For the past five seasons, Hailie Mace has battled the Orlando Pride in some of the NWSL's most heated matchups. Over the past two seasons, she's defended against Barbra Banda, Marta, and the Pride's lethal attack that helped them win the double in 2024.
Now, she's traded in the teal of the KC Current for the purple of the Pride in the newest chapter of the veteran defender's career.
"It's been a pretty easy transition," Mace told Orlando-Pride.com. "Obviously, being with Rafa and having traveled here quite a bit, I've gotten to know a lot of the Brazilians. I'm not much of a trash talker, so I think I've hopefully been on everyone's good side when we played each other."
Joining the team that ended the Current's championship run in 2024, which would have been a home match in Kansas City, could have been awkward. Instead, Mace has found herself in a familiar setting. A team with a defensive mindset that has mirrored what she's been used to and a competitive environment full of players wanting to compete for trophies.
"This environment is super welcoming," she said. "It's super easy to be here as a new player. The girls are awesome. We work super hard in training, but then off the field, it's super relaxed. Everyone gets along, so it's a nice environment to be in."
Mace's career thus far has been somewhat unique. After being drafted second overall by Sky Blue FC, now Gotham FC,  in 2019, she forewent joining the NWSL side and instead went to Australia, playing just two games for Melbourne FC before siging her first pro deal with FC RosengÃ¥rd in Sweden, which happens to be the club that Marta played for before joining Orlando.Â
After a season there, she came back stateside to join North Carolina after her rights were traded, playing there for a shortened COVID season and half of the 2021 season, before being traded again to Kansas City, where she remained until this past season.Â
Playing over 100 games with the Current, Mace established herself as a stalwart fullback, being a part of a building team that would eventually lead into the past two years; finishing second behind the Pride in 2024 and then winning the NWSL Shield last season.Â
Despite all of that, Mace is not one to dwell on the past.
"I'm pretty big on living in the present," she said. "I think I had a great year last year. Obviously, we didn't get to win the championship, but just being in the moment, enjoying it when it's happening, and then kind of moving on to the next thing. So now I'm ready for this season and to see what we can accomplish."
During Mace's time in Kansas City, the defense-first mindset became a big part of the team's mentality, something that Orlando under Head Coach Seb Hines has prided himself on since he took over the team in 2022.
"Kansas City was kind of the same in that aspect," she said. "So I think I can hopefully bring that over here. Defensively, that's kind of my favorite thing. Defending and getting in those battles, 1-v-1, and last-ditch efforts and giving my all."
Thus far in preseason, Hines has been pushing Mace beyond her comfort zone. Rather than looking at just the defensive side of the ball, Orlando relies a lot on their fullbacks to help in the attack and be aggressive with passes through the opposing defenses.
"Seb wants me to join the attack more and play through the lines and those sort of things," she said. "So I think he's challenging me in that aspect. I would have liked to be more involved in the attack last year, but that wasn't my role on the team. Coming here, having the freedom to join the attack and Seb encouraging me to do it, it's nice and fun, and I'm excited to be able to do that."
The past two seasons, Mace was practicing every day against a formidable Kansas City attack. Temwa Chawinga, Debinha, Michelle Cooper and Bia Zaneratto combined to be one of the best offenses in NWSL history last season.Â
Now, she's going up against Orlando's attacking trio of Banda, Marta and Jacquie Ovalle, three of the best attackers in the world, all pushing Mace to get better every day.
"Obviously, in the moment, I hate it," she said with a laugh. "But it's only going to make me better. When I get to the game, hopefully it's a lot easier because I'm going against players like that every single day in training. So they're making me better, and hopefully I'm making them better too."
The preseason trip to IMG Academy acts as the perfect time to give more time to mesh as a group. Mace already feels comfortable with the Brazilians of the team, having spent the offseason with many of them in Brazil, but building on-field understanding will take time, something that she's looking forward to do over this long preseason.
"It's nice to already feel comfortable," she said. "I can be myself here. Obviously, it's going to take a little time to get used to each other's style of play, but we're with each other every day. We're going through the hard moments together when we're tired, when we don't want to do it anymore. That builds team bonding."
