Orlando Pride defender Phoebe McClernon anchors backline through rookie season

The Orlando Pride’s recent resurgence into playoff standing has been bolstered by the return of centerback Phoebe McClernon to starting form.

The rookie’s presence has become a necessity for the Pride backline, rooting the team’s defense in consistency alongside captain Ali Krieger and midseason addition Amy Turner.

After a breakout start to her first NWSL season, a midseason injury forced McClernon to slow down. Now she’s growing into the hard hitter the Pride have been seeking to toughen up their defensive presence.

“Phoebe takes her defensive matchups very personally,” interim coach Becky Burleigh said. “She takes a lot of pride in her defending. She’s a very, very competent attacking player as well, but she will put everything on the line to defend. That’s something you can trust always with her.”

McClernon’s position has been enhanced since the arrival of Burleigh, who favors a three-back formation for the defense. In this formation, McClernon holds down the center of the backline alongside Krieger and Turner.

With these three players fully focused on defense, wingbacks Ali Riley and Courtney Petersen are freed to tear up the flanks of the field and push the offense deeper into the opposing third of the pitch.

“It lets us get a lot more attacking pressure on our wings,” McClernon said. “For Courtney, Ali Riley, Kylie [Strom] — sometimes whoever’s playing that wingback position — they’re normally such good attackers that we’re losing something when they have to defend so much. It really gives them a new freedom. It’s something that jumpstarted our offense tremendously.”

Implementing a three-back concentrates the team on offense, which creates a higher responsibility for the three defenders to break up and cut off central counter attacks.

This places more responsibility on McClernon to win open-field duels. The defender describes her decision-making in those situations as instinctive.

“If I’m playing the way I want to be playing, there’s nothing going on in my head,” McClernon said. “I don’t have a thought in the world.”

Pride shake up training with “set piece palooza”

The Pride took a different tack — a “set piece palooza” morning focused on designed plays — with their last training session Wednesday before departing to Tacoma for Sunday’s 7 p.m. game against OL Reign.

The team has been focusing on increasing its efficiencies on set pieces throughout the season. Corner and free kick plays aren’t a strong suit for the Pride, but the team has converted several in highlight-worthy style, including Ashlyn Harris’ long-shot equalizing assist to Sydney Leroux against Racing Louisville.

Wednesday’s set piece session was designed with two goals — to draw up more effective plays targeting aerial threats like Taylor Kornieck and Toni Pressley and spicing up mundane late-season practices.

“Sometimes you forget that it’s a game,” McClernon said. “It just reminds you of that. When you get into the game, it makes things like a little less serious not in the sense that it doesn’t matter but in the sense that it’s a game you want to play.”

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Julia Poe at jpoe@orlandosentinel.com.