KANSAS CITY, Mo. --Nearly a decade after she arrived in the National Women's Soccer League, Brazilian legend and women's soccer icon Marta finally won the NWSL Championship. The six-time Best FIFA Women's Player of the Year has only ever made one trip to the NWSL postseason, her introduction year, and after consecutive seasons of struggles, coaching changes, injury, and countless teammates -- she has her long-elusive title.
The Orlando Pride defeated Washington Spirit, 1-0, on Saturday in front of a sold-out CPKC Stadium. Forward Barbra Banda scored the game-winning goal, a left-footed shot toward the near post. The Zambian international led the team in goals scored this year and has the honor of winning multiple titles in her first-ever NWSL season. Banda's addition to the club was part of a motivated desire by the striker to play with childhood hero Marta.
"It means a lot to me, especially that she has been saying about -- that she has been here for quite some time, and this is the moment that she has been waiting -- I think this is the best gift she has had. And, you know, I've been looking up to her. She's a legend, and I'm learning different kinds of skills each and every day during practice. I'm very glad to pay honor to her because she's more like my sister now," Banda said in postgame.
Banda's acquisition is just one of the ways that the Pride dominated the season. They put together strong defensive performances with record shutouts (13), set a league-record unbeaten streak (23), and won the 2024 NWSL Shield. Also, they have multiple players like Emily Sams, Anna Moorehouse and Kerry Abello included in the league's best XI honors. But Orlando's rise to dominance didn't just happen overnight.
Adding to Marta's legacy
There were plenty of losing seasons, injuries, and players who left, and a revolving door of coaches. Marta is the only player on the squad remaining from the 2017 roster that made the semifinals. Head coach Seb Hines has been a constant presence, first as a player with MLS's Orlando City, then as an assistant coach in 2020 for the Pride. He was given the interim title in 2022 and helped the roster unlock the beginning of what would become Pride's 2024 eventual team identity.
The first time Marta won with a club was 20 years ago in Sweden. It was a title that helped kickstart her club legacy alongside a prolific international journey. It eventually led her to play in the United States for the first time, in the WPS, where she won more club titles and individual accolades. But it was also a time period filled with uncertainty, as women's professional soccer was trying to sustain the second attempt at forging a domestic league in the United States.
"I moved to Sweden when I was 17 and played like five seasons straight, and came to America when there was WPS. I had a contract with the league, so that was like a weird experience for me," Marta told CBS Sports.
"Because I went to a club, and a year after I moved to another one. Then a year after, another one. Then it's, wow, I'm not looking for something like that. I'm looking for one club to just give me the guarantee that I can just think about my job. Like play and give my best to the team. Not that feeling like 'Are you going to work the next year? Or move to the next team.' I think the NWSL, it's way different."
During Marta's first experience in the United States. There was no players' union or collective bargaining agreement in place. Players were traded with no say in the contracts or the destination. There were some internationals, but not all of them were frequent starters on their teams, and with constant fighting among ownership groups and mistreatment of players, the league folded.
Winning, for Marta, has come in many different forms. Silverware is just a few of the upsides. Growing the game and taking it to the next level for younger generations has always been her ultimate prize. After the NWSL surpassed the three-year benchmark of survival its predecessors hadn't, she returned to the United States in 2017 to join Orlando. Through a long, nearly decade-long process with the Pride, Orlando's remarkable run in 2024 is the answer to all her "whys" throughout her losing seasons in NWSL.
Cementing history
It's a question that stayed with her through her eight years here and through the championship. In an interview with CBS Sports ahead of the final, she referenced the struggles of the beautiful game once more.
"No matter what happens in the final, this season, for me and for the team, has been the best season so far. Orlando never had played a consistent game as we have done in this season from beginning to end," Marta said.
"It's crazy sometimes to find an explanation, like 'How?' I think for me, it's special because it's the answer that I try to find every single year because from 2017, I am the only player that is still on the team. I ask myself 'Why? Why am I still looking to do something special here, you know?' Eight years. In my life, there was always something crazy. The first time I won [FIFA World Player of the Year], of course, I was much younger than I am now, but I did it for five times [in a row], then took a break and won it after eight years. It's been eight years here with Orlando, and it's the first time that we go to a final. It's a coincidence, but I don't know. It's some answer for me, for myself. Why am I still here? Why am I looking to build something special for this team? I don't know if I'm going to be here next year, but I'm already so happy with what I have given to the club and the players."
Now, the 38-year-old has her answers. Not just in the joys of victory, but in the relationships and evolution along the way. The passion that she brought to the game is part of her legacy, spread like a gospel through every teammate she's played with and against.
There has been plenty of speculation about her retirement. She's already stepped away from the game internationally, though Brazil's winning bid to host the FIFA 2027 Women's World Cup has kept the door open for some time of support role, and after Orlando's championship victory, Marta is a free agent. Wherever she decides to take her journey is her choice, but her legacy is felt everywhere in the world, and her NWSL legacy was stamped on Saturday night.
