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‘I think we’re close’: Are Washington Spirit on the brink of a win?

Trinity Rodman of the Washington Spirit marches onto the field before the NWSL Challenge Cup Final between the Spirit and North Carolina Courage on May 7 in Cary, N.C. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

On the evening of May 4, 2021 Goalkeeper of the Year Aubrey Kingsbury stood on the goal line for the Washington Spirit, spreading her arms out above her head and tapping her toes on the grass in front of an excited home crowd at Audi Field. Setting up for the last kick of the 2022 Challenge Cup penalty shootout was 2021 MVP Jess Fishlock.

The whistle blew. Fishlock exhaled and shot to her left. Kingsbury chose right and threw her left hand high to make a single-armed save.

The defending NWSL champions had just earned a ticket to their second straight championship game.

Kingsbury sprinted up the field and into the arms of her screaming teammates, in front of a world-wide audience that had watched the Spirit go undefeated throughout the Challenge Cup tournament. For a moment, it seemed like Washington was going to remain the team to beat in 2022.

For a moment.

The 2022 Challenge Cup finalists have not won a game since that day.

Three months into the regular season, they’re 11th — second to last — in the league standings, with a record of 1-5-8.

Washington has faced a series of unfortunate events since the week of that semifinal game. During May and June they dealt with a tight schedule that packed in five games a month, many of the matches just three or four days apart. The officiating was questionable. Injuries happened.

As misfortunes eased off slightly in July, it was defensive errors and the lack of finishing their chances that kept the Spirit from climbing the table. Otherwise, they dominated their competition, finally had games seven days apart and were given a week off to rejuvenate.

These days, a win feels right around the corner.

“I think we’re close,” said defender Kelley O’Hara. “I hope we’re close. We need to be close. Because we don’t have that many games left. And we’ve got to start getting wins if we want to be in playoff contention.”

The second-best team in the league at possession, Washington has controlled the ball more than their opponents for five straight games, recording an average of 80.25 percent passing accuracy across their four matches in July.

They outshot their opponents in their last three games, too, going 17-4 against Orlando Pride, 13-9 over the Kansas City Current and 19-13 against the North Carolina Courage. Overall, they’re ranked fifth in the league when it comes to shots on target.

Despite all the shots, they didn’t get a goal in the other two matches, but on Friday, they found their finishing abilities against the Courage, where the Spirit scored three times.

The players also showed their ability to adapt to a new, attack-heavy formation of 3-4-2-1 after having just four days to prepare. They conceded one goal from systematic issues. The other two goals against in the 3-3 draw were from a bad pass and a questionable call by the referee that resulted in a penalty kick.

The Spirit’s next match is Friday against Racing Louisville FC, with whom they tied 2-2 earlier this season. Racing are in a similar situation coming into the game, having not won since May 22.

In their first meeting on June 17, the Spirit dominated the game in the first half but, even with a 2-0 lead, shut down midway through the second after captain Andi Sullivan stepped out with an injury. Their efforts were still enough to finish the game with 53.2 percent of the possession and 26 shots, eight of those on goal.

“There were a lot of positives from the last time that we played them,” head coach Kris Ward said. “We want to continue to build on those. I think that we’ve solidified a lot of the places where we broke down in the last game against them. And so, you know, we’re looking forward to it.”

A couple of injuries still linger as Emily Sonnett and Julia Roddar remain out for Friday’s game. Last year’s Golden Boot winner Ashley Hatch is available to play again for the first time since sustaining a muscle strain during the Concacaf W Championship at the beginning of July.

“I will say that I don’t think that we’re necessarily at full strength,” O’Hara said after the 3-3 draw against North Carolina. “But that’s no excuse because we have a really deep and strong team.”

Even when seven of the Spirit’s players are gone on international duty with the U.S. women’s national team, including O’Hara, they have players like Sam Staab, who is one of the best passers in the league with 85 percent accuracy and is able to consistently set up scoring opportunities just with her passing and long balls out of the back.

On Friday, Washington will be looking to add more patience to their game. Against the Courage, the Spirit engaged in the highly transitional, attack-minded game, sometimes leaving their defenders exposed. Ward felt there was a need “to be a little bit more controlled and not be willing to take so many punches on the defensive side.”

“Made some mistakes that I wish I could get back, but live and learn,” said O’Hara.

Her words are an example of the team’s mentality — a characteristic that has impressed Ward the most about his team so far this season, and one that put them on a 12-game undefeated streak last year to win the championship after being closer to the bottom of the standings midseason.

