What next for the Orlando Pride? Writing this was somewhat akin to getting to the front of the line at Wendy’s, and still not having decided what you want to order. It’s been such a chaotic and turbulent few years for Orlando and just when you think things can’t possibly get any worse… They do. So what is next for the Orlando Pride? Well, to say it’s a difficult question to ponder would be the understatement of the year. Alas, I’ll do my best…
It’s been… An interesting few weeks for anyone connected with the club. Interesting is putting it mildly, possibly even kindly. To be quite frank, it’s been a bit of a mess. The suspension of head coach Amanda Cromwell and her assistant Sam Greene for alleged retaliation has caused unrest amongst supporters.
The subsequent departures of Amy Turner and Sydney Leroux have only fanned the flames. Their recent humbling defeat at Portland only served to further underline the turmoil at the club. I spoke to interim head coach Seb Hines about how the team goes about turning things around, following the recent 6-0 defeat to Portland:
‘We have a break now… It’s come at a really important part of the season. I’ve told them to be prepared to work on day 1 (on return from the recent international break). No one likes to lose in that manner. Again, there’s a lot going on. It’s obviously difficult for the players. Habits in training need to change. Habits in game. So we’re not walking off with regret.’
Talking to people at the club, you get the feeling there’s a sense of frustration at the way this season is going. And understandably so. Veteran defender Toni Pressley told me, after the defeat in Portland, that they needed to ‘hit the reset button’ and ‘come together and work things out’.
The Pride have been awful. Prior to the suspension of Cromwell, you could see what they were trying to achieve. They were attempting to lay the foundations for something to build on. Since her suspension, Hines has sort of ripped up the play book and just changed tact generally. They went from a back 4 to a back 3, Darian Jenkins ended up at RWB for a couple of games… It’s been… Weird. Especially when you consider Hines was working under Cromwell.
You would think, if there was a total buy in amongst the coaching staff, that there would be consistency. Now, I’m not suggesting there are differences of opinion amongst the staff, but it’s odd, right?
So, what next for Orlando Pride?
Well, first of all the club needs to re-engage with its supporter base
The team needs to be marketed appropriately; which was part of the thinking around the Daytona SoccerFest. The city of Orlando just hasn’t been turning up. I feel like as a fan, I can be quite frank in this regard. The Pride’s attendances are amongst some of the lowest in the league.
One of the most common complaints I see, on social media, concerns a lack of transparency from the club. Fans are disillusioned right now, so the club needs to do a better job of staying engaged.
I know, from talking to people at the club, that a lot of investment has happened behind the scenes. I genuinely believe the current ownership will be good for the club in the long run. Ultimately, however, they’re new to the sport, and it’s going to take time to get it right. That being said, I acknowledge that I’m in the privileged position of having access to this team, so I’m more aware of what happens behind the scenes. That’s not the case for most supporters.
The investment going on behind the scenes, wouldn’t be immediately obvious to supporters. Ian Fleming, the Pride GM and the ownership need to be more visible, in my opinion. There’s a lot of resentment being felt towards the ownership currently. It’s definitely an opinion shared amongst supporters that I’ve spoken to:
I will always be a fan of this team, and always have been for as long as it’s existed, but I won’t hide my dislike of the way the club I love is being run and treated by backroom. How many more apologies “this wasn’t good enough” “our time will come” “trust the process”
— Lauren (@KriegerPride) June 19, 2022
this is nice to hear, but it’s hard to keep trusting and supporting this organization after everything that’s happened. glad the pride won’t be relocating, but let’s start acting like you’re actually committed to the players & fans…because recent events say otherwise 🤷🏼♀️ https://t.co/68Mbm8BqrY
— jill (@ASHLYNHARRlS) July 1, 2022
Showing a little more transparency will go along way to reconnecting the club with its increasingly disillusioned fanbase.
Photo Credit – Orlando Pride.
Creating a story
This has to be priority number one. The team has underperformed for years, and correcting that slide is going to require time. Fans shouldn’t turn up and expect a winning team right off the bat. That’s not going to happen overnight. The club needs to give the fans a reason to support this team. There needs to be a total buy in from the supporters. There needs to be a story or a narrative created. That’s not happening right now. There’s too much of a disconnect and too much controversy.
The team used to arrange player meet and greets in the community, they used to host Q&A evenings. These are such simple things, but they can go a long way to helping supporters feel closer to their club. They can also go a long way to increasing their fanbase. The players do a lot of work with the Orlando City foundation, particularly in the Parramore community (where the club is based). The club needs to get back to basics and become more visible.
They need to decide what they’re going to be
Since their last play-off appearance in 2017, the Pride have lurched from one disaster to another. They tried the approach of loading the team with global superstars, and they went too top heavy. It didn’t work out. There have been a number of off field dramas, such as the decision to acquire Caitlin Foord’s playing rights when she patently didn’t want to join, the farce with the club refusing a banner that said the word ‘GAY’ as a protest regarding Florida’s so called, and frankly disgusting, ‘don’t say gay’ bill. And who could forget the EPCOT saga?
That’s without mentioning the whole Covid & missing the 2020 Challenge Cup debacle.
This club has needed an overhaul for some time. And it got just that this winter. It was very much a case of, ‘out with the old, in with the new’.
Now they seem to be going down the ‘young and hungry’ route. They need to settle on what they want this team to be. Do they want to be a pressing team, a direct team, more of a tiki taka team? Anyone that’s seen them play this season, will attest to the fact that they don’t seem to have a clearly defined style. Cromwell has spoken about wanting to defend high and use their full-backs, but there’s been little evidence of that so far.
There’s every chance that Cromwell could end up leaving her post, depending on the outcome of the NWSLPA joint investigation. The Pride need to be prepared for that, and need to have an idea of which direction they’re going to go if that outcome should come to pass. There cannot be a scattergun approach here, or they risk alienating their supporters further.
They need to start winning some games
This might sound something of an oxymoron, but one of their biggest problems is they don’t win. The Pride has 12 wins in their last 71 games, across all competitions, dating back to the start of the 2019 season. That’s a win rate of 16%. They’re staggering numbers.
This team needs to work out what it wants to be, and start winning as soon as possible. Especially when you consider the quality they’ve had at their disposal in that time; Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris, Alex Morgan… I could go on. Marta! Marta has been there this entire time. For those who have lived under a rock, or on another planet for all this time, that’s the equivalent of Lionel Messi signing for Burnley and them still being terrible.
The team improved dramatically in their game against Louisville in Daytona, coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2. That was a welcome relief, coming off the back of their recent, infamous, 6-0 drubbing in Portland. With tricky games against the Houston Dash and Washington Spirit coming up, they’re going to have to improve yet further if they’re going to salvage anything from this exceptionally miserable season.
So, yeah… That’s what they need to do. All of that. I think. That Wendy’s order is never going to get made…
Written by Dan Berridge
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