Farid Benstiti on the Start of 2021
Farid Benstiti is ready for his second season at the helm of OL Reign. The coach is ready for a successful season after an unusual first year in 2020.
Benstiti recently returned to the United States from France, where he spent time with his family over the holidays after being away for nearly a year. Now, the coach feels ready to pick right up where he left off when players report for preseason training on Monday.
“I’m feeling much better this year,” Benstiti said. “I really know the NWSL and the other teams in the league now. I know my team. I hope that I’ll be more efficient for everybody involved this year.”
Benstiti acknowledges the difficulties the club faced in 2020. Among them, the small number of matches made it difficult to adopt a new tactical style.
“Last year, COVID made it very difficult to get the smooth transition into the club that I had wanted,” Benstiti said. “We worked to organize the team and try to figure out how to help our players improve. It was not an easy period for my first year, but it was a very good experience. When we finished the Challenge Cup in Utah, we stopped at a time when the team and our organization were getting better. Then we took a two-month break before the Fall Series and lost some of that momentum.”
Now, Benstiti is hopeful that the familiarity with the system learned in training last year will allow OL Reign to hit the ground running when the NWSL Challenge Cup begins on April 9.
“We have to get to that point quickly,” Benstiti said. “The players worked with me last year for six months, so they know what we want to do. The philosophy globally is to be very generous. Being generous in always working for the team and not from an individual perspective. I want the players to continue working generously for their teammates, be aggressive on the field and want to win for their teammates and the club. That’s the global philosophy.”
In an Olympic year with a crowded schedule that could see the club play in over 30 competitive matches, Benstiti expressed confidence that he and his squad would be up for the challenge.
“I’m ready for that, because I worked in France for 20 years and played there, too,” Benstiti said. “There, sometimes, the season sees you play 35 to 40 games between the cup, the league, national team matches, friendlies and other competitions. I’m sure that our players are able to do that because they are at a very high level physically and mentally. I have no doubt the squad will be ready for the full year, even with more games.”
Benstiti feels he has found the right mix of established veterans and new talent to help the team find success in 2021 and beyond, especially with the return of forward Megan Rapinoe.
“I’m very glad Megan has decided to continue with us,” Benstiti said. “It was great news and will be extraordinarily positive for us. I’m very happy with the roster. We have some younger players with huge potential in our team. We have some veteran players who will come back at full health. Some of our players were coming back from injury last year—like Jess Fishlock and Jasmyne Spencer—and will be at 100 percent.”
“That’s very good for us. It’s like having a new recruit, when players like that come back. We have an important group of young players that are the future of the club. Players like Sam Hiatt, Leah Pruitt, Madison Hammond, Ally Watt and Tziarra King who will grow into their potential this year. Bethany Balcer will continue to be a very important player. I’m very excited to have everybody and to work to improve the squad.”