Orlando Pride head coach Amanda Cromwell remembers the word midfielder Gunny Jónsdóttir used to describe the team’s unusually young roster the first week of preseason training camp.

Willing.

The oldest team in the league last year, weighted by minutes, will be one of the youngest in the NWSL in 2022 after an offseason of significant turnover. After trading away franchise linchpins like Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris and Alex Morgan, and acquiring a flurry of 2023 college draft picks, the Pride have just 15 players returning from last season. Of the 30-player squad, 13 are aged 24 or younger.

Cromwell describes Orlando as having an underdog mentality with a championship mindset.

“Everyone’s just willing right now,” she said. “Willing to get stuff done, willing to work hard … and getting a team to work for each other is there. Those are key components to some success down the road.”

The coach, who is also new to the league after leaving her head coaching position at UCLA, is content with the team being underestimated. Pride general manager Ian Fleming said they have had many discussions with veteran leaders like Marta, Sydney Leroux and Erin McLeod about building trust after the upheaval during the offseason.

“I think everyone’s just been so open and willing to grow together,” McLeod said. “It’s one thing to give a lot of information, and it’s another to receive it and I have to credit the players for doing both. … Most importantly, we see each other as equals on the field.”

Leroux, a five-year Pride veteran, said she’s never been a part of “something so drastic.”

“It’s exciting,” she said. “It’s something different and something new.”

The adjustments could be what the team needs to return to the playoffs, after finishing in the bottom three of the NWSL standings every year since 2017.

Underdog mentality with a championship mindset 😤@orlandohealth | #AdAstra pic.twitter.com/wRmCi2joti

— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) February 16, 2022

Youth movement

Throughout the first month of preseason, the Pride’s younger players have exhibited confidence and an eagerness to learn. Cromwell noticed from day one of preseason, when the team started watching video, that the rookies weren’t afraid to speak up when the coaching staff asked for feedback and questions.

Defender Megan Montefusco (née Oyster) said the inexperienced players are asking the veterans a lot of “really good questions” on the field, as well.

“The players are very open to absorbing everything we’re offering,” Cromwell said.

Orlando signed five NWSL rookies this season, including 2022 draft selections Caitlin Cosme (No. 10), Julie Doyle (No. 11) and Jada Talley (No. 31), as well as 2021 draftees Kerry Abello and three-time MAC Hermann Trophy finalist Mikayla Cluff, both of whom elected to complete their eligibility in the NCAA in 2021. The Pride’s top draft pick this season, UCLA forward Mia Fishel, opted to play with Tigres in Liga MX Femenil after being selected No. 5 in December’s NWSL Draft.

After over a month of observing the new players in preseason, Cromwell singled out Cluff for her play. The BYU midfielder led the NCAA in points last season with 51, adding to her five-year total of 53 goals and 39 assists.

“We did have expectations for her coming in as one of the best players to come out of college last year,” said Cromwell.

The coach is eager to see how Cluff fits into the attack with Leroux and Marta, but also notes that the four-time All-American has a “bite” defensively.

“She’s very fit as well,” Cromwell said. “Those players that can work on both sides of the ball are fun to have on your squad because they affect in and out of possession.”

Fast forward ⏩ Welcome to Orlando, @kayla_colohan! 😈 ⚡

Details: https://t.co/M0zCM5BJeD

📸 #ISIPhotos pic.twitter.com/8TBOnOKKjx

— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) January 26, 2022

Courtney Petersen, Parker Roberts and Carrie Lawrence, all 24 years old, have also stood out in preseason. Cromwell notes that Roberts has “been doing great things in the six.”

Abi Kim, who signed with the Pride from ACF Fiorentina prior to the start of last season, has made significant progress in the last month. The forward has never played outside back, but she’s shown so far in preseason that she can hold her own in that position.

Predicting there might be a point in the season where the young players “hit a wall,” Cromwell plans to give them stretches of days off, when they can get away and rejuvenate. She compares Orlando’s energy to that of the Washington Spirit’s young trio — Ashley Sanchez (age 22), 2021 NWSL Golden Boot winner Ashley Hatch (26) and Rookie of the Year Trinity Rodman (19), who helped lead the Spirit to their first NWSL championship in November.

“I think players that are young can come in and have an impact,” Cromwell said.

Attacking mindset

On the field, the Pride plan to play a possession-minded and creative style of attack. The glue will be Marta, the Brazilian superstar forward whose energy Cromwell and Fleming describe as infectious. Recently named team captain, Marta embodies a childlike love for the game and the identity Cromwell wants for the team.

“I’ve always prided myself on teams that are confident on the ball, fun to watch, and play with freedom,” Cromwell said. “Any team that has Marta, quite honestly, should look to build through her and build through the midfield.”

