The Orlando Pride held off the Washington Spirit 1-0 to claim their first NWSL Championship title in Kansas City on Saturday, as Zambian striker Barbra Banda added one more lethal performance to a blockbuster year.

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.

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.