Sunday was a special day for women's football superstars Alex Morgan and Marta. Not only did the two aces kick-off the new National Women's Soccer League campaign for their club Orlando Pride, but the attacking duo were honored by their team prior to kick-off.
The American and Brazilian, household names in the sport, were handed awards for recent achievements they made in the beautiful game. For Morgan, her recognization came after recording an amazing feat with the national team.
The USWNT star reached a century of goals earlier this month for the Stars and Stripes, joining an elite list of United States legends to score 100+ goals for the national side. This thus earned her an award from her club in their opening game of the new season.
As for Marta, she was commemorated after being named FIFA Player of the Year for the sixth time last year. Both honors were presented before Orlando Pride took on Portland Thorns.
Unfortunately, it was a bitter-sweet moment for the two attackers as their team suffered a disappointing defeat in Matchday 1 of the new campaign. Marc Skinner's side was beaten 2-0 at their home stadium in what was their third opening day defeat in the last four seasons.
However, this is only the beginning of the Women's National Soccer League's new term, and with the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup fast approaching, Marta and Morgan will need to hit top form. Both players are expected to lead their respective nations in France for the highly-anticipated summer tournament.
