Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines
On the result
“Really pleased with the result. I think it was quite even in the first half. We had some half-chances, and we tried to stop their key players from having a big influence on the game. I thought the players implemented the game plan very well. We had some really outstanding performances. I thought it was a really big collective effort from everyone. I thought we showed what we were capable of doing. It was nice to get some goals and a clean sheet at the end of it.”
On Marta’s performance and impact
“She is outstanding. She is absolutely brilliant. You can see her hunger, her motivation and what she brings to the team. She wanted to make a difference today, and you could see it in her performance. There is probably nobody better in that position to score from that distance and let is nestle into the bottom corner. But it wasn't just her goal tonight; it was her whole performance. It was her attitude to threaten in behind, where at times she was on her own, but she managed to link a couple of plays. It was a great performance and she was just one of many who performed well for us tonight.”
On Barbra Banda returning to the lineup
“I think she played 17 minutes and had three shots. I think two of her shots were within a minute of her entering the field. She is such a threat you can never not be aware of her. Even her goal that she scored comes from a long ball from Hailie Mace in behind and she made something out of nothing. She’s a forward, she likes scoring goals and you could see tonight the hunger to get back into it. We missed her last week, but it was nice to have her available for 15 minutes. Likewise with Oihane, who we missed last week, as well.”
Orlando Pride Forward Marta
On the result
“A really good result, especially after we lost a tough game in LA. It's been a tough season for us with ups and downs. We need to take chances when we play at home, so I'm happy with the result tonight.”
On scoring her 50th goal with the Pride
“I just found out about that after the game. Of course, I am happy about the goal. Most of all, I am happy about the result. We are always looking for three points. I am happy to keep making history with this club. I have been working very hard all week, especially in this Florida heat. I was ready for this game and feeling very good. Somedays you wake up and tell yourself that today is the day, that you will play one of your best games. I felt good and confident and always communicate with my teammates to give me the ball. I was hungry this game. I'm happy to help the team and I hope we keep growing in this competition. I know it’s hard every single game, but like I always say, nobody is allowed to have fun in our house besides us, so I hope we can keep it like that.”
On adjustments heading into the match
“Sometimes you have to change things based on who you are going to play. I think the team understood the plan about how we wanted to play against Kansas City. Last week was a little bit of a mess. I thought we were a little slow on the field, nothing was connected, and I think today one of the biggest keys for us was communication. The desire to make things happen and give everything. So, honestly every single game is different, but you need to face the most important game. I think we faced this game tonight like a final. Hopefully we continue to think like that because it is really hard to earn points in the NWSL, but we need to ensure we don't drop points especially when we play at home.”
Orlando Pride Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse
On the result
“It was a tough game in the heat, but we seem to be showing up in big games and grinding out results and really fighting for each other in tough moments, and we did exactly that tonight. We scored three goals, as well, so its happy days.”
On the defensive performance and making her 100th appearance
“Getting 100 games for this club is something I didn’t think would happen coming in. I wasn’t planning on being here so long, but Orlando is my home now and I am really happy to be here and to achieve that milestone. I think defensively tonight we were all over them from back to front. To be honest, we had to dig in at times and we had some moments where we had to do last-ditch tackles and stuff like that, but it felt like we were back to how we play, how we defend and how we score goals and it is really encouraging to see.”
On the rotation of the center backs
“Zara [Chavoshi] and Hannah [Anderson] did a great job in front of me and locking it down at the back. Zara had a really good game on the ball, as well, and she did all the defensive work that she had to do. We train together every day. It is not like I am playing with these players for the first time—we train together all the time. It is just getting a little chemistry with them and I had no doubts going into the game that they are going to go in and do their job. Cori [Dyke] and [Kerry Abello] at fullback, as well—the whole team defended as one and that is kind of how we have created the culture now and how we play, so it is just really nice to get back to that. “
