A new attacking formation spelled victory for the Orlando Pride as the women cruised to a 4-1 win over FC Kansas City at Orlando City Stadium on Saturday night. The changes to the formation included moving Camila, who often plays forward, to the right back position and using Kristen Edmonds as a substitute in the midfield, amongst other things. These movements inevitably contributed to the Pride’s massive win on Saturday night.
“The personnel changes were partially due to form and partially due to freshening up the team and trying to get the right balance,” Head Coach Tom Sermanni said. “We knew the way that they played that they try to play out from the back, so we wanted to make sure that, particularly at home, that we went out and tried to pressure them. So, we tried to start with a team that we felt could do that effectively.”
Camila was originally signed as a defender, so it wasn’t completely out of the blue to put her at right back. But similar to Steph Catley, who plays on the left back, Camila likes to be part of the attacking action. By putting them on either side, Sermanni forced the game forward and created attacking space for his players up both sides of the pitch.
“We signed Camila as a fullback,” Sermanni said with a laugh. “We felt that putting Camila in there would give us that ability to attack from there. And she’s a pretty tenacious defender as well. So, we felt that it was a positive change and I think it was. I think she was outstanding tonight.”
Sermanni will continue to tweak the squad from game-to-game, and it’s unclear whether we will continue to see Camila at right back or whether someone else might take that spot. But it certainly worked for the Pride on Saturday night. And by moving Edmonds into the midfield as a substitute, she was able to find her first goal of the season. There are positives to take away, but each match calls for a slightly different strategy and potentially a different formation.
Sermanni is grateful to have a versatile squad that can move around, but he is aware that changes need to be controlled to maintain the chemistry on the pitch.
“We’re fortunate, and this sometimes gives you more problems as a coach, but we’re very fortunate that we’ve got a really flexible squad,” Sermanni said. “We’re very lucky that we’ve got a group of players that can play multiple positions. And it gives us the opportunity to move things around in the squad a little bit. The danger with that is you move too many pieces-- and that’s what we’ve got to be careful about.”
The strategy worked against FC Kansas City. But the Chicago Red Stars-- whom the Pride play in their next two matches-- might call for a slightly different approach. It’s unclear whether or not this will be a solid formation moving forward. But one thing is certain-- Sermanni and his squad are hoping that this match will be the foundation for the rest of their season.
“I think there were a lot of positive things from tonight’s game,” Sermanni said. “We needed to put on a performance for the people of Orlando, for our supporters and for everyone in the community. And I think we did that tonight.
