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The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Making Orlando proud: English coaching duo's unlikely route to NWSL glory
To followers of women's football in the United States, they are the English coaching duo who have delivered unprecedented success to a previously trophyless club; to English football fans with particularly sharp memories, they are the former Middlesbrough and Derby youngsters who left to play in the MLS. To each other, Seb Hines and Giles Barnes are just old mates, stretching back to their days sharing a room together on England youth international camps. 'It brings an unwavering trust. We can challenge each other and there's no ill intent behind it,' is how Barnes sums up the benefits of a head coach and his assistant being longtime friends. Yet the unlikely chain of events that led to their reunion in Florida is almost as improbable as Orlando Pride leaping from 10th place to the title in two years. Hines may never have moved to the United States had it not been for a call to Barnes. When Hines was contemplating leaving Middlesbrough in 2015, it was Barnes – playing for Houston Dynamo at the time – who helped make up his mind. 'I asked Giles: 'What's the lifestyle like? Is it right for my family? And what's the standard like?' And he sold it to me. He said: 'This is a growing league. You get to play against some of the best players in the world.' Maybe if I hadn't had that conversation, I might be stacking shelves in England or something,' recalls Hines, who knew he had made the right choice on making his Orlando City debut in front of 62,510 alongside Kaká. Barnes's own life-changing move to the MLS had come three years earlier, after a string of serious injuries while at Doncaster after spells at West Brom and his initial breakthrough at Derby. 'As a young kid, I had a lot going for me. Then I got injured pretty severely to the point where I was told to retire,' Barnes says. 'After I came back from knee surgery, I snapped my Achilles twice. When I was playing for Doncaster, I wasn't enjoying football and it was purely because I didn't feel like the same player. I was still young and there were still all these expectations and I never really recovered properly from my injury, and that sat with me in a dark place for a long time. I didn't feel football in my body any more. I was a bit heartbroken. I came to the end of that season and I told my dad I was done with football. 'I sat on the couch for I don't know how long and then I got a random phone call from an agent, saying: 'Hey, how do you feel about playing for LA Galaxy?' and I thought: 'OK you've got my attention'. I ended up going to Houston and just enjoying my life, in a new city where no one's asking: 'What happened to Giles Barnes, the wonder kid?' and I could just enjoy football. I started to feel a little better in myself as a human when I started to get the love back for football. I came to MLS in a dark time of my life and in my career and it saved me.' Barnes would go on to play for Jamaica and have spells in Canada, Mexico and India before getting a break in coaching after the former USA manager Bob Bradley invited him to join Toronto FC during pre-season while, over in Florida, his old roommate's own coaching career was set for an unexpected twist. Hines had been working on the backroom staff at Orlando Pride when, in 2022, the NWSL club placed then head coach Amanda Cromwell on leave and Hines was promoted to interim head coach. Cromwell was later sacked after 'engaging in retaliatory conduct' towards players who had complained against her in a previous investigation. The team needed a reset and Hines knew who to call. 'It was a no-brainer to bring Giles in,' Hines says. 'We started out with the culture. We made training fun and enjoyable, but hard work as well. We have to make sure it's enjoyable because you can't hate playing football, it's the best job in the world.' Barnes adds: 'It was simple – I wanted to help him, he's such a good guy. I did have some questions, because the club had been in a little bit of turmoil, they'd had a lot of investigations, and I was just like: 'Seb, what's it going to take?' and he said: 'We need to just get the culture right and it will be good'. And that was it.' Not only did they change the culture, in 2024 Orlando won the regular-season title and then the playoffs, becoming the first professional sports team from Orlando to win any major trophy 'There are some big, big clubs here,' says Hines, 'so to bring a championship to Orlando was an extremely proud moment. I think everyone can remember the hard times that Orlando Pride have been through [and we] changed the perception by winning both the shield and championship. 'It was almost like a rebuild. The investment from the ownership group has been tremendous, really trusting us. Everything has come together nicely, on an upward trajectory. Now it's about trying to sustain success and it not just being a one-off. We've set a standard and expectation now.' Before that, Hines had already made NWSL history by becoming the league's first Black head coach, something that surprised him: 'I didn't know until I got the job. The league had been going for [more than] 10 years so it came as a bit of a shock. Of course, you would like to see a lot more Black coaches or minorities getting those opportunities to be successful in multiple leagues, and I want to be a role model and to make sure everyone can have the same aspirations.' A former England youth captain, Hines worked under two old England managers, Steve McLaren and Gareth Southgate, at Middlesbrough as well as the former Scotland manager Gordon Strachan and Tony Mowbray – 'He was great for me, he trusted me and helped me develop' – and finally Aitor Karanka. 'It's not a bad list of coaches,' Hines says. 'I've been able to take little pieces away from them which I've tried to implement here.' As the NWSL approaches its halfway break – for the Euros – Orlando Pride sit second in the table and Barnes adds: 'It's not just about winning one championship. It's 'can you win another one?'' Barnes and Hines have no intention of stopping.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
