NWSL Championship: Will Washington Spirit or Orlando Pride win?

The NWSL season has led to this: On Saturday, the Washington Spirit will face the Orlando Pride in the NWSL Championship to decide the winner after an exciting playoff.

In Orlando, we have a team making its first finals after years of being a bottom dweller in the NWSL amid struggles on the field. After the Pride set the record for the best regular season in NWSL history this year, Brazilian legend Marta could finally win a championship after years of toiling in Orlando.

In Spirit, we have a team that has reached new heights since businesswoman Michele Kang won a power struggle on the board to take over the club. While the Spirit already had the likes of Trinity Rodman, Kang’s added investment with the goal of creating a women’s soccer powerhouse has only made the Spirit that much more formidable.

So which of these two sides will lift the NWSL Championship trophy on Saturday and make history? ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf and Megan Swanick look at this final from every angle and predict the winner.

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Are you surprised that one of these teams landed in the finals?

Kassouf: No, we have ended up with two deserving teams. The top four teams were so clearly a cut above the rest of the NWSL this year, and the semifinals rightfully included all of those teams. The margins were as thin as expected and any combination of Orlando, Washington, NJ/NY Gotham FC or the Kansas City Current would have been a worthy final.

Kudos to Orlando for following up the Shield win with a trip to the finals that we haven’t seen in this league since 2019. The Spirit also endured a slew of late-season injuries and got production out of their rookies in the playoffs. They’ve had that all season, to be fair. I guess it’s an ironic surprise that we finally got “chalk” playoffs in a league that almost never does anything predictable.

Swanick: Not this year. There’s always an element of “anything can happen” in the NWSL, and multiple playoff contenders could have pulled off an upset. But this season there were a few teams that really pulled ahead of the pack.

The Orlando Pride are of course the main culprit there as they posted a 24 game unbeaten record en route to the Shield. That they are in the final only feels logical given the season they have had. The Washington Spirit, who finished the regular season in second place, have also been consistently strong throughout the year despite coaching changes and countless injuries.

Which team wins would be a more exciting story?

Swanick: I find it almost impossible not to jump aboard the Orlando Pride train. They have it all: aura, chemistry, togetherness, dedication to each other and to the team. After years of disappointment, they have been the best team in the league all season. They won their first trophy in program history with the NWSL Shield. And with 38-year-old Brazilian legend Marta now in her first NWSL final, it would be sweet poetry to see them lift the trophy on Saturday night.

Kassouf: I echo everything Megan said. I’ve already written about Orlando’s rise from laugher to arguably the best NWSL season ever. I can’t stress enough how this is the best story in sports right now.

To offer a counterpoint, however, let’s talk about the more explicit investment made by the Spirit: They went out and lured Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez from what is considered the best job in the world, brought him in mid-season, and they have done amazing. acquisitions in the international market and via the college game. Spirit owner Michele Kang continues to slap money on the table in the women’s game. She walks the walk. A win for Washington would point to a version of, “Build it and they will come” — but more like, “Use the money if you want to do something great.”

Which game on the pitch are you most interested in?

Kassouf: It is the midfield where this match will be decided. Yes, the world-class strikers in this game will get plenty of attention, but this game could be middle of the park. Orlando had the stingiest defense in the NWSL and Washington is the best counter-attacking team in the league.

Can the Spirit’s midfielders—whether it’s Leicy Santos from a higher position or Hal Hershfelt from a deeper area—regain the ball high up the pitch and find quick passes? Or will the Pride’s unsung heroes Haley McCutcheon and Angelina continue to dominate the middle of the park and allow Orlando to retain long possessions? These fights are the catalysts for anything Barbra Banda, Marta or Trinity Rodman will do.

Swanick: Casey Krueger vs. Marta is the fight I want to see. There are a couple of enticing games on the pitch set for Saturday. That includes some marquee names and notable rookie talent. But two prolific NWSL veterans could go toe-to-toe as 34-year-old American defender Krueger occupies Washington’s left flank while 38-year-old Brazilian legend Marta looks for her first NWSL Championship trophy in attack.

Marta’s nine goals are second most to Banda for the Orlando Pride. As the teams collapse at Banda, Marta has proven she is still world class, as we saw with her goal in last week’s semi-final. Krueger, who was named to the NWSL’s Best XI along with Marta, will be a key to keeping them at bay.

Which game-changing player are you keeping an eye on?

Swanick: Trinity Rodman. It’s been three years since the then 19-year-old helped the Spirit to their first NWSL Championship trophy. Rodman, who was the NWSL Rookie of the Year that season, assisted Kelley O’Hara’s game-winning goal in the 2-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars. Rodman is still only 22 years old and has only grown since then.

She has worked her way into a starting role with the USWNT, experienced the pressure of a disappointing World Cup and then scored three goals for Team USA en route to a gold medal. Rodman’s eight goals and six assists make her joint top scorer for the Spirit this year, and the NWSL Championship could see her find another level.

Kassouf: Barbra Banda. She is one of the best players in the world and on most days she is unstoppable.

She had a cold spell with scoring this fall as defenders marked her offside, but Orlando successfully found goals from the rest of its deep roster. However, Banda has come alive again in the playoffs, scoring a brace in the quarter-finals and a magnificent goal in the semi-finals, only eclipsed by Marta’s iconic game-winner. Banda (as Marta, granted) single-handedly changes the game. She could do that again on Saturday.

OK, prediction time: Pick the winner and the final result

Kassouf: The margins between the top four have been so thin and I expect that to continue in this match. Their October meeting, which the Pride won to win the Shield, is a poor barometer for this given the injuries Washington had at the time.

I’ve got this game going to overtime (it’s primetime sports!) with Banda and Washington’s Ashley Hatch trade goals in regulation and Summer Yates hitting the winner for Orlando in overtime. The victory goes to Orlando 2-1 in the AET.

Swanick: I think it will be a close game, with goals scored by both teams in a hard fought game. With the game held in neutral territory, both teams are playing away from home for the first time in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how it affects the game as both teams have benefited from home court advantage. Either team can win this.

But I think the Orlando Pride will make more history and walk away as the winners 2-1.