“These partners believe in our future. They believe in our players, they believe in what we can be,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said. “We’re resetting the standards by which women’s sports can be valued.”

The league’s current deal with CBS Sports ends at the end of this season. The new media rights package runs through 2027 and is worth $60 million annually.

Saturday night’s NWSL championship between Gotham FC and OL Reign will air on CBS. The network will continue to broadcast the championship game as part of the new agreement.

“We’re going to make sure, along with these other partners, that this league keeps getting more and more exposure, more and more promotion, more and more branding and that we grow this sport and this league,” Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports, said during a news conference announcing the deal in San Diego.

Starting next season, a Friday night game on Prime Video will kick off each weekend. Each Saturday night will include a double-header on Scripps’ over-the-air ION network.

A package of at least 21 regular-season games will stream live on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network or CBS.

Another package of 20 games with air across ESPN’s platforms, including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

The remaining regular season games will be part of a domestic direct-to-consumer package produced and distributed by the NWSL, the league said. That could include deals for stations in the league’s local markets to air games.

In the playoffs, Prime Video and a CBS platform will each broadcast a quarterfinal each, while ESPN/ABC airs the other two. ESPN/ABC and a CBS platform will each have a semifinal game.

Berman said the NWSL didn’t want to be behind a league-specific paywall to allow fans more ways to discover and watch the games.

“I think we’re taking advantage in a very positive way of all the different ways to reach consumers,” she said.

The NWSL has been working with Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment marketing firm, which has partnerships with the NHL and the NFL. Endeavor also is the league’s data and international streaming provider.

The NWSL is in its 11th season. Next year the league will expand to 14 teams with the addition of the Utah Royals and Bay FC.

Earlier this year, Berman reported that viewership on CBS and its streaming affiliate Paramount+ was up 21 percent year-over-year to last season.

Megan Rapinoe’s farewell match for OL Reign in Seattle averaged 683,000 viewers on CBS last month, becoming the most watched regular-season NWSL game ever. The match also drew a record 34,134 fans to Lumen Field.

Rapinoe will retire from soccer following Saturday’s championship, as will Gotham defender Ali Krieger. Both have won a pair of Women’s World Cups with the U.S. national team, but never an NWSL title.

Friday, the Orlando resident became a limited partner with Orlando City (MLS) and the Orlando Pride (NWSL) franchises along with his wife, Tamia, the club announced.

“We’d like to thank the Wilf Family for the opportunity to join this incredible organization, and to make our family a part of the Orlando City and Orlando Pride family,” the couple said in a statement. “From the moment we met the Wilfs, we were impressed with their vision for the club and the passion they have for giving back to the Central Florida community, something that is also of great importance to us.

“The future is very promising for both teams, and we are excited to support Orlando City, as well as the opportunity to be a part of the Orlando Pride and elevate women in sports. Matches at Exploria Stadium are one of our favorite places to take our daughters, and we
are very excited to now do so as part of the ownership group.”

Orlando City is the No. 2 seed in MLS Cup Playoffs and open play Monday at Exploria Stadium vs. Nashville.

Grant Hill, a two-time national champion at Duke and 1996 gold medalist for the U.S. Olympic team, had a 19-year career in the NBA, including from 2000-07 with the Magic. Tamia is a six-time Grammy-nominated R&B artist.

“Over the past few years, we have gotten to know and appreciate Tamia and Grant, their passion for our clubs, and their commitment to the community,” said Mark Wilf, club owner and chairman, via statement. “Both boast professional resumes that speak for themselves and are highly accomplished individuals in the business world but, more importantly, they are incredible contributors to the greater Orlando area.”

Hill currently serves as an NBA broadcaster for Turner Sports, NBA TV and a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports. He recently was named managing director of the U.S. men’s national team.

Latsko was able to bundle the ball over the line in the 87th minute via a headed chance to send the Reign to a semifinal with San Diego.

It was a first half in Seattle of relatively few quality chances between the two sides, but the visiting Angel City was the more aggressive.

