SANFORD, Fla. — During the Orlando Pride’s first day of preseason training, coach Marc Skinner set one expectation for his team — getting fit.
“They’re going to hell and back,” Skinner said.
This is Skinner’s first full preseason with the Pride, and the coach says it’s already making a difference in his ability to prepare the team in a variety of ways.
The coach was able to control all draft picks and make several offseason acquisitions, including a blockbuster trade for defender Emily Sonnett. Skinner said he isn’t done with roster moves, and hopes to target at least one other acquisition before the season opener.
Most important, however, being in Orlando for the preseason is letting Skinner set the expectations and tone for his team much earlier.
This year, Skinner was able to host voluntary “pre-preseason” training sessions for new and returning players alike. All seven of the Pride’s draft selections attended these sessions, along with new defender Ali Riley.
Skinner said these workouts allowed new players to skip over the typical adjustment period of the first week of preseason drills, overcoming any nerves and learning the preferences of their coaches and teammates.
It meant on Monday, Skinner could dive straight into the details of his preseason plan.
“One of the conversations I’ve had this morning is just about how much they can give and how much concentration and psychology they’ll need to be performers this year,” Skinner said. “That’s going to be the biggest message of the preseason.”
Although Skinner entered his first season in the league with lofty ideals, he felt last year’s team was unable to execute its game plan due to a lack of fitness. The NWSL is a league that values fitness, with a style of play centered on speed and transition counter-attacks.
Even when his team struck the right style or plan of attack, the coach felt a lack of both speed and endurance caused it to fall apart. This year, Skinner doesn’t plan to repeat that mistake.
The coach said preseason training will feature two different types of running. The first type will be position specific, honed to building a base of fitness that will allow players to perform their roles more efficiently.
The second type of running is what Skinner calls a “dirty run.” These workouts will replicate the late-game adversity players face throughout games, forcing them to learn how to overcome discomfort.
“I think that was maybe a problem last year as we kind of died down, and that’s not gonna happen this year,” striker Sydney Leroux said. “This preseason, it’s gonna be hard and I think we’re gonna hit the ground running.”
Although the Pride named 38 players to their initial roster for the preseason, the first week of training featured a smaller squad because nine players were out of town due to international competition and the postseason of the Australian W-League.
Even when the national team players return, Skinner said he looks to Leroux and defender Toni Pressley to lead this year’s team.
As she worked with rookies and new additions during the past weeks, Pressley said she’s been excited by the vision Pride players and coaches share for this year’s team.
“There’s a no excuses mentality,” Pressley said. “Everyone’s here for a reason. We’re all here for the same goals to win games and push towards a championship.”
Leroux, Pressley focus on fitness
For both Leroux and Pressley, returning to the pitch by the end of the 2019 season was a success. Leroux gave birth to her daughter, Roux, at the end of the June, returning to training barely a month later and playing in two games by the end of the season.
Pressley was in a similar situation of midseason recovery after undergoing surgery for breast cancer at the start of August. She returned to training on the same time frame, making her return debut in the team’s final match of the season.
While both players were proud of their quick recoveries last season, they entered the offseason with significant goals for their fitness ahead of the 2020 season. Leroux feels mostly returned to her former athleticism, but she says she has more work to do throughout the preseason.
Leroux had an additional goal for the offseason — getting her newborn and the rest of her family on the same sleep schedule. The whole family is now successfully on the same schedule, although this means that she and her husband, Orlando City striker Dom Dwyer, are going to bed at 7 p.m.
Pressley, meanwhile, underwent her final surgery for cancer treatment after the conclusion of the season. Although she continues to monitor her health, the defender said cancer is not a concern for her in the foreseeable future.
Since then, Pressley used the offseason to build her strength, setting a personal goal of becoming more ruthless as a defender this season.