New era for Pride
Youth breathes new life into team after distancing themselves from complicated past
Ominous violins sound in the background as Marta walks in slow motion toward her gilded throne.
The Orlando Pride’s promotional video last December announced the return of the Brazilian forward for the 2023 season, after her 2022 NWSL campaign ended early because of a torn knee ligament.
Along with a new, two-year contract, the queen retook her metaphorical throne and exclaimed: “I’m back…Let’s go Pride!”
The Pride were back with the club’s all-time goal leader (27) and six-time FIFA World Player of the Year. She’d be the focal point. Or maybe not.
The Pride (6-8-1, 19 points) began the season with four losses in the first five games and didn’t register a win until their sixth.
They enter a monthlong break, with the Women’s World Cup set to begin Thursday in Australia and New Zealand, on a two-match winning streak and in range of sixth place to qualify for the postseason.
The Pride began to shift in 2021. They moved on from Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris, Sydney Leroux and Alex Morgan.
In came Kerry Abello (23), Mikayla Cluff (24), and Julie Doyle (24). And more youth via the 2023 draft.
Marta remains the figurehead, but the club is headed in a new direction.
“We needed to have a change because the things that we’ve had in the past haven’t worked out for us,” said Pride coach Seb Hines, without referring to any players or group of players specifically. “We’ve had some really big names here, and it hasn’t come to anything.”
Now, they could be onto something.
Role reversal
Marta is not necessarily incapable of being the player she once was. Her time with Brazil at the World Cup will reveal if she can be close to that player again.
It’s just not prudent to make a 37-year-old coming off a catastrophic injury the centerpiece.
Besides, even with Krieger, Harris, Leroux and Morgan, all U.S. National Team players, the Pride didn’t get results. All except Leroux played in the 2019 World Cup, and among them there are seven World Cup medals.
In that group’s last season together, the Pride finished eighth out of 10 teams with only seven wins in 24 matches.
The Pride haven’t qualified for the postseason since 2017. They recognized the need for a change and a philosophy shift.
They put roots down instead of making top-heavy investments.
Orlando first traded Harris and Krieger in December 2021 to NJ/NY Gotham FC, followed by Morgan who was sent to San Diego Wave FC.Leroux was dealt to Angel City FC 10 games into last season.
In return, the Pride collected allocation money, extra funds to invest in the team and in future players in excess of the current season’s salary cap.
The only world-famous player left? Marta.
Her position on the field and the Pride’s tactical formation have not changed. Marta continues to service the right wing or as an attacking center midfielder, typically in a 4-2-3-1 setup.
Before 2023, however, she was the Pride’s life raft with 7 game-winners. Today she plays a supporting role to the rookies.
“The young players have been brilliant, a breath of fresh air,” said Hines. “We have some more young players who are looking for more opportunities, but they just have to bide their time.
“There’s no entitlement to playing. You have to earn every minute you get. And that goes back to our culture.”
Identity shift
Doyle, the No. 11 pick from Santa Clara, played on the front line in 15 of 22 games, tallying 2 goals.
Cluff, No. 14 from BYU in the 2021 draft, made 18 appearances in midfield and scored 2 goals, after deferring one year to play an extra college season.
Abello, No. 24 from Penn State in the 2021 draft, provided lockdown defense in 21 appearances after deferring one year.
The Pride added more youth in the 2023 draft with Emily Madril (24) and Messiah Bright (23).
Madril, taken No. 3 overall from FSU, has started every game at center back. Bright, the No. 21 pick from TCU, has appeared in all matches, serving as the team-leading scorer and league-leading rookie with 4 goals.
The young players are setting a foundation for learning and longterm growth.
“It was a full rebuild,” said Hines, who served as interim head coach for 15 games last season after thencoach Amanda Cromwell and one of her assistants were suspended during a league investigation and ultimately fired. “Everyone’s learning, everyone’s developing, everyone’s getting better. It’s a good place because it is such a learning environment, and we can pass on our guidance as coaches and our experiences. The players here are like sponges. They always want to learn and get better. So it’s a great environment to be in.”
