The No. 2 Washington Spirit are heading back to the NWSL Championship, booking a second straight trip to the title match after silencing the No. 3 Portland Thorns in front of another sellout home crowd on Saturday.
The Spirit began the match on the front foot, with forward Gift Monday notching her second postseason goal in the 27th minute before midfielder Croix Bethune's 83rd-minute empty-net strike secured Washington the 2-0 semifinal result.
"I feel like we've been in this steady spot," Bethune said following Saturday's match. "These past two games honestly have been the best soccer that we've played."
Dealing with availability issues as of late, the semifinal saw center back Tara McKeown return to Washington's lineup after an ankle knock forced the center back to exit the Spirit's quarterfinal match, with second-half sub Trinity Rodman also making her return while defender Gabby Carle remained sidelined.
"I was playing, and that's that," McKeown told reporters after putting in a 90-minute performance in the shutout.
"I think Spirit is definitely the better team — I think that can kind of go without being said," Portland captain Sam Coffey reflected. "They outplayed us for sure, and I think they definitely have all the pieces to go and win the whole thing."
How to watch the Washington Spirit in the 2025 NWSL Championship
Saturday's result sends the No. 2 Washington Spirit to the 2025 NWSL Championship in San Jose, where they'll face No. 8 Gotham FC on Saturday.
The match kicks off at 8 PM ET, with live coverage airing on CBS.
The No. 2 Washington Spirit are gearing up to face the No. 3 Portland Thorns on Saturday, hoping for a healthy roster as they take the pitch in front of another sold-out "Rowdy Audi" crowd in the 2025 NWSL semifinals.
The Spirit are still waiting for the return of star forward Trinity Rodman, with the 23-year-old serving as an unused sub in Saturday's quarterfinal while continuing to rehab a recent MCL injury.
Washington also saw defenders Gabby Carle and Tara McKeown exit last weekend's win with apparent injuries, though Rodman and McKeown were both spotted training with the team on Friday morning.
Despite their availability issues, the Spirit aren't ready to tap out of the 2025 NWSL Playoffs, as Washington prepares to take on a Portland side firing on all cylinders after overcoming their own losses earlier this season.
"We are not just 11 players," Spirit head coach Adrián González assured reporters. "We have a deep roster and that's something that's giving us a lot."
"The bounce-back ability of this team has been absolutely outstanding all season long," said Portland manager Rob Gale. "We ain't done yet."
How to watch Washington vs. Portland in the 2025 NWSL semifinals
The No. 2 Spirit will face the No. 3 Thorns in the 2025 NWSL semifinals at 12 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on CBS.
The NWSL's Kansas City Current officially placed defender Alana Cook on the Season Ending Injury list on Thursday, after the center back tore her left ACL, MCL, and meniscus in last Friday's 1-0 win over Orlando.
Since joining the Current in a 2024 midseason trade from Seattle, the 28-year-old starter has anchored the backline of her new team to the tune of 10 shutouts in 19 matches.
The injury is also a setback to Cook's USWNT return, with the defender logging her 30th cap and first international minutes since October 2023 just last month.
"Alana has made a big impact for our club on and off the pitch in a short period of time, and our hearts absolutely break for her," said Kansas City head coach and Cook's former USWNT boss Vlatko Andonovski in a club statement.
"Throughout her career, Alana has proven to be determined, resilient, and disciplined with an optimistic spirit," he continued. "We are confident she will carry those same attributes into her recovery process. The team will stand by her every step of the way, and we eagerly await the day she is able to join us on the pitch again."
Kansas City attack also suffers injury losses
Cook's season-ending knock wasn't the only blow to the NWSL-leading Current, as attacking midfielder Debinha and striker Temwa Chawinga also exited Friday's pitch with injuries. With five goals each, both are currently in a four-way tie for second in the Golden Boot race.
Andonovski told the media on Wednesday that while 2024 MVP Chawinga is still undergoing evaluation, Debinha "is not probably going to be back until after the summer."
With both being considered 2025 MVP frontrunners, the losses may leave fans wondering how long Kansas City can maintain their spot atop the league.
While most WNBA stars hit the court running this weekend, a few saw their 2025 campaigns already shortened as teams released season-opening injury reports.
Phoenix forward Kahleah Copper will miss four to six weeks of play, the Mercury reported on Saturday, after the 2024 Olympic gold medalist underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on her left knee last week.
Another knee injury has LA's Rae Burrell sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, after the fourth-year guard took a knock to the right leg just 41 seconds into the Sparks' 2025 debut win over Golden State.
On Friday, the Mystics released updates on both second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards and rookie guard Georgia Amoore. While another assessment of the Unrivaled 1v1 runner-up's back injury will occur in two more weeks, Washington confirmed that the Australian standout will miss the entire 2025 WNBA season after undergoing a successful surgery to repair her right ACL.
Seattle's Katie Lou Samuelson is also out for the full 2025 campaign, with the 27-year-old Storm forward recovering from last week's successful surgery after tearing her right ACL in practice on May 1st.
Kitley makes long-awaited WNBA debut as Brink eyes return
In more uplifting news, LA's Cameron Brink is on track to return to the Sparks sometime next month, one year after her standout rookie season came to a halt in a left ACL tear.
Already celebrating, however, is 2024 second-round draftee Elizabeth Kitley, who battled back from injury to make her WNBA debut and score her first league points in Las Vegas's Saturday loss to New York.
The Aces took a draft chance on Kitley, despite the center suffering an ACL tear in her final NCAA postseason. In response, the former Virginia Tech star successfully translated her year-long delayed shot at a pro career by surviving Las Vegas's brutal 2025 roster cuts.
Notably, Kitley's close friend and collegiate on-court counterpart with the Hokies is the aforementioned Amoore, who will aim for a rookie-season redo of her own next year.