The Washington Spirit scored another unlikely victory on Saturday, snapping the Orlando Pride's 22-game home unbeaten streak with a narrow 1-0 win — fueled by newly signed Nigerian striker Gift Monday's debut NWSL goal.
"We knew it was going to be a fight," Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury said after the game. "We know they're physical, so we came [and] we matched that."
Washington continues to eke out wins despite a depleted roster, with a full 11 players unavailable for Saturday’s 2024 NWSL championship rematch due to injury.
At the top of that injury list is star forward Trinity Rodman, with the 22-year-old's agent telling The Washington Post that she's "taking time away from team activities" to meet with a club doctor in London about her lingering back issues.
Other noteworthy absences to the Spirit's current lineup include 2024 NWSL Rookie and Midfielder of the Year Croix Bethune (hip), defensive midfielder Hal Hershfelt (ankle), veteran defender Casey Krueger (knee), and French forward Ouleye Sarr (SEI – back).
Washington, however, continues finding ways to win, with the Spirit sitting third in the league standings, where they're tied with second-place Orlando on points.
That said, despite flipping the script against the reigning champs, the Spirit's roster woes — and, in particular, Rodman’s uncertain timeline — casts a shadow over the club's 2025 redemption tour.
Kansas City rises atop the NWSL
Also benefitting from the Spirit's win was the Kansas City Current, who used both Washington's victory and their own comfortable 2-0 result against the 10th-place Houston Dash on Saturday to leapfrog the Pride and claim first place on the NWSL table.
With five wins in as many matchdays, the Current are now the league's only undefeated team remaining this season.
The Washington Spirit booked themselves some sweet revenge on Friday, lifting the 2025 Challenge Cup after taking down 2024 NWSL Championship foes Orlando in a penalty shootout.
The Pride were hunting an exclusive claim to all NWSL hardware entering the match, hoping to kick off the 2025 season holding the league's Shield, Championship trophy, and Challenge Cup.
Instead, the Spirit snagged some early-season momentum, buoyed by yet another penalty save by Washington goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury.
"We’re looking to write a new story — we were upset about how last year ended, but this is about this team, this year, and this is a great first step," Kingsbury said after the game.
Penalty kicks fuel injury-hampered Spirit to Challenge Cup title
Washington's win came in the wake of mounting early-season injuries, though Spirit star forward Trinity Rodman did enter as a second-half sub — despite her lingering back issue.
Pride defender Rafaelle opened scoring late in the first half, slotting a second-chance ball into the side netting through a flood of Spirit defenders to put Orlando on the board.
Washington equalized in the 72nd minute, as Spirit midfielder Leicy Santos made NWSL history by launching the second-ever direct free kick goal in any final.
The match ended 1-1 in regulation. According to the contest's rules, there are no overtime periods in the Challenge Cup, forcing the Pride and Spirit to decide the result from the penalty spot.
The game-deciding shootout saw Washington outpace Orlando 4-2, allowing the Spirit to avenge their 2024 championship loss by immediately earning a 2025 trophy.
Notably, the Spirit are enjoying a unique penalty kick run, tallying their third shootout win in a knockout game — more than any other club in NWSL history.
While the regular season doesn’t officially start until Friday, the NWSL’s top two clubs hit the ground running — with Washington already proving just how quickly the tide can turn in the world’s most competitive league.
This weekend's NWSL semifinals left it all on the field, with Orlando and Washington advancing to the 2024 NWSL Championship after two days of physical play, epic saves, and legendary goals.
With the 2024 Shield-winning Pride and the No. 2-seed Spirit now set to battle for the league title, November 23rd's championship match will be the first to feature the top two regular-season clubs in five years.
Kingsbury saves the day for the Spirit
To book the Spirit's NWSL Championship ticket, Washington goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury played superhero on Saturday, saving every penalty kick she faced to defeat reigning champs Gotham FC.
Entering their first-ever postseason clash with wildly similar resumes, the clubs' 120 minutes of play ending in a tense 1-1 deadlock to force just the second playoff shootout in NWSL history seemed almost prophetic.
