Tag Archives: Washington Spirit

Marta, Barbra Banda & Orlando Pride Teammates Celebrate Their First NWSL Championship

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It’s a prideful moment for Marta…

The 38-year-old Brazilian professional footballer and six-time world player of the year is celebrating her first-ever National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship after the Orlando Pride outlasted the Washington Spirit.

Marta, Orlando PrideMarta’s teammate Barbra Banda‘s goal stood up as the winner to lift Orlando to their first NWSL Championship in a 1-0 victory on Saturday at CPKC Stadium.

With the win, the Pride became the first team since 2019 to follow up winning the NWSL Shield (best regular-season team) with an NWSL Championship, and the third time it has ever happened.

Marta, who has been with the Pride since 2017, couldn’t contain her emotions with her first championship-winning season.

“I f—ing waited eight years for this moment,” she said during the trophy presentation. “[It’s] most special because it’s the first time my mom is in America.”

She added after the match: “Incredible moment. Playing the championship final, take this trophy home and share this moment with my mom, it’s something in my best dream, I [can’t] believe. … This moment, it’s so special for me.”

“This moment gave me so many answers. I’ve been in Orlando for so long and I see players come and leave. We had ups and downs. Some seasons we were OK but not good enough.

“I always ask myself what I’m looking for because I stay in Orlando. I was not satisfied with all of the other seasons. I feel like I don’t want to leave this place without doing something really big. … Tonight I had all the answers.”

Banda broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when she latched onto a ball played in behind by midfielder Angelina. Banda cut back inside onto her left foot and distanced herself from Spirit defender Esme Morgan to hit a left-footed shot that beat Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury.

The goal was Banda’s fourth of the playoffs, setting a new single postseason NWSL record, and earned her the Championship MVP award. She also scored in all three playoff games this postseason, which is a new league record.

“That was a great moment for me,” Banda said. “As that ball came for me, I don’t hesitate. I always want to take on the defenders, so I saw that opportunity and I had to put the ball into the back of the net. I saw the positioning of the goalkeeper, so it was great for me.”

“For us,” Marta quickly interjected, drawing a laugh from the room.

This year, the Pride set multiple records, including points in a season (60), wins (18), consecutive wins (eight) and games unbeaten to start the season (23).

“I wish I could say when I got here [in 2021], I believed this club was going to turn it around, but there were times where we were at rock bottom, and I couldn’t see any light,” Pride defender Kylie Strom said.

“So, to go from that place to where we are now, I have no words to describe it. It is incredible and we’re gonna keep going. We’re never going back.”

Orlando is the fourth team in league history to win in its first NWSL Championship appearance.

Washington appeared in two previous finals, winning the title in 2021.

The Pride’s championship is the first for an Orlando professional sports team. The team will be honored with a parade in downtown Orlando on Monday.

Marta Among Finalists for National Women’s Soccer League’s MVP Award

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Marta is in the running for the National Women’s Soccer League’s top individual prize.

The 38-year-old Brazilian soccer star headlines a group of five finalists for the NWSL’s MVP award.

MartaMarta, who turns 39 in February, enjoyed her best year as a pro since joining the Orlando Pride in 2017. She registered nine goals and an assist this year.

Marta will face off against her Pride colleague Barbra Banda, Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga, Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman and Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith for the MVP award.

Banda and Chawinga, who are both in their first year in the league, were locked into a heated race for the Golden Boot throughout most of the season until Chawinga went on a record scoring run after the Olympics, scoring in seven of eight games. Banda finished the regular season with 13 goals.

Eighteen of the 24 finalists for awards are from the top four teams in the league, mirroring a season in which all four top seeds advanced to the semifinals this past weekend, and fourth and fifth place were separated by 16 points in the regular season.

The Orlando Pride lead all teams with seven nominations across the six awards.

Marta is also nominated for the newly created Midfielder of the Year award against North Carolina’s Ashley Sanchez, among others.

Orlando head coach Seb Hines is the favorite to win Coach of the Year after the Pride set a new points record (60) while going unbeaten through the first 23 games of the season and winning the Shield.

Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune leads the Rookie of the Year chase after tying Tobin Heath‘s single-season assist record. Bethune registered 10 assists before sustaining a season-ending meniscus tear while throwing out a first pitch a Washington Nationals game. She was participating in the ceremony after earning an Olympic gold medal with the USWNT.

The final round of voting uses a weighted scale of players (40%), owners/GMs/coaches (25%), media (25%) and fans (10%).

2024 NWSL awards finalists

Most Valuable Player: Barbra Banda (ORL), Temwa Chawinga (KC), Marta (ORL), Trinity Rodman (WAS), Sophia Smith (POR)

Defender of the Year: Naomi Girma (SD), Kaleigh Kurtz (NC), Tara McKeown (WAS), Emily Sams (ORL), Kylie Strom (ORL)

Goalkeeper of the Year: Ann-Katrin Berger (GFC), Mandy Haught (UTA), Anna Moorhouse (ORL)

Midfielder of the Year: Croix Bethune (WAS), Vanessa DiBernardo (KC), Lo’eau LaBonta (KC), Marta (ORL), Ashley Sanchez (NC)

Rookie of the Year: Croix Bethune (WAS), Claire Hutton (KC), Ally Sentnor (UTA)

Coach of the Year: Juan Carlos Amorós (GFC), Vlatko Andonovski (KC), Seb Hines (ORL)

Alexia Putellas Helps Lead Barcelona to Champions League Title Win Over Lyon

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Alexia Putellas is being hailed as the “Queen of Barcelona”…

The 30-year-old Spanish professional footballer and two-time Ballon d’Or winner’s teammate Lucy Bronze made that declaration after Putellas came off the bench to score the second goal in Barcelona‘s 2-0 Champions League final win over Lyon on Saturday.

Alexia PutellasPutellas fired home in stoppage time after Aitana Bonmatí had opened the scoring earlier in the second half as Barça sealed back-to-back Champions League trophies, winning the competition for a third time in four years.

“Alexia is the captain of the team and she’s the queen of Barcelona for a reason,” England defender Bronze told DAZN after the game. She’s always so confident in the team and she showed today why she is a back-to-back Ballon d’Or winner. She’s got the quality to do that in the last minute of the Champions League final when we were up against it at the end and it just sealed the win for us. It was amazing.”

Barça — who boasted the lion’s share of the 50,827 attendees at San Mamés in Bilbao, which was a record for a Women’s Champions League final — had never beaten French champions Lyon in four previous attempts.

Two of those defeats came in Champions League finals, in 2019 and 2022, and there was a feeling they needed to beat the eight-time European champions to really establish themselves as one of the best teams ever.

“We knew that’s what we needed to be a club that really made history,” Bronze said.

“It’s hard to win it once, but to do it back-to-back, Lyon showed how difficult it is and this team has finally done that. I think we go down in history as one of the best teams in Europe.”

Success in Europe follows a domestic treble — Liga F, the Copa de la Reina and the Spanish Supercopa — as Barça win the quadruple for the first time in the club’s history.

Putellas, who signed a new two-year contract earlier this week, said winning back-to-back European trophies and all four trophies was the target set at the start of the campaign.

“Our objective was to win four out of four,” the Spain international told TVE. “After the Champions League final last season, we said we wanted to be here in Bilbao because we knew what it would mean. We can’t ask for anything else. We have achieved everything we wanted. Every minute of sacrifice has been worth the effort — and I’d say that not after the game, but before, just entering in the stadium, with all the support we had here, it was worth it.”

Ballon d’Or owner Bonmatí also praised the role of the travelling support in the north of Spain.

“It’s incredible … just incredible,” she told TVE. “It feels like Camp Nou, [the Olympic Stadium in] Montjuic or the Johan [Cruyff Stadium]. All we can say is thanks to the fans, we love them so much. No, [winning the quadruple has not sunk in yet]. I am on cloud nine right now. It is an historic day which we will remember forever.”

Victory over Lyon also signals the end of an era for coach Jonatan Giráldez, who will join NWSL side Washington Spirit next month.

Giráldez leaves after winning 10 trophies out of 12 during three years in charge, reaching the Champions League final in each of those seasons.

