Orlando Pride (2-4-1, 7 points) vs. Washington Spirit (4-0-3, 15 points)
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: Exploria Stadium, Orlando
TV: Paramount+ (subscription required)
Tickets: View seats
Hear from Orlando Pride head coach Seb Hines and goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse following Wednesday's training session from Orlando Health Training Ground at Sylvan Lake Park:
Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines
On being back home with a full week to prepare
It's nice to be back in Orlando on our own training field. We gave the players a couple of days off, I think that's important because of being on the road for so long. That time to reset, focus on the game on the weekend. It's a big game for all of us. Being back at home in front of our own fans, we're looking to get three points, obviously. We've got good momentum now, the players are excited to train and obviously looking forward to the game on Saturday.
On benefits of having a week on the road
It's massive. Again, it goes back to preseason. That's why I fought hard for preseason trip to have the players, get to know each other, get to know the staff. A long road trip like we had this past week, this is another moment for everyone to get to know each other with games in a competitive environment. You can see that we used nearly every player I think. And it's a squad, it's the roster. It's important that everyone feels valued. And, yeah, I think it's beneficial to have these midweek games. So we'll just, again, look back to this moment, and you can hear the players, they’re joyous and they're looking forward to playing games. It's a good environment to be in.
On how to use the Challenge Cup game to prepare
They're [Washington are] on a really good run right now, unbeaten all season. It was a tough game for us, we reviewed and some of the goals are exceptional. And we'll be aware of that. I think it'll be two different teams on the on the day, from what we saw in the Challenge Cup. But we're on a good run as well. So we have to be mindful of them and they have to be mindful of us. We're at home, we're in front of our own fans and we're looking to continue this momentum that we've put together.
On making sure the team stays centered during the unbeaten run
Keep them hungry. We're always wanting more, the players want more. Just not settle on where we're at right now. Again, we want to be over that [playoff] line and it may only take one win to be there. So we just keep reinforcing the messages, keep looking at the details. We didn't win on Sunday, and that's another thing. We kept a clean sheet, it was a good performance, but we didn't win. So again, we've felt that we've had a taste of winning and all the players in the staff want more.
Orlando Pride Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse
On the last week’s road trip
Coming off the back of the win against Louisville we knew we were going to have a tough week, a long week. I think we looked a little tired, but that's understandable. But to get a clean sheet again on [Sunday] was really good. And yeah, it's just nice to keep building.
On facing Washington again after Challenge Cup
I think both teams rotated the squads quite heavily [in the Challenge Cup]. Washington are a team kind of like us right now, we're both in form. It's going to be a tough game but we can watch the film from the game on Wednesday, learn from that a little bit going to the game on Saturday.
On getting consistent strong play in net
For a goalkeeper, clean sheets is what we want, it gives us confidence. Even if you're playing well and you're conceding goals, it's kind of always hard. So getting clean sheets and two clean sheets in a row is always really good.
On having a consistent backline in front of her
It's massive, just having the same players in front. It builds trust between us, we know how each other play, we know our strengths, we know our weaknesses, and we can build off each other and just know what the other person is going to do. It's really good.
On being back in front of the fans
It's kind of cliche, but it's like having a 12th man. You get the fans on your side and then the other team, they don't know what to do with it. And if fans are really loud it's hard to concentrate, it's hard to communicate, but especially when they're on your side, it's really good.
