The Washington Spirit is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club based in the

Washington, D.C. metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgin ...

that participates in the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. It is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federati ...

(NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the W-League and continues to field both an amateur WPSL team and a youth team, both under the Spirit name.

History

Establishment

The foundation of the

was announced on November 21, 2012, with Washington selected as a host for one of the eight teams selected for the inaugural season. In December 2012, the team's name was announced as the Washington Spirit. D.C. United Women head coach Mike Jorden was kept on as well as assistant coach Cindi Harkes. Harkes is married to the former U.S. international and D.C. United star John Harkes. Bill Lynch, the original Washington Spirit's owner when the National Women's Soccer League launched in 2013, sold the majority of the team to tech executive Steve Baldwin in late 2018. Several other minority investors have since been added to the ownership group— Jenna Bush Hager and

Chelsea Clinton Chelsea Victoria Clinton (born February 27, 1980) is an American writer and global health advocate. She is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clin ...

, daughters of U.S. presidents; Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Dominique Dawes; and most recently (May 2021)

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

star Alexander Ovechkin.

Inaugural season

On January 11, 2013 as part of the NWSL Player Allocation, goalkeeper

Ashlyn Harris Ashlyn Michelle Harris (born October 19, 1985) is a former American soccer player for Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of women's professional soccer in the United States, and the United States wom ...

(USA), defender

Ali Krieger Alexandra Blaire Krieger (born July 28, 1984) is an American soccer player for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of women's professional soccer in the United States, and the United States women ...

(USA), midfielder

Lori Lindsey Lori Ann Lindsey (born March 19, 1980) is a retired American soccer midfielder who last played for Canberra United in the Australian W-League and was also a member of the United States women's national soccer team player pool. She played one ma ...

(USA), defender Robyn Gayle (CAN), midfielder Diana Matheson (CAN), defender

Alina Garciamendez Alina Lisi Garciamendez Rowold (born 16 April 1991) is an American-born Mexican former footballer who played as a defender. She has been a member of the Mexico women's national team. Early life Born in Los Gatos, California, to Edsel Garciame ...

(MEX) and midfielder

Teresa Worbis Teresa Guadalupe "Lupita" Worbis Aguilar (born 12 December 1983) is a Mexican architect and a footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga MX Femenil club Puebla. She has been a member of the Mexico women's national team. Early life Worbis c ...

(MEX) were named to the team. During the February 7, 2013 NWSL Supplemental Draft, the team selected Stephanie Ochs, Tori Huster,

Jordan Angeli Jordan Leigh Angeli (born May 31, 1986) is an American former soccer player from Lakewood, Colorado. She last played in 2015 for the Western New York Flash in the National Women's Soccer League after a preseason trade with the Washington Spirit. ...

, Natasha Kai,

Megan Mischler Megan Kathleen Mischler (born August 8, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who last played for Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer l ...

and Heather Cooke. The Spirit played their first competitive match on April 14, 2013, drawing

Boston Breakers The Boston Breakers were an American professional soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct Women's ...

1–1 with Tiffany McCarty scoring the team's first goal assisted by Stephanie Ochs. The inaugural season saw the Spirit stumble out of the gate under Mike Jorden, who was fired after the first eleven games having won only once in that time. Jorden was replaced by

Mark Parsons Mark Richard David Parsons (born 8 August 1986) is an English football manager who is currently the head coach of American club Washington Spirit. He had previously managed the Netherlands women's national team and the Portland Thorns FC. Par ...

, who finished the season in 8th (last) place registering only 2 more wins over the season.

2014–2016 successes

After a poor inaugural season, the Spirit would much improve in the

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

making some key acquisitions including Jodie Taylor and

Christine Nairn Christine Marie Nairn (born September 25, 1990) is an American retired soccer player from Annapolis, Maryland. She previously played for the Houston Dash, Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit and Seattle Reign FC in the NWSL and has had regular loan ...

, both who would finish as the team's tops scorers with 11 and 8 goals, respectively. Finishing 4th, the Spirit made their first NWSL Playoff appearance. They would lose at Seattle Reign. The Spirit finished the 2015 season with a record of 8–6–6 and repeating their 4th place league position. The playoff result, again, ended in an away loss to Seattle in the semifinals. The season would be the breakout year for Crystal Dunn who was awarded the 2015 NWSL Golden Boot Award, scoring 15 goals during the campaign. At the conclusion of the season, Mark Parsons stepped down as head coach and general manager to take over as coach of the Portland Thorns FC. Building off the successes of the 2014 and 2015 seasons, the Spirit hired former Sky Blue FC manager,

Jim Gabarra James Michael Gabarra (born September 22, 1959) is an American retired soccer forward who coached the Washington Spirit National Women's Soccer League team, and previously coached Sky Blue FC and the Washington Freedom women's soccer teams. He p ...

ahead of the 2016 season. The Spirit had 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 finalize them as league runners-up. Earning their first post-season victory against Chicago Red Stars, the Spirit would lose the 2016 NWSL Final in penalties to

Western New York Flash The Western New York Flash (WNY Flash) was an American soccer club based in Elma, New York that competed in the United Women's Soccer league. They have won league championships in four different leagues: the USL W-League in 2010, Women's Pro ...

