The Orlando Pride attacking front in 2017 has been one of the most dangerous in NWSL. With players like Alex Morgan, Marta, Camila and Jasmyne Spencer, the Pride have the second best scoring offense in the league. One player that has been an important piece of the puzzle for the team has been Chioma Ubogagu.
The London born forward has played in 15 of the team’s 20 games, starting in 12. To this point in the season, she has scored three goals, including one this past weekend in Kansas City, and adding one assist.
While the numbers may not stand out on paper, it’s what Ubogagu does best for the Pride that doesn’t always show up on the score sheet. With the prolific players like Morgan and Marta up front, she acts as an outlet for the two forwards. With defenses keying in so much on the two world class attackers, Chi is able to create space for herself, both on and off the ball, which then in turn allows Morgan and Marta to find attacking lanes towards goal.
With Ubogagu’s ability to hold possession through defenses, it opens up the rest of the field for others, like Camila in the middle and the fullbacks Steph Catley and Kristen Edmonds on the wings, to push forward and give the Pride a bigger advantage in the attacking third of the pitch.
The versatility of Ubogagu has also been a valuable asset for Head Coach Tom Sermanni, as she has been deployed as a fullback once this season, in a 1-1 draw against Chicago in early August.
Now that the Pride are fighting for one of the four playoff spots, the last stretch of games will be crucial. If Ubogagu and her teammates can continue the run of form they’ve been on, there’s no doubt the team will make it to the NWSL Playoffs.