Claire Emslie was driving forward in the 30th minute when she found herself on the ball outside the box on the right side of the field. Cutting inside, her left-footed effort initially seemed to be a cross but ricocheted off the back of an OL Reign player and cut toward goal. This left Angel City forward Sydney Leroux with an opportunity to slide in and perhaps get a touch on the ball, but it rolled into the grateful arms of Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey instead.

In the second half, the Reign adjusted, with midfielder Rose Lavelle coming on for her first NWSL appearance since Sept. 3, and Megan Rapinoe came close again on a free kick opportunity in the 69th minute but her shot landed high over the bar in the end.

In the 87th minute, a ball out wide from defender Phoebe McClernon found Latsko just a couple of feet away from the penalty spot. From there, Latsko was able to get her effort past Angelina Anderson, who did get a hand on it, and into the back of the net to send the home crowd into a frenzy.

After four minutes of stoppage time, Lumen Field then erupted even more as the Reign sealed a 1-0 win in the Quarterfinal and will now travel to face the Wave in San Diego in the first weekend of November.

Orlando Sentinel Correspondent

Narrowly missing out on the postseason thanks to a tiebreaker marked a disappointing end to the NWSL season for the Orlando Pride (10-11-1, 31 points) after the progress they showed throughout the year. Now the team starts preparing for next season, hoping to build on that growth.

One of the most exciting Pride players is rookie forward Messiah Bright. A strong contender for Rookie of the Year with six goals in 22 appearances, the second-round draft pick now has a year’s professional experience to help her reach new heights next season.

“Now I’ll be able to settle into the game; I’m not going to have as many nerves as I did when I first stepped into this environment of becoming a pro,” Bright said. “The game brings nerves as it is, but I think now I’ll be more calm, comfortable and a little bit more confident within myself. And I’m going to start as soon as I get home,  take some time to just rest and heal my body, and then find a way to just get after it.”

Defender Kylie Strom has been a key player in Orlando’s defense this season, helping the team to a club-record seven wins at home and just 28 goals conceded all season. She sees the team’s core as its most important asset going into 2024.

“I think it’s awesome that the veterans are able to learn from the rookies and the rookies are able to learn from the veterans. We’re all on the same team trying to solve the same problem,” Strom said. “I think we have a really good core group here, which is really exciting. I feel like in the past we’ve had a lot of turnover, and this year I think we’re really excited about what we’ve built and want to continue building on that.”

Fellow defender Haley McCutcheon has been around the league since 2018 and has never seen a season as chaotic as 2023. Orlando defied low expectations coming into the season, and she believes they can carry on and become a force to be reckoned with going forward.

“There was just a buy-in from every player and a belief again that that we could do it, but it was going to have to be a collective effort,” McCutcheon said. “So moving forward, we showed that we can compete in this league, and this one was one of the craziest seasons I’ve ever seen. So we just have to have that expectation that we have to do even more next year to be successful.”

Midfielder Erika Tymrak made a surprise start despite not playing since August but her leadership was instrumental for the Pride in this one. The disappointment on her face after the match was clear to see but she also knows the Pride can learn lessons from the season as a whole headed into 2024.

“The game can be cruel, and I think it showed tonight. We got to win and it wasn’t enough,” Tymrak said. “Those moments suck because you go back in your head and you think about every game and every moment; anything you can do different. But I think it’s a lesson that regardless what game you play, you leave it all out there. I’m proud of this team so much. I’m so proud.”

Orlando came close to conceding right before halftime when Houston midfielder Andressa Alves’ shot bounced off the post. Pride defender Kylie Strom was able to clear it right off the goal line to keep it scoreless after 45 minutes.

Strom later had a chance to give Orlando the lead in the 59th minute. Her shot hit the hands of goalkeeper Jane Campbell before hitting the crossbar and taking an unlucky bounce away from goal. Marta followed it up shortly after with a shot of her own but Campbell was able to make yet another stop.

Fortune changed for the Pride in the 85th minute after Marta was taken down inside the penalty area. Orlando’s captain never had any doubt and was able to place her shot past Campbell to put the Pride up 1-0.