“All of our players come in, they want to work hard and they want to get better. And they know what they need to improve on,” Ward said on Thursday. “Being just very honest about it. It’s not getting too high or too low. It’s just looking at it and saying, ‘Okay, yep, I messed this one up,’ or ‘We could have communicated more and done better here.’ Whatever it is, they’ve been extremely professional about it.”

One of the Spirit players told Ward this week she had been on teams where if the match results had been like Washington’s, training would be an unpleasant time.

The coach had an unenjoyable experience of his own in 2013, the inaugural NWSL season, when Washington hadn’t won a game in a few months.

“That was bad,” said Ward, who was an assistant coach at the time. “That was not fun to be a part of. You saw some of the lowest parts of humanity during that run. And that’s just not the case here. Everyone has been just united and really together and just like, ‘This is what we’re doing. We’re going forward. This is what we want to achieve, and that doesn’t change.’

“The team knows how dangerous they are. It’s just getting into the playoffs and then making a run, and they know that we are certainly capable from that standpoint.”

It was around this time last year that the Spirit began their run to the 2021 final. Technically, hope isn’t lost. If they want to finish this season the way they started it — qualifying for a consecutive championship, where they would play once again in front of that excited Audi Field crowd like in the 2022 Challenge Cup semifinal — the time to start winning is right now.

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

New York Liberty Lead 2025 WNBA Power Rankings

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu celebrates a three-pointer during a 2025 WNBA preseason game.
The New York Liberty lead the WNBA power rankings ahead of the 2025 season tip-off. (Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

The New York Liberty will open the 2025 WNBA season at the top of the league's power rankings, drumming up high expectations despite a short-staffed roster.

Trailing the reigning champions at No. 2 are 2024 runners-up Minnesota, followed by 2023 champs Las Vegas at No. 3.

Fueled by this year's overall No. 2 draft pick Dominique Malonga, the Seattle Storm claimed No. 4 in the WNBA rankings, with the revamped Indiana Fever eyeing a 2025 turnaround at No. 5.

The betting market similarly reflects the league's latest forecast, with sportsbook FanDuel setting the Liberty's title odds at +210, followed by the Aces at +360, and the Lynx at +370.

The lines also support Indiana's promise, giving the Fever the fourth-best championship odds at +390 — far higher than the fifth-best Phoenix Mercury at +1,300.

On the other hand, the Dallas Wings, LA Sparks, Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun, and Golden State Valkyries occupy the rankings' bottom half, as 2025's potential lottery teams prepare to prove themselves against top-line squads this season.

The up-for-sale Sun and brand-new Valkyries have the longest title odds on FanDuel, clocking in at +50,000 each.

While preseason action has provided some quality sneak peeks, Friday's opening tip-off represents a fresh start for the league, one where anything can — and likely will — happen.

Seattle Storm and France international teammates Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga smile before a 2025 WNBA preseason game.
France's Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga will skip the 2025 Eurobasket to stay with Seattle. (Scott Eklund/NBAE via Getty Images)

European WNBA stars drop out of 2025 EuroBasket

Several European WNBA standouts announced they will skip out on this summer's FIBA EuroBasket, opting to prioritize league play following a pivotal 2024 Olympics.

Reigning Olympic silver medalists Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga both confirmed they will not represent France at the European tournament in June, opting to remain with the Seattle Storm.

The duo's France teammate Carla Leite is also forgoing the trip, instead remaining with the Golden State Valkyries for the entirety of the expansion side's debut season.

As a major international tournament, the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket is exempt from the WNBA's prioritization rule, meaning eligible players can miss regular-season league play to compete in the overseas contest without being in violation of WNBA protocols.

The 2025 regional FIBA competition between Europe's top national teams will tip off on June 18th.

Alex Morgan Rejoins San Diego Wave as Minority Owner

San Diego Wave minority owner Alex Morgan wears a pink suit and smiles while sitting in gray stadium seats.
Alex Morgan retired from professional soccer in 2024. (San Diego Wave FC)

US soccer legend Alex Morgan is back in the game, becoming a minority owner of her former NWSL club by investing in the San Diego Wave FC on Tuesday.

One of the 2022 expansion side's first signings, Morgan captained the Wave to their 2023 NWSL Shield win before retiring in September 2024 as the team's all-time leader in both goals (28) and assists (11).

"San Diego is where I've built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career," Morgan said in a club statement. "I believed in Wave FC before a single match was played, and I still believe this club has the power to change the future of women's sports."

Morgan joins an ownership group led by the Leichtman-Levine family. The Leichtmans purchased the team from founding owner Ron Burkle at a reported $113 million valuation last year.

