The 5x FIFA World Player of the Year is now calling the City Beautiful her home. Marta has been with the Orlando Pride for almost two months and is happy where she is.
Marta was interviewed at the Pride’s training session and, among other things, she was asked about how she is settling into life in Orlando:
“I’ve been liking it a lot. I really enjoy living here. The city is beautiful, the weather is perfect, and the people are very kind. However, we just need to fix some things on the field so we can get very important points. We do have a very competitive team,” Marta said Friday morning after training.
The Pride currently sit eighth in the NWSL standings and undoubtedly have the quality in their team to put a winning streak together. There is a great balance of experience, skill, and youth in the Pride’s roster that has yet to reach its full potential. Marta is optimistic of the team’s future and of their ability to string together some wins. “It’s obvious that we have a very creative team which [gets us] a lot of chances. We just need to take advantage of the number of touches we have on the field,” Marta explained. “Playing at home and having the crowd behind us will definitely help us to get the three points [against Boston].”
It has not been an ideal start to the Pride’s 2017 campaign as the team has dropped points in winnable matches. Most recently in an away defeat to Sky Blue FC that saw Orlando score first but surrender their lead to eventually lose the match late by a score of 2-1. However, between the talent in the squad and the leadership of Marta, Aly Kreiger, and others, it is only a matter time until we see the Pride at their best.
In her interview Marta was asked about the Pride’s slow start to the season, and what she can do to change the script: “I always try to help. That’s my number one objective. We just play the game that we know we can play and have the capacity to play. We need to be happy, help anyone that needs help, and just joke around at the right times.”
These were refreshing comments from the Brazilian superstar. After all, in a world where winning seems to be valued over all else, the game must also be played for enjoyment. Marta was not finished with her encouraging statements. When asked about any advice she has given to the team, this was her response:
“The will to win. To always get better. I gained a lot of things in my career. I lost a couple, too. But I am always trying to improve, that’s all we need to have: the will to get better and keep playing,” she continued, “I get along with everyone here. I feel I can relate with [the team] with no restrictions. Here, everyone is very close.”
