SANFORD, Fla. — With most of the team’s national team players out of commission, the Orlando Pride will face one more test of its NWSL core against the Washington Spirit on Saturday.
For coach Marc Skinner, the game is an important opportunity to gauge his players’ progress. Since the team was eliminated from playoff contention, Skinner has viewed the final matches of the season as a testing ground to build toward improvement in 2020.
With international stars such as Marta and Ali Krieger out of the rotation, Skinner hopes that this weekend will up the ante for the rest of the team.
“I’d like the players to see it as an opportunity rather than a pressure situation,” Skinner said. “I want them to feel a little of the pressure, but I want them to perform. To perform when you’ve not played for awhile, you have to really absorb the moment.”
The game marks the third time the two teams have faced off this season. The Pride beat the Spirit 4-3 in July, but Washington won the second match of the series 2-1 at the end of August.
The Pride victory was near the end of the World Cup when many of the Spirit’s top players still hadn’t returned to the club. The lineup change allowed play to open up, providing the Pride with easier channels to push forward on the offensive end.
The Spirit will again be impacted by the international break this weekend, with stars Mallory Pugh and Andi Sullivan absent. Sitting in a similar position outside the playoffs, Skinner expects both sides to bring the same mindset of proving themselves.
“It’ll be a different team, different variables, but it won’t be an entirely different team,” Skinner said. “Both teams without the playoffs will be looking to build for next season.”
For the Pride, the biggest question revolves around who will step up as a leader in the absence. Experienced players such as Dani Weatherholt and Kristen Edmonds often move to the forefront.
However, Skinner said the Pride roster is filled with players who prefer to quietly lead with their feet. When the stronger voices such as Marta or captain Ashlyn Harris are missing, the team can fall into patterns of hesitancy. Despite their limited availability in games, the return of both Sydney Leroux and Toni Pressley has helped reverse the trend, giving Orlando confidence and inspiration.
With Leroux back for limited minutes and Pressley expected to return during the next two matches, the Pride are focused on making the most of their final matches of the season — both individually and as a team.
“I think it’s really important these next two games for us,” Leroux said. “It’s been a tough season. If we can end on a high point, that will be really good for going into next season.”