Hines was given the job permanently on Nov. 11 and has been on the ground floor during a difficult transition. Players responded well to the former English Premier League defender who also played three seasons for Orlando City.
“Just being young, I typically learn a lot. I try my best to take in as much information as I can and just apply things quickly in a fashionable manner,” said Bright.
The Pride have one of the youngest teams in the NWSL with an average age of 26, compared to the league-average of 27.1. The team’s age has decreased, with an average age of 28.2 in 2021.
The clean slate allows the Pride to not be defined by select stars and their individual styles of play.
“Now we’re in a position where we can really show who we are as a team, our identity,” said Hines. “I don’t think we ever had an identity. I think we have always had big name players who have worn the shirt. But now it is more about a team ethos and everyone has to buy into the team, and we have to pull for each other.
“We say a lot of the time: What does Orlando Pride look like and not just what an individual looks like?”
Starting defender Kylie Strom, 31, who came to Orlando in 2021 after playing four years overseas, sees grit in the Pride jersey.
“We want to be a resilient, hard-to-beat team,” she said. “In the past, people have thought of Orlando as an easy win. We talk a lot about changing that narrative and being a pretty resilient, hardworking team. We have definitely started proving that this year and will be a focus moving forward.”
Bright, a starting forward, sees a freshly united front.
“We want to be a culture where you can go to your teammate for whatever. It just goes back to that togetherness that we have,” she said. “We all have to be in it together to get the outcome that we want. Our culture is changing the scenery of Orlando Pride and what they have been known for and developing it even more to where we will find great success on the pitch.”
Playoffs in reach
Lip service without just, well, lip service.
The Pride have navigated some rough patches but appear to have righted themselves for the stretch run.
Their reconstruction, led by first-year GM Haley Carter, does hold promise. The Pride earned some big wins in the past month, taking down three of the top four teams (Portland Thorns, Washington Spirit, and OL Reign), to rise from 10th place.
The rookies bring a re-energized spirit. Bright believes they add firepower to attacking situations, especially against teams that do not possess their youthfulness.
“We have energy to sustain the game,” she said. “Defensively, we also bring a lot of energy without the ball. We can win the ball back and counter as fast as we can.” results is
While Hines doesn’t want to take credit for the turnaround, his input has been vital.
“[Hines] has seen a lot of what has gone on and what has and hasn’t worked in the past,” said Strom. “When he took on the position, he had a lot of ideas already in the works that he wanted to implement. He has done a great job changing the culture and moving us in the right direction.”
When the dust settled from the redesign, Marta remained.
Why maintain the brightest star of them all?
Because despite her gravity, she’s the best leader, on and off the pitch. She embodies the “buy-in” culture.
“She leads by example, trains like she plays,” said Hines. “Her role is to lead by example, take initiative when she can, guide and help players once they’re on the field because [the coaching staff ] is limited to what they can say and do.”
Marta is the only player with a postseason appearance in a Pride uniform.
She’s one of only five players on the 27-person roster with any NWSL postseason experience. Erika Tymrak (Kansas City Current), Ally Watt (OL Reign), Megan Montefusco (OL Reign) and Celia (OL Reign) are the others.
“Marta is a huge mentor that we look up to. She sees things that sometimes we cannot. When we don’t see those things on the field, she will come up to us and bring it to our attention. She gives us the pointers that we need,” said Bright. “For myself and even the veterans, Marta is a huge leader on our team.”
Said Strom: “Whenever Marta speaks, everyone listens.”
With only 2 goals and 1 assist, Marta was never meant to be the crux of the Pride’s offense.
But without her, this relaunch might take more time.
“I know she wants to contribute more in the attack, scoring more goals, but she plays a really important piece in how we build and how we play,” said Hines. “She’s been through a lot as well. She’s seen a lot of players come and go, a lot of managers come and go as well, so we’re really pleased to have her here and have her be a part of this team.
“[Marta],” he added, “is probably one of the most important players that could have come back.”
Now the Pride appear to be back on track, too.