In front of a sold-out Audi Field crowd of 19,365 fans, Gotham striker Esther opened scoring early in the second half. That goal stood until stoppage time, when Spirit rookie Hal Hershfelt netted a dramatic equalizer.
With 42 fouls and six yellow cards between the two teams, Gotham was ultimately forced to play the bulk of extra time with just 10 players after a hard challenge saw defender Bruninha sent off with her second yellow in the 101st minute.
Buoyed by Hershfelt's late header, the Spirit held off Gotham through extra time to force the decisive shootout. While Washington's Ashley Hatch, Lena Silano, and Tara McKeown converted their attempts, Kingsbury produced three straight saves to spoil shots from Gotham's Esther, McCall Zerboni, and Jenna Nighswonger.
With Kingsbury's heroics ending Gotham's back-to-back title dream, Washington will return to the NWSL Championship for the first time since their 2021 title win.
Marta magic sends Orlando to NWSL Championship
Behind attacking magic from Haley McCutcheon, Barbra Banda, and Marta and a defense that held record-setting Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga silent, Orlando bested Kansas City 3-2 on Sunday to punch a ticket to their first-ever NWSL Championship.
The Current struck first, when KC forward Michelle Cooper's deft cross was sent into the back of the net by midfielder Debinha.
The Pride, however, soon pulled ahead, as a quick equalizer from McCutcheon gave way to Banda's emphatic second-half strike.
Brazilian legend and Pride captain Marta ultimately scored the game-winner. After forcing both KC center backs to the ground with her footwork, the 38-year-old dribbled past goalkeeper Alma Schult before cooly slotting the ball over the line.
Orlando defender Emily Sams called the jaw-dropping strike "such a Marta goal," saying "she's the GOAT and she proved it tonight."
Kansas City's final push saw midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo score a handball penalty in second-half stoppage time, but Orlando held on to register the dramatic victory.
A historic NWSL Championship matchup awaits
Orlando and Washington's upcoming NWSL Championship match will cap a record-shattering season for the league, with even more history on the line.
Saturday's final will be the first contested by two teams who failed to make the previous season's playoffs, and while Washington will hunt a second NWSL title, the Pride will take aim at their first.
If successful, Orlando will become just the second team to ever snag both the Shield and the championship in the same season, joining North Carolina, who did so in 2018 and 2019.
"It's the top two teams in the league, which doesn't happen often in the championship game," noted Orlando head coach Seb Hines. "I think both teams deserve to be in this championship game because it's the most consistent teams throughout the season."
The U.S. women’s national team faces an uncertain future as the program hunts for its next head coach, starting midfielder Andi Sullivan said Thursday.
Sullivan played every minute of the USWNT’s four matches at the 2023 World Cup, which ended in a disappointing Round of 16 exit for the defending champions. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski resigned after the elimination, starting the timer on the search for his successor with the 2024 Olympics just 11 months away.
“You need to get someone quickly in order to have as much time to prepare, but you also don’t want to rush and make a decision that may not be the best option, especially for the long term,” Sullivan said. “There’s a lot of work to do from now to the Olympics. And there’s a lot of work to do for years and years and years to come.
“So it depends on what strategy they’re going to take with that, and it’s all interesting stuff. So the future is uncertain, for all of us.”
Under Andonovski, Sullivan cemented herself as the starting defensive midfielder. But a new head coach could bring a new formation, a new style of play and new personnel preferences.
Still, the change at the head coaching position was an expected one after the USWNT underperformed in Australia and New Zealand. While the team felt prepared for its matches, that didn’t translate onto the pitch, backup goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury said.
“I like Vlatko. He’s a good coach. And I felt we were prepared for the games, but there was clearly a disconnect between our preparation and then what actually was executed in the game,” she said. “That’s not good enough for the U.S. women’s national team. So you have got to make changes, and hopefully we can get things right before the Olympics.”
Sullivan and Kingsbury are not the only players who haven spoken about the team’s World Cup loss and its plans for the future.
Their Washington Spirit teammate Ashley Sanchez, who made the World Cup roster but did not receive any playing time, has said that her role did not match what Andonovski had told her heading into the tournament.
“I felt for her because I know her skill level and ability and that she can really be a game changer,” Kingsbury said. “She handled it as well as she could have.”
