2016 season | |||
---|---|---|---|
General manager | Chris Hummer | ||
Head coach | Jim Gabarra | ||
Stadium | Maryland SoccerPlex | ||
NWSL | 2nd (finals loss) | ||
Top goalscorer | League: Estefania Banini (5) All: Estefania Banini (5) | ||
Highest home attendance | 5,750 (June 18 vs. Orlando Pride) [1] | ||
Lowest home attendance | 2,930 (July 31 vs. Sky Blue FC) [m 1] | ||
Average home league attendance | 3,782 [2] | ||
The 2016 season was Washington Spirit's fourth season, competing in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.
Building off the successes of the previous two playoff appearances the Spirit hired former Sky Blue FC manager, Jim Gabarra to replace Mark Parsons. [3]
The Spirit would see their most successful season to date in 2016, being league leaders in the standings throughout most of the season. Only in the final week would the Spirit's loss at Chicago Red Stars finalize them as league runners-up.
Returning to the playoffs, the Spirit earned their first post-season victory in a revenge effort against Chicago Red Stars, who just a week earlier denied them the league title. The match was sent into extra time where Francisca Ordega scored the game-winner in the 111th minute. Advancing to the final for the first time in club history, the Spirit faced Western New York Flash in Houston, Texas.
The 2016 NWSL Final played to a 1–1 draw in regulation, and finished 2–2 at the end of extra time; both Spirit goals scored by Crystal Dunn. Going into penalties, Western New won 3–2 with only Christine Nairn and Katie Stengel slotting their penalties. [4]
The week prior to a match with the Spirit, Seattle Reign FC and U.S. women's national soccer team player Megan Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem in a game on September 5, 2016, explaining that her decision was a "nod to Kaepernick and everything that he's standing for right now". [5] Anticipating Rapinoe's protest, Spirit owner Bill Lynch, moved the national anthem's performance ahead of the Spirit-Reign match without warning or notice to occur before the players' appearances on the pitch. Jeff Plush, the league's commissioner, was present at the game and told reporters that he was unaware of Lynch's plans and disagreed with the act of moving the anthem's performance. [6] The Spirit's players issued a joint statement also disagreeing with Lynch's decision to move the anthem without first consulting the team's players or coaches. [7]
The first-team roster of Washington Spirit. [8]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Owner | Bill Lynch |
General Manager | Jim Gabarra |
Head Coach | Jim Gabarra |
Source: [8]
On January 26, the Washington Spirit announced its preseason schedule. [9]
March 19, Sat | Washington Spirit | 3–0 | University of Virginia | Boyds, Maryland |
19:00 EDT (UTC-04) | Banini 3', 15' Stengel 38' | [p 1] | Stadium: Maryland Soccerplex | |
Note: Played in three 30-minute periods. |
March 26, Sat | Washington Spirit | 2–0 | Pennsylvania State University | Boyds, Maryland |
16:00 EDT (UTC-04) | Dunn 47' Nairn 73' | [p 2] | Stadium: Maryland Soccerplex Attendance: 3,000 |
Sat Apr 161 | Washington Spirit | 1–0 | Boston Breakers | Boyds, Maryland |
7:00 p.m. | Lohman 3' Oyster 86' | [m 2] | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,578 Referee: Margaret Domka |
Sun Apr 242 | Sky Blue FC | 1–2 | Washington Spirit | Piscataway, New Jersey |
Hayes 66' (Lytle) O'Hara 74' | [m 3] | Krieger 40' (Huster) Zadorsky 46+' Matheson 56' (Dunn) | Stadium: Yurcak Field Attendance: 2,571 Referee: Matthew Kreitzer |
Fri Apr 293 | Western New York Flash | 0–3 | Washington Spirit | Rochester, New York |
Eddy 80' | [m 4] [m 5] | Matheson 4' (Dunn), 72' (p.k.) Eddy 82' (o.g.) | Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 3,615 Referee: Matthew Franz |
Sat May 74 | Washington Spirit | 0–0 | Portland Thorns FC | Boyds, Maryland |
Oyster 17' | [m 6] | Sonnett 28' Heath 59' 88' Horan 95+' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,615 Referee: Matthew Franz |
Sat May 145 | Washington Spirit | 1–0 | Houston Dash | Boyds, Maryland |
Lohman 39' (Nairn) Kleiner 66' Krieger 89' | Report | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,545 Referee: Elvis Mahmutovic |
