The Spirit open their 2021 NWSL regular season tonight in Exploria Stadium against the Orlando Pride. Historically, the Pride have dominated the Spirit, winning 5 of their last 6 overall and 4 of their last 5 at home. With the roster turnover with the Spirit, historical records may not hold substantial sway over future results.
3 Things to Watch
What formation do the Spirit come out in? Much of the Challenge Cup was spent by Richie Burke attempting to get the team comfortable with a 3 in the back system. Due to international duty and it being…the preseason, the Spirit looked consistently rough in this formation, often resorting to a 4 man back line as a mid game adjustment. This change would usually bring the game under control for the Spirit, but Burke is insistent on building this tactical ability for his side and I would imagine will start the year once again with 3 in the back. With nearly a full complement of available players, Burke has many options to choose from. Kelley O’Hara is still recovering from a long term knee injury but is available for selection, as is Jordan Dibiasi, returning from offseason hip surgery.
Who will convert the chances? All throughout the Challenge Cup, the midfield and wingers provided opportunities, but goals were very hard to come by, with the Spirit averaging less than a goal a game. Trinity Rodman scored in her debut and assisted a goal by Ashley Sanchez in the dying moments against Racing Louisville, but her natural position is not as a striker. Tara McKeown, 2021 draft pick and recent signee, could potentially challenge for minutes with Ashley Hatch, but will likely require more time in training to get up to speed on tactics with her new team.
Can the Spirit keep Marta off the score sheet? All signs point to no, with 7 goals in her last 8 games against the Spirit. Marta aside, the Orlando Pride boast a scary attacking setup with Alex Morgan and Sydney LeRoux providing major threats to score. The Spirit will have their hands full defending, and after recording their first back to back clean sheets since 2018 (!!), the Spirit will be trying to break down a confident defense as well.
Prediction: Spirit 1, Pride 2. The Spirit need more time to click offensively and the Pride attack will give the Spirit challenges, especially if Burke wants to run with the under construction 3 man back line. Rodman scores for the Spirit, Marta and Morgan for Orlando.