Orlando Pride’s unbeaten streak continues as Marta and co. clinch NWSL shield; USMNT injuries lead to changes

Hey there! It’s a season for new accomplishments and new beginnings in American soccer, with the Orlando Pride charting new ground in the NWSL and Mauricio Pochettino finally taking charge of the U.S. men’s national team. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest to start the week.

Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Monday, Oct. 7
League Two: Bradford City vs. Newport County, 3 p.m. Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network

Tuesday, Oct. 8
UWCL: Lyon vs. Galatasaray, 12:45 p.m. DAZN
UWCL: Chelsea vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m. DAZN

The Forward Line

Orlando Pride lift the NWSL Shield

A rain-soaked day did not dampen the mood for the Orlando Pride on Sunday as they won the NWSL Shield, the club’s first-ever trophy, continuing a transformational season as they begin to target a deep postseason run.

The Pride collected the Shield in a 2-0 win over the injury-riddled Washington Spirit, with Marta scoring the game’s opening goal through a penalty in the 56th minute before Tara McKeown’s 73rd minute own goal sealed the deal for the hosts. The victory extended the NWSL’s longest-ever unbeaten run to 23 games, a remarkable triumph for a team that has made the playoffs just once in nine seasons of competition.

The Shield win is a testament to the rebuild the Pride have undergone in the last year-plus under relatively new leadership – head coach Seb Hines ditched the interim tag ahead of the 2023 season, while general manager Haley Carter also joined the club during that offseason. Several players that played a key role in this season’s success soon followed, including NWSL newcomers like Barbra Banda and Angelina, young talents such as Emily Sams and unsung veterans like Morgan Gautrat and Kylie Strom.

Yet Sunday’s triumph offered a callback to the Pride’s long journey to the top, with Marta taking center stage as she won her first club trophy since 2015, when she won the league with Sweden’s FC Rosengard. The NWSL accolade was a long time coming for Marta, one of the game’s greatest players, who herself enjoyed a revitalizing, eight-goal season at age 38.

• Marta: “I’ve been here for eight years, so I try to find out why I still love to be here, to play for this team, to represent the community in Orlando. Tonight, I had the answers, you know? I think when you believe about something, and then you know you can do that, and you just put me in your mind, like, ‘I’m not going to give up.’ And then I did that. I stayed here because I want to make history with this team. And then we did tonight, and then we go for more.”

Among the many accomplishments that marked the Pride’s Shield win is the fact that Hines became the first Black head coach to win a trophy in the NWSL. Hines was a player with the Pride’s MLS equivalent, Orlando City, before he joined the NWSL team as an assistant in 2020. He worked under three different head coaches before he was named the interim after then-head coach Amanda Cromwell was placed on administrative leave for retaliatory conduct. Hines became the league’s first Black head coach at the time, and has now marked his landmark hire with a historic achievement.

• Hines: “It means a lot. I think when I stepped into this role, you always have doubters. You have people that always say you may not be ready, but you know, hopefully now I can be a person who was given an opportunity to be successful with the backing of the ownership and the backing of Haley Carter coming in as well. You can see that with great support staff, that you can be successful, you can achieve something. And you know, that’s really important to me, that you have good people around you. Hopefully I can be an advocate for many more Black head coaches around the world.”

The Pride are now just three games away from becoming the first NWSL team to go unbeaten over the course of the regular season and with the postseason rapidly approaching, naturally sit atop the latest batch of NWSL power rankings as they aim to add to this season’s trophy haul with the NWSL Championship.

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  Midfield Link Play

Let the USMNT’s Mauricio Pochettino era begin

The U.S. men’s national team’s first camp with new head coach Mauricio Pochettino is officially underway in Austin, Texas, where the countdown to the 2026 World Cup on home soil officially begins.

Pochettino will work primarily with a familiar group of players for his first international break, and so his first games in charge will offer a glimpse into the Argentine’s tactical vision for the USMNT rather than his overall personnel preferences. His first lineups, though, are unlikely to be copy-and-paste versions of the teams Gregg Berhalter selected in his final weeks on the job, due to injuries. Forwards Folarin Balogun and Timothy Weah, who were starters at the Copa America, pulled out of the squad on Sunday, as did midfielder Johnny Cardoso. Tanner Tessman, Brandon Vazquez and Alex Zendejas – all of whom have fewer than 10 caps – will take their places.

