They'll beat you with their passing, they'll beat you with their pressing, they'll beat you with their brains and they'll beat you with their legs. The Pride can beat you every which way, as they did the Spirit, laying waste to the second-place team in the NWSL and continuing to reaffirm their dominance over the league. It was a fitting way to clinch the Shield, and you weren't alone if you teared up watching Marta lift the first trophy in club history.
The Current extended their unbeaten streak to five games with a 2-0 win in Louisville. They've conceded just one goal in that stretch as the defense, backed by Almuth Schult in goal, has transformed into one of the league's best. To have that kind of rearguard behind Temwa Chawinga, who scored her NWSL-record-tying 18th goal of the season, and Vanessa DiBernardo, whose free-kick rocket put the match away, you have a team that can absolutely win the championship.
There's no shame in losing in Orlando, and that's doubly true when you're missing six starters to injury or suspension. It's triply true when you only lose because of a penalty and unlucky deflection. The problem for the Spirit is that Andi Sullivan went down with an injury. Washington will hope they can get healthy before the playoffs because their injury list is a depressing sight.
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