Sat May 216 | Portland Thorns FC | 4–1 | Washington Spirit | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
Horan 27' (Heath) 76' Own Goal 31' (Kleiner) Heath 45' (Sinclair) Morris 78' (unassisted) 60' Sonnett 32' Nadim 61' | [m 7] [m 8] | Lohman 55' (Dunn) Nairn 61' | Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 15,823 Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva |
Fri May 27 | Houston Dash | PPD | Washington Spirit | Houston, Texas |
Stadium: BBVA Compass Stadium |
Fri Jun 107 | Boston Breakers | 1–1 | Washington Spirit | Boston, Massachusetts |
Louise Schillgard 15' (pen.) | [m 9] [m 10] | Katie Stengel 13' | Stadium: Jordan Field Attendance: 4,007 Referee: Margaret Domka |
Sat Jun 188 | Washington Spirit | 2–0 | Orlando Pride | Germantown, Maryland |
Estefania Banini 9' (Alyssa Kleiner) Francisca Ordega 40' (unassisted) | [m 11] | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 5,750 Referee: Christopher Spivey |
Sat Jun 259 | Washington Spirit | 1–2 | Sky Blue FC | Boyds, Maryland |
Diana Matheson 77' (Estefania Banini) | [m 12] | Raquel Rodriguez 8' (Leah Galton) Samantha Kerr 64' (Leah Galton) | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,448 Referee: Leszek Stalmach |
Sat Jul 210 | Washington Spirit | 2–0 | FC Kansas City | Boyds, Maryland |
Francisca Ordega 79' Tori Huster 85' | [m 13] | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,036 Referee: Karen Abt |
Sat Jul 911 | Washington Spirit | 2–0 | Chicago Red Stars | Boyds, Maryland |
Estefania Banini 24' (Francisca Ordega) Francisca Ordega 47' Katie Stengel 74' (Christine Nairn) | [m 14] [m 15] | Alyssa Mautz 42' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,631 Referee: Brandon Artis |
Sat Jul 1612 | FC Kansas City | 2–3 | Washington Spirit | Boyds, Maryland |
Frances Silva 69' (Erika Tymrak) Shea Groom 91+' | [m 16] [m 17] | Estefania Banini 48+' (unassisted), 83' (unassisted) Joanna Lohman 58' (unassisted) | Stadium: Swope Soccer Village Attendance: 2,013 Referee: Elvis Mahmutovic |
Sat Jul 2313 | Sky Blue FC | 1–0 | Washington Spirit | Piscataway, New Jersey |
Leah Galton 24' (Erin Simon) | [m 18] [m 19] | Stadium: Yurcak Field Attendance: 1,552 Referee: Matthew Kreitzer |
Sat Jul 3014 | Washington Spirit | 3–1 | Sky Blue FC | Boyds, Maryland |
Estefania Banini 27' (Joanna Lohman) Cheyna Williams 39' (Caprice Dydasco) Alyssa Kleiner 95+' (unassisted) | [m 1] [m 20] | Tasha Kai 33' (unassisted) | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 2,930 Referee: Victor Rivas |
Thu Aug 1815 | Houston Dash | 1–2 | Washington Spirit | Houston |
Christine Nairn 30' (pk), 63' (unassisted) | [m 21] | Kealia Ohai 90' (Stephanie Ochs) | Stadium: BBVA Compass Stadium Attendance: 5,012 Referee: Christina Unkel | |
Note: rescheduled from May 27 |
Fri Aug 2616 | Orlando Pride | 1–2 | Washington Spirit | Orlando, Florida |
Toni Pressley 28' Sarah Hagen 71' (Cami Levin) | [m 22] | Ali Krieger 35' Cheyna Williams 37' (Caprice Dydasco) Christine Nairn 57' (Katie Stengel) | Stadium: Camping World Stadium Attendance: 7,052 Referee: Marco Vega |
Sat Sep 317 | Washington Spirit | 1–1 | Western New York Flash | Boyds, Maryland |
Katie Stengel 64' (Crystal Dunn) Diana Matheson 85' | [m 23] | Elizabeth Eddy 40' Samantha Mewis 86' (unassisted) | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 4,527 Referee: Chris Spivey |
Wed Sep 718 | Washington Spirit | 2–1 | Seattle Reign FC | Boyds, Maryland |
Crystal Dunn 50+' Cheyna Williams 62' | [m 24] | Kim Little 70' (penalty) Kendall Fletcher 74' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,039 Referee: Guido Gonzalez Jr. |
Sun Sep 1119 | Seattle Reign FC | 2–0 | Washington Spirit | Seattle, Washington |
Yanez 27' Winters 78' | [m 25] | Stadium: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 4,711 Referee: Greg Dopka |
Sat Sep 2420 | Chicago Red Stars | 3–1 | Washington Spirit | Bridgeview, Illinois |
Christen Press 6' (Vanessa DiBernardo) Cara Walls 26' (Sofia Herta) Sofia Huerta 46' (unassisted) | [m 26] | Crystal Dunn 47' (unassisted) | Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 3,712 Referee: Matthew Franz |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Portland Thorns FC | 20 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 35 | 19 | +16 | 41 | NWSL Shield |
