Orlando Pride, featuring Marta, secures inaugural NWSL championship

Brazil’s football icon, Marta, a player with 119 goals in 204 games for her national team and eight seasons with the Orlando Pride, marked a significant milestone by securing her first NWSL championship. This victory followed the Orlando Pride’s 1-0 triumph over the Washington Spirit on Saturday. Zambia international Barbra Banda netted the winning goal in the 37th minute during the match in Kansas City, securing Orlando’s maiden NWSL title. English goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, a native of Oldham, also played a pivotal role for the Pride, executing a crucial second-half save. This contribution helped ensure Orlando’s championship victory in what was Englishman Seb Hines’ second complete season as the team’s coach. The Pride commenced their 2024 season with an impressive 23-match unbeaten streak and subsequently established a new league record, amassing 60 points from 26 games. Banda, 24, concluded her inaugural season in Orlando with a total of 13 goals during the regular season and four in the play-offs, establishing an NWSL post-season scoring record. Marta, 38, registered nine goals in the regular season and two during the play-offs. Saturday’s triumph marks a victorious conclusion to her eighth season with Orlando and the 24th year of her professional career. The six-time Fifa Best award winner shared with CBS, “I didn’t expect ever [to be] in this moment here, but I believe so much that God knows what time is the right time for things to happen.” She further expressed, “This means so much. Playing with these players, it’s something really special that I never had at any other club, so I’m so happy.” Marta had previously claimed the WPS title in both 2010 and 2011, before the NWSL succeeded that league in 2013.