Brining a unique and unpredicitable style of play to the soccer pitch the ladies of the Washington Spirit are ready for the second meeting against the Orlando Pride that is going to be played on Saturday, April 19 at Inter&Co Stadium.
The start between the two squads is going to be scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
There are a ton of things that the franchise is in the middle of, the biggest thing in terms of management is the injuries that arise.
In Sports it is difficult to have everyone on the team healthy, but that is something that Head Coach Jonatan Giráldez is in the process of finding the best methods for.
“We are looking into these things,” he mentioned during the Zoom. “We are looking into what we can improve we are analyzing and making sure that everyone stays healthy.”
Coach Giráldez along with Forward Brittany Ratcliffe shared thoughts on that as well as a wide range of topics with those that cover the Spirit via Zoom on Thursday.
There is going to be an adaptability that the ladies are going to show if they are wanting to gain a second victory against a Pride team that is in first place in the NWSL standing with 12 points and a 4-0 record.
“They are one of the best defensive teams (Orlando) and another thing is the fact that they are amazing in how they find Banda,” said Coach Giráldez . “We feel comfortable and good, we feel comfortable in our style of play. What I hope to have is to create more chances. When you play against top strikers you got to manage things a certain way. We have to do that if we want to have chances to win but I think we have a chance to win.”
Somehow or the other the team continues to keep a synergy that is built amongst them and the standards that they have set with those injuries as well as the other challenges that may arise and that is something that Ratcliffe reflected on.
“These things all start off the field. You enjoy the people you spend the time with. We have a team full of good human being and that makes things easier,” Brittany said. “When it comes time for positivity, there are ways of doing that including the fact that we as teammates have got to hold people accountable and being able to help those people to that next level and the high standard that we have.”
One of the things that is noticed thus far is how the ladies are adapting to not only the challenges but what each team brings to each match.
“I like to be unpredicible,” Coach mentioned. “Every game we play different in terms of shape and attacking and defending. You can increase your options. They have to see what they have to do, and they are always making adjustments.”
That was somethign that Brittany also spoke about saying, “If you guys know me I do things a certain way. The things I am proud of -well if anything I am proud but I also want to work on things. Work ethic is huge that is something that can be a huge part of my game and that is something that I take pride in. I am going to work as hard as I can, and that is something that I take pride in.”
Ratcliffe also had these words to share when it comes time for playing in the ultra-tough NWSL, “Every game is going to be different…every team is different…any team can win on any given day. Every game is different. For us we have to do a good job of following our game plan and following the things that make us special. I feel like we want to always want to improve and bring those things into those game. We need to focus on us and what makes us special.”
Thus far the Spirit are showing how special that they are in having a third-place spot in the standings with nine points and a 4-3 mark. The ladies continue to draw well at Audi Field as the ladies drew 12.140 in the most recent match against Bay FC.
The positive momentum, standard and unpredictability are all things that are going to be something that’ll help the ladies in the second meeting against Orlando in the team’s second meeting to be played on April 19 at 5:00 p.m. For those unable to attend in person can catch the action on the ION Network.
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