2 | Washington Spirit | 20 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 30 | 21 | +9 | 39 | NWSL Playoffs |
3 | Chicago Red Stars | 20 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 24 | 20 | +4 | 33 | |
4 | Western New York Flash (C) | 20 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 40 | 26 | +14 | 32 | |
5 | Seattle Reign FC | 20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 29 | 21 | +8 | 30 | |
6 | FC Kansas City | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 20 | −2 | 26 | |
7 | Sky Blue FC | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 24 | 30 | −6 | 26 | |
8 | Houston Dash | 20 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 22 | |
9 | Orlando Pride | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 20 | 30 | −10 | 19 | |
10 | Boston Breakers | 20 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 14 | 47 | −33 | 11 |
Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
20 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 30 | 21 | +9 | 39 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 16 | −1 |
Last updated: September 11, 2016.
Source: Match reports
Fri Sept 30 7:00 pm CDTNWSL Playoffs Semifinal | Washington Spirit | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Chicago Red Stars | Boyds, Maryland |
19:00 UTC-05 | Krieger 36' (Zadorsky) Nairn 57' Ordega 111' (Christine Nairn) | [m 27] | Press 74' (Short) Johnson 120+2' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 4,249 Referee: Danielle Chesky |
Sun Oct 9 4:00 pm CDT2016 NWSL Championship | Western New York Flash | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (3–2 p) | Washington Spirit | Houston, Texas |
16:00 UTC-05 | Mewis 14' (Williams) Zerboni 84' Williams 124+' (McDonald) | Report | Dunn 9' (Oyster) 91' (Krieger) Wys 122+' | Stadium: BBVA Compass Stadium Attendance: 8,255 Referee: Christina Unkel |
Penalties | ||||
Dahlkemper Hinkle McDonald Williams Mewis | Krieger Nairn Stengel Huster Matheson |
Source: NWSL
Squad statistics are of regular season only
N | Pos | Player | GP | GS | Min | G | A | PK | Shot | SOG | SOG% | Cro | CK | Off | Foul | FS | YC | RC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | F | Estefania Banini | 13 | 9 | 888 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 12 | 52% | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
5 | DF | Whitney Church | 11 | 7 | 610 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
19 | DF | Crystal Dunn | 13 | 12 | 1142 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 37 | 14 | 38% | 2 | 0 | 13 | 8 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
3 | DF | Caprice Dydasco | 12 | 12 | 1080 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 43% | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
17 | DF | Cali Farquharson | 16 | 8 | 561 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 20% | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
23 | DF | Tori Huster | 19 | 19 | 1665 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 31% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
27 | DF | Line Jensen | 3 | 2 | 141 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
24 | DF | Estelle Johnson | 11 | 11 | 990 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 57% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
22 | DF | Alyssa Kleiner | 17 | 12 | 1115 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 40% | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
11 | DF | Ali Krieger | 15 | 14 | 1267 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 33% | 3 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
1 | GK | Stephanie Labbe | 8 | 8 | 720 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
15 | MF | Joanna Lohman | 20 | 17 | 1535 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 14 | 47% | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
8 | MF | Diana Matheson | 12 | 9 | 800 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 67% | 0 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