English coaching duo take unlikely route on way to NWSL title glory
To followers of women's football in the United States, they are the English coaching duo who have delivered unprecedented success to a previously trophyless club; to English football fans with particularly sharp memories, they are the former Middlesbrough and Derby youngsters who left to play in the MLS. To each other, Seb Hines and Giles Barnes are just old mates, stretching back to their days sharing a room together on England youth international camps. 'It brings an unwavering trust. We can challenge each other and there's no ill intent behind it,' is how Barnes sums up the benefits of a head coach and his assistant being longtime friends. Yet the unlikely chain of events that led to their reunion in Florida is almost as improbable as Orlando Pride leaping from 10th place to the title in two years. Advertisement Related: Hannah Hampton aims to live up to Mary Earps' legacy as England No 1 Hines may never have moved to the United States had it not been for a call to Barnes. When Hines was contemplating leaving Middlesbrough in 2015, it was Barnes – playing for Houston Dynamo at the time – who helped make up his mind. 'I asked Giles: 'What's the lifestyle like? Is it right for my family? And what's the standard like?' And he sold it to me. He said: 'This is a growing league. You get to play against some of the best players in the world.' Maybe if I hadn't had that conversation, I might be stacking shelves in England or something,' recalls Hines, who knew he had made the right choice on making his Orlando City debut in front of 62,510 alongside Kaká. Barnes's own life-changing move to the MLS had come three years earlier, after a string of serious injuries while at Doncaster after spells at West Brom and his initial breakthrough at Derby. Advertisement 'As a young kid, I had a lot going for me. Then I got injured pretty severely to the point where I was told to retire,' Barnes says. 'After I came back from knee surgery, I snapped my Achilles twice. When I was playing for Doncaster, I wasn't enjoying football and it was purely because I didn't feel like the same player. I was still young and there were still all these expectations and I never really recovered properly from my injury, and that sat with me in a dark place for a long time. I didn't feel football in my body any more. I was a bit heartbroken. I came to the end of that season and I told my dad I was done with football. 'I sat on the couch for I don't know how long and then I got a random phone call from an agent, saying: 'Hey, how do you feel about playing for LA Galaxy?' and I thought: 'OK you've got my attention'. I ended up going to Houston and just enjoying my life, in a new city where no one's asking: 'What happened to Giles Barnes, the wonder kid?' and I could just enjoy football. I started to feel a little better in myself as a human when I started to get the love back for football. I came to MLS in a dark time of my life and in my career and it saved me.' Barnes would go on to play for Jamaica and have spells in Canada, Mexico and India before getting a break in coaching after the former USA manager Bob Bradley invited him to join Toronto FC during pre-season while, over in Florida, his old roommate's own coaching career was set for an unexpected twist. Hines had been working on the backroom staff at Orlando Pride when, in 2022, the NWSL club placed then head coach Amanda Cromwell on leave and Hines was promoted to interim head coach. Cromwell was later sacked after 'engaging in retaliatory conduct' towards players who had complained against her in a previous investigation. Advertisement The team needed a reset and Hines knew who to call. 'It was a no-brainer to bring Giles in,' Hines says. 'We started out with the culture. We made training fun and enjoyable, but hard work as well. We have to make sure it's enjoyable because you can't hate playing football, it's the best job in the world.' Barnes adds: 'It was simple – I wanted to help him, he's such a good guy. I did have some questions, because the club had been in a little bit of turmoil, they'd had a lot of investigations, and I was just like: 'Seb, what's it going to take?' and he said: 'We need to just get the culture right and it will be good'. And that was it.' Not only did they change the culture, in 2024 Orlando won the regular-season title and then the playoffs, becoming the first professional sports team from Orlando to win any major trophy 'There are some big, big clubs here,' says Hines, 'so to bring a championship to Orlando was an extremely proud moment. I think everyone can remember the hard times that Orlando Pride have been through [and we] changed the perception by winning both the shield and championship. Related: Rose Lavelle returns as Emma Hayes names domestic-heavy roster for US friendlies Advertisement 'It was almost like a rebuild. The investment from the ownership group has been tremendous, really trusting us. Everything has come together nicely, on an upward trajectory. Now it's about trying to sustain success and it not just being a one-off. We've set a standard and expectation now.' Before that, Hines had already made NWSL history by becoming the league's first Black head coach, something that surprised him: 'I didn't know until I got the job. The league had been going for [more than] 10 years so it came as a bit of a shock. Of course, you would like to see a lot more Black coaches or minorities getting those opportunities to be successful in multiple leagues, and I want to be a role model and to make sure everyone can have the same aspirations.' A former England youth captain, Hines worked under two old England managers, Steve McLaren and Gareth Southgate, at Middlesbrough as well as the former Scotland manager Gordon Strachan and Tony Mowbray – 'He was great for me, he trusted me and helped me develop' – and finally Aitor Karanka. 'It's not a bad list of coaches,' Hines says. 'I've been able to take little pieces away from them which I've tried to implement here.' As the NWSL approaches its halfway break – for the Euros – Orlando Pride sit second in the table and Barnes adds: 'It's not just about winning one championship. It's 'can you win another one?'' Barnes and Hines have no intention of stopping.
