It’s only the start of the Orlando Pride preseason, and already, things are clicking.
This week, on LionNation, a two-part video explored the first week of the Orlando Pride preseason. It’s very different from last year, where people were just starting to get to know each other and the team was just getting to work.
“This year, we’re able to go in. We have a sense of pride for our logo, for this community, we’ve built that. And going into Year Two, we can really build off of that,” Maddy Evans said. “People came in fit and prepared. And that allows us to focus on football from Day One and not worry about too much of the fitness side.”
“I’ve been so surprised with everyone,” Jasmyne Spencer said. “We’re light years ahead of where we were at Week One last year. And it’s just amazing to see, everyone’s fit, it looks like everyone kept touches on the ball in the offseason, and the way we’re playing together already in such a short period of time is incredible.”
Already, preseason feels competitive. People are fighting for spots on the roster, and eventually, spots in the starting line up. The competition creates a positive atmosphere in which people are pushing each other and fighting to be their best.
“It’s been a really competitive atmosphere,” Evans said. “There’s a lot of depth in every position and every position is gonna be really competitive. But that’s a good thing. We’re pushing each other, we’re getting better every single day, and that tone has definitely been set from Day One.”
“It’s fast, it’s competitive, everybody wants to be at their best,” Spencer said. “And it’s not just for themselves, you can tell it’s for the greater purpose of the team, which is amazing. I think you can really tell that in the positivity.”
In Year Two, rookies from last season have earned a year of experience. That, combined with new voices on the pitch, gives the Pride more opportunities to guide each other and lift each other up.
“I think that there are a lot of players who can step into more of a leadership role this season,” Evans said. “We do have a lot of veteran players, a lot of experienced players, and I also think we have a bunch of different leadership styles which is great. So, we have some more quiet leaders and we have some more vocal leaders, and it gives a lot of people an opportunity to step forward at different moments. And I’m excited to see that part grow cause the leadership is so important for us, and we’re able to build that off of last year, but also bring some new people in and move forward in a direction that we want to move as a team.”
There isn’t any time to waste. The season opener is less than a month away-- but the women are excited to keep working.
“We get it, we can’t waste one day, preseason is short and our first game is right around the corner. So we’re pushing each other, we’re getting each other better, and we’re just focused on that first game,” Evans said. “From day one, you’re gonna see that we’re gonna fit, we’re gonna work hard together, and we’re gonna be a unit. And I think that’s huge going forward. It’s a long season, and we need to focus one day at a time, but if we can move to it together, as a group, collectively, it’s gonna be huge for us.”
“I think we’re gonna be super hard working and I think we’re gonna be really excited to watch,” Spencer said “I think we’re just gonna play a really good brand of soccer.”
To see more on the Pride preseason, check out the full two-part video on LionNation.