The trio make up a small group of inexperienced players that will join Pochettino’s first camp, but serve as one of the long-term focuses of the head coach’s time in charge of the USMNT. Pochettino will be trusted with getting the best out of young but experienced players like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, as well as recruiting and integrating new talent into the player pool. As U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said on Morning Footy on Friday, Pochettino’s experience with young players was one of his many selling points.

• Crocker: “He was responsible for developing six players who went on to represent England from Southampton at that time he was critical in their development when those players were between 17 and 19. Blending them into a Premier League team and you can really see that he’s got a development mind and focus and it would be absolutely crazy for us at U.S. Soccer not to tap into that knowledge and experience.”

As Pochettino works on the long-term squad balance for the next year-plus, this month’s friendlies against Panama and Mexico will offer a first glance at his ability to live up to the team’s – and his own – promise. In his opening press conference last month, the new head coach teased an attack-minded, entertaining style of play that many believe suits the player pool best. He may not be able to execute the whole vision in his opening games, but expectations are high for the USMNT’s most high-profile head coach, who is injecting newfound optimism after the team’s dreadful summer.

  Top Stories

APT ruling, explained: Both the Premier League and Manchester City claimed victory in a ruling over associated party transactions, marking the latest update in a legal saga between the two parties that shows few signs of ending anytime soon.

Guardiola’s goodbye: Pep Guardiola has reportedly decided to leave Manchester CIty when his contract expires at the end of the season, but he has yet to make a final decision.

Pogba nears return: Paul Pogba’s doping ban was reduced to 18 months upon appeal, and a move to MLS could be on the horizon as the World Cup winner plots out a return to the pitch.

Carvajal injury: Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal tore his ACL in Saturday’s win over Villarreal, leaving a notable hole in the Spanish champions’ defense.

Vini Jr injured: Vinicius Junior picked up a neck injury that will keep him out of Brazil’s high-profile World Cup qualifier against Chile.

PL title race: Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool all won over the weekend but some Premier League title contenders looked more impressive than others.

United’s winless run continues: Manchester United’s 0-0 draw against Aston Villa marked the latest setback for the Red Devils, increasing pressure on manager Erik ten Hag as their winless run extends to five games.

Bayern falter again: Bayern Munich are still top of the Bundesliga but are now winless in three games across all competitions, raising questions about new manager Vincent Kompany’s vision to correct course after a trophyless season.

Juventus’ revival: With an unbeaten streak to start the season, Thiago Motta has rebooted Juventus and perhaps created a title contender in the process.

Miami win: Lionel Messi came off the bench as Inter Miami scored a late winner against Toronto FC on Saturday, a few short days after winning the Supporters’ Shield.

France’s future: Antoine Griezmann’s retirement could allow others like Christopher Nkunku and Paul Pogba to newfound success while playing for France.

Pulisic scores again: Christian Pulisic scored his sixth goal of the season on Sunday, registering AC Milan’s lone goal of the game in a 2-1 loss to Fiorentina.

  The Back Line

Best bets

• UEFA Women’s Champions League: Lyon vs. Galatasaray, Tuesday, 12:45 p.m.
  THE PICK: Lyon to score more than 6.5 goals (+148) – Last season’s Champions League finalists will no doubt target a strong start to the group stage, especially as their perfect start to the domestic season shows they have yet to miss a beat under new manager Joe Montemurro. He will have plenty of big name goalscorers to pick from, but regardless of the personnel, Lyon have more than enough to notch a lopsided win as the competition gets underway.
• UEFA Women’s Champions League: Chelsea vs. Real Madrid, Tuesday, 3 p.m.

THE PICK: Both teams will not score (+122) – Chelsea are the heavy favorites in their opening match of the group stage, and for good reason. They seem like a well-drilled side in the early days of Sonia Bompastor’s time as the manager, outsourcing opponents eight to zero in their opening two games of the WSL season. Their dominance could shut out Real Madrid entirely, allowing the hosts to pick up a clean sheet and most likely a win to open their UWCL campaign.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.   

What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

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