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Less than two weeks away from blowing out the candles and celebrating her 38th birthday, Martaone of the most influential and decorated players in the history of women’s football was back on the pitch cross lashes at her teammates looking for a breakthrough and arguing with referees over fouls and yellow cards.
If Orlando proud midfielder Summer Yates would tell you that Marta is extremely passionate and intense on the pitch. Even if it’s a behind-closed-doors preseason scrimmage at home in March against the Florida State Seminoles, the reigning 2023 NCAA champions, with a roster featuring some teenagers who could one day become stars of the NWSL.
“She’s here saying, ‘Wow, that’s a card. That’s a foul,'” Yates recalled. “Just crazy, and we say, ‘Okay, this is a preseason [game].’ But we know we have to go a step further. We have to have the same drive as them.”
It was a special year for Marta as she had the opportunity to end her Olympic career with a silver medal after an inspired Brazil team defeated Spain without her services to reach the final against the United States. Back in Orlando, she is in the final year of her contract with the Orlando Pride and is preparing for Saturday’s NWSL Championship game against the Washington spiritin what could be her last chance to lift an NWSL championship trophy for the first time in her storied career.
“Everything she does is so influential, and so is her vibe in general,” Yates said. ‘I think she wants this [Championship] more than anything, and falling short in the Olympics energized her even more. She just has a crazy drive right now.”
You can only attend the NWSL Championship on Saturday at 8pm ET CBS And Biggest+.
Marta has had a major influence on the game. In addition to playing on the biggest stages in the world, she has inspired others through both her playing and her candor off the field. Her profile is huge, and although the Spirit and Pride are rivals this week, Marta’s influence is being felt on both sides of the ball ahead of Saturday’s big game.
On Saturday she will take the field for the first time in America with her mother in the standsand she will be by far the biggest reason Orlando turned a series of mediocre seasons into perhaps the best NWSL run in history. But even for her, that transformation is difficult to explain.
“It’s crazy sometimes to find an explanation, like ‘How?’ I think it’s special for me because it’s the answer I try to find every year, because as of 2017 I’m the only player left in the team. I ask myself: ‘Why do I still want something special do here, you know?’ Eight years,” Marta said in an exclusive interview with CBS ahead of Saturday’s title match.
“There was always something crazy in my life. The first time I won the [award for] Best Player in the World, of course I was much younger than now, but I did it five times [in a row]then took a break and won it after eight years. It’s been eight years since we’ve been here at Orlando, and it’s the first time we’ve been to a final. It’s a coincidence, but I don’t know. It is an answer for me, for myself. Why am I still here? Why do I want to build something special for this team?
“I don’t know if I will be here next year, but I am already so happy with what I have given to the club and the players.”
It may be a mystery to Marta, but to her teammates and even her rivals in the field, the answer lies in her legendary status.
Instrumental for the rise of Orlando
Her teammates are quick to point out exactly how she propelled them to the top of the rankings, as the team broke the NWSL record for most points (60) and most wins (18) in a single season. They achieved a record 24 matches unbeaten at one point and they finished the regular season fourth in the golden boot race with 11 goals. Her best moment yet came in the semifinals, when she turned back the clock with a solo effort from midfield that left two Kansas City defenders and the goalkeeper in the dust. Not too shabby for a 38 year old.
Orlando’s fame has been years in the making. Head coach Seb Hines was interim in 2022, and the club narrowly missed the playoffs in 2023. They brought in general manager Haley Carter, strengthened the coaching staff and brought in more international talent, including Zambian striker Barbra Banda, who made the cut . second in the golden shoe race with 16 goals, and compatriots Adriana and Refaelle. Including Marta, the Pride have a handful of Brazilian players on the roster, all of whom are inspired by their friend and compatriot.
However, the Marta effect goes further than just her Brazilian international teammates. Yates is coming off a breakout second season after being drafted in 2023. Fourth on the team in goals scored (four goals behind her veteran teammate), the second-year player credits Marta with helping her development throughout the season.
