Marta, Orlando Pride cap magical season with NWSL championship

KANSAS CITY – As the final whistle blew in Saturday night’s National Women’s Soccer League Championship match, Brazil legend Marta fell to her knees with her arms outstretched to the sky. 

In that moment, she attempted to balance the joy and relief of winning an elusive league title before being swarmed by teammates. When asked for her first reaction on stage following the Orlando Pride’s 1-0 victory against the Washington Spirit, she had her response ready.

“I fucking waited eight years!” 

This victory and this setting were even more powerful for Marta because of her mother, watching in person for the first time in her decorated NWSL career.

“Incredible moment to play in the championship final, take this trophy home and share this moment with my mom here. It’s something that in my best dream, I could not believe is true,” Marta told reporters after the game.

Having already announced her retirement from international football in April, Marta seemed to approach the NWSL season with renewed energy. It showed on the field where she was quick and aggressive, and bled into the statbook where she recorded a career-high 11 goals.

Only her teammate Barbra Banda passed Marta’s production for Orlando this year. And she did so in the final, scoring the game’s lone goal in the 37th minute and earning championship MVP honors.

With those two leading Orlando and Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga of Malawi winning the Golden Boot, the league seemed to cement itself as a global power this year, too. It’s one that attracts and retains some of the world’s best players and produces high-quality competition.

According to FBref, there were 40 nationalities represented across the league this year. Marta’s Brazil was third behind the United States and Canada. 

“It’s the best league in the world,” Marta said. “If you want to be the best you have to be here and play against the best and with the best.”

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A check-in with the commissioner

With the league celebrating its 12th birthday, the weekend was also a chance to reflect on the successes off the field that brought it this far. Of course, that includes record attendance and viewership, as well as big-name partners, but also extends to the front office where there were four teams sold this year. Addressing the media on Friday, Berman also confirmed that the next expansion city will be Cincinnati, Cleveland or Denver.

There was a reverent — if not jaded — hesitation too, as Berman navigated additional questions about the effects of the election on player health and safety as well as the accusations against the San Diego Wave front office.

When asked about starting a new investigation, Berman said:

“Across our ecosystem, our policies and our procedures are available to everyone, players, technical staff and employees, and through our processes, we investigate and take action on any complaints that are brought to our attention, and we remain committed to ensuring that those policies are enforced and education exists for everyone to make sure that they know that we are here to support them in all ways that they need.”

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Other news and notes from the final:

• Orlando’s Seb Hines became the first Black coach to win an NWSL Championship. Hines previously made history as the first Black coach in the league and first to win Coach of the Year.
• Washington and USWNT forward Trinity Rodman admitted after the match that she played with back pain. I wrote more about that here.
• Orlando Pride defender Megan Montefusco (née Oyster) announced her pregnancy on Instagram after the match.
• Orlando became the first squad since 2019 to win both the Shield and NWSL Championship in the same season. North Carolina accomplished the feat in 2018 and 2019.
• Postseason award recap:
  • MVP – Temwa Chawinga, Kansas City Current
  • Golden Boot – Temwa Chawinga, Kansas City Current
  • Rookie of the Year: Croix Bethune, Washington Spirit
  • Midfielder of the Year: Croix Bethune, Washington Spirit
  • Defender of the Year: Emily Sams, Orlando Pride
  • Goalkeeper of the Year: Ann-Katrin Berger, Gotham FC
  • Coach of the Year: Seb Hines, Orlando Pride

Social media post of the week:

The NWSL did a pretty cool thing, honoring five players who announced their retirement this season. Sinead Farrelly, Alex Morgan, Merritt Mathias, Kelley O’Hara and Desiree Scott took a photo before the match with team captains and officials.