Marta: NWSL Championship is biggest game of my career - ESPN

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Orlando Pride forward Marta held her right index finger in the air inside the swanky club at CPKC Stadium to indicate the No. 1. This is where the six-time world player of the year ranks Saturday's NWSL Championship among all the games in her career, an illustrious one that includes a World Cup final and three Olympic gold-medal matches.

«The way we [played] from the beginning of the season to now, it's something very special that I never had before in any other club that I played for,» Marta said.

She said the same thing about 24 hours earlier as she passionately thought back to her days as a 14-year-old who spent three days on a bus to get to Rio de Janeiro for a tryout. Marta's mom, Tereza Vieira de Sá, will be in CPKC Stadium on Saturday to see her daughter play for the first time in Marta's 11 seasons in the United States.

«Every single year I ask myself, 'Why am I still here?'» Marta said Thursday. «Maybe this year gave me the answer that I was looking for. Maybe it was because I need to be here to play the Championship in 2024 with this club, to enjoy this amazing season that we had.»

Marta, 38, said repeatedly this week that she thinks she will play two more seasons, which would mean retiring at the end of 2026. Brazil will host the 2027 World Cup, a tournament that could change the trajectory of women's soccer in the country and one that the host team would have a legitimate chance of winning for the first time.

But Marta also said multiple times this week that she has told Brazilian national team head coach Arthur Elias she is not looking to play in the 2027 World Cup. She will, however, continue to make herself available for selection in the buildup to the tournament to help the team prepare