On Saturday, the Orlando Pride will travel to Washington D.C to face off against the Washington Spirit at the Maryland SoccerPlex for the first time this season. For defender Ali Krieger, the trip will be filled with mixed emotions. Krieger grew up in Northern Virginia, and spent the first four years of her NWSL career with the Spirit. The area holds a special place in her heart and she is excited that her family and friends can come out and see her play in purple for the first time.
“I can’t wait,” Krieger said after training this week. “I’m just so happy to be able to play in front of my friends and family in my home town again. They can’t always see me play here, so it’s going to be really nice to have all of them support me at the game and support our team. And wear purple this time around. That’s going to be really exciting. They don’t always get the chance to travel and especially come down here, so it’s going to be nice to see them again.”
Krieger left the Spirit after they traveled to the NWSL Final last season, being traded to the Pride for an allocation slot at the beginning of the offseason. But while Krieger might be excited to return to her hometown and see her family, she knows that the Pride is where she belongs and she is thrilled to be here.
“It’s been what I expected and more. It’s actually exceeded my expectations,” Krieger said. “I think that it’s so, so professional. I knew that coming into it but now, the caliber of players, the personnel that we have, from staff to players to even media to the club, everyone has been incredible and very professional with what they do. I’ve been learning a lot more and growing as a person and a player here a little bit more than I was last year and I know that I’m in a very, very good place. I’m bettering myself on and off the field. I feel good with the team-- if we could just take some points and climb the table I would be a little bit happier. But honestly, I’m loving this club, I’m loving the atmosphere, I’m learning something new every single day from our coaching staff, from players around me, and I’m very, very grateful that I get to play with the type of players and the caliber of players that we have in this club. I can say it’s the best team I’ve been on in the NWSL.”
Krieger will return to the Maryland SoccerPlex to face her former club on Saturday, July 8th. The game will air on Lifetime at 3:30pm.