“It’s impossible [to imagine a better send off],” he told TVE. “It’s a dream day. It is difficult to explain with words the feeling I have right now. It is such a special moment. I am proud of all the players, the staff and fans that have been here. It is one of happiest days of my life.”

“I hope the night goes on for a long time,” Giráldez continued. “That we can enjoy it and celebrate with everyone who is here because it’s an unforgettable day.”

Albertin Montoya Named First Manager of NWSL’s Expansion Side Bay FC

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Albertin Montoya is heading to the Bay… 

NWSL expansion side Bay FC has chosen the 48-year-old Cuban soccer coach and former player  to be the club’s first manager.

Albertin MontoyaMontoya is a long-time San Francisco Bay Area resident who has succeeded at the youth and professional levels. He led FC Gold Pride of the WPS — the precursor to the NWSL — to a title in 2010. He most recently served as interim manager of the Washington Spirit in 2022.

“As the inaugural head coach of Bay FC, I’m honored to be a part of the foundation upon which our team’s history will be built,” Bay FC Head Coach Albertin Montoya said in a statement.

“Together, we’ll create a legacy of determination, unity, and excellence. Our journey begins today, and I’m eager to recruit and lead an elite group of athletes towards a future filled with triumphs, and together, we’ll write the remarkable story of Bay FC.”

In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Bay FC general manager Lucy Rushton said she had a list of about 40 candidates from which to choose, and met with many of them. But in the process of traveling around the league to get a sense of best practices, whenever the topic of Bay FC’s first manager came up, Montoya’s name was always suggested.

“Every time I say I’d go to Kansas City or I’d go to Washington Spirit or wherever it was, I’d go and people would ask me about Albertin,” Rushton said. “‘Are you looking for a head coach? I mean, haven’t you got Albertin Montoya there?’ I swear everybody knows Albertin, and so it was ironic to continually find myself in these places where people were telling me to make this guy the head coach.”

Rushton added that Montoya’s commitment to a possession-based style, as well as his history of developing players convinced her to make him the team’s first manager.

“I think two of the big things were the playing style and identity,” she said. “We knew we needed a coach that would commit to playing the brand of football that we want to commit to.”

She added: “For us, this is about creating a legacy, and we recognize that we would rather take time to build a brand and build that legacy than have a short-term fix or hit. And so to find a coach that committed to playing football and a possession style that is in the same way that we are willing to commit to, that was the most important thing.”

Much of Montoya’s coaching career has been in the youth space, especially after the WPS folded following the 2010 season. In the ensuing years he worked at the academy he founded, Montoya Soccer Academy, as well as Mountain View Los Altos Soccer Club. He also coached the U.S. U-17 women’s national team from 2011-12. But his short stint with the Spirit gave him the hunger to get back in the professional game, and the fact that he can do it close to his Bay Area home made it a perfect fit.

“I definitely missed it,” he told ESPN about the professional game. “The competition, the level of play, the professionalism is outstanding. And just because of where my wife, my kids are, I’ve never been able to really leave California except for that short stint at Washington Spirit. And when I went there for that month and a half, oh, I got the bug. And just as things happen, how this all came about, it was a pretty incredible coincidence. And I said, ‘Look, why not?’ I love teaching. I love developing players.”

Rushton and Montoya can now focus on building the roster ahead of the team’s inaugural season in 2024. Rushton has been immersing herself in all things NWSL after having spent the bulk of her career on the men’s side of the game. Montoya said that with the NWSL free agency period open, they would start making calls to players on Thursday.

“You get this experience and this opportunity once to build from scratch,” Rushton said. “So for us, I think that what that means, especially from the football playing style side of things, is that we can go and recruit exactly the types of players that fit the brand of football that we want to play.”

That includes trying to bring some Bay Area natives back home.

“We’ve got a great list of players that have Bay Area ties on our list, and if things all work out, I think it’d be nice to bring some of them back home,” said Montoya. “If we can land some of those, I will be a very happy coach.”

