SANFORD, Fla. – Currently sitting second place in the NWSL standings, the Orlando Pride aren’t looking ahead to the international break lasting the entire month of July.
Rather, the team is already pinpointing ways to get better for the second half of the season.
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“I think it might be really obvious but goals,” Head Coach Seb Hines said after practice Tuesday. “Goals change games. I think with our dominant performances, we’re getting into the attacking third multiple times and we’re getting a lot of shots off inside the box. We’re doing a lot of the right things.”
Being the defending champs also has had an effect this season, with teams playing the Pride harder than before and using different schemes.
“I feel like every single team that we’ve played up to this point is playing the game of their lives,” forward Julie Doyle said. “Like, throwing their bodies on the line, which is awesome for them, but it makes it really hard for us to score goals.”
The Pride are tied with Angel City for the fourth-most goals scored so far this season with 19. But only having eight goals allowed is keeping the team in second place overall.
With the target on their backs, Hines knows the team will have to brave more tough battles before the season’s end.
“Any team that has won a championship, it’s very difficult to go back-to-back,” Hines said. “To still have the motivation and the willingness and the drive to continue to perform is brilliant to see. It makes my job a lot easier.”
The Pride travel to the West Coast for a Friday night match against Bay FC and end this portion of the season the following week at Racing Louisville.
“These next two are super important for us,” Doyle said. “We want to sit at the top of the table. We’re just going to take it one game at a time, and then we can focus on our break, which is a much needed break for us.”