With the first day of training under her belt, NWSL Veteran Sarah Hagen says that she is looking forward to getting to know her teammates and the city of Orlando. Hagen comes to Orlando after two seasons with FC Kansas City. Before that, she played in Europe for German club Bayern Munich. While building a club from scratch is a unique experience, Hagen will inevitably take on a leadership role in these first few weeks due to her knowledge and skill.

“We gotta try to figure out how each other plays, how we all play together,” Hagen said. “We have our first test this Saturday, so that will be big for us.”

But beyond the goals of the team, Hagen also has some goals for herself. “I want to be able to make an impact on this team, be able to contribute on the offensive side,” Hagen said. “I want to be able to work hard.”

“The city, the people, the area, the culture… everyone is so excited for this team,” Hagen said. “For us, we’re just as equally as excited to play for everyone here.”

Hagen knows that the team has a lot of work ahead of them. Coming into their first season, it is difficult to predict where they will fall on the table and how far they can go. But with hard work and practice, the team trusts that they can have a successful first season. Hagen hopes to be a part of that success.

“I hope I can do well for the team, do well for the fans, and hopefully help us win,” Hagen said. “We just need to put a name for ourselves out there.”