It all comes down to this.
The NWSL Championship Final will take place this Saturday, November 23, at 8:00 p.m. ET, with the Orlando Pride facing off against the Washington Spirit at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, MO.
The match will be broadcast in the United States on CBS, and can also be streamed on Paramount+. To get fans ready for the title decider, CBS will deliver a 90-minute pregame coverage show starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on the Golazo Network, which will then transfer to CBS at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Seattle Reign head coach Laura Harvey will be a special guest for the broadcast. She will be alongside CBS soccer staples Poppy Miller, Darian Jenkins, and Lisa Carlin. Jacqui Oatley and Lori Lindsey will be on commentary during the game, with Emily Proud providing sideline reports.
Internationally, the NWSL Championship Final will be shown on Optus Sport (Australia), ESPN Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa), ESPN (Latin America), Canal11 (Portugal), TSN / TSN+ (Canada), and ViaPlay (Sweden). All nations not listed can stream for free on the league's streaming platform NWSL+.
How did the Pride get here?
It has taken a long time for the 2016 expansion club to reach the top of the NWSL, but here they are. Even with legends of the game like Alex Morgan and Marta on their roster, before 2024, Orlando had no silverware and had only reached the playoffs once (2017) in seven seasons.
Seb Hines' arrival in 2022, first as an assistant and then later promoted to permanent head coach in January 2023, has been key to the Pride changing trajectory. The English-American took home the 2024 Coach of the Year award after setting multiple NWSL records.
When the team meeting turns into a big surprise 👀
— Orlando Pride - x (@ORLPride) November 19, 2024
Congratulations, @seb_38 💜 pic.twitter.com/Ct9Y431bdc
In 2024, Orlando topped the standings with a record points total of 60 and lifted its first-ever trophy, the NWSL Shield. On the way to achieving that, Hines' team set a record for consecutive matches unbeaten (25).
General manager and vice-president Haley Carter has emphasized a human-first leadership style and nothing could be more true of Hines, his technical staff, and players. While star players like leading goalscorer Barbra Banda and the legendary Marta get many of the headlines, one of the prevailing stars in Orlando has been the club culture and the power of the collective.
Even after one of the greatest regular seasons in NWSL history, some wondered if the Pride could carry their brilliance into the playoffs.
Well, Orlando emphatically answered that question with a breathtaking 4-1 quarterfinal win over the Chicago Red Stars, followed by a chaotic 3-2 triumph over rivals the Kansas City Current in the semifinal.
With just one match remaining and what some view as the biggest trophy of all still on the table, the Orlando players just have to bring their best, and they will know nothing can stop them.
Absolutely insane from @martavieiras10 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/caXRPo3zbf
— Orlando Pride - x (@ORLPride) November 18, 2024
How did the Spirit get here?
Unlike Orlando, Washington has won the NWSL Championship before, back in 2021. The Spirit were also defeated in the 2016 NWSL Championship Final by the now-defunct Western New York Flash.
At the end of 2021, Michele Kang purchased the Spirit and has overseen a major overhaul at the club from top to bottom. While Orlando has been a story of continuity and building slowly around a core group, the Spirit heads into Saturday's final having ridden on the wings of chaos. Albeit controlled chaos and ambition.
In 2022, head coach Kris Ward was removed for acquisitions of verbal abuse and emotional misconduct. Then came Mark Parsons in 2023, who, after just one season in charge, was sacked for performance reasons after the Spirit missed out on the playoffs by one solitary point.
Kang's ambition was unmatched, and in 2024, she backed herself by luring FC Barcelona head coach Jonatan Giraldez over the Atlantic.
It was a historic season for FC Barcelona, winning all possible titles for the first time. Jonathan Giraldez bids farewell to the team with the quadruple. #FCBarcelona #ligaF pic.twitter.com/L9SVzHrSba
— Soccerdonna (@soccerdonna) May 29, 2024
The Spirit had to wait until June for the 2023-24 Barcelona season to finish. A season in which the club won every trophy on offer, including the UEFA Champions League. Even with Giraldez's arrival delayed, interim head coach Adrian Gonzalez was able to get the Spirit off to an impressive start by winning 10 of his 15 NWSL matches.
The chaos doesn't stop there, though. Even with Giraldez taking the reins, injuries to key players such as playmaker Croix Bethune, vocal leader Andi Sullivan, and joint-top goalscorer Ouleymata Sarr, have meant that the Spanish coach has had to constantly tinker with what players he has available.
When it comes to fine margins, digging deep, and battling against the odds, few have done better than the Spirit. Down the stretch, the club has leaned heavily on its bright group of rookies such as Hal Hershfelt, Makenna Morris, Courtney Brown, and Heather Stainbrook.
Washington made hard work of its two playoff matches. First, there was the quarterfinal extra-time thriller against Bay FC that ended 2-1, with Tara McKeown saving the day before the final whistle.
Then, there was a nervy semifinal against NJ/NY Gotham FC, where Hershfelt was the one forcing extra-time in the dying moments. Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury became the hero on that day by saving three penalty kicks as the Spirit advanced in a shootout.
There are never-say-die attitudes, and then there's the Washington Spirit. This team won't give up, even when the path to victory narrows. Adapting to the chaos is how they thrive.
WE’RE GOING TO THE SHIP 🗣️🎵 pic.twitter.com/698jKX7mGl
— Washington Spirit - x (@WashSpirit) November 17, 2024
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2024 NWSL Championship Final: How to Watch, Preview.
