Orlando Pride’s historic NWSL championship showcases the capabilities of coach Seb Hines, Black coaches

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When the referee blew the final whistle in the National Women’s Soccer League championship game between the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit on Saturday and the Pride lifted the trophy for the first time in franchise history with a 1-0 win, it was hard to know , where exactly to look when the team has crashed on the field.

Most of the team’s minions – except perhaps those aligned with the Spirit – knew the best way to give attention to Orlando Pride forward Marta, a living legend from Brazil long referred to as Rainha (queen), but never a champion until that whistle. The 38-year-old three-time Olympic silver medalist and all-time leading World Cup scorer dropped to her knees and pointed to the sky before disappearing right into a pile of dogs. Marta’s mother got here from Brazil to the United States for the first time to look at her play. Few would regret specializing in striker Barbra Banda, the prolific Zambian striker who scored the Pride’s only goal to secure the victory.

But near the sideline, Pride head coach Seb Hines, first assistant coach Giles Barnes and assistant coach Yolanda Thomas embraced, keeping off the Kansas City cold and having fun with a historic moment of Black excellence. As glitter fell to the ground inside the stadium, Hines became the first black coach to win an NWSL championship, which doubled as the first skilled title for Orlando, Florida. He is first full-time Black coach in the league. (For a short while, Hue Menzies was the coach of the Jamaica women’s national team served as interim coach at New Jersey/New York Gotham FC in 2022. In December 2023, Lorne Donaldson, the newest head coach of ReggaeGirlz, was named hired as head coach Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL league.)

“It’s huge,” Hines said of the win in his postgame press conference. “Obviously, going into this job, I did my research. I knew (I knew) that Orlando had never won a championship between (MLS) City, Pride, Orlando Magic to call a couple of, so yes, I all the time desired to have that open (parade) bus running through the streets of Orlando.

Hines had never been a head coach before taking up the Pride, and yet in lower than three seasons he transformed a team that had made only one playoff appearance in seven years into an unstoppable force and, ultimately, a champion. Hines was a full-time assistant coach for the Pride before being promoted to interim head coach. In 2024, the Orlando Pride made NWSL history as the team with the most wins (18), longest unbeaten streak (23) and longest winning streak (eight) in a season. On October 7, they won the NWSL Shield, a trophy awarded to the team with the most points in 26 games. They had 60 points, the most in league history.

And he did it with Barnes and Thomas, who’re also Black coaches. As Pride players could possibly be heard celebrating with champagne nearby, Hines made it clear he intended to assist expand opportunities for black managers.

“I want to be a role model for other people so that they can take advantage of the opportunity I have been given. It’s a big responsibility,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of fun with this opportunity, so I just want to continue to advocate for more Black coaches and (to) create a more diverse league in the NWSL.”

Hines grew up and commenced his skilled profession in England, where he was raised by a white English mother and a black American. Orlando has been his home in the US since he played for Orlando City SC in MLS in 2015. He retired two years later but remained with the club, continuing as a volunteer at youth level, before moving to Pride in 2018.

In June 2020, the Pride hired Hines as a full-time assistant coach. Two years later, he was thrust into his first head coaching position as then manager Amanda Cromwell and one other assistant were fired after a league investigation found they’d retaliated against players. Hines was promoted to interim coach on June 7 and has been confirmed as full-time coach on November 11.

“I make it through hard work,” he said at a press conference after the announcement. “I wouldn’t have gotten into this position without hard work, so I want the team to emulate my values ​​and beliefs. So next year you will find a team that will work hard and fight for every inch of the match, but will also have the freedom to play, express themselves and entertain the fans. This is a really important element because fans can come to a Pride game and have fun.”

The Pride finished tenth out of 12 teams in 2022. In January 2023, former player Haley Carter became Pride’s vp of soccer operations and general manager and focused on improving the club’s culture. With the signing of Hines Barnes as head assistant coach in February 2023 and Thomas as assistant coach in March 2023, the Pride began to take off in earnest. Still, they finished 2023 painfully short of the playoffs, and fell short on goal difference in the final game of the season.

Hines and the team continued to level up. In March, the Pride signed Banda in what was arguably their most eye-catching signing since Marta, a prolific goal scorer who barely slowed down when she arrived in the NWSL from China. She scored 17 goals in 25 regular-season games, 4 goals in three postseason games and was nominated for NWSL MVP – all in her first season. Marta talked at length about how playing alongside Banda sharpened her own game. This offensive partnership, combined with a powerful defense that led the league in stoppages, catapulted the Pride to the top of the NWSL for much of the season. At the end of the season, Marta earned a Midfielder of the Year nomination, Emily Sams was named Defender of the Year, and Hines was awarded Coach of the Year.

Pride forward Ally Watt is the team representative for the Black Women’s Player Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Black girls in sports. She praised Hines’ achievements.

“I’m very proud to be part of his history,” she said in the mixed zone after the match, as tears rolled down her cheeks. “It just makes me proud to be his player because he pushes us day-after-day, but he’s also a trailblazer, inspiring future generations and he’s very humble about it, which also (is) just… he’s just an important leader on this meaning.”

Indeed, Hines exudes quiet confidence, at the very least in the eyes of the media, selecting his words fastidiously and sticking to the script as a black English-American determined to provide back to the Orlando community he has fallen in love with by winning the city a trophy.

In one season, the Pride won them two trophies.

“I’m still learning, I’m still developing, I’m relatively young as well, so I just want to continue to grow and learn as much as I can and also, yeah, listen to the players, listen to how they feel good,” Hines said, reflecting on the season . “Of course I actually have a mode of play and I need this team to look a certain way, but the players must consider in it and you may see that there’s a real community there. They trust me, they trust the coaching staff, and when everyone seems to be working towards these goals, you may see what we are able to achieve.