How the legendary Marta inspires NWSL players while searching for an elusive championship with Orlando Pride

Less than two weeks removed from blowing out the candles and celebrating her 38th birthday, Marta, one of the most influential and decorated players in women’s soccer history, was back on the pitch whipping crosses to her teammates in search of a breakthrough and arguing with referees for fouls and yellow cards.

As Orlando Pride midfielder Summer Yates would tell you, Marta is extremely passionate and intense on the field. Even if it’s during a closed-doors preseason scrimmage in March at home against the Florida State Seminoles, the reigning 2023 NCAA champions, with a roster that featured some teenagers that may one day become stars of the NWSL.

“She’s over here, like, ‘Whoa, that’s a card. That’s a foul,’” Yates recalled. “Just crazy, and we’re like, ‘OK, this is a preseason [game].’ But we know we need to step up. We need to have that same drive that she does.” 

It has been a special year for Marta, as she had the opportunity to finish her Olympic career with a silver medal after an inspired Brazil team without her services defeated Spain to reach the final against the United States. Back in Orlando, she’s in the final year of her contract with the Orlando Pride and preparing for Saturday’s NWSL Championship match against the Washington Spirit, in what could be her last chance at lifting an NWSL championship trophy for the first time in her storied career. 

“Everything she does is so influential, and just like her vibe in general,” Yates said. “I think she wants this [Championship] more than anything, and coming up short at the Olympics really fueled her even more. She just has a crazy drive right now.”

You can catch the NWSL Championship Saturday at 8 p.m. ET only on CBS and Paramount+.

Marta has had a profound impact on the game. In addition to playing on the world’s biggest stages, she’s inspired others through both her play and off-field candor. Her profile is vast, and even though the Spirit and Pride are rivals this week, Marta’s influence can be felt on both sides of the ball in the buildup to Saturday’s big game.

On Saturday, she’ll take the field for the first time in America with her mother in the stands, and she’ll be by far the biggest reason why Orlando has turned a string of mediocre seasons into perhaps the best NWSL run in history. Though, even for her that transformation is difficult to explain.

“It’s crazy sometimes to find an explanation, like ‘How?’ I think for me, it’s special because it’s the answer that I try to find every single year because from 2017, I am the only player that is still on the team. I ask myself ‘Why? Why am I still looking to do something special here, you know?’ Eight years,” said Marta in an exclusive interview with CBS ahead of Saturday’s title game. 

“In my life, there was always something crazy. The first time I won the [award for] Best Player in the World, of course I was much younger than I am 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 here with Orlando, and it’s the first time that we go to a final. It’s a coincidence, but I don’t know. It’s some answer for me, for myself. Why am I still here? Why am I looking to build something special for this team?

“I don’t know if I’m going to be here next year, but I’m already so happy with what I have given to the club and the players.”

It might be a mystery to Marta, but to her teammates, and even her rivals across the field, the answer lies in her legendary status.

Instrumental to Orlando’s rise

Her teammates are quick to point to exactly how she has driven them to the top of the table, as the team shattered the NWSL record for most points (60) and most wins (18) in a single season. They at one point rattled off a record 24-game unbeaten streak and she wrapped up 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 near midfield that left two Kansas City defenders and the goalkeeper in the dust. Not too shabby for a 38-year-old.   

Orlando’s rise to prominence has been years in the making. Head coach Seb Hines was an interim in 2022, and the club narrowly missed out on the playoffs in 2023. They brought in general manager Haley Carter, boosted the coaching staff, and brought on more international talent, including Zambia striker Barbra Banda, who finished second in the golden boot race with 16 goals, and fellow Brazilians Adriana and Refaelle. Including Marta, the Pride have a handful of Brazilian players on the roster, each of whom is inspired by their friend and compatriot. 

The Marta effect goes beyond just her Brazilian international teammates though. Yates has had a breakout sophomore season after being drafted in 2023. Fourth on the team in goals scored (trailing her veteran teammate by four goals), the second-year player credits Marta in helping her development over the season. 

