The Orlando Pride can clinch the franchise’s first National Women’s Soccer League Shield at home on Sunday with a victory over the second-place Washington Spirit.
The Pride is also four games away from completing an unprecedented unbeaten season.
“We know we have a big target on our back,” Orlando defender Kylie Strom said on Friday. “That’s no surprise at all. Everybody’s gonna play their best game against us. Everybody has that extra motivation against us, so we just have to keep raising our level.”
Orlando hosts Washington at Inter&Co Stadium at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday on ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman will be in attendance in Orlando with the newly redesigned NWSL Shield in anticipation of awarding it to Orlando should the Pride win, a league spokesperson confirmed to ESPN.
Washington surged into second place in the latter half of the season following the arrival of former FC Barcelona head coach Jonatan Giráldez. Still, the Spirit is seven points behind a Pride team yet to lose in 22 games.
“They are showing why they are the best team right now because they can adapt very quickly to what the game is demanding in possession and out of possession,” Giráldez said on Friday.
