SANFORD, Fla. -- It's all about confidence.
That's what Orlando Pride midfielder Mikayla Cluff said she's ready to play with heading into her second season as a pro in the NWSL.
Cluff was picked up by Orlando in the second round of the 2021 NWSL Draft out of BYU, though the midfielder stayed for an extra semester to play out her senior year in college. After signing with the team in 2022, she played in 18 matches, starting in eight.
"Rookie season can kind of go one of two ways," Cluff said Tuesday at the Orlando Health Training Ground at Sylvan Lake Park.
"I had a lot of ups and downs but overall, I was able to get a good experience, learn a lot and just take in a lot of information. Now, I feel like I'm in a spot where I've got that experience, and now I've been given the opportunity. It's just time to play with confidence and do what I know that I'm capable of."
Through the first two games of the season, Cluff has started both in the midfield, in a role that, just last year, was new to her. Collegiately, she played a more advanced role up the field as a classic No. 10, pulling the strings of the offense.
Professionally, she's been playing more as a box to box midfielder, requiring her to play both offensively and defensively at an equal measure. It's a role that head coach Seb Hines has seen her mature in over the course of the last 12 months.
"We want to get our midfielders on the ball," he said, "We want to use our midfield we want to play through the lines, we want to try and utilize every player that's on the field and play to their strengths and [Mikayla] has done tremendously well in that."
Having that experience not only helps Cluff on and off the field, but the midfielder has also been able to take those lessons from last season and introduce them to the new crop of rookies that have joined the team. After all, just one year ago she was in the same boots that the five draftees from this year are right now.
"Now that I've had a year it's kind of nice to know where they're coming from and what they might be experiencing," she said. "Last year, I felt like I didn't have as much as that. Obviously, me being the new one, I felt like I was kind of alone, or if anyone else knew what I was experiencing. But it's nice to be able to relate to them and just talk to them through their first year, knowing where they might be coming from, and just try and help show them what they can do and know what to expect."
Not only is the experience helpful for Cluff, but the culture and environment that the coaching staff has implemented over the past few months has contributed to the progressive growth of all the players, not just the rookies.
"We have a great environment here," Cluff said. "Our culture is awesome and it's a big growth environment. Everybody feels comfortable to kind of ask questions and learn and develop."
Cluff and the Pride will be back at home on Saturday as they host Gotham FC. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Exploria Stadium or online on Paramount+.
