The Orlando Pride can clinch the franchise's first National Women's Soccer League Shield at home on Sunday with a victory over the second-place Washington Spirit.
The Pride is also four games away from completing an unprecedented unbeaten season.
"We know we have a big target on our back," Orlando defender Kylie Strom said on Friday. "That's no surprise at all. Everybody's gonna play their best game against us. Everybody has that extra motivation against us, so we just have to keep raising our level."
Orlando hosts Washington at Inter&Co Stadium at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday on ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman will be in attendance in Orlando with the newly redesigned NWSL Shield in anticipation of awarding it to Orlando should the Pride win, a league spokesperson confirmed to ESPN.
Washington surged into second place in the latter half of the season following the arrival of former FC Barcelona head coach Jonatan Giráldez. Still, the Spirit is seven points behind a Pride team yet to lose in 22 games.
"They are showing why they are the best team right now because they can adapt very quickly to what the game is demanding in possession and out of possession," Giráldez said on Friday.
Washington forward Trinity Rodman's status remains unknown for the match. The United States international and 2024 Olympic gold-medal winner suffered a back injury on Sept. 20 late in a 3-0 loss to the Kansas City Current and has not played since.
Giráldez said he would not decide on which players would travel to Orlando on Saturday until after the Spirit train earlier in the day in Virginia. USWNT defender Casey Krueger also missed last week's match due to an adductor injury.
Orlando coach Seb Hines downplayed the magnitude of Sunday's match, stating repeatedly that it is just another game for the Pride. He also said the matchup should help further prepare his side for the playoffs, which take place in November.
"I think it's a good test," he said. "I think it's a good experience going into playoff football. Obviously, there are a lot of players who haven't experienced that. So, you could use that as training in the postseason, because this is what it's about, right? It's one game. You have to win within the timeframe, and so it comes at a good point for us because we might not get our experience leading up into the postseason, so we'll use it for that experience leading up into the postseason."
An unbeaten season has never occurred in the NWSL's 11-year history. The 2018 North Carolina Courage lost once in a 24-game season, winning the Shield, the NWSL Championship and the first International Champions Cup. The 2014 Seattle Reign lost twice in 24 games, winning the Shield but losing in the playoff final.
Orlando and Washington have each already clinched playoff berths. That alone is a major feat for Orlando, which has previously only made the playoffs once since entering the NWSL as an expansion team in the 2016 season. The Pride have endured repeated low points throughout their history, including a last-place finish in 2019 that saw them concede 53 goals in 24 games, still a single-season record.
"I think that's what makes this season even more special, is to kind of know what this club and this organization has been through," said Strom, who joined the team in 2021. "It wasn't always easy, but I think we've got the right people in the right places, and we have something really special here. So, it's super exciting now and for the future."
The Pride defeated the Spirit 3-2 on April 26 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., in a back-and-forth match.
The Pride has the best defense in the NWSL, with 12 shutouts this year and only 13 goals conceded in 22 games. Orlando forward Barbra Banda has the second most goals in the NWSL this season, with 13 tallies in 18 games. Washington has scored the second-most goals (44) this year, behind Kansas City.
Last month, Kansas City visited Orlando in what was expected to be a high-scoring game. Instead, the match ended scoreless as both teams' conservative defensive plans offset each other.
Hines said they will be ready for anything on Sunday, but the Pride will stick to their plan.
"To predict what Washington is going to do is very difficult," Hines said on Friday. "Every team that has adapted to us. So, we have to problem-solve. And so, if they come here with intentions to sit back and to counter, we have to solve those types of problems. If they want to high-press us, then we have to solve those types of problems as well.
"It's no different from what we've tried to face all season long, and we've done an incredible job in solving those problems. Hence, our record right now so it'll be the same going into the game on Sunday."