3-3. Both Ubogagu and Hill have spent the offseason in the W-League and could find themselves in form from the beginning of the NWSL season barring injuries.

Hill scored five goals while on loan for Perth, and Ubogagu found the back of the net twice. Having Sam Kerr on her team, Rachel was more successful as a distributor providing six assists as well. Chi scored her goals in her role as a poacher putting the ball passed the goalkeeper on second chance opportunities. From the group, Evans is the more pure striker of the group, but hasn’t been able to generate much momentum since her rookie season. Coach Skinner will need to find a way to give Danica an avenue to contribute more. It has yet to be seen if she can handle that role.

The possibility of Ubogagu making the World Cup roster for England is not unlikely, and if Orlando deployed a two striker front line could play into Hill’s playmaking ability for Evans to get herself on the scoresheet during the season. Scoring threats may have to come from the midfield, and the Pride may utilize a variation of a 4-4-2. Also in the W-League, Christine Nairn playing for the Melbourne Victory and contributed four goals to the team’s tally. Orlando managed 30 goals in 2018, which was a significant drop from the league leading 45 goals in 2017. Sydney Leroux was the team’s golden boot with six goals in 2018 while Marta led the team in 2017 with 13 goals.

The new gaffer for the Pride should also be mindful of the 2016 season when Orlando deployed a single striker formation. Back then the team struggled to provide service to Alex Morgan, and she would have to deal with defenders double teaming her without any other consistent scoring options. The Pride managed a meager 20 goals the team’s inaugural season. Kristen Edmonds had a breakout year and led the team with six goals.

Many questions are still needing to be addressed by the first year skipper. However, finding more goal scoring needs to be Skinner’s first priority, as in the brief existence of the team has shown the basic principle that goals cure most issues. If Orlando wants to return to the playoffs in 2019, the Pride will need to have multiple goals scorers where the player who leads the team generate more than six goals and get near double digit production.

Predicting The Pride: Head Coach Edition

Posted on by RJ Allen

It is the lot in life for most head coaches to be let go of the team they are leading. This came to be true for Tom Sermanni, as the Orlando Pride wilted down the stretch losing the final four matches of the season, and were winless in the last six fixtures.

While most fans of the league focused on the NWSL championship between the Portland Thorns and North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride supporters look to find answers on who the next gaffer of the team may be. 

Pro Soccer USA reported early this month the team was already interviewing potential replacements. Looking at who the club may target, I came up with this list of prospects. If you follow the tendencies of the organization, it makes it seem unlikely the team would replace Sermanni with a coach from the college ranks due to his coaching pedigree, and his history as U.S. women’s national team coach.

The club will target a higher profile manager, so in no particular order, these are some possible dream candidates that would be interviewed if I were the general manager for the Orlando Pride.

Steffi Jones, Former German Women’s National Team Head Coach

Steffi Jones rose to prominence through the German Federation, first by being appointed the Director of Women’s and Girls’ Soccer in 2011. She transitioned to the coaching staff of the German women’s national team as an assistant to Silvia Neid on April 2016 then taking over for her when she stepped down September of that year. Jones run of form as manager ended after 22 matches with a poor showing in the SheBelieves Cup back in March of this year finishing with an overall record of 13 wins, 4 losses, and 5 draws.

The knock against her, like former Houston Dash coach Vera Pauw coming into the 2018 season, is a lack of experience coaching at the club level. Additionally, she would also have to get up to speed quickly on the inner workings of the league she would be unfamiliar with. However, perhaps Jones could also find the similar success Pauw found in Houston on her lone season, it would take the veterans on the Pride squad buying into a potential new system going into a World Cup year.  

Chance of Hire: Another time might work.

Pia Sundhage, Sweden U-17, U-15 Women’s National Team Head Coach

The name of Pia Sundhage should be very familiar with women’s soccer fans either with her tenure as coach for the United States women’s national team from 2007 until 2012 winning Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012. She departed to become the coach for the women’s team in her home country of Sweden. During her time there, she is best known for leading Sweden to a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics where Sundhage’s team was able to knockout the U.S. team in penalty shoot-out. The defensive style of play was called out by Hope Solo after the match, and things got weird. Sweden was able to take out the Brazilian team next in the same manner. Interestingly, against Sweden in the penalty shoot-out both Alex Morgan and Marta missed their kick.

After she stepped down as manager of the senior team in 2017, she’s been coaching the Swedish U-15 and U-17 teams. In addition to coaching, Pia performs public speaking, and seems to be settled in her life. However, last year there was a report in the now defunct Excelle Sports stating Sundhage was courted to come back to the United States to coach in the NWSL. Now this didn’t happen, but could the Orlando front office entice her to the Sunshine State?

Chance of Hire: More hope and a prayer than wait and see.

Emma Hayes, Chelsea F.C. Women Head Coach

Emma Hayes has been in charge of Chelsea F.C. Women since 2012 where she lead her club to two Women’s Super League titles, and two Women’s FA Cups achieving a club double each time in 2015 then in the 2017-18 season. Prior to her time with Chelsea, Hayes lived in the States where she coached the Chicago Red Stars for two season in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), the league at the time which preceded the NWSL, in 2009 and 2010. Prior to Phil Neville’s appointment as manager of English women’s national team, she had been a name rumored to be high on the Football Association wish list.

