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. 

For Trinity Rodman, CPKC stadium wasn’t just another final venue, it was the one where she had suffered a back injury during the regular season and had to leave the pitch in tears. With hopes of redemption, she played on, but against all odds, Megan Rapinoe’s predictions came true. And it wasn’t just the winning team that Megan Rapinoe predicted correctly. 

Banda and Co. turn Rapinoe’s predictions into reality

In a quick interview with ‘Just Women’s Sports’, Rapinoe was confident that the Zambian would be on the scoresheet and surprisingly, she scored the only goal of the match. After breaking the deadlock in the 37th minute, her side put on a strong defensive performance that secured their first NWSL title. 

It was a major achievement for Marta who has been at the club since 2017. The 38-year-old has made over 100 appearances for the club which often struggled to finish above 7th. After sharing the pitch with the likes of Alex Morgan, Ali Kreiger, Steph Catley, and Sydney Leroux, she is the only one who stayed and got her fairytale ending.