“We knew Marta was going to hit that in, and unfortunately it wasn’t enough but I think I can speak for all the girls when I say that this group is truly special,” Tymrak added. “And I think that we showed everybody that we can play in this league.”

Despite the disappointing end, the Pride now enter the offseason with plenty to be optimistic about. Their young core showed plenty of growth over the season and should only get better with rookies such as Messiah Bright and Emily Madril heading into their sophomore season.

Orlando sits one point out of the final playoff spot entering its regular-season finale with the Houston Dash at Exploria Stadium on Sunday (Paramonut+, 5).

Pride agree to new deal with goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse

The Pride go into this one after a 3-2 loss at Racing Louisville in a match they led 2-0. Now back in front of the home crowd after a two-game trip, coach Seb Hines said he believes his team is in a good position.

“We’re feeling good. We’ve had a couple of training sessions since the trip from L.A. to Louisville. They feel ready to go,” Hines said. “It’s one game and that’s what it comes down to. We’ve put ourselves in a terrific position and we are going to leave everything out on the field and that should be enough.”

However, a win alone will not be enough for the Pride, who will need a favorable goal differential to secure the playoff spot. They sit on a minus-2 differential for the season. Otherwise, Orlando will be counting on one of several other matches to go their way to get in.

Pride forward Marta was on the 2017 team that made the postseason and knows how special this is. This squad has defied expectations this season and she hopes they can rise to the occasion and be rewarded for their growth.

“We have a young team with a lot of talented players and I don’t think they still realize that we have achieved a chance to go to the playoffs,” Marta said. “We work on that, we talk a lot and we’re going to be prepared to do everything and take the spot in the playoffs.”

Orlando remains without the services of defender Carrie Lawrence (season-ending knee injury) and midfielder Viviana Villacorta (SEI knee). Midfielder Thais Reiss (hip) also is out.

“I can never fault the players’ efforts,” said Pride coach Seb Hines, whose seventh-place club is just outside of a playoff berth. “They were brilliant. They battled all the way to the final whistle. And that’s been a theme throughout the season. There’s been the standards. We haven’t always got the result at the end of it but today was disappointing considering where we were at the start the game.”

Marta scored on a penalty kick in the 17th minute for the Pride (9-11-1, 28 points) before getting the first career goal from Kerry Abello in the 21st minute.

Marta’s kick came after a VAR review, and the Pride captain calmly beat Katie Lund to her left. Abello scored after collecting a pass from Marta before dribbling around her defender and blasting the ball in from a tight angle.

However, started by a first-half stoppage-time goal from the host, Louisville rallied to score two more in the second half.

After Racing Louisville’s Nadia Nadim tallied on a penalty kick for its first goal, in the 70th minute Thembi Kgatlana slotted a ball across the box that Kirsten Davis was able to connect with on a sliding effort in the box. Racing Louisville (6-6-9, 27 points) took the lead after an own goal by Anna Moorhouse, with the goalkeeper’s save attempt under pressure on a corner kick falling into the back of the net.

“Good start to go two-nil up away from home,”  Hines said. “I think we were pretty comfortable and then …

“It’s our own doing: individual errors that allow Louisville to win the game. It’s something that we haven’t seen recently. We’ve been [playing] really good. And I hate to make excuses, but with the travel and injuries and so on played a part in the game.”

The Pride take on Racing Louisville on Friday at Lynn Family Stadium (Paramonut+, 7:30).

The two sides last met in May, with Orlando coming out on top 1-0. Louisville enters on a three-game losing streak while the Pride have won both of their last two games and three of five.

Fresh off a two-year contract, goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse knows that Louisville is still a tough opponent to play on the road coming off the Pride’s 1-0 victory against Angel City on Monday.

“They’re a good footballing side, they like to possess the ball, so it’s going to be tough,” Moorhouse said. “We need to be disciplined in our shape just like we were on Monday night and we should win the game.”

Orlando’s defense has been shaky at points but coach Seb Hines credits his team’s work ethic and consistency in fighting for the playoffs. A star such as Brazillian forward Marta is contributing as expected, but unsung heroes such as rookie defender Emily Madril have helped cement a determined culture.