7 | MF | Christine Nairn | 20 | 18 | 1619 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 37 | 13 | 35% | 9 | 85 | 2 | 7 | 21 | 1 | 0 |
14 | FW | Francisca Ordega | 13 | 7 | 629 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 12 | 67% | 0 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
4 | DF | Megan Oyster | 15 | 15 | 1340 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
2 | FW | Katie Stengel | 19 | 10 | 928 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 10 | 50% | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
20 | FW | Cheyna Williams | 17 | 8 | 779 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 45% | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
18 | GK | Kelsey Wys | 12 | 12 | 1080 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
6 | DF | Shelina Zadorsky | 11 | 10 | 911 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Team total | 20 | — | 19800 | 30 | 16 | 2 | 249 | 109 | 44% | 27 | 116 | 48 | 139 | 165 | 13 | 0 |
N | Pos | Goal keeper | GP | GS | Min | GA | GA/G | PKA | PKF | Shot | SOG | Sav | Sav% | YC | RC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Stephanie Labbe | 8 | 8 | 720 | 7 | 0.88 | 0 | 1 | 71 | 30 | 24 | 80% | 0 | 0 |
18 | GK | Kelsey Wys | 12 | 12 | 1080 | 14 | 1.17 | 2 | 2 | 163 | 75 | 61 | 81% | 0 | 0 |
Team total | 20 | — | 1800 | 21 | 1.05 | 2 | 3 | 234 | 105 | 85 | 81% | 0 | 0 |
No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred From | Fee/Notes | Date | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | FW | Katie Stengel | FC Bayern Munich | Signed | December 30, 2015 | [10] |
20 | FW | Cheyna Williams | Florida State | 2016 NWSL College Draft - 1st Round | January 19, 2016 | [11] |
17 | FW | Cali Farquharson | Arizona State | 2016 NWSL College Draft - 2nd Round | January 19, 2016 | [11] |
1 | GK | Stephanie Labbé | KIF Örebro DFF | NWSL Player Allocation and trade for DaCosta | February 2, 2016 | [12] |
6 | DF | Shelina Zadorsky | Vittsjö GIK | NWSL Player Allocation | February 2, 2016 | [12] |
22 | DF | Alyssa Kleiner | Portland Thorns FC | Trade for Reynolds | February 2, 2016 | [13] |
14 | DF | Line Jensen | Fortuna Hjørring | Signed | July 13, 2016 | [14] |
No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred To | Fee/Notes | Date | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17 | MF | Verónica Pérez | Canberra United | September 17, 2016 | [15] | |
12 | DF | Josephine Chukwunonye | Vittsjö GIK | Waived | December 22, 2015 | [16] |
25 | FW | Ngozi Okobi | Vittsjö GIK | Waived | January 6, 2016 | [17] |
2 | DF | Katherine Reynolds | Portland Thorns FC | Trade for Kleiner | February 2, 2016 | [13] |
16 | FW | Tiffany Weimer | FC Kansas City | Waived | March 31, 2016 | [18] |
22 | DF | Arianna Romero | Seattle Reign | NWSL Distribution Draft | March 31, 2016 | [19] |
20 | FW | Hayley Raso | Portland Thorns FC | Waived | April 11, 2016 | [20] |
22 | MF | Amanda DaCosta | Chicago Red Stars | Trade for draft pick and Labbé | April 16, 2016 | [21] |
28 | DF | Jennifer Skogerboe | FC Slovácko | [22] |
Team | Position | Player | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Second XI | Defender | Ali Krieger | [23] |
Second X1 | Forward | Crystal Dunn | [24] |
Month | Player | Month's Statline | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
July | Estefanía Banini | 4 goals; Spirit 4-1-0 in July | [25] |
Week | Result | Player | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
13 | Won | Estefanía Banini | [26] |
Week | Result | Player | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2 | Won | Ali Krieger | [27] |
13 | Won | Estefanía Banini | [28] |
16 | Won | Christine Nairn | [29] |
The 2013 National Women's Soccer League season was the inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), this was the seventh overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States. The league was operated by the United States Soccer Federation and receives major financial backing from that body. Further financial backing was provided by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Mexican Football Federation. All three national federations paid the league salaries of many of their respective national team members in an effort to nurture talent in those nations.