Back in the NWSL, Sanchez showed off her game-changing ability, as she scored just 40 seconds into her return for Washington.
“Revenge mode was coming,” Spirit coach Mark Parsons said. “It came really quick, and I think that helps. Being involved, she’s now feeling good.”
Lindsey Horan, who served as the USWNT co-captain for the World Cup, has said not all players were not set up to succeed Down Under.
“We did not get the best out of every single individual,” she said. “I don’t think everyone was fully prepared. … Could I have done more to help those players? Because I don’t think we got the absolute best out of some of them because of the way that we were set up.”
In the aftermath of the U.S. women’s national team’s exit from the 2023 World Cup, players are sharing their reflections on their journeys.
And the same message comes through, over and over again, though captain Lindsey Horan spelled it out in the simplest terms: “We will grow. We will be back.”
From veterans Megan Rapinoe to Alex Morgan to newcomers Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman to every player in between, this is what the stars of the USWNT have to say in the aftermath of their World Cup elimination.
Megan Rapinoe
The 38-year-old forward leaves her fourth and final World Cup without a title, but she still expressed immense pride in her team in her first Instagram captain after the USWNT’s loss to Sweden in the Round of 16.
“This team is in special hands as I walk away, just like it always was, and always will be,” she wrote. “Because that is what this team is all about. We lay it all out on the line every single time.”
Alex Morgan
“This wound will not only heal but will serve as a defining moment in the history of USWNT — one we will grow and be stronger for,” the 34-year-old striker wrote.
While Morgan did not commit to her future with the national team in the immediate aftermath of the World Cup loss, she later told ESPN that she plans to stick around — at least for the near future.
Sophia Smith
A heartbroken Sophia Smith missed a would-be winning penalty kick in the fifth round of the shootout loss to Sweden.
“It wouldn’t be life without moments like this, and I know without a doubt we will be back and hungrier than ever,” the 23-year-old forward wrote.
Trinity Rodman
While the 21-year-old forward said she had “no words” to describe her World Cup experience, she did give her thanks “to everyone who helped me grow as a person, soccer player, and teammate during this journey of the unknown.”
Lynn Williams
The 30-year-old forward took the time to praise her team — and also to push back against bad-faith critics who questioned their dedication to their sport and their country.
“For our dedication and reasoning for wearing the crest to be questioned is unfathomable,” she wrote.
Alyssa Thompson
The 18-year-old forward did not play many minutes in her first World Cup, but the experience will stick with her forever.
“While the result was not what we had wanted, I learned so much about myself, this game, and life,” she wrote.
Lindsey Horan
Horan, along with Morgan, took on the mantle of the USWNT captaincy during the tournament. And despite the pressure and the disappointment of the 2023 tournament, the 29-year-old midfielder still expressed her unwavering love for the game.
“This is why we play right? To live in the biggest pressure moments. To play on the greatest stage. Playing for something you’ve dreamt of your entire life. Playing to inspire. Playing to bring joy. Playing in front of all of you,” she wrote. “This is why I love this game so much.”
Andi Sullivan
The 27-year-old midfielder shared a poem from Oriah Mountain Dreamer, which celebrates “the adventure of being alive.”
Savannah DeMelo
“It’s hard to put into words all the emotions that have been felt within the past few months, but I’m grateful for them all, the highs and even the lows,” the 25-year-old midfielder wrote.
Crystal Dunn
Although the game can be “so cruel,” the 31-year-old defender said, she remains “so proud of this group” for its fight and its unbreakable bond.
Kelley O’Hara
The 35-year-old defender, who won the 2015 and 2019 World Cup titles with the USWNT and also competed in the 2011 tournament, apologized for her role in the shootout loss to Sweden in her first Instagram post after the 2023 tournament. O’Hara missed her kick in the seventh round of the shootout, and then Lina Hurtig buried hers to seal the win for Sweden.
“I was asked to do one job at the final critical moment and I did not execute,” O’Hara wrote. “For that, I am beyond sorry.”
Sofia Huerta
To have the dream of a lifetime end “just like that” hurts, Huerta wrote. But 30-year-old defender plans “to stay focused on the good and to turn the losses into lessons.”
