Marta's emotional reaction to Orlando Pride winning their first NWSL shield

The Orlando Pride clinched their first National Women’s Soccer League Shield on Sunday with a 2-0 win over the second-place Washington Spirit at Inter&Co Stadium. With the Shield in her hands, Marta, Pride’s captain, reflected on what the achievement meant to her and the team.

“It means so much,” she said, visibly emotional. “We worked so hard from the beginning and — wow. I waited so long for this moment. This team deserves [it] because we showed we can do [it] from the first game this season, then we keep doing [it], and I hope we’re going to go for more.”

Marta, who opened the scoring in the 56th with a penalty kick, has been with the Pride for eight years and has witnessed the ups and downs of the team. “I’ve been here for eight years, so I try to find out why I still love to be here, to play for this team, to represent the community in Orlando,” she said.

“Tonight, I had the answers, you know? I think when you believe about something, and then you know you can do that, and you just put me in your mind, like, ‘I’m not going to give up.’ And then I did that. I stayed here because I want to make history with this team. And then we did tonight, and then we go for more,” she concluded.

Orlando’s history has largely been marked by struggles and disappointing seasons. The Pride finished in the bottom three of the standings in five of their seven seasons before this campaign, including a last-place finish in 2019, where they conceded 53 goals in 24 games—a record still tied for the most goals allowed in a single season. This Shield represents a significant turnaround for a club that has long been searching for success.

Pride joins a select list of teams to win the NWSL Shield

Orlando’s win makes them just the fifth franchise to win the NWSL Shield, which is awarded annually to the team that finishes first in the regular-season standings. Last year, San Diego Wave FC claimed the title in their debut season.

Other teams that have previously won the Shield include the Portland Thorns, Seattle Reign, and the Western New York Flash/North Carolina Courage franchise, which moved to North Carolina in 2017.