As the final whistle pierced the dusk on Sunday and Gotham FC sprinted across the pitch in celebration, a heavy silence descended on Inter&Co Stadium. The Orlando Pride players collapsed — exhausted, gutted, emptied. And Orlando’s dream of back-to-back NWSL championships evaporated into the November sky.

Yes, this controversial, last-second, 1-0 loss to Gotham FC in the NWSL Playoff semifinal hurts.

Yes, it stings.

And yes, this one will linger.

But let me say something that needs to be said loudly, clearly, and unapologetically:

Orlando should be proud of its Pride.

They were never supposed to be here. Not this year. Not after franchise player Barbra Banda went down with a season-ending injury. Not after an offense that sputtered through the summer and a league that spent 12 mon

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