2017–present

In the aftermath of finishing 2016 runners-up, the Spirit saw a series of key departures including captain

(traded to

Orlando Pride The Orlando Pride is a professional women's soccer team based in Orlando, Florida. The team joined the National Women's Soccer League, the top level of women's soccer in the US, for the 2016 season. It became the tenth team to be added to th ...

and Diana Matheson (both traded to Seattle Reign), and Crystal Dunn leaving for Chelsea, while retaining her contracting rights. Unable to adequately replace these players, the Spirit struggled to compete throughout the 2017 season ultimately finishing last (10th) for the first time since the inaugural season. However, building for the future, Gabarra was able to recruit U.S. national team prospect, Mallory Pugh mid-season. Pugh would go on to lead the team in scoring, registering 6 goals in 16 games. The 2018 season continued the Spirit's pursuit of young talent, but also continued the struggle for results. On August 21, after eight straight losses and being eliminated from playoff contention, the Spirit fired head coach,

, and appointed assistant coach, Tom Torres as interim head coach. Torres lead the Spirit through the final three matches of the season at home, including the Spirit's debut at newly opened Audi Field against Portland Thorns FC on August 25. The match set a new club record for home attendance with 7,976 fans. The season ended with the Spirit finishing in 8th place, just ahead of Sky Blue FC. During the offseason, the Spirit appointed Richie Burke as the new head coach while retaining Torres on the technical staff. The announcement also noted local tech executive Steve Baldwin had become the Spirit's new majority owner. The 2019 Washington Spirit season marked several changes for the Spirit organization. Owner Steve Baldwin outlined several planned improvements including theme nights for fans, pride night, a gear store in the stadium, and a mascot. The 2019 season also featured major changes on the field; fifteen new players were added to the Spirit roster including Australian national team members

Chloe Logarzo Chloe Logarzo (born 22 December 1994) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Western United in the A-League Women on loan from Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League and the Australia women ...

and

Amy Harrison Amy Bianca Harrison (born 21 April 1996) is an Australian international football (soccer) player, who plays for PSV in the Vrouwen Eredivisie and the Australian national team, the Matildas. Club career Sydney FC Harrison signed with Sydney ...

. The Spirit surpassed their point total from the previous season on May 18 after the 5th game of the season against Portland Thorns FC. They would go on to surpass their past season's point total the next week against the Chicago Red Stars. They ultimately finished 5th in the 2019 NWSL standings. In September 2021, Burke was fired as head coach following an investigation into allegations of harassment and abusive behavior towards players. CEO Steve Baldwin was also accused of nepotism and retaliatory behavior, leading to fellow co-owner Y. Michelle Kang to call for him to step down and sell his ownership interest in the team. Fans and Spirit players alike echoed this sentiment. On October 14, 2021 the

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

reported that Steve Baldwin had announced to club investors that he intended to sell the club. Kang officially became majority owner of the Spirit on March 30, 2022. The Spirit won their first NWSL Championship on Saturday November 20, 2021 when they defeated the Chicago Red Stars, 2–1 in extra-time at Lynnn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. On December 20, 2021, the Spirit announced that interim head coach Kris Ward would become the team's permanent head coach. On August 22, 2022, the Spirit fired Ward after a record to start the 2022 season.

Colors and badge

In January 2013, the team unveiled its new colors and badge. The badge was designed to resemble a torch reflecting the notion of "Burning with Spirit." It also contains a crown that holds 11 stars to represent the 11 players on the field and a ball with a single star to represent the 12th player (the team's fans) placed where the fuel for the torch would be representing how the fans "fuel the spirit." All of the components of the badge are "wrapped in the Banner of Spirit for a patriotic theme honoring our flag and all of those who have given their lives and sacrificed much so we can enjoy the freedoms we have." The logo was designed by freelance designer Pete Schwadel and incorporates the team colors of navy, red, and white, further reinforcing the patriotic theme woven throughout the team's imagery. It also features both "Washington" and "DC" to represent the team's connection with the District and the greater Washington metropolitan area. The color and design of the 2020/2021 kit reinforces these values. The blue represents the unity of the club with the communities of DC, Virginia and Maryland and the waters of the Potomac River that ties those three parts of the region together. The two red stripes depict the District of Columbia flag and the roots of the club in the nation's capital. The gray stripes signify the constant upward growth of the organization in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. The red notch reflects the sacrifices made by the players—past, present and future—to fulfill their maximum potential as athletes and leaders in society.

Stadium

The Maryland SoccerPlex, located in

Germantown, Maryland Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. With a population of 91,249 as of 2020 U.S. Decennial Census, Germantown is the third most populous place in Maryland, after the city of Baltimore ...