Hayes established herself as a highly desirable coach with her stellar reputation, and proven results has also allowed her to set down firm roots in London. She operates a business outside of soccer, and also had a child. Chelsea has been accommodating to her needs, and schedule. She would make an excellent coach to any NWSL side; however, with her life so well formed in England, is there much of a draw to coach in America?

Chance of Hire: Apologies, but I can’t make it.

Emily Lima, Santos F.C Head Coach

Emily Lima, the current head coach for Brazilian side Santos F.C., made history when she was the first female appointed coach of the Brazilian women’s national team in 2016 taking over for Vadão; however, her 7-5-1 record lead to her dismissal less than a year from her appointment. When Lima was let go, several of the players retired from the national team, and protested the level of support from the Brazilian soccer federation. Coach Lima afterward joined Santos F.C. where just after one year she lead the team to the Paulista Feminino championship and a quarterfinal appearance in the women’s Brazilian Championship.

For anyone familiar with the Orlando Pride front office, Coach Lima checks a lot of boxes. She would be familiar with several of the players on the roster, her recent success at the club level is also appealing, and the style of play she would bring to the City Beautiful could be the answer to the poor performance from the roster in 2018. Could a limited English speaking ability hamper what could be a promising prospect?

Chance of Hire: Could the stars align?

Lisa Cole, Washington Spirit Academy Coach & pro team scout

Lisa Cole had an eventful 2018 NWSL season. She started by joining the coaching staff of Vera Pauw at the Houston Dash from the Papua New Guinea U-20 Women’s National Team in January, but on April 26, Cole would tweet she was no longer a part of the Dash coaching staff. A month later, the Washington Spirit would announce her in a dual role as a coach for their academy; as well as, a pro team scout.

Being a scout for the Spirit, Coach Cole is knowledgeable on both the college game and within the league on the level of talent with players. She would also have some familiarity with players on the Pride roster; as well as, the opponents the team would face in the upcoming season. The question would be if Lisa Cole is a name the front office and fanbase would get excited over. The club tends to like to make a big splashy acquisitions, so not sure if Cole would be on the club’s radar, and if she is if they would prefer a flashier name.

Chance of Hire: Never tell me the odds.

The Orlando Pride have yet to announce who will lead the team going into the 2019 season, but the fan base is certainly hoping to return to the playoffs after the dismal tailspin resulted in the seventh place finish in the standings. Here’s hoping the club provides an opportunity to a highly-qualified coach with experience in the women’s game, expertise handling big name players; as well as, player development. We’ll be knowing something shortly if the hints prove to be right.

Problems With the Pride: Don’t Put It All On Tom Sermanni

Posted on by RJ Allen

When the Orlando Pride were announced in the team’s introductory press conference by the fountain of Lake Eola which is the basis for the team logo, Tom Sermanni was named the first head coach in team history. Since being appointed as gaffer he’s gone on to a 25-26-14 overall record. His tactical vision was able to turn a struggling squad year one into a playoff contender by year two. Granted, the front office was able to sign Marta–one of the greatest players in the game–and her inclusion sparked a potent attack, along with the return of Alex Morgan from an overseas stint in France.

Fast forward to year three of the club’s existence: the path to the playoffs is a bit bumpier, and the offense averaging 1.38 goals per game down from 1.89 the team produced last season. The impatient fan base has started to wonder if Sermanni, who earned a contract extension last season, is the right person to lead the team. Concerns have been raised about tactics, substitutions, and motivation of players down the final stretch of the season.

Recent poor home showings against last place Sky Blue FC and the Portland Thorns have turned the final four matches of the season into must win affairs. But while these performances weren’t great, it is a little too easy to put the blame for disappointing results on the coach.  American fan culture tends to focus on national team players and big name internationals, with some super fans who focus most of their attention on a specific player rather than her team. In this ecosystem, complaints about coaches are common, but few ever put the blame on the players.

Addressing this idea, Sermanni commented, “I know that we’ve got a whole lot of perceived star players, but to be honest, the second half was abysmal in every regard. I’m lost…Our lack of willingness to actually just simply defend is just so poor. And then we go in their malaise where nobody seems to be able to get the team, pick them up and get us back in the game. To be honest, for most of that second-half performance, I apologize to the crowd for coming and keep supporting us because our team on the field didn’t deserve that support in the second half. It was extremely poor.”

Yes, the gaffer is ultimately responsible for results, but we shouldn’t let that absolve players from accountability for mental mistakes and loss of focus. When the players follow the direction of Sermanni and stick with the plan, the team is successful. As team captain Ashlyn Harris said after the Thorns match: “I think the first half we were really committed to the game plan and our commitment to go forward and our commitment to defend was some of the best that I’d ever seen. Unfortunate part about the game is, if you don’t produce and you don’t put chances away, this is what happens. We had them by the throat probably the first 10 minutes and we just didn’t capitalize and as we let the game wear on and wear on and wear on, the momentum clearly shifts. We had one lack of concentration and it cost us the game. We just mentally crumbled.”

