On Friday, Orlando welcomed the greatest of all time to the City Beautiful.
Marta landed in Orlando on Thursday night, and appeared for a press conference on Friday morning before going to her first training with the team. The big question has been whether or not Marta will be available for the Pride’s match on Saturday against the Washington Spirit. That is definitely her goal, and the goal of Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni.
“The happiness I’m feeling right now at this opportunity of getting here, getting to know the players, the coaching staff, being able go to go training and do my best,” Marta said. “I’m just so excited that honestly I just want to be ready and available for selection if coach chooses so for tomorrow.”
While Sermanni and Marta had not spoken prior to the press conference, Sermanni expressed his sincere belief before training that Marta would make some appearance in the home opener.
“I am very confident,” Sermanni said. “She’ll be on the field tomorrow.”
While Marta hasn’t had a lot of time with the team, she has been playing in Europe with her former club FC Rosengard, and Sermanni believes that her versatility as a player will allow her to quickly fit into the Pride line-up.
“I think we’ve got a team and a style of play that will fit around her,” Sermanni said. “And she’s an experienced player, she’s used to playing in several different clubs, different countries, international tournaments, so I don’t envisage her needing a great deal of time to settle herself in the team.”
“I think it’ll be quite easy because she’s a very good footballer,” Sermanni said. “She’s a terrific player, we’ve got two Brazilians in our team which obviously makes life easier, the style of play that we intend to initiate this season will help her, and she’s the kind of player that will come in and play her game.”
Tomorrow is a big day for the Orlando Pride. Welcoming Marta to Orlando. Welcoming all the players to their new home at Orlando City Stadium. The team is just ready to take the pitch.
“It’s a very exciting one, on a lot of fronts. Obviously, with Marta joining us that’s a huge boost to the team, to the players, and to the club,” Sermanni said. “And then getting ready for our inaugural game in this brand new stadium. So yes, big day.”
