Orlando Pride earned the title of best team throughout the 2024 NWSL regular season, but they aren’t trying to stop there. Led by head coach Seb Hines, Orlando’s stingy defense and quick progressive attacking combined with the rosters’ execution of tactics have been on full display this year.
It’s their first year back in the NWSL postseason since 2017, with Marta the lone member of that former playoff squad, but this time she is back with reinvigorated playoff fire. They’ll face the Chicago Red Stars on Friday to begin their march to the NWSL Championship final.
Let’s take a look at what makes Orlando so lethal:
How they got here
The Pride got off to a rough start to the regular season but after kicking off the rust, getting through a quarter of their matches, and the spring arrival of forward Barbra Banda — the squad never looked back. They kept hold of first place over 13 weeks of the season, including 10 consecutive weeks to close out the year.
After winning the 2024 NWSL Sheild, the squad stumbled a bit, losing two of their last three games, and conceding goals across those final three regular season games. Still, the group has regained some momentum with a final fixture, a 3-2 win against Seattle…
