ORLANDO, Fla. — "This is for Orlando."
Marta's passionate cry as she finished her speech in front of a packed house at City Hall in Downtown Orlando Monday night encapsulated the last eight years of her time in The City Beautiful, finally winning not just one, but two trophies for the Orlando Pride.
A lot has been said about the history of this Pride team. For the nine years that the team has existed, they've underperformed and had moments of success, but never something like this 2024 season.
Let's go back to October 20, 2015. Lake Eola Park hosted a special press conference announcing the Orlando Pride as the 10th NWSL franchise to play in 2016. The future was bright, the excitement around a new women's professional team was even brighter. Now, after nine years of ups and downs and less than a mile away from where the team was born, the greatest team the city has ever seen lifted their silverware.
It was a special moment for many of the long-standing members of the Pride. Founder Kay Rawlins, who has been one of the biggest proponents for women's sports in the City of Orlando, finally gets to lift the fruits of her labors after working so hard to get Orlando to become a soccer city.
For Seb Hines, who has spent the last decade with the Orlando organization, going from the player on the men's side to Head Coach on the women's side is almost like a Hollywood story happening in real-time.
And to reiterate, just as VP of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter, Marta, Hines and owner Mark Wilf did in their speeches on Monday night, this one's for the fans just as much as it is for all of the players and staff.
At the end of it, though, these two trophies the team lifted on the steps of City Hall feel so much sweeter for the team's captain.
Back on April 21 of 2017, Marta was introduced to Orlando and attended a press conference before she took the field for the first time with her team. On that day, she told reporters, "It's tough to talk about the future, but I know that the future is built today. I know that we are going to have a brilliant future, so I just want to do my best, and we're going to see what's going to happen in three-, four- or five-years time."
It may have taken her a little bit longer than she thought eight years ago, but being able to address the city on Monday night almost felt like a full-circle moment for her. The player that's stuck through it all, who's been the talisman of women's soccer for over two decades across the world and for almost the entire existence of the Orlando Pride, finally got her reward.
Marta famously said after her 2019 World Cup journey with Brazil ended early, "Cry at the beginning so you can smile at the end."
After seeing the joy on her face on Monday night, the entire City of Orlando smiled thanks to her and the Orlando Pride.
This one's for you, Orlando. Enjoy it.
