How fitting that Orlando’s first bigtime professional sports championship was won by a team called the Pride – sort of poetic justice for a city that has long waited for a championship it could be proud to call its own.

The Orlando Pride won the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship following a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit at a sold-out CPKC Stadium in Kansas City on Saturday.

Orlando Pride beat the Washington Spirit with Pride striker Barbra Banda’s goal in the 37th minute. The Pride led by Marta, who is considered to be the greatest female soccer players of all time, dominated the regular season to win the club’s first championship.