Previewing the Orlando Pride
Pride return to the pitch looking for vindication
A look at rosters, expectations for soccer team after a year largely lost to COVID-19.
For nearly two decades, a tattoo has lined Orlando Pride coach Marc Skinner’s arm: “per aspera ad astra.” The Latin phrase translates to “through hardships to the stars.” For Skinner, it was always a source of inspiration. Now the coach feels it was somewhat predestined that his tattoo mirrors the theme of his team’s return to the pitch in 2021.
The Pride’s unveiling of their “Ad Astra” jersey — an actual space launch that took the jersey and a game ball 50 miles above sea level — reflected a clubwide investment in the team’s upcoming season. The jersey sold out online in 48 hours.
But to Skinner, it also reflects the story of this season — a new jersey, a new roster and a new start for a club desperate to prove itself after a long year away from the pitch.
“It almost seems a bit scarily like fate,” Skinner said.
This year’s team is focused on a vindication long delayed. The Pride entered 2020 prepared to erase the memory of the previous 4-16-4 season. Instead, a pandemic infiltrated, forcing the Pride to withdraw from the National Women’s Soccer League season and leaving them with just four friendly
matches for the entire year.
There’s a full cast of individual redemption stories on this year’s roster, too — Sydney Leroux and Alex Morgan returning from pregnancy; Ali Riley returning to American soccer after nearly a decade abroad; and Erika Tymrak coming out of retirement.
The Pride will reintroduce themselves Saturday with their first match of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup at Racing Louisville. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. with a live broadcast on Paramount+ and a livestream on Twitch for non-U.S. viewers.
The 2021 Challenge Cup opens in the middle of the FIFA international window, which means the Pride will be missing star striker Morgan (United States), backup keeper Erin McLeod (Canada) and midfielder Gunny Jónsdóttir (Iceland).
The timing will test the Pride on one of their greatest weaknesses from past seasons — the ability to perform without their international stars. Skinner said this year the team will be up to the test.
“I’m not a big believer in ideal situations,” Skinner said. “Let’s be honest, since I’ve been in Orlando I’ve never had an ideal situation. I think it’s really important that we understand that sport isn’t ideal. What we have to do is create a unit and a team and individuals that can take on the challenge and when that moment appears, they can take it.”
Even with their biggest stars regularly called up to their national teams, the Pride have depth at every position.
Defender Toni Pressley, who is one of three players left from the inaugural Pride roster, said this is the best Orlando team she’s ever played on.
Captain Ashlyn Harris added she’s never felt more confident about the buy-in of players at every level of the team. “We have players who are competing and filling those positions,” Harris said. “There’s not that drop-off of veteran leaders. People are able to step in and do their job and it’s seamless.”
The massive gap between competitive matches gave Skinner time to fully mold the Pride into his original vision for the team. Just seven current Pride players were on the roster for the final match of 2019.
This new identity is fluid, adaptable — a team that can bend without breaking. Skinner’s model can shift into different shapes throughout a match, preventing teams from pinning them down.
This ideal is built around understanding the roster includes some of the most creative attackers in the women’s game: Morgan, Leroux and Brazilian star Marta. But it also relies on chemistry and communication, which Skinner knows will take time to build.
“It’s not going to look perfect on Saturday,” Skinner said. “We’re still new.”
Beside the major roster overhaul, Pride players have transformed off the pitch since they last competed. Morgan gave birth to her daughter, Charlie. Harris and co-captain Ali Krieger adopted their daughter, Sloane. Pressley beat breast cancer and announced her engagement to Marta.
The last year also was punctuated by loss. The entire team suffered the fallout of inconclusive COVID-19 tests that forced its withdrawal from the Challenge Cup. Leroux missed weeks of the preseason while her children fought COVID-19 with extreme symptoms. And backup keeper Brittany Wilson lost her mother unexpectedly in March.
Skinner said his players’ ability to support and celebrate one another bolstered his faith in their commitment this season.
“This pandemic has been so difficult for everyone and we have a microcosm of that here,” Skinner said. “It just fills you with pride. Whether it’s resilience they’ve had to show, whether it’s happiness they’ve shared, it’s those moments for me. I’m very emotive, so those moments, it makes me feel alive and I know that’s where the players get their energy from.”
It’s been 546 days since Orlando Pride fans watched their team play in person. That drought will end when Pride fans return to Exploria Stadium April 14 for the second Challenge Cup match against a rebranded Sky Blue FC, now called NY/NJ Gotham FC.
Harris said that day will feel like finally coming home.
“Exploria Stadium, it’s always been an outlet for people to enjoy the freedom of football,” Harris said. “We’ve always created a culture here that is so inclusive, that everyone matters, that your differences are celebrated here, and it’s a real sense of family. These are your people. Sometimes you just need a breath of fresh air and a shoulder to lean on, and that’s what we’ve created here.”