, was home to the Washington Spirit beginning with the inaugural 2013 season. The facility was also home to the Washington Spirit Reserves in the WPSL. Starting during the 2018 season, the Spirit began coordinating with D.C. United to play home matches at Audi Field in

Buzzard Point Buzzard Point is an urbanized area located on the peninsula formed by the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers in the southwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. History The earliest documented name for the tip of the peninsula that no ...

in Washington D.C. The Spirit played their first match on August 25 that season, hosting the Portland Thorns FC. The match registered the team's highest attended game and was viewed as a means to generate more interest in the team. During the 2019 season, the team announced it would host two home matches at Audi Field. On November 12, 2019, the team announced that in the 2020 season, the Spirit reached an agreement with D.C. United that will split the team's home games between three stadiums, the Maryland SoccerPlex, Audi Field and

Segra Field Segra Field is a soccer-specific stadium in Leesburg, Virginia, and the home of Loudoun United FC of the USL Championship and Old Glory DC of Major League Rugby. The stadium is located within Phillip A. Bolen Park, and adjacent to Loudoun S ...

Leesburg, Virginia Leesburg is a town in the state of Virginia, and the county seat of Loudoun County. Settlement in the area began around 1740, which is named for the Lee family, early leaders of the town and ancestors of Robert E. Lee. Located in the far northeas ...

for four games each. Due to COVID restrictions, the Spirit played two home matches at Segra Field in 2020. Starting in 2021, the Spirit will play all its home regular-season games at Audi Field and Segra Field, although the club still planned to hold at least one preseason game a year at the SoccerPlex after 2020. In addition, the team has relocated its training facilities to Segra Field and will occupy the new D.C. United training center in Leesburg once the facility is completed in the summer of 2021.

Supporters

The Spirit Squadron is the name of the supporter's group for the Spirit. The group was started by friends Ashley Nichols, Megan Wesson and Tory Johnson. Of the group's founding, Nichols said, "... with a new league we needed to show the team as much support as possible because we really want a women's pro league to stay here in the United States. So between that and wanting to also provide a fun experience for fans, we decided to create the Spirit Squadron." Rose Room Collective is an independent supporter group for the Washington Spirit and D.C. United by and for people of color (POC). They were founded on a strong desire to have a supporter group in the D.C. area with a more targeted approach to including and amplifying the voices of POC. In February 2021,

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

reported that

, Jenna Bush Hager, Dominique Dawes and

Brianna Scurry Briana Collette Scurry (born September 7, 1971) is an American retired soccer goalkeeper, and assistant coach of the Washington Spirit . Scurry was the starting goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer team at the 1995 World Cup ...

were part of an investment group investing in the team.

Broadcasting

In 2020, broadcast rights for NWSL matches was consolidated at the league level. Washington Spirit matches are broadcast on

CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American pay television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports Television also known ...

Paramount+ Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Media Networks (formerly Viacom Media ...

and Twitch. International streaming began in 2021 via geolocked feeds on Twitch. At the beginning of the 2019 season the Spirit announced a broadcast partnership with NBC Sports Washington and Monumental Sports Network. As of April 2017, Washington Spirit games are streamed exclusively by Go90 for American audiences and via the NWSL website for international viewers. For the 2017 season, the Spirit will be featured in three nationally televised Lifetime ''NWSL Game of the Week'' broadcasts on April 22, June 17, and August 19, 2017. In 2016, the Spirit's NWSL Playoff game against the Chicago Red Stars was broadcast on

Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 1 (FS1) is an American pay television channel owned by the Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 replaced the motorsports network Speed on August 17, 2013, at the same time that its companion channel Fox Sports 2 ...

and was available for streaming on the company's online streaming platform,

Fox Sports Go The Bally Sports app is the video streaming service of the former Fox Sports Networks, now Bally Sports regional sports networks. The app replaces Fox Sports Go (FSGO), the app of the former Fox Sports Networks. The service is available for custo ...

Players

Current squad

Staff

Current staff

Head coaches

Honors

NWSL Championship The National Women's Soccer League Playoffs (or NWSL Playoffs) are a single elimination tournament among six teams in the National Women's Soccer League of the United States, deciding the winner of the NWSL Championship. Since playoff games can ...

** Winners (1):

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

** Runners-up:

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

Award Winners

Most Valuable Player * Crystal Dunn:

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

Golden Boot * Ashley Hatch:

* Crystal Dunn:

Goalkeeper of the Year * Aubrey Bledsoe:

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Rookie of the Year * Trinity Rodman:

Best XI First Team * Ashley Hatch:

* Trinity Rodman:

* Aubrey Bledsoe:

* Crystal Dunn:

* Diana Matheson:

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

Best XI Second Team * Crystal Dunn:

* Jodie Taylor:

Year-by-year

References

External links

*
DC Spirit Squadron on Twitter

Dc DC Spirit Squadron on Facebook
{{US Women's soccer National Women's Soccer League teams Association football clubs established in 2012 2012 establishments in Washington, D.C. Spirit Women's soccer clubs in the United States Phoenix clubs (association football) Soccer clubs in Maryland