“I think it was difficult last year when we were up and down winning games and losing games. But I think Marta brought this different vibe to her from day one. She was so determined and she believed in us all, and we kind of followed that. So I think that was the biggest thing. Her passion has such an influence on us,” Yates said.
Legendary ‘respect’ for an enemy
Several players enter the championship match after a busy summer, where they already competed against the Brazilian during the Olympic Games in Paris. Washington Spirit and USWNT defender Casey Krueger were on the field in the final minutes before the whistle was blown on Marta’s Olympic career
‘She is the legend. I mean, there’s no other way to put it,” Krueger said. “It’s an honor to play against her. It’s really so special to like and share the court, even if it’s on the other side. Just playing against her and just seeing what she’s done for the game, exactly what they both mean.” It was incredible both on and off the field.”
Spirit midfielder Andi Sullivan was part of the USWNT squad for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and although she will miss the NWSL Championship with an ACL injury, the Spirit co-captain is doing her part to make sure to ensure her team is prepared to go against such an icon of the game. Part of that is giving her respect
“I think we respect her a lot, and we know what she’s talking about, but you don’t want to show her too much respect [on the pitch]. So I think you respect her in that regard by making it very difficult for her, and I think we’ll prepare in that way,” Sullivan said.
“She’s just a fun person, loves to talk, loves to make it interesting, but she’s intense, but she’s having fun, and she’s been an incredible example to all of us, and I hope to crash her party [On Saturday].”
An icon for future generations
When they’re not competing against each other, Sullivan notes that Marta’s impact on the game can be found everywhere and across generations, including her 17-year-old teammate Chloe Ricketts. The young player signed with the Spirit at the age of 15 and is one of the rising young talents in the league.
“I remember Chloe Ricketts saying last year, ‘Oh, I really want a picture with Marta.’ And then doing that, and seeing [Marta] Dealing with Chloe like that was really cool,” Sullivan said.
“I think for most of the players in the room, she’s been around for a while, so she’s clearly one of the most popular players in the world. A player who paved the way for what we could be, not just what she could be. ” but what we could all do. What the league could be, and what women’s football could be [you] always looked on a highlight reel, and she was always very happy. And so to play against her, it’s like, ‘oh, I’m playing against this legend’ and she’s such an incredible player,” Sullivan said.
While Brazil and the United States have a rivalry on the international stage, that also includes other Latin American countries, including Colombia. Spirit midfielder Leicy Santos reflected on the growth of the Colombian national team while competing against Marta in several international friendlies and international tournaments.
“We had our struggles in South America. She definitely gave me a few blows to the head here and there,” Santos joked.
“Marta is the legendary player in women’s football. You know, I’ve had first-hand experience of the potential she has, and she always has. She stands out. A real standout player who can create moments out of nothing who just puts the game away just when you thought nothing would happen. She is incredible and is a reference point for me.
‘A challenge and an honor’ to compete against
Spirit forward Ashley Hatch has been a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team pool since 2022, helping the team qualify for the 2023 World Cup and has played Marta in the NWSL competition since 2018. The forward will have a dual responsibility during the final: trying to score for the Spirit, and limiting Marta’s impact on the game. She views this opportunity as a challenge and an honor.
“I think when you’re at this level you want to compete against the best players, and I think it’s an honor for all of us to be on the same court as her. Obviously we respect her, but we also want to I think it’s a combination of all those things. But I think playing against a great player like Marta brings so much more excitement to the game for us as players, also for fans,” said Hatch.
“We have to respect her as our opponent. And I think that, just like in ten years, every time I pick up my children, [I can say] ‘Yes, I played against Marta in the final!’ I mean, she’s been in this league for a while, and I feel like we’ve all always admired and respected her when we played against her, and also when we watch her. So I would say it’s a combination of both.”
NWSL Championship Broadcast Schedule
Always oriental
Saturday November 23
Attacking third pre-match show, 6:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
Attacking third pre-match show, 7.30pm (CBS, Biggest+)
NWSL Championship: Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit, 8 p.m. (CBS, Biggest+)
Offensive third post-match show, 10:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
Sunday November 24th
NWSL Skills Challenge, 3pm or 5pm (view local listings) (CBS, Biggest+)