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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.

Barcelona aims to end Emma Hayes UWCL dreams in semifinal

BARCELONA, SPAIN - MARCH 28: Jonatan Giraldez of FC Barcelona gestures during the UEFA Women's Champions League 2023/24 Quarter Final Leg Two match between FC Barcelona and SK Brann at Estadi Johan Cruyff on March 28, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Eric Alonso - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Barcelona is set to take on Chelsea once again in the Champions League semifinals, and coach Jonatan Giráldez has his sights set on ending Chelsea’s run. 

It’s a rematch of last year’s semifinal, only this time both coaches are coaching in their final leg of UWCL matches with their respective teams. Giráldez will depart Barcelona for the NWSL’s Washington Spirit upon the conclusion of the season, while Chelsea’s Emma Hayes is set to take over the USWNT. 

While Giráldez has won the CHampions League with Barcleona, it’s the one trophy that has eluded Hayes in her time at Chelsea. 

"Emma's legacy is in what she has done at Chelsea and the growth [at the club] over more than 10 years," Giráldez said. "She has done a magnificent job at the club. The next [manager] will have bar set very high because she has done amazing things.

"She will hope to go out with a Champions League [trophy], but we are here to try and make sure that doesn't happen and to bring it home, which is our objective."

In her time with Chelsea, Hayes has won six Women’s Super League titles and five FA Cups. Chelsea has made the UWCL final just once – in 2021, when the team lost to Barcelona. They then ended Chelsea’s hopes last year, winning 2-1 on aggregate in the semifinal before winning their second UWCL trophy in four years. 

The first leg of this year’s semifinal is set to be played at Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium, with Chelsea then playing at home in the second leg. 

"It will be a very even tie," Giráldez added. "Chelsea are a great side and the club have invested in the women's game in recent years -- and it shows. They've done well in the Champions League and are in great form, but so are we. I would have preferred to have the second leg at home, but it's not something we can control."

USWNT midfielder Korbin Albert issues apology for social media activity

Korbin Albert. (Photo by John Todd/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

USWNT midfielder Korbin Albert has apologized for past social media activity that appeared to support anti-LGBTQIA+ content and for liking an Instagram post that made light of Megan Rapinoe’s injury in her final professional game. 

The posts caused Rapinoe to call out the midfielder, who now wears Rapinoe’s No. 15, on Instagram, addressing her note to “the people who want to hide behind ‘my beliefs’” and saying that “all you believe in is hate.”

Rapinoe’s comments were then shared by USWNT teammate Becky Sauerbrunn, as well as others like Lynn Williams, Sam Mewis and Kristie Mewis. 

Among the posts reposted to Albert’s TikTok was a Christian sermon talking about how being gay and “feeling transgender” is wrong. The posts surfaced earlier this week and garnered widespread attention among fans of women’s soccer. 

Albert started in Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League game on Thursday, scoring in the 70th minute. Following the game, and hours after Rapinoe’s post, Albert posted an apology to her Instagram. 

"I want to sincerely apologize for my actions on social media," Albert wrote in a post shared on her Instagram story late Thursday. "Liking and sharing posts that are offensive, insensitive and hurtful was immature and disrespectful which was never my intent. I'm really disappointed in myself and am deeply sorry for the hurt that I have caused to my teammates, other players, fans, friends and anyone who was offended.

“I truly believe that everyone should feel safe and respected everywhere and on all playing fields. I know my actions have not lived up to that and for that I sincerely apologize. It’s an honor and a privilege to play this sport on the world stage and I promise to do better.”

U.S. Soccer has yet to address Albert’s social media activity, although she is set to join the USWNT next week in camp ahead of the SheBelieves Cup, which starts on April 6.

Megan Rapinoe confirms post was directed at Korbin Albert

(Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

Former USWNT forward Megan Rapinoe took to Instagram to implicitly call out current USWNT midfielder Korbin Albert’s past social media activity.

Albert, who now wears Rapinoe’s No. 15, came under fire this week for previous social media activity that included her appearing to support anti-LGBTQIA+ content and like an Instagram post that made light of Rapinoe’s injury in her final professional game. 

Rapinoe tore her Achilles in the NWSL championship, and Albert, via a screengrab, appeared to like a post from a meme account that read: “God taking time off performing miracles to make sure Megan Rapinoe sprains her ankle in her final ever game.”

Albert’s Instagram handle appeared to have liked the post in the screengrab, although the original appears to have been deleted as of March 28. 

On Thursday, Rapinoe posted her reaction to Albert’s activity via an Instagram story.

“To the people who want to hide behind ‘my beliefs’ I would just ask one question, are you making any time of space safer, more inclusive, more whole, any semblance of better, bringing the best out of anyone?” she wrote. “… because if you aren’t all you believe in is hate. And Kids are literally killing themselves because of this hate. Wake TF up! Yours Truly, #15.”

She signed off her note saying, “For all my trans homies enduring this horrific treatment day in and day out, I see you and hear you and I am WITH YOU.”

USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn reshared the post on Thursday, captioning it, “Well said.” Other former teammates and current USWNT members also shared the post, including Lynn Williams, Abby Dahlkemper, Sam Mewis and Kristie Mewis. 

When asked for comment by The Athletic, Rapinoe said the post was a response to Albert’s social media activity, but also noted that her focus is on protecting queer lives and sharing concerns over how online discussions and anti-trans sentiment can have real-world consequences.

Rapinoe isn’t the only USWNT member to have supported trans rights. Long-time captain Becky Sauerbrunn wrote an op-ed for a Missouri newspaper in support of allowing trans girls and women to play sports. In the final game of the 2022 SheBelieves Cup, held in Texas, players wore wristbands with the words “Protect Trans Kids” on the same day that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for state employees to report the parents of trans children to the authorities. 

Following her Champions League match with club team Paris Saint-Germain, Albert posted an apology to Instagram.

“I want to sincerely apologize for my actions on social media,” she wrote. “Liking and sharing posts that are offensive, insensitive and hurtful was immature and disrespectful which was never my intent.

“I truly believe that everyone should feel safe and respected everywhere and on all playing fields. I know my actions have not lived up to that and for that I sincerely apologize. It’s an honor and a privilege to play this sport on the world stage and I promise to do better.”

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

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