Spirit sells out its home opener, then falls to the Current
The Washington Spirit's surge from D.C. sports afterthought to stadium-packing sensation last fall was a years-in-the-making development, pulsating with long-term ambition and jolted by an odds-defying run to the NWSL final.
Entering the Spirit's home opener Saturday night against the Kansas City Current, the team sought to reignite that spark at Audi Field.
In the stands, the Spirit faithful delivered with an announced sellout crowd of 19,254 — a home opener record. On the field, Washington showed it has work to do, falling 2-0 for its first home loss since June.
The match turned on a trio of video reviews early in the second half. Kansas City took the lead on Lo'eau LaBonta's 56th-minute penalty kick after referee Elijio Arreguin went to the monitor and ruled that Temwa Chawinga's header glanced off the arm of the Spirit's Esme Morgan.
Two minutes later, Spirit star Trinity Rodman sent Audi Field into euphoria when she slammed home Ashley Hatch's header moments after entering the match. But the goal was waved off for offside, and Arreguin upheld the call after another video review.
In the 65th, Arreguin awarded the Spirit a penalty kick when Hatch stumbled to the turf under a challenge from Alana Cook. But he reversed the call following a third trip to the monitor.
Chawinga added a stoppage-time insurance goal for Kansas City, a semifinalist from last season's playoffs that again looks like a title contender.
The Spirit (1-1-0), which only lost twice at home last season, returns to Audi Field to face San Jose-based Bay FC on Friday night.
Although the Spirit had hoped to have Croix Bethune back on the field against Kansas City (2-0-0), the reigning NWSL midfielder of the year sat out because of a hip injury. The setback came a week after Bethune returned to the game-day squad for the Spirit's season-opening win at Houston, nearly seven months after suffering a torn meniscus.
She was joined on the sideline by Hal Hershfelt, the durable defensive midfielder who suffered an ankle injury in the second half against Houston. Spirit Coach Jonatan Giráldez filled Hershfelt's void by adding Morgan as an extra center back, alongside Tara McKeown and Rebeca Bernal, and shifting to a 3-4-3 formation.
The injury absences and tactical tweak seemed to leave the Spirit out of sorts early. Michelle Cooper slipped behind