"Alex has always fought to positively impact this game beyond the pitch," said Wave FC controlling owner Lauren Leichtman. "Her decision to invest is not only a continuation of her leadership but also a reflection of her belief in what we are building."

The two-time World Cup champion appears to be making good on her desire to shape the women's sports landscape after hanging up her boots, also buying into Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball ahead of the league's early 2025 debut.

"I was on board [with Unrivaled] from day one," Morgan told Boardroom in January. "Fans want to see what a player's personality is and who they vibe with, what drives them, and I think that being able to mesh that with competition, it already [is] a home run here with Unrivaled. So it would be really exciting to do something with other women's sports as well."

Minnesota Enters Game 4 with 2-1 PWHL Semifinals Lead Over Toronto

Defender Lee Stecklein celebrates a goal during the 2025 PWHL semifinals with her Minnesota Frost teammates.
Minnesota holds a 2-1 series advantage over Toronto. (Michael Chisholm/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Frost offense is ruling the ice, as record-setting scoring has the reigning PWHL champions on the brink of returning to the Walter Cup finals, entering Wednesday's Game 4 on a 2-1 series lead over the Toronto Sceptres in the best-of-five semifinals. 

Just two days after No. 4-seed Minnesota leveled the series with a 5-3 Friday win — recording the most combined goals ever scored in a PWHL Playoff game — the Frost found yet another gear, winning the highest scoring game in the second-year league's history in Sunday’s 7-5 Game 3 defeat of No. 2-seed Toronto.

In Sunday's barnburner, 21 players earned points across the two teams, but it was Minnesota who claimed victory, never relinquishing their early lead after netting a trio of goals in the game's first eight minutes.

"Minnesota's a great team," Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan said after the loss. "If you're putting yourself in a situation where you've got to chase them, it's an uphill battle."

"I think it’s a fan's dream and a coach's nightmare, a 7-5 playoff game," said Minnesota boss Ken Klee. "We found a way to win and that's the most important thing."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Minnesota skaters now own the league's 2025 Playoffs stat sheet, with four Frost players topping the points race.

More eyebrow-raising, however, is that the league's postseason offensive leader is a defender, as the Frost's Lee Stecklein has burned up the ice with three goals and three assists in the playoffs so far.

Calling her "outstanding" and "world-class," Klee sang Stecklein's praises while acknowledging that the postseason means Minnesota must "find different ways to score goals and different people have to contribute."

"[Stecklein] knows that, she exemplifies that, and that's why she's one of our leaders and one of our best players."

How to watch Minnesota vs. Toronto in the PWHL Semifinals

The defending champion Frost will hope to secure their spot in the 2025 PWHL Finals while the Sceptres aim to stave off elimination in the pair's next semifinals game on Wednesday.

The puck drops on Game 4 of the best-of-five series at 7 PM ET, with live coverage streaming on the PWHL YouTube channel.

Marta Comes Out of Retirement to Join Brazil National Team Roster

Marta looks up before the 2024 Olympic gold-medal match between Brazil and the USWNT.
Despite her 2024 international retirement, Marta will return to the Brazil team this month. (Cao Can/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Soccer legend Marta is officially returning to the canary yellow kit, earning a Brazil national team call-up just over nine months after her planned retirement from international duty.

Brazil head coach Arthur Elias named Marta to the world No. 8 Seleção's roster on Tuesday, with the 39-year-old icon returning for the team's upcoming home friendlies against No. 5 Japan on May 30th and June 2nd.

"I was with Marta recently and spoke with her," Elias told reporters on Tuesday. "She said she is available to help the team while she is playing at a high level, as she is now."

Stellar club form fuels Marta's Brazil return

Marta, who hung up her international boots after snagging a third silver Olympic medal at the 2024 Paris Games, hasn't missed a beat since, captaining the Orlando Pride to the club's first-ever NWSL Shield and Championship last fall.

In the process, the scoring phenom claimed the league's Best XI First Team honors, as well as finalist nods for both the 2024 NWSL MVP and Midfielder of the Year awards.

Unsurprisingly, the Pride inked Marta to a two-year contract extension in January.

While Marta's consistently impressive form fueled Elias's request to lure her out of retirement, the manager is also hoping her unmatched leadership will bolster younger athletes as Brazil takes aim at a record-extending ninth Copa América title this summer — and, as the host nation, a deep 2027 World Cup run.

Joining the legend on Tuesday's roster are fellow Brazil veterans Lorena and Debinha, from the NWSL-leading Kansas City Current, and Marta's Orlando teammate Angelina.

"[Marta's] presence in some call-ups is very important for the younger players, for the renewal that is taking place in the national team," explained Elias. "We really want expectations to rise for the women's national team and for football in our country."

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