The Orlando Pride played their first meaningful game of 2025 in the NWSL Challenge Cup Friday against the Washington Spirit. While the Pride looked sharp, they couldn’t quite earn their third trophy in a row at the expense of the Spirit, with regulation ending in a 1-1 draw, and Washington taking the competition in penalties, 4-2.

The Orlando Pride's quest to defend their title begins tonight at Inter&Co Stadium, where they host the Washington Spirit for the Challenge Cup Match. Austin David, Digital Content Manager for Orlando City & the Orlando Pride joined FOX 35's Garrett Wymer to break down this rematch of last year's NWSL Championship match and the Pride's title defense season in their brand-new Decennial kit,

The Washington Spirit got their revenge Friday night against the Orlando Pride at Inter&Co Stadium in Florida, winning the 2025 Challenge Cup in penalty kicks. While it won’t erase the loss in the 2024 NWSL championship, Friday’s win was a solid start with a trophy to boot ahead of the start of the regular season.

In a rematch of the 2024 NWSL championship final, the Washington Spirit defeated the Pride 4-2 in penalties after the game ended 1-1 to claim this year's Challenge Cup at Inter&Co Stadium. Tara McKeown scored the game-winning penalty to secure Washington's first Challenge Cup trophy.

The Orlando Pride opened the 2025 campaign tonight with a 1-1 draw against the Washington Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup at Inter&Co Stadium, falling 4-2 in penalties. Rafaelle gave the Pride the lead in the 41st minute, but Leicy Santos equalized with a great set piece in the 72nd minute.

When the 2025 season begins, make sure you don't miss any of the action as fans can watch select NWSL regular season matches across CBS, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, and CBS Sports Golazo Network.

With the NWSL regular season around the corner, it’s time to check which teams are trending in the right and wrong directions.