NWSL final brings a rare matchup: the two best teams in the league

TOn Saturday in Kansas City, NWSL fans will witness one of the most compelling championship games in recent memory. The Orlando Pride are looking for a storybook ending to an exciting year. But they need to get past the emerging 2021 champions Washington Spirit, backed by a new manager and a sensational rookie class.

Saturday’s final sets up a rare NWSL championship meeting between the first- and second-place teams from the regular season. An exciting quirk of the American playoff system – appreciated by some, ruined by others – is that anything can happen in the postseason. One-off setbacks are always possible, and the top team of the regular season is not always ultimately crowned champion.

Just look at Inter Miami in Major League Soccer: the star-studded Herons set a points record en route to the MLS Supporters Shield, but promptly lost in the first round of the playoffs. In last year’s NWSL, the fourth- and sixth-place teams from the regular season battled it out in the finals for the championship trophy. The number 6 seed, Gotham, took the crown. In 2022, the second and fifth seeded teams made it to the finals, with the second seeded Portland Thorns emerging victorious. In 2021, a matchup between the third and fourth seeded teams saw the No. 3 seed, Washington Spirit, win their first championship. You get the picture.

But this year, NWSL fans longing for a clash between the teams with the best regular season records are in luck. And the No. 1 seed, Orlando, is among the year’s most gripping sports stories.

The Pride went 24 games unbeaten, going back to last season, a new league record, on their way to the NWSL Shield. Led by NWSL’s coach of the year, Englishman Seb Hines, Orlando cruised past Chicago in the quarterfinals of the playoffs and outlasted Kansas City last Sunday to reach the finals for the first time in their history.

This season’s success comes after the team had struggled since entering the competition in 2016. Before this season, Orlando had only made the playoffs once, in 2017, where they were easily defeated by the Thorns. That was the season when Marta, one of the greatest players in history, joined Orlando. And even at the age of 38, she can still provide moments of genius. In last week’s semi-final, she broke through several defenders and scored a remarkable match-deciding goal.

Not that she takes all the credit for herself. The Brazilian says the difference in the team this year is the strong ‘mentality’ that runs through the squad.

“They give it their all,” she said of her teammates. “They don’t just think about themselves. They only think about the team. And we bring this spirit to every match, no matter what.”

With nine goals and one assist in the regular season, Marta has had an incredible year. But a few additions have also been essential to Pride’s success. At the top of that list is Barbra Banda. The Zambian forward was the club’s top scorer in the regular season with 13 goals in 22 games. She hasn’t given up in the postseason either: despite extra attention from opposing defenders, she has scored three goals in two play-off games so far.

But, as Marta rightly emphasized, the magic of Orlando is the team dynamic. With four Orlando players on the Brazilian Olympic team that won the silver medal in Paris (including alternate Angelina), the cohesion of Like Canarinhas’ players have influenced the Pride. And while scorers often grab the headlines, Orlando’s defense has been tremendous. The Pride’s thirteen clean sheets are the most in the competition. In 26 regular season games they conceded just 20 goals, the joint lowest total in the league. And they also set a league record by playing 554 minutes without conceding.

Orlando’s commendable defense will be crucial if they want to beat Washington on Saturday. The Spirit’s fluid, dynamic attack scored 51 goals in the regular season this year, second only to Kansas City Current, which set a league record with 57. Washington is led by former Barcelona boss Jonatan Giráldez, who took over in the summer took after winning a second championship title. National title with the Catalans. Spirit’s revived style has a lot of Spanish influence: Adrian Gonzalez, who was interim manager until Giráldez arrived after the end of the European season, instilled principles in the first half of the season that laid the foundation for a smooth mid-year transition.

It didn’t all go smoothly. Multiple season-ending injuries have rocked an exciting Spirit team. Two key midfielders – veteran Andi Sullivan and Rookie of the Year winner Croix Bethune – were absent at the end of their seasons. USWNT star winger Trinity Rodman, whose eight goals and six assists make her the Washington Spirit’s leading goalscorer, left the field in a wheelchair after back spam in September but is back in action.

Despite these hiccups, Washington was among the most compelling teams in the league. Their second place was deserved, as was their progress in the play-offs, where they won twice after extra time (and penalties in the semi-final) in front of a sold-out crowd.

Considering the caliber of the teams, the final certainly appears to be close, although Orlando Pride comes in as favorites. Regardless of the outcome, fans can look forward to some entertainment.

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