After a season riddled with injuries, a coaching change and off-the-field news, the Washington Spirit focuses on playing rival Gotham FC in its second straight NWSL Championship appearance.
Aubrey Kingsbury smiled as she watched her Washington Spirit teammates celebrate in front of their fans after winning in the semifinals of the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs.
After leading the team to victory in the quarterfinals with two saves during the penalty shootout, Washington’s goalkeeper and longest-tenured player only had to make one save as her teammates carried the load in the semifinal victory. Kingsbury credited the team ownership and coaching staff for their success, claiming the 2025 Spirit roster as the best.
“This is by far the best team I have ever played for,” she said. “I was honestly confident going into preseason and that we were going to win the finals. I’m so excited to be back and just one more to go.”
Kingsbury and the Washington Spirit will take on Gotham FC in the NWSL Championship on Saturday. It is Washington’s second straight appearance in the finals, after losing to Orlando in Kansas City last year, and fourth overall in franchise history.
This time, Spirit players say they’re peaking at the right time.
“I think this is honestly the best football we have played in the last two games,” said midfielder Croix Bethune.
Washington reached the finals after knocking off the Portland Thorns 2-0 in front of a sold-out crowd at Audi Field. The Spirit’s aggressive offense came about midway through the first half after Rosemonde Kouassi burst through Portland’s defense on an 80-yard run before finding Gift Monday for the tap-in. Bethune capped the win by intercepting a back pass to goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold and scoring on an open net.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence what we saw, because we built up all season and worked very hard,” head coach Adrián González said on Tuesday. “Now we see the connections we built, and I think it was a great team effort.”
Despite finishing the regular season in second place, Washington dealt with multiple injuries early this year and several players went on maternity leave. Then, in May, then-head coach Jonatan Giráldez announced he was leaving to coach OL Lyonnes in France.
Tara McKeown, who won NWSL’s Defender of the Year, remembered those times as moments when players came together to have “each other’s backs.” Between August and mid-October, Washington went on a fourteen-match unbeaten streak, including seven wins in all competitions.
“There have been times when we had maybe 14 players on the injured list, and the next player stepped up and helped us through those games,” McKeown said. “Everyone has been involved in all the team wins and team losses this year, so being together as a team all year has brought us to this moment.”
All eyes remain on Rodman
Meanwhile, the most pressing question heading into the final has little to do with the match. Striker Trinity Rodman’s contract expires after the championship. Washington owner Michele Kang said in March that the Spirit would do “everything in our power” to keep Rodman in D.C.
Now the NWSL is involved. According to multiple reports, Kang and Rodman’s representatives are negotiating with Commissioner Jessica Berman for a possible deal as European teams and neighbors DC Power FC of the Gainbridge Super League inquire about the 23-year-old’s services. Rodman will be looking for a raise after her current deal, reportedly $1.1 million over four years, expires.
Berman said during her league speech Thursday that it is important for the NWSL to retain its high-profile stars, but was non-committal about raising the league’s salary cap, which limits how much teams can pay for their rosters.
“We want Trinity in the NWSL, and we will fight for her, and we are excited to see her compete in the championship on Saturday,” Berman said.
When asked about her future in Washington following the semifinal win, Rodman – who has been dealing with an MCL sprain injury since October – said her focus is on helping Washington win the championship first before working out her future plans.
“For me, my focus was on winning this championship and then the next steps come from there,” Rodman said. “But right now my head is all down and it’s so distracting to be hurt, and that’s all I can think about.”
Rodman has spent her entire career in Washington, becoming the youngest player drafted in NWSL history when the Spirit selected her with the second overall pick in the 2021 College Draft. In 2025, the forward was limited due to injuries to her back and knee. She played just fifteen games, scoring five goals and providing two assists.
The rivalry between Gotham and DC has been renewed
Washington will choose a Gotham side it knows all too well. According to sports statistics agency Opta, it will be the 44th time the two teams have met in all competitions, making it the most played match between two NWSL teams.
This season alone, the Spirit and Gotham have played each other three times, twice in the regular season and once in group play in the CONCACAF W Championship Cup. Washington has yet to beat its East Coast rival this year, failing to score in all three games.
Gotham finished the season in eighth place and clinched the final playoff spot on the final day of the regular season. However, the Bats are not underdogs. They were captured in May the first CONCACAF W Championship Cup. In the playoffs, they eliminated the top-seeded Kansas City Current and defeated the reigning champions, Orlando Pride, in the semifinals.
“They’ve done a great job this season as well and they have a very good team, a lot of talent on defense, but also very good on offense,” Gonzalez said. “They are a great team and they deserve to be there.”
Head coach Juan Carlos Amorós employs a possession style that will be able to counter Washington’s pressing attack. Gotham features an array of international players (Ann-Katrin Berger and Esther González), U.S. Women’s National Team stars (Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett) and young rising talent (Jaedyn Shaw), some of whom were part of the 2023 NWSL title run.
“I feel like when you play against each other so much, and they’re such great players playing against each other, it makes the game even more exciting,” Bethune said. “We play them a lot, where each team thinks they’re the only one…but it’s the championship game, so it can be a completely different game.”
Every time Washington played Gotham this year, the Spirit struggled with injuries and missing players. This time, Gotham will face Washington’s most complete roster.
According to Bethune, this means Gotham will face off against a very different Spirit team ready to win it all.
“We want to win and be in the championship every year,” Bethune said. “Playoffs are great, but the end goal is to win the ring, and that’s what we want to do.”
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