Sofia Huerta Called Up by U.S. Women’s National Team Coach Vlatko Andonovski for SheBelieves Cup

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Sofia Huerta will be representing the U.S. later this month…

U.S. women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski has called up a squad that mixes youth and experience, including the 29-year-old Mexican American professional soccer player and a midfielder for OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League, for this month’s SheBelieves Cup.

Sofia HuertaAndonovski’s roster leaves out big names like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan in favor of up-and-comers like 22-year-old Brazilian-born American professional soccer player Catarina Macario and 22-year-old Ashley Sanchez, a forward for the Washington Spirit.

The 23-player squad will compete in the USWNT‘s first games of 2022 when the Americans face the Czech Republic, New Zealand and Iceland in the SheBelieves Cup, taking place February 17-23.

The games will be played at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, and Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Veterans left out include some of the USWNT’s biggest attacking names, such as Rapinoe, Morgan, Tobin Heath and Christen Press. Andonovski said those players had been left off to make room for the players needing to prove themselves.

“All these players are very good players — we know that they’ve done so much for this team,” Andonovski told ESPN of the veterans. “But right now I want to give a chance to players like Sophia Smith and Mal Pugh and Catarina Macario, Ashley Hatch, players that have earned their spot on the national team or earn their spot back. I want to give them maximum minutes or whatever minutes they earn so we can evaluate every aspect of their game, in the training environment or game setting.”

However, the veterans being left off the roster shouldn’t be interpreted as those players being a lock, Andonovski added.

“It doesn’t mean that all these players that have done well in the past are just going to come back here in the next camp because they’ve done well a year ago or two years ago,” Andonovski added. “There’s a reason why we’re not calling Mia Hamm or Julie Foudy in camp, right? So the same goes here: they need to perform, they need to play in their markets, they need to play well in their markets, and show that they can still contribute and be valuable for the national team.”

In the midfield, veterans Julie Ertz and Samantha Mewis are also left out in favor of less established USWNT players such as Macario and Sanchez. Mewis is coming off an injury, Andonovski said, but Ertz wasn’t fit enough to merit a USWNT call.

“Julie was not ready to come into camp from a physical standpoint,” Andonovski said. “In the conversation that I had with her, she understands that in order to get back into camp — and that’s not just for Julie, that’s for any player on this team — first and foremost, you got to be healthy, fit and ready to play. Then, the next thing is you gotta perform in your club market to earn your spot on the national team.”

Ertz was traded from the Chicago Red Stars to NWSL expansion club Angel City FC in December, but she was not on Angel City’s preseason roster announced on Tuesday and has not reported for the club’s preseason camp.

“Whenever Julie is ready and she performs well — we know how good she can be, we know how valuable she is for this team — we’re gonna be happy to see her back,” Andonovski said.

The SheBelieves Cup roster mostly includes players who had joined the USWNT in Texas for its annual January camp, which traditionally features more bubble players and up-and-comers.

The exceptions are midfielder Macario, who missed the camp to stay with Lyon as it faced rival Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France, and defender Becky Sauerbrunn, who missed the January camp with what U.S. Soccer called “a minor injury.”

“We had a great camp in Austin and now we need to see this group of players in game environments against highly motivated opponents,” Andonovski said. “Every player in the pool is focused on making the roster for World Cup and Olympic qualifying this summer.”

Of the 23 players on the roster, 11 are players who have been on the fringes of the USWNT and have 25 or fewer caps. Six players have single-digit caps.

USWNT SheBelieves Cup roster

GOALKEEPERS: Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit; 0), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 2), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 78)

DEFENDERS: Alana Cook (OL Reign; 4/0), Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave FC; 77/0), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars; 45/1), Emily Fox (Racing Louisville FC; 8/0), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign; 9/0), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit; 148/2), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit; 63/0), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC; 199/0)

MIDFIELDERS: Morgan Gautrat (Chicago Red Stars; 87/8), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais; 108/25), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign; 68/18), Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais; 12/3), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 33/4), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit; 2/0), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 22/2)

FORWARDS: Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 4/2), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars; 67/18), Margaret Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 9/2), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 10/1), Lynn Williams (Kansas City Current; 45/14)