“I think last year, it’s hard when we were going kind of up and down with winning games and losing games. But I think from day one, Marta brought this different vibe to her. She was so determined, and she had that belief in all of us, and we kind of just followed that. So I think that was the biggest thing. Her passion is so influential to us,” Yates said.

Legendary ‘respect’ to a foe

Several players head into the championship game off a busy summer where they have already gone toe to toe with the Brazilian during the Paris Olympics. Washington Spirit and USWNT defender Casey Krueger was on the field for the final minutes before the whistle was blown on Marta’s Olympic career

“She’s the legend. I mean, there’s no other way to put it,” Krueger said. “Playing against her like, it’s an honor. It’s truly so special to be able to like, share the field even though, on the other side. Just playing against her and just seeing what she’s done for the game, just what she means both on and off the field, it’s been incredible.”

Spirit midfielder Andi Sullivan was part of the USWNT roster for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and while she’ll miss the NWSL Championship with an ACL injury, the Spirit co-captain is doing her part to make sure her team is prepared to go up against such an icon of the game. Part of that is giving her respect 

“I think we respect her tremendously, and we know what she’s about, but you don’t want to show her too much respect [on the pitch]. So, I think in that element, the way that you respect her is by making it very difficult for her, and I think we’ll prepare in that way,” Sullivan said.

“She’s just like a fun presence, likes to talk smack, likes to make it interesting, but so she’s intense, but she’s having fun, and she’s been an incredible example for all of us, and I hope to ruin her party [On Saturday].”

An icon for generations to come

When they’re not going head to head, 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 15, and is one of the up-and-coming young talents in the league.

“I remember Chloe Ricketts being like, ‘Oh, I really want a picture with Marta’ last year. And then getting to do that, and, seeing [Marta] interact with Chloe that way was really, really cool,” said Sullivan.

“I think for most players in the room, she’s been playing for a while and so and obviously one of the most popular players in the world. A player that paved the pathway for what we could be, and not, not just what she could be, but what we all could do. What the league could be, and what women’s soccer could be. She was always someone who [you] would watch on a highlight reel, and she was always very joyful. And so to get to play against her, it’s like, ‘oh, like, I’m playing against this legend’ and she’s, 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 Colombia’s national team while going up against Marta in various international friendlies and international tournaments. 

“In South America, we’ve had our battles. She’s definitely given me a few knocks in the head here and there,” Santos joked. 

“Marta is the legendary player in the women’s game. You know, I’ve had first-hand experience with the potential that she has, and that has always had. She stands out. A true standout player who, out of nothing, can create moments that are gonna just put the game away, just when you thought that nothing was gonna happen. She’s incredible and is a reference point for me”

‘A challenge and an honor’ to compete against

Spirit forward Ashley Hatch has been part of the U.S. women’s national team pool since 2022, helped the team qualify for the 2023 World Cup, and has played against Marta in NWSL competition since 2018. The attacker will have a dual responsibility during the final: Try to score for the Spirit, and limit Marta’s impact on the game. She’s viewing the occasion as both a challenge and an honor. 

“I think if 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 step on the same pitch as her. Obviously, we respect her, but we also want to beat her. So, I think it’s a combination of all those things. But I think playing against an amazing player such as Marta like, it 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, like in 10 years, whenever I pick up my kids, [I can say] ‘Yeah, I played against Marta in a final!’ I mean, she’s been in this league for a while, and I feel like we all always admired her 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

All times Eastern

Saturday, Nov. 23
Attacking Third pre-match show, 6:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
Attacking Third pre-match show, 7:30 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
NWSL Championship: Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit, 8 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
Attacking Third post-match show, 10:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)

Sunday, Nov. 24
NWSL Skills Challenge, 3 p.m. or 5 p.m. (check local listings) (CBS, Paramount+)