Lately, the Pride have been working on being patient in the attack. They have many players who can be dangerous on the counter-attack, and Cromwell encourages them to take advantage when the transition lanes are open, but also build through the midfield as much as they can.

Orlando’s key to recruiting has been identifying players who want to play a dictating, possession-style game and have good composure, fitness, vision and the ability to contribute to strong team defense. Cromwell emphasizes versatility, appreciating defenders who can dribble out of the back and make assists and forwards who can contribute on the backline if needed.

Toward the end of each practice, the Pride coaches drill different defensive systems, including defending from the front and getting numbers behind the ball. Following a run through their set plays, the players bring donuts and coffee for each other in recovery sessions. Their shared desire to win a championship has made the new team close through the first month and a half of preseason.

“We’re so bought into that,” said Montefusco, who joined the Pride in January in a trade with the Houston Dash. “It’s exciting because you can feel it out on the pitch. We’re all fighting for each other.”

Said Cromwell: “To me, the best teams in the world are the ones that fight for each other and have each other’s back.”

Winning mentality

To a championship-driven team like Orlando, the Challenge Cup beginning next week isn’t just a preseason tournament.

“I’m always competitive, so I always want to win something, some sort of championship,” Cromwell said. “I don’t care what it is — ping pong, tech ball, whatever it might be — so we’re going to have that as a goal.”

The Challenge Cup will live up to its name immediately for the Pride, putting the young team to the test against the reigning NWSL champion Spirit in their first game on March 19. Cromwell plans to use the tournament as an opportunity to answer remaining questions she has about players and to make necessary adjustments in preparation for the regular season.

And, after three straight losing seasons, the club is eager to flip the script.

“I want to win,” said Montefusco. “That’s just in me and I think this whole team really wants to win.”

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

USWNT stalwart Alex Morgan will miss at least one week of NWSL action after suffering a left ankle knock in her last club appearance, Wave manager Casey Stoney said on Thursday.

Morgan was helped off the field after rolling her ankle in the later stages of the Wave’s 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride last weekend, despite the San Diego side being out of available substitutes.

“She's got an ankle injury and she's out for this weekend, and then it'll be week by week from there,” Stoney said, confirming that Morgan’s been ruled out for Saturday’s showdown with NWSL newcomer Bay FC.

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Depending on its severity, Morgan’s ankle issue might have larger ramifications than missing a few weeks of NSWL play. Morgan was added to the team's Gold Cup roster after an ACL injury sidelined young striker Mia Fishel, and she's since made a number of USWNT starts in the team's Gold Cup and SheBelieves wins. A long-term injury could potentially derail the center forward’s Olympic plans.

With her return timeline uncertain, it's possible the injury could also impact Morgan's ability to participate in new head coach Emma Hayes' first U.S. friendlies in June and July.

Morgan's injury concerns aren't uncommon in the U.S. player pool, but add a sense of urgency as Hayes eyes the NWSL for top-performing players in the upcoming weeks. Gotham's Tierna Davidson and Rose Lavelle have also been dealing with injuries: Lavelle has yet to appear for Gotham, while Davidson exited last weekend's match early with a hamstring injury.

Gotham has yet to issue an update concerning Davidson's status.

This week, legendary Brazilian superstar Marta announced that she’ll retire from the national team at the end of 2024.

In an interview with CNN Esportes published Thursday, the iconic footballer confirmed that she would be hanging up her boots regardless of whether or not she ends up making Brazil's 18-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

“If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team,” she said. “There is no longer Marta in the national team as an athlete from 2025 onwards.”

Marta will retire as a giant of the women's game, having appeared in five Olympics and multiple World Cups. When discussing her retirement, she stressed confidence in the rising generation of Brazilian players, noting that she was, “very calm about this, because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes." 

The statement echoes back to a plea she made during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after Brazil lost to France 2-1 in the Round of 16. “It's wanting more. It's training more. It's taking care of yourself more. It's being ready to play 90 plus 30 minutes. This is what I ask of the girls,” she said then, addressing the young players following in her footsteps. 

In 2023, she signaled a farewell to World Cup competition with the same sentiment, telling media, “We ask the new generation to continue where we left off.”

If selected for the 2024 Olympic team, Marta has a shot at extending her own consecutive-scoring record with the ability to score in an unbelievable sixth-straight Olympic Games. She currently stands as Brazil’s top goalscorer, racking up 116 career goals in 175 matches, as well as the leading goalscorer in any World Cup, women’s or men’s, with 17 to her name. 

Marta will continue to play for the NWSL’s Orlando Pride through at least the end of 2024. The longtime forward and club captain has already contributed to multiple goals this season.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.