Washington Post
7 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Prince Owusu scores 2 goals, Montreal snaps 5-game winless streak, beats Dynamo 3-1
HOUSTON — Prince Owusu scored two goals a three-minute span, Jalen Neal added his first goal of the season and CF Montreal beat the Houston Dynamo 3-1 on Saturday night. Montreal (2-11-5) snapped a five-game winless streak during which the club was outscored 16-6. Owusu nearly lost the ball while fighting off a defender near the penalty spot before he rolled a left-footer into the net in the 30th minute. Then, on the counter-attack in the 32nd, Owusu slipped in front of defender Femi Awodesu and went up high for a header — off an arcing entry played in by Aleksandr Guboglo, the 18-year-old's first assist in MLS — from the center of the area that made it 2-0.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Prince Owusu scores 2 goals, Montreal snaps 5-game winless streak, beats Dynamo 3-1
Houston Dynamo defender Felipe Andrade, top left, and CF Montreal forward Prince Osei Owusu, top right, battle for a header as Dynamo midfielder Artur (6) looks on during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke) CF Montreal defender Jalen Neal, left, slide-tackles the ball away from Houston Dynamo midfielder Griffin Dorsey, right, during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke) CF Montréal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois, right, blocks a shot on goal by Houston Dynamo forward Gabriel Segal, second from right, during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke) CF Montréal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois, right, blocks a shot on goal by Houston Dynamo forward Gabriel Segal, second from right, during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke) Houston Dynamo defender Felipe Andrade, top left, and CF Montreal forward Prince Osei Owusu, top right, battle for a header as Dynamo midfielder Artur (6) looks on during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke) CF Montreal defender Jalen Neal, left, slide-tackles the ball away from Houston Dynamo midfielder Griffin Dorsey, right, during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke) CF Montréal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois, right, blocks a shot on goal by Houston Dynamo forward Gabriel Segal, second from right, during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke) HOUSTON (AP) — Prince Owusu scored two goals a three-minute span, Jalen Neal added his first goal of the season and CF Montreal beat the Houston Dynamo 3-1 on Saturday night. Montreal (2-11-5) snapped a five-game winless streak during which the club was outscored 16-6. Advertisement Owusu nearly lost the ball while fighting off a defender near the penalty spot before he rolled a left-footer into the net in the 30th minute. Then, on the counter-attack in the 32nd, Owusu slipped in front of defender Femi Awodesu and went up high for a header — off an arcing entry played in by Aleksandr Guboglo, the 18-year-old's first assist in MLS — from the center of the area that made it 2-0. Neal made it 3-0 in the 54th minute. Tom Pearce played a free kick from near the right sideline to the back post, where Neal fought off a defender and then scored on a header from the edge of the 6-yard box. Ondřej Lingr scored on a header off a ball-in played by Nicolás Lodeiro in the 64th for Houston (5-8-5). The Dynamo have lost back-to-back games by a score of 3-1 following a four-game unbeaten streak that included three wins. Advertisement Houston had 56% possession and outshot Montreal 19-8. Jonathan Bond finished with two saves for the Dynamo. Jonathan Sirois stopped one shot for Montreal. The 28-year-old Owusu, in his third MLS season, had his second career multi-goal game and his first of the season. ___ AP soccer:
Associated Press
7 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Prince Owusu scores 2 goals, Montreal snaps 5-game winless streak, beats Dynamo 3-1
HOUSTON (AP) — Prince Owusu scored two goals a three-minute span, Jalen Neal added his first goal of the season and CF Montreal beat the Houston Dynamo 3-1 on Saturday night. Montreal (2-11-5) snapped a five-game winless streak during which the club was outscored 16-6. Owusu nearly lost the ball while fighting off a defender near the penalty spot before he rolled a left-footer into the net in the 30th minute. Then, on the counter-attack in the 32nd, Owusu slipped in front of defender Femi Awodesu and went up high for a header — off an arcing entry played in by Aleksandr Guboglo, the 18-year-old's first assist in MLS — from the center of the area that made it 2-0. Neal made it 3-0 in the 54th minute. Tom Pearce played a free kick from near the right sideline to the back post, where Neal fought off a defender and then scored on a header from the edge of the 6-yard box. Ondřej Lingr scored on a header off a ball-in played by Nicolás Lodeiro in the 64th for Houston (5-8-5). The Dynamo have lost back-to-back games by a score of 3-1 following a four-game unbeaten streak that included three wins. Houston had 56% possession and outshot Montreal 19-8. Jonathan Bond finished with two saves for the Dynamo. Jonathan Sirois stopped one shot for Montreal. The 28-year-old Owusu, in his third MLS season, had his second career multi-goal game and his first of the season. ___ AP soccer:
