At the start of the NWSL season, neither Orlando Pride nor Washington Spirit appeared to be strong contenders for a playoff spot. With both making it to the finals, Megan Rapinoe picked one side to win the championship which was met with resounding boos over the unpopular decision. 

During a live recording of ‘A Touch More’, the former USWNT player picked Orlando Pride as her favorite to win their first NWSL title which did not resonate well with the Kansas City crowd. “We talk a lot about rivalries in this league, but rivalries are forged, not manufactured. I think we’ve got a real one on our hands!” said the Ballon d’Or winner. 

The reaction stemmed from the fact that Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman is a crowd favorite, having recently won the Olympic gold with the US. Women’s soccer team. Also, this is the first time, Orlando Pride has ever made it to an NWSL final, so they are pretty much the underdogs going into the match. 

The scales tip in Orlando Pride’s favor as the side has never lost to Washington Spirit in their previous 4 encounters. Marta, who is one of the greatest soccer players of all time had a brilliant individual season, which saw the Orlando side finish top of the table in the regular NWSL season. 

With many speculating that this is likely to be Marta’s final season, fans hope that she gets her much-deserved fairytale ending, but maybe Trinity Rodman comes in clutch yet again and pulls off an extra-time miracle, whatever the result, the finale will be evenly stacked, which has got the betting favorites confused as well. 

(This is a developing story..)