The Washington Spirit is heading to the NWSL playoffs for the third season in a row. It’s been a season full of new faces and a few bumps in the road but, in the end, they managed to finish the regular season in third place.
The team has home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs this Sunday when they will host the Portland Thorns.
WAMU’s Morning Edition host Esther Ciammachilli spoke with WAMU’s Kayla Hewitt about how we can get ready for the postseason.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
So, lay it all out for us. What has the road to the playoffs been like for the Spirit?
Yeah, it’s been a really interesting year for this squad. It started with really high hopes. The Spirit were coming off two consecutive appearances in the NWSL Championship games and star player Trinity Rodman had just signed a historic record breaking contract, but the team got off to a bumpy start going winless for their first four regular season matches. And it’s been a little bit up and down since then, but they ended the season last weekend with a W at home. Which will hopefully help build some confidence heading into the quarterfinals against Portland.
There have been quite a few new faces on the squad this year. Who are you watching on the pitch this weekend?
Spirit has continued to bring in more international players, this year specifically from Africa, including the league’s first Tanzanian player, forward Clara Luvanga, and Algerian midfielder Melissa Bethi, both of whom have really made their mark this season. And Scottish goalkeeper Sandy MacIver came into the season with big shoes to fill. She was a backup for the beloved keeper Aubrey Kingsbury, but stepped up when Kingsbury went on maternity leave before the start of the season. MacIver got off to a rocky start, conceding four goals in her first three matches, but she’s really locked in since then and currently leads the NWSL in clean sheets.
Alright, so we talked about the new faces, what about the old ones?
Of course, there’s star Trinity Rodman, who in the off season signed a historic three-year contract worth over $6 million. In previous years, she struggled with an ongoing back injury, but has managed to stay largely healthy this season. Here she is at a press conference following last week’s match where she scored her 12th goal of the season.
“I don’t think people realize how much of a blessing it is to be healthy enough to play. And I don’t think you realize that until you go through something where it keeps you from doing something you love to do.”
There’s also team captain and midfielder, Andi Sullivan, who made her way back to the pitch after an ACL tear, followed by maternity leave. And speaking of maternity leaves, fan favorite and US women’s national team star, Casey Krueger, is officially available to play after taking time off following the birth of her second child. So I’m sure fans will hope to see her on the field this weekend.
And sadly one player that won’t be on the pitch, midfielder Hal Hershfelt, a force to be reckoned with for the spirit – she tore her ACL a couple weeks back and is unfortunately out for the rest of the season.
The midfield is gonna miss Hal Hershfelt there. So considering all of this, what are you looking forward to most this weekend?
Honestly, just the energy from the crowd. This season, the Spirit managed to sell out Audi Field six times during the regular season. And that’s incredibly impressive considering that their first sellout match came only two years ago. And I think that growth really speaks to something that head coach Adrian Gonzalez focused on at that same press conference, consistency.
“It’s not just about winning one game, or one season and then dropping, I think, the three seasons. We’ve been there. And that’s, for me, the most important thing.”
So it all comes down to Sunday, it’s win or go home. With any luck, we’ll win and keep winning to get to the championship match, which this year will be played right here in D.C. at Audi Field.
The post The Washington Spirit is once again heading to the NWSL playoffs. Here’s what you need to know. appeared first on WAMU.
Published Date : 2026-11-06 20:02:00
Source : wamu.org