“What no one sees from the outside is how each player had to dig deep,” she wrote. “And while the end result was not what we had hoped for, what happened on the field in our last game was nothing short of inspiring.”
Alyssa Naeher
“I think a piece of my heart is still on that field in Melbourne,” Naeher wrote. The 35-year-old goalkeeper had the closest possible view of Sweden’s game-winning penalty kick, which Naeher batted and then grabbed from the air but not before it crossed the goal line by millimeters.
Aubrey Kingsbury
“Our World Cup ended just as we were getting started,” the 31-year-old backup goalkeeper wrote. The USWNT played its best game of the tournament in the shootout loss to Sweden in the Round of 16.
Casey Murphy
“I’m optimistic we will come back stronger,” the 27-year-old backup goalkeeper wrote. “But also defeated, sorry, and sad it’s over.”
The U.S. women’s national team roster is here, and preparations will soon begin for the team’s World Cup title defense later this summer.
Before the 23 players named to the U.S. roster board the plane for New Zealand and kick off the group stage against Vietnam on July 21, test your knowledge on the USWNT with our interactive quiz!
The U.S. women’s national team has named its 23-player roster for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer. From 37-year-old Megan Rapinoe — a two-time World Cup champion with the USWNT — to 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson, the players vary in age and international soccer experience.
They also hail from different regions of the country. A team-leading eight players are natives of California, while two players each come from New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio, Georgia and Colorado.
Find out which state every U.S. player calls home with our interactive map below.
The U.S. women’s national team faces “one of the hardest” groups at the 2023 World Cup, head coach Vlatko Andonovski said Tuesday.
Andonovski and USWNT players addressed reporters Tuesday in California ahead of the training camp for the upcoming tournament, which kicks off on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand. And they have their work cut out for them, at least in the view of the head coach.
The USWNT faces a tough test in Group E, which includes 2019 runner-up Netherlands, Portugal and Vietnam, “three different types of teams” with varied philosophies and styles, Andonovski said. Yet the two-time defending World Cup champions enter with sky-high expectations.
“Would I be happy with anything short of a third straight win? No! Absolutely not,” he said. “Our goal is to win the World Cup, there’s no question about it.”
Andonovski also addressed a number of questions, from which player will serve as captain to the possibility of Crystal Dunn in the midfield. Just Women’s Sports has a roundup of the news and notes as training begins.
Who is the next USWNT captain?
Longtime captain Becky Sauerbrunn is missing the World Cup due to a lingering foot injury, which leaves a big hole for the team to fill.
Yet while the next captain has been selected, Andonovski did not reveal the choice Tuesday. While he had intended to inform players of the selection upon their arrival in California, flight delays postponed the announcement.
One likely choice is Lindsey Horan, who has served as the co-captain to Sauerbrunn in recent years, often taking on the captain’s armband in Sauerbrunn’s absence.
“She gets to lead this team out at a World Cup and to really appreciate what that means, in the course of your career,” Sauerbrunn said of Horan on a recent episode of Snacks. “Like, that’s such a crazy, cool accomplishment.”
Will the USWNT use one starting goalkeeper or a rotation?
Andonovski plans to choose a No. 1 goalkeeper to make most of the starts at the World Cup, though a second goalkeeper might take the reins for one group-stage game, he said Tuesday.
“We’re going to have to keep the rhythm of our No. 1,” he said. But one game for the No. 2 keeper in the group stage could help the team in case of injury. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, starter Alyssa Naeher went down with a knee injury in the semifinals, so backup AD Franch saw her first minutes of the tournament in the semifinals and the bronze-medal match.
Naeher is the presumptive No. 1 as training camp begins, with Casey Murphy and Aubrey Kingsbury also on the roster.
Will Crystal Dunn play in the midfield?
Dunn shines at midfield for the Portland Thorns, but the 30-year-old is a starting defender for the national team. And while she wasn’t holding out hope for a midfield appearance at the World Cup, as she told “Diaspora United” in May, she may yet get her shot, Andonovski said Tuesday.
The team does not “want to exclude the possibility of her playing in the midfield if that’s what the team needs,” he told reporters.
