Orlando Pride (0-3-0, 0 points) at Kansas City Current (0-3-0, 0 points)
When: Sunday, 5 p.m.
Where: Children's Mercy Park, Kansas City
TV: Paramount+ (subscription required)
Official Heineken Silver Watch Party: Kiwi's Pub & Grill (801 W State Rd 436 Ste 1017, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714)
Hear from Orlando Pride head coach Seb Hines and forward Ally Watt following Friday's training session from Orlando Health Training Ground at Sylvan Lake Park:
Pride head coach Seb Hines
On what he expects from Kansas City
They're going through [a coaching] change. They're all also looking to win a game of football like ourselves, so it should be a really good, interesting game. It's nice to go away from home, different environment. Obviously they're building something there in terms of their fans and stadium up-and-coming but, we have to focus on ourselves. We want to bounce back from the last couple of results and really, again, reinforce our message of being difficult to beat and being threatening in the attack.
On the benefits of young players getting time in the Challenge Cup
It's a roster, it's a squad that builds success. Everyone has to play a part. We said that at the start of the year, that we're going to have to rely on everyone. Challenge Cup, midweek, it gives players opportunities to play and perform and rotate, to rest players but, again, stay at a high level. I think we still stayed at a high level. We had a couple of injuries, but we put everything out there. We wanted to win the game and we fell a little bit short. Again, a three-game week, you rely on everyone to go out there and play and perform. So you just got to manage it the best way that you can in these situations and, again, we're going to go to Kansas and look for a win.
On preparing for a high press from Kansas City
It's just common in this league. I think everyone plays to high press and put pressure on the defenders and force errors. It's our job to reinstall that confidence in players to know what actually pressure is, and make sure that the players in front are creating good angles to receive it. You can create a lot of opportunities if you play that way, as well. So, yeah, we expect that in every game, it's going to happen. I think that's just the magnitude of the league and the players that are in the league and their physicality. So, yeah, it's going to happen.
On the importance of having fast players to beat the high press
We have created a lot of opportunities in that way. The higher they press, the more space there is in behind. Things that don't register as chances are still chances. It's our last touch, our pass that has kind of let us down in those moments, but there are opportunities for them type of players to get in behind the backline and score goals. Even though the goal that we scored against North Carolina came from direct play, we still were threatening in behind in that moment. It's a great touch from Summer [Yates] and pass, and great weight of pass, and a great run from Ally [Watt] and she took her finish well. So we're going to still stick to our principles and how we get there will depend on how the team defends against us.
On facing a roster with Debinha
It keeps happening. There are some exceptional players [in this league], players like Debinha. There was Kerolin on Wednesday, there's Sophia Smith. You could go through a lot of teams and pick out certain individuals and you’ve just got to manage them the best way you can. Again, it's not just solely on our individuals, it's the team. The team is the most important piece and how they defend against Kansas City, not just Debinha.
Forward Ally Watt
On what the team expects from Kansas City
From them, they're going to come out hard, like always. I think we're going to get a high press, every team has been doing that to us this year but we're going to adjust and be ready and do what we always do.
On dealing with the high press they’ve been receiving
It just makes us always have to go back to what our principles are. And just make sure we're saying disciplined and being patient, not freaking out when they do the high press. I think we did a pretty good job with it last game. It's just that we can get the end result. But I think, each game, we're growing more and more into ourselves.
On what she’s seen from the team’s growth game-by-game
Just confidence that every single player in each game are growing. I feel that for myself, and you can see along with the backline. Emily Madril had amazing game, she has so much confidence going into it, as she should. Carly Nelson getting her first start with us and she has all that confidence as well, Messiah [Bright] is gaining confidence. And I think that's what we need, is to be believing in ourselves and each other more. But honestly, just realize that we can hang in the league and we just have to execute at the end.
On her chemistry with Summer Yates
Each training session, we get to know each other more on and off the field. I think that's what we have just been needing to grow more. We're a very new team, it feels like. We're inexperienced, we have young players. But I think each day as we keep growing and developing relationships that then we're going to also start clicking more. Then I think results will be coming more often. But it's great to have that chemistry with Summer and then building it with Messiah as well, and then when we finally have [Adriana] back in after all this stuff that has been happening with all the games we've been having...it's a bit of a hard week for I think everyone. So then once we started developing the relationship with Marta, Messiah, Adri as well, I think having that fluidity in the front lines is going to be really important for us.
On if the approach changes for an away match
I don't think we really change much with our approach. I think we just have to continue to stay in our identity and just prep as each game is the same game and stay to ourselves. Whoever we're prepping for doesn't really change much of who we are.
