Pride struggle with spike in PK calls
There’s been a troubling trend when the Orlando Pride are defending in their own box: conceding penalties.
It happened in the 88th minute when fouled Washington’s
in Orlando’s 2-2 draw against the Spirit. The recurring issue has become a concern for the Pride.
Orlando has been called for four penalties the last three games and a total of six in 13 games.
“I think as a defender, you always want to be aggressive in the box,” Pride midfielder
said. “Sometimes the calls are touch and go. I think it’s just [needing] a little bit of discipline in the box, especially in those critical times. They are things we can fix easily and we need to concentrate on that a little bit more.”
Not all of the decisions have been clear-cut penalties. After reviewing both penalty calls — one for the Pride and one against — in the draw Saturday, coach
said he viewed both calls as “soft” penalties.
Orlando isn’t the only team giving away penalties. There have been 26 penalties called in the NWSL this season compared to 27 all of last season. New Jersey’s
leads the league with seven attempts from the spot, converting four.
Eighteen penalties were attempted in 2015, a dramatic decrease from the 43 taken in 2014.
However, the numbers are on the rise again. Sermanni said he voiced his frustration with the league at the end of last season with the lack of penalty calls for Orlando.
He added other coaches possibly brought up the same issue with the league.
“I’ve seen the difference in referees making calls,” Sermanni said. “Whether that’s his or her call or it’s in conjunction with the fourth official and the assistant referees. What they’ve been prepared to do this year is make calls.” Goalkeeper has ramped up her training sessions for a possible return to the field.
Sermanni said he hopes to have Harris back in the lineup next week, barring any setbacks. Harris suffered an injury to her quadriceps near her hip in Orlando’s game against Seattle Reign FC on May 21. She's missed the last seven games.
has filled in admirably for Harris, but Sermanni said he will play his best XI when Harris returns.
“Ashlyn is the No. 1 goalkeeper, a national-team goalkeeper,” Sermanni said. “Every week you pick your best team, and Ashlyn didn’t do anything not to be selected.”
After starting her first game of the season and playing 63 minutes against Washington, is taking her next step this week to play an entire 90 minutes against FC Kansas City on Saturday. Sermanni said he was happy with her performance and didn’t have any lingering effects from her hamstring injury.
Morgan shook off a bit of rust against Washington and built some much-needed chemistry with Continuing to build that relationship with her in practice this week can result in more goals and more chances for the Pride.
“I think we can combine a little bit more and gel a bit more with the personnel that we have,” Kennedy said. “I think it’s great to have Alex back and her and Marta up front, so hopefully that comes together this week.”