The major problem for the Pride this campaign has been lack of consistency more than any true structural issue. In Sermanni’s words, “I would love to be able to say it’s this, or it’s this, or it’s this, it’s either individual lapses where we suddenly get caught out, it’s ball watching when we’ve got the ball and then suddenly we get caught on the counter attacks, or we’re dominating games and we’re just not ruthless enough to put chances away.”

He continued his message a different match, “Déjà I’m saying similar things every week. We started out terrific first 15, 20 minutes, probably searching into the first 30 minutes. I thought we dictated the game, the tempo was good, our attacking was good, movement was good. But then we don’t score. You dominate and dominate in games and you don’t score.”

Frustration and pressure continue to mount for the Pride, and Sermanni has to bear some responsibility. The question is why the players are unable to consistently meet expectations. With calls for his dismissal floating out there right alongside #InTomWeTrust, there’s clearly a lot of theories. But it’s too simplistic to put it all back on the coach. He’s not on the pitch kicking the ball around or defending the opposing team’s striker. He comes up with the game plan and picks the best players to execute this for 90 minutes. But at the end of the day, the players themselves have to go out and earn the results.

Forecast for the Orlando Pride: Gray Skies Ahead

Posted on by RJ Allen

The Orlando Pride started its three-match homestand with a frustrating draw with the Seattle Reign. Both teams were missing key players this match due to national team duty: Alex Morgan and Ashlyn Harris for Orlando, and Megan Rapinoe and Allie Long for Seattle. The hosts may rue this performance which saw 17 fouls called against them versus four on the visitors while being out-shot, out-possessed, and out-passed. Now Coach Tom Sermanni will need to prepare his squad for Orlando’s next match on August 5 against Sky Blue FC.

After all the league results, the Pride sit in fourth surrounded by teams with a game in hand. Realistically, Orlando has a favorable schedule with three of the last five at home and squaring off twice with winless Sky Blue. Statistical prediction website, FiveThirtyEight puts the Pride’s chances of making the playoffs at 63% favored in both matches against Sky Blue, as well as the Chicago match. Orlando tallied 40 points in the 2017 season, and if the Pride want to match that the team will have to find a way to earn 11 more points. Additionally, if Orlando wants to host a playoff game, Sermanni’s side will need to hope teams like Utah, Houston, and Chicago play spoiler to keep the Reign within reach. This series of fortunate events doesn’t appear likely as I predict Seattle will finish the regular season with 41 by capturing 11 points from six matches.

Tied in points with the Pride at 29 are the Portland Thorns, who hold the tiebreaker due to goal differential. While Portland face several challenging matches, visiting North Carolina and Orlando, the Thorns also host Sky Blue and Chicago and can earn a result against the Washington Spirit and Seattle. Based on the schedule, the standings will continue the trend of teams being tightly packed. I expect the Thorns to come away with 11 points by the end of the season and end with 40 points.

One point behind Orlando sit the Chicago Red Stars with 28 points. The Red Stars have the hardest road to the playoffs. Chicago will host Sky Blue, but afterward face the Courage, Reign, Thorns, and Pride while closing the season against the Royals. Fans of Chicago will say the team playing teams currently ahead of them in the standings can be six-point swing matches because the Red Stars will be able to close the gap to make the playoffs. I don’t hold the same faith as Chicago supporters. I predict the Chicago Red Stars finish with 33 points after only adding five points the rest of the way.

The gridlock in the standings will remain that way. On the outside looking in will be the first year side, Utah Royals finishing with 34 points, and the Houston Dash, who were the bane of the Orlando Pride under first-year coach Vera Pauw, with 33 points. Both teams may be disappointed not to make the playoffs, but in actuality should be commended as each team had its share of injuries to key players they couldn’t completely overcome. Laura Harvey’s side will look back at the numerous times it drew an opponent, while Houston’s slow start this year was what ultimately doomed the squad’s playoff hopes. 

An area of concern for the Pride has to be the offense which has been missing in 2018; the flow of the offense has been choppy and inconsistent. If the team can match the 12 goals from last season in the last stretch, it would only manage 39 goals.  As Coach Sermanni stated after the home match versus Seattle, “What we haven’t done well enough this year is actually finish the chances and finish them when we’ve been on top of the game. So, I think that probably is as much to blame as anything.”

Ultimately, the Orlando Pride will not equal last season’s point total falling short with 37 points, but still good enough for a fourth place finish. However, it’s worth noting the Pride have missed opportunities at home where the only way to match last year’s win total of six at Orlando City Stadium is by winning out against Sky Blue, Portland, and Chicago. In 2017, the Pride scored 12 goals in its last five games finishing up with 45 goals and a +14 goal differential. Orlando is a flawed team trying to make playoffs again, and the home stretch is going to be nerve wrecking for the Pride. The best outcome I can see at the end of the season is a trip to North Carolina for the first round playoffs. Brace yourselves.