What a season the Orlando Pride have had, winning the championship on Saturday against the Washington Spirit was just the crowning moment showing just how far the team have come. We don't think many people would have predicted the Pride to have the season they did, we sure didn't and we have been backing them since their formation. Seb Hines and his management team seem to have really go things in order at the club though and the team have finally won their first major silverware.

Over the years it has been a bit of a rocky road being a Pride fan, you thought team would do well then just a few games in you knew not to get your hopes up. This season has been different though as whilst the season progressed you just got more and more hopeful that the squad could hold on and get their first major trophies which they eventually did. There were some signs of progression in the 2023 season when Pride finished 7th just missing out on the playoffs after finishing 10th back in 2022. Back in 2019 the team came bottom of the league with only 16 points out of the season which just shows the uphill battle the team have had in recent years to finally see some progress and see them lift the silverware. Players have come and gone in recent years as have management teams but they now seem to have finally seen a management and squad that works really well together.

Throughout the season we saw some brilliant performances from the team which saw them finish the season on 60 points (a record for a singular season) after winning 18 games (yet another record) drawing 6 and only losing 2 games all season which came in the final few regular games. They also finished with a 26 goal difference with them scoring 46 goals and only conceding 20.

One big influence on the team has to be the addition of forward Barbra Banda who has had a fantastic start to life at the club. Banda was second in the top scorers this season after finding the back of the net 17 times, it was Banda who won the championship for the Pride too as her goal was the only one in the final, this led to her being named the championship MVP too. It is safe to say Banda settled into life at Orlando Pride well but will we see a repeat of these fantastic performances in season 2? 

Marta finally got her NWSL silverware with this double too, the longest serving member of the squad after being at the club since 2017 you could say this was a long time for one of the greatest players of all time. What made this win even more special though was the fact her mum was in attendance for this championship win, the first time she has watched her daughter play in the States. Now Marta has achieved the double in the NWSL though you can't help but wonder how much longer she has got playing, having retired from international football now shes won some silverware could domestic retirement be looming?

This season has been brilliant for the Pride and they have shown they are a force to be reckoned with after being written off for so many years. Are we going to see the same kind of performances from the team next season or are others going to add more strength and depth to their squads to put up a fight? It will be interesting to see any comings or goings from the Pride in the off season, will the add strength themselves or could we see a few players head in a different direction? All we know is we are looking forward to seeing how the off season plays out for not only the Pride but also the other teams in the league. 

For now though we are just going to sit back for a bit and enjoy seeing the Pride's celebrations as it has been a long time coming for them.