NWSL season preview 2023: Seb Hines prepared to lead an enlivened Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride have turned the page to 2023 with new acquisitions and returning players seeking to put an end to a four-season playoff drought. 

Seb Hines’ Orlando Pride is one of the most intriguing clubs of 2023. After the investigation into both head coach Amanda Cromwell and assistant Sam Greene, the future of the club’s leadership was extremely unclear.

Cromwell was just hired in the offseason after two interim coaches filled the role of Marc Skinner. Skinner held the job with the Pride from the beginning of 2019 to July of 2021 when he decided to take on the job at Manchester United. Cromwell and Greene both had their contracts terminated by the league in October of last year after allegations of verbal abuse and favoritism during their short time with the central Florida side. Hines was then turned from interim head coach to the full-time leader.

The former Middlesbrough FC defender took over the Pride while they were sitting ninth in the NWSL table with little hope of making any sort of noise of an attempt at a postseason berth. The 34-year-old inherited a team that had just lost by five goals to the Houston Dash without its most essential asset on the pitch due to injury.

After losing his first two contests in charge, Hines would lead the team to a seven-game unbeaten streak. The stretch included shocking victories against eventual playoff teams, San Diego Wave and a revenge 1-0 triumph over the Dash.

Heading into this season, it will be interesting to see what Hines is able to do with a full offseason under his belt. Brazilian international Marta will make her triumphant return to Exploria Stadium after tearing her ACL during the Challenge Cup in the first half against the North Carolina Courage. Along with her return, the Pride add another Brazilian into the attack.

Former Corinthians’ forward Adriana Leal da Silva signed a three-year contract with Orlando toward the end of January. Adriana had nine goals in 17 international appearances for the Brazilian National Team in 2022. Her, Marta, former OL Reign forward Ally Watt, and Leah Pruitt have their eyes set on creating a more consistent attack for the Pride compared to 2022.

With the top-three goal scorers for the central Florida side no longer with the team, many of these new players are going to have to step up. An astounding five out of the top-seven players that started the most matches during the last campaign have departed Hines’ team. Standout goalkeeper Erin McLeod has moved to Iceland, leaving a large gap to fill between the sticks. Currently, there are only three shot-stoppers on the Pride roster. Anna Moorhouse looks to be the one to start in net to begin the season for Orlando given her experience with the club.

With all of the departures, the amount of questions for the Pride continues to get larger. Orlando has not made it past the group stage of the Challenge Cup. On top of that, the central Florida side has not made the postseason since 2017. This year’s team is one with enticing potential, but with all of the outgoings and new faces, this has to be looked at as a transitional year for Orlando.

Orlando Pride: Projected starting XI (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse

Defenders (4): Caitlin Cosme, Emily Madril, Kylie Strom, Celia Jimenez

Midfielders (3): Mikayla Cluff, Viviana Villacorta, Jordyn Listro

Forwards (3): Marta, Adriana, Ally Watt

(*Starting XI takes into account current injuries*)

Orlando Pride Most Important Player: Defender, Emily Madril

If Hines seeks to find any sort of success in 2023, the defense is going to be critical. A sure starter Carrie Lawrence tore her ACL in her left knee during Orlando’s training camp in February. With former top-10 pick Caitlin Cosme coming back having sat out due to injury, the Pride can team up both of its promising young center backs in 2023. Hines may be forced to put a lot of faith in two players that have not played in the NWSL before.

Madril though, has experience playing professionally. Madril competed in the Swedish top flight after forgoing her final season at Florida State, using her time before the 2023 draft as an opportunity to see what the professional game has to offer. The Florida native is under contract until 2025, giving her plenty of time to develop as a key asset in the Orlando backline.

Given her experience at the pro level already, Hines is going to rely on her a lot more than typical rookies coming into the NWSL. In 2022, Orlando allowed three or more goals in eight contests. Madril was drafted with the purpose to rebuild this backline into one the opposition fears night in and night out.

Orlando Pride best case scenario for the 2023 season: Finishing out of the bottom-three

After another season missing the postseason followed by the departure of players like Alex Morgan and Taylor Kornieck, the Pride were looked at as a regressing franchise. A 10th-place finish in the 2022 campaign does not do Orlando any sort of justice. Hines improved the team dramatically from what it was at the beginning of the year.

The Pride became a “spoiler team”, beating up on clubs that were trying to improve their seeding in the playoff picture. This club is on an upward trajectory. The past is in the past. Like most franchises around the league, the people that had been promoting abuse are no longer associated with the club or the league. With the toxicity off the pitch taken care of, the Pride can put their full focus on their ascension under Hines.

With talents like Marta, Watt, and Adriana, Orlando has the quality to finish outside the bottom three, but there is still the question if they can put it all together. Anything higher than 10th place is an improvement from 2022, and that is how the Pride should realistically look at things throughout the 2023 campaign.

Orlando Pride projected finish: 10th in the NWSL table

Many of the teams that finished in the bottom half of the table improved significantly. NJ/NY Gotham FC bulked up on nearly every level of the pitch. Further south, Kim Björkegren and Racing Louisville added depth to their defense and a prolific Nigerian striker during the offseason. Given how young this group of players is at the moment, it is going to be difficult to change the perception of a team that has lived at the bottom of the table for years.

Hines is without a doubt the man to lead the charge, but given all the departures, Orlando is going to experience an uphill climb to even get out of the bottom three in the table. The former Orlando City SC player is still in the process of rebuilding his coaching staff, adding two new assistants in the past month. At the end of January, the Pride announced their new vice president of soccer operations and general manager, Haley Carter. The youth and potential for growth is there, but it seems far too soon for this club to finish anywhere near the postseason picture.

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