The Orlando Pride hosted the Chicago Red Stars tonight in a tight match that ended 1-1. Tom Sermanni’s starting lineup featured a new look, with Chioma Ubogagu starting at the left back position -- a role that she has not played for the Pride. Ubogagu is normally a striker, but with Steph Catley being one of seven Pride players returning from international duty at the Tournament of Nations, Sermanni elected to start the left-footed Ubogagu on the back line.
“I thought she had an excellent game,” the Pride head coach said in his post match press conference. “Obviously she’s an attacker so she wants to be further forward, but I thought her passing was good, her defending was good, and she used the ball well,” Sermanni explained. “[Ubogagu] got into some really good crossing positions and was a real danger down that [left] side.”
Ubogagu’s versatility is clearly something the Pride head coach values. The Red Stars sit atop the NWSL standings and tonight’s match was always going to be difficult. For Sermanni to start her at an unfamiliar position against a team as strong as Chicago, it speaks to his confidence in the Pride’s squad depth.
The forward-turned-left back spoke post-game and shared some of her thoughts on playing on the back line:
“I’ve never played there in my life,” Ubogagu said with a smile. “I understood it’s what the team needed and I tried to play to the best of my ability,” she added.
The Pride’s normal left back, Steph Catley, played 90 minutes in all three of Australia’s Tournament of Nations matches. Wisely, Tom Sermanni decided to rest her in preparation for the busy streak of home matches that lies ahead.
“I usually play in front of Steph -- Steph is a great player and I watched [her play in] the Tournament of Nations,” Ubogagu said in her press conference. “At the end of the day the game is football, so I’m very familiar with what is asked of each position. I try not to think and just play freely.”
Ubogagu contributed positively to the Pride’s hard fought draw. For a player having no experience at the position, she stood out and put in a fantastic 90 minutes.
The Pride will look to build on this result with two more matches at Orlando City Stadium in the coming week.
