Orlando Pride win the NWSL double

 

Orlando Pride finish the 2024 season with the double after winning both the shield & championship.

What a season the Orlando Pride have had, winning the championship on Saturday against the Washington Spirit was just the crowning moment showing just how far the team have come. We don't think many people would have predicted the Pride to have the season they did, we sure didn't and we have been backing them since their formation. Seb Hines and his management team seem to have really go things in order at the club though and the team have finally won their first major silverware.

Over the years it has been a bit of a rocky road being a Pride fan, you thought team would do well then just a few games in you knew not to get your hopes up. This season has been different though as whilst the season progressed you just got more and more hopeful that the squad could hold on and get their first major trophies which they eventually did. There were some signs of progression in the 2023 season when Pride finished 7th just missing out on the playoffs after finishing 10th back in 2022. Back in 2019 the team came bottom of the league with only 16 points out of the season which just shows the uphill battle the team have had in recent years to finally see some progress and see them lift the silverware. Players have come and gone in recent years as have management teams but they now seem to have finally seen a management and squad that works really well together.

Throughout the season we saw some brilliant performances from the team which saw them finish the season on 60 points (a record for a singular season) after winning 18 games (yet another record) drawing 6 and only losing 2 games all season which came in the final few regular games. They also finished with a 26 goal difference with them scoring 46 goals and only conceding 20.

One big influence on the team has to be the addition of forward Barbra Banda who has had a fantastic start to life at the club. Banda was second in the top scorers this season after finding the back of the net 17 times, it was Banda who won the championship for the Pride too as her goal was the only one in the final, this led to her being named the championship MVP too. It is safe to say Banda settled into life at Orlando Pride well but will we see a repeat of these fantastic performances in season 2? 

Marta finally got her NWSL silverware with this double too, the longest serving member of the squad after being at the club since 2017 you could say this was a long time for one of the greatest players of all time. What made this win even more special though was the fact her mum was in attendance for this championship win, the first time she has watched her daughter play in the States. Now Marta has achieved the double in the NWSL though you can't help but wonder how much longer she has got playing, having retired from international football now shes won some silverware could domestic retirement be looming?

This season has been brilliant for the Pride and they have shown they are a force to be reckoned with after being written off for so many years. Are we going to see the same kind of performances from the team next season or are others going to add more strength and depth to their squads to put up a fight? It will be interesting to see any comings or goings from the Pride in the off season, will the add strength themselves or could we see a few players head in a different direction? All we know is we are looking forward to seeing how the off season plays out for not only the Pride but also the other teams in the league. 

For now though we are just going to sit back for a bit and enjoy seeing the Pride's celebrations as it has been a long time coming for them.  

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Some players just have those bits of style you want to add to your own game... Here are those players for me

Over the years I have been lucky enough to watch some absolutely fantastic players play football in the women's game who all brings something to the game which impact plays in different ways. A lot of those players who inspired me growing up have now retired however, a whole host of new talent is coming through and now I am back on the pitch myself I am noticing specific players types of play more which got me thinking about which players I would love to start watching even closer to add bits of their style into my own game. So here are just a few of the players whose style I would love to add in to my own when I am on that pitch...

Katie Zelem

I have really enjoyed watching Zelem play for numerous years now and I think it is due to how she can really work the central midfield role and get into some good attacking positions when required. Her set pieces are fantastic too with some pin point corners and threatening free kicks. Zelem is a strong force defensively too who isn't afraid to get stuck in for a tackle and track when needed. We have also seen a lot of her in the CDM role where she can hold up play and create some great passes to move her team forward. 

Lauren Hemp

Hemp is still so young yet she is already showing us all how much of a world class player is. Scoring goals, helping defend and just causing the opposition so many I issues I would absolutely love to add some of Hemp's style into my own play. The main thing I think I would love to add is her speed as she is absolutely rapid which causes some big problems with the opposition. If I could finish like her to that would also be fantastic as she scores some brilliant goals.

Khadija Bunny Shaw

Who wouldn't love to play like Shaw, her ability in front of goal is absolutely brilliant and she just looks like a constant threat when the ball gets played to her, whether it is with her feet or head you can just anticipate her name popping up on the score sheet and it is rare if it doesn't. Not only can Shaw score goals but she has a great play reading ability that helps her and her team mates get into some brilliant areas. Scoring and reading the play are definitely two key parts I would love to take from Shaw's game and add to my own.

Rachel Daly

The versatility of Daly is something that I would love to add into my own game. If called upon Daly can really stand out at the left back position and putting in some great defensive work but she really stands out up front and we have seen her score goal after goal with some fantastic reading of play. Daly might be a goal scorer but she is also a creator of play with some great vision for passing when on the ball and for movement when she is off it. No matter where Daly plays though she stands out and gives it 110%.


Jordan Nobbs

It is no secret that Nobbs is one of my all time favourite women's players and she is a player that I have looked up to for a long time now. When you have watched players for as long as I have with Nobbs it is safe to say you notice those little things they do in games and how they create an impact. The ability to find even the smallest pocket of space to help out team mates is something I would add to my game which Nobbs does, week in week out you see her just sneaking about drawing the opposition in and creating space for her team to attack. I would also love her ability to stop opposition attacks with some well timed challenges too and finally her ability to score some rocket goals from distance her accuracy with those goals is absolutely fantastic to watch.


Katie McCabe

Last but not least there are so many pieces of McCabe's play I would love to add into my own game. One big thing is her physicality she is a no nonsense player who gets stuck in and uses her strength to hold up the ball or retrieve it back for her team, her tackles are also great to watch, it is like watching Roy Keane at points. I would also love to add her vocality to my game too as she really stands up and helps direct the team into the next move or where the others need to be, you especially see this when she is captain on international duty. Finally I would love to be able to take set pieces like McCabe, her free kicks are great and usually find a team mate with just the right amount of power, but the biggest one is her corners they are perfectly weighted and angled and sometimes even get her on the score sheet direct from that corner. 

So there you have it those are plays who I would love to take little pieces of style from and add into my own game as time goes on. Imagine having all these little pieces like those players and merge it into one with a lot of hard work in training and trial & error, you could become a bit of a super player & all rounder. 
Next time you are watching a game watch those players who are in the same position as you and try pick out those little pieces of style that you would love to add into your own game, I think you will be surprised on what you would want to work on over time, plus it will no doubt highlight areas you have never really considered for you before.

For now though it's time to get training and try add some of these elements mentioned in the post added into my own game. Let's see how that works out shall we. 

If you could play like one player who would it be?
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