The 2013 season was Washington Spirit's first season of existence in which they competed in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.
The 2013 Sky Blue FC season was the team's fourth season of existence. Sky Blue played the 2013 season in National Women's Soccer League, the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.
The 2014 National Women's Soccer League season is the second season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), this is the eighth overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States. The league is operated by the United States Soccer Federation and receives major financial backing from that body. Further financial backing is expected to be provided by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Mexican Football Federation. All three national federations pay the league salaries of many of their respective national team members in an effort to nurture talent in those nations.
The National Women's Soccer League Player of the Month is a monthly soccer award given to individual players in the National Women's Soccer League. The honor is awarded to the player deemed to have put in the best performances over the past month by a panel of journalists who regularly cover the league.
The 2014 Chicago Red Stars season is the sixth season of the soccer club and its second season in National Women's Soccer League.
The 2015 Chicago Red Stars season is the seventh season of the soccer club and its third season in National Women's Soccer League. For the first time in NWSL the Red Stars advanced to the playoffs by finishing second in regular season. In addition, the team held the first place for ten consecutive weeks, from week 4 to week 13. However, the club could not reach the NWSL championship, as in the playoffs semi-final the Red Stars lost to the reigning Champion FC Kansas City, by a score of 0–3. It was the club's final season playing home games at the Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex.
The 2015 Boston Breakers season, is the club's tenth overall year of existence, sixth consecutive year, and third year as a member of the National Women's Soccer League. They played 20 games, finishing with 4 wins, 3 draws, and 13 losses. They did not qualify for the post-season playoffs, and finished the season at ninth place in a nine team league.
The 2015 Sky Blue FC season was the team's sixth season of existence. Sky Blue played the 2015 season in National Women's Soccer League, the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.
The 2015 season was Washington Spirit's third season of existence in which they competed in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.
The 2015 season was FC Kansas City's third season of existence. The team competes in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.
The 2016 Chicago Red Stars season was the eighth season of the soccer club and its fourth season in National Women's Soccer League.
The 2016 Sky Blue FC season was the team's seventh season. Sky Blue played the 2016 season in National Women's Soccer League, the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.
The 2016 season is the Houston Dash's third season as an American professional women's soccer team in the NWSL.
The 2017 season is Washington Spirit's fifth season, competing in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.
The 2017 Chicago Red Stars season was the team's ninth season. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League, the top tier of women's soccer in the United States. In 2017, for the third consecutive season, the Red Stars made it to the post-season playoffs and was eliminated in the semi-final.
The 2017 Sky Blue FC season is the team's eighth season as a professional women's soccer team. Sky Blue FC plays in the National Women's Soccer League, the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.
The 2017 North Carolina Courage season is the team's first season as a professional women's soccer team. North Carolina Courage plays in the National Women's Soccer League, the top tier of women's soccer in the United States. The Courage finished the regular season atop the table, winning the NWSL Shield and earning a spot in the NWSL Playoffs. After defeating Chicago 1–0 in the semi-finals of the playoffs, it lost 0–1 to Portland in the final.
The 2018 season is Washington Spirit's sixth season, competing in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. On August 21, the Spirit parted ways with Head Coach and General Manager Jim Gabarra, assistant coach Tom Torres took over as interim Head Coach for the remaining 3 games of the season.