That attitude has been vital for the Pride and is what has them in the position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

“Even the games that we lost early on we had great attitude, great desire, just fell short with the results,” Hines said. “I would say that’s probably been the most consistent, the players’ attitude and wanting to win, wanting to put the work in to go out there and get three points. As long as you do that you’ve always got a chance of winning the game.”

Orlando will be without midfielder Viviana Villacorta (knee), who has been ruled out for the rest of the season, as well as midfielder Erika Tymrak (excused absence). Forward Adriana (knee) is questionable.

Louisville forward Uchenna Kanu will miss the match after the league announced her one-game suspension stemming from an incident in the 99th minute of a Sept. 30 match against the Chicago Red Stars.

She has made 21 times across all competitions for the Pride this season and is fourth in the NWSL standings for most regular saves with 67.

Moorhouse recently earned her sixth clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Angel City, setting the club record for a single season.

“Anna has quietly put together a consistent and impressive season. Her presence between the posts is felt across our backline and her leadership has been a major contributor to our group’s defensive organization,” said Haley Carter, the Pride’s VP of soccer operations and GM, via statement. “We have an extremely competitive goalkeeper corps who continue to push and support each other, and we are excited for Anna to remain at the forefront of that.”

Moorhouse joined Orlando in January 2022 via transfer from French D1 Féminine side Bordeaux.

After a topsy-turvy first season in Orlando, when the Pride failed miserable after suspending their head coach (before eventually firing her) and finishing just 5-7-10 in 10th place, Moorhouse finds herself in a playoff chase under coach Seb Hines.

The Pride (9-10-1, 28 points) are tied for sixth place with OL Reign and next play Friday night at 10th-place Racing Louisville before finishing the regular season at Exploria Stadium on Oct. 15 against eighth-place Houston.

A spectacular volley hit from Adriana came after the initial shot was deflected into the air and over to the right, where she hit it a second time, beating Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson inside the near post.

With a chance to move even on points for the sixth and final playoff spot in the 12-team league, Angel City was unable to break through in front of 18,102 at BMO Stadium.

At 9-10-1 with 28 points, the Pride are tied for sixth place with OL Reign and next play Friday night at 10th-place Racing Louisville before finishing the regular season at Exploria Stadium on Oct. 15 against eighth-place Houston.

The loss leaves Angel City on 25 points and in ninth place with just two games remaining. The loss was also its first under interim coach Becki Tweed. Angel City had an 11-game unbeaten streak (6-0-5) under Tweed in league and Challenge Cup competitions.

“Soccer is a funny game. You can dominate and lose or you can dominate and win,” said Tweed, who attempted to find a spark by bringing on erstwhile Pride stalwarts Sydney Leroux and Jasmyne Spencer along with Scarlett Camberos as attacking substitutes in the second half. “It comes down to us just not being clinical enough.”

In the 84th minute, Angel City thought it had earned a penalty kick as a cross appeared to have hit one or perhaps two Orlando defenders in the arm/hand area. However, referee Brandon Stevis was never alerted to take a look on the video review monitors.

In responding to a pool reporter’s question, Stevis said: “The on-field official determined that it wasn’t a punishable hand ball offense for a penalty kick. The VAR checked the incident as with all the hand ball offenses in the penalty area and the check completed the decision.”

Angel City dominated the possession battle and earned 11 corner kicks but was unable to get anything past Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse.

“At this point of the season, we have to win games,” Angel City midfielder Dani Weatherholt said.

The loss leaves Angel City in a similar situation to last season — heading into the final two weeks of the season mathematically alive but needing to climb a couple of hurdles in the process. Angel City visits Houston (6-6-8, 26 points) on Saturday and then concludes the regular season on Oct. 15 at home against the second-place Portland Thorns (9-6-5, 32 points). The Dash will be extremely tough, considering the game will be in Houston and that’s a team that has allowed just 15 goals all season.

Anderson was making just her second NWSL start, replacing regular starting goalkeeper DiDi Haračić, who was sidelined with a back injury.