“Crystal is one of the best players overall in the world, and the fact that she can play midfielder on Sunday and left back on Wednesday, that just speaks to the quality player she is,” he said.
When Andonovski announced the roster last week, he also floated the possibility of playing midfielder Julie Ertz at center-back. Ertz is a midfield mainstay for the USWNT but also has played center-back on the international stage.
How much should USWNT players pack for the World Cup?
Alyssa Thompson called Horan to ask her advice on what to pack. Yet despite playing in the 2019 World Cup in France, Horan did not know what to tell her 18-year-old teammate.
“She wanted to know essentials for packing for the World Cup and I had no idea what to tell her,” Horan said.
Megan Rapinoe, who will be playing in her fourth World Cup for the USWNT, offered a solution: “Bring it all!”
Alex Morgan is the lone U.S. women’s national team player in the top 10 of EA Sports’ 2023 Women’s World Cup player ratings.
EA Sports will release a World Cup update for its popular FIFA 23 game at the end of June in preparation for the tournament, which kicks off on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand. Australia’s Sam Kerr, Spain’s Alexia Putellas and Norway’s Caroline Graham Hansen take the top three spots ahead of Morgan.
While no other USWNT star ranks in the top 10, the reigning World Cup champions count 12 players in the top 100 — though only 10 of those players are included on the World Cup roster. USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn and star forward Mallory Swanson both will miss the tournament with injuries.
Among the players who will make the trip Down Under, 22-year-old forward Sophia Smith comes behind Morgan at No. 14 overall, followed by midfielders Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan. Then comes Megan Rapinoe, Alyssa Naeher, Aubrey Kingsbury, Trinity Rodman, Casey Murphy and Kelley O’Hara.
Germany features the most players in the top 100 with 17 overall, though the team’s highest ranked player Alexandra Popp sits at No. 16 overall. England has 14 players in the top 100, while France has 13.
Still, the USWNT came out on top in the FIFA 23 simulation of the World Cup tournament, which saw the United States best Germany 4-2 in the championship match to claim the virtual three-peat.
FIFA 23 World Cup player ratings
Top 10 overall:
- Sam Kerr, Australia – 91
- Alexia Putellas, Spain – 91
- Caroline Graham Hansen, Norway – 90
- Alex Morgan, United States – 90
- Ada Hegerberg, Norway – 90
- Wendie Renard, France – 90
- Lucy Bronze, England – 90
- *Marie-Antoinette Katoto – 89
- Irene Paredes, Spain – 88
- Guro Reiten, Norway – 88
USWNT players in top 100:
- 4. Alex Morgan, forward – 90
- 14. Sophia Smith, forward – 87
- 23. Rose Lavelle, midfielder – 87
- 24. *Mallory Swanson, forward – 87
- 26. Lindsey Horan, midfielder – 86
- 33. *Becky Sauerbrunn, defender – 86
- 35. Megan Rapinoe, forward – 86
- 52. Alyssa Naeher, goalkeeper – 84
- 58. Aubrey Kingsbury, goalkeeper – 84
- 68. Trinity Rodman, forward – 83
- 86. Casey Murphy, goalkeeper – 83
- 92. Kelley O’Hara, defender – 83
Sam Kerr tied at the top of the 10 highest rated players at the #FIFAWWC 🔥
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) June 22, 2023
Find more ratings here: https://t.co/3asa2WRjcA#FIFA23 pic.twitter.com/SMibQ3MYuf
🇺🇸? 2023
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) June 26, 2023
See how the FIFA Women's World Cup played out in the #FIFA23 simulation and make your own predictions now 🏆https://t.co/Yk97zPqQDC pic.twitter.com/hnHoNFYYA7
U.S. women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski on Wednesday named his 23-player roster for the 2023 World Cup beginning next month in Australia and New Zealand.
The team features three players competing in their fourth World Cups (Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Kelley O’Hara) and 14 World Cup debutantes. The players will be released from their club teams for World Cup duty on June 26 and will play a send-off match against Wales on July 9 before traveling to New Zealand for their group-stage opener against Vietnam on July 21.
Get to know the 23 players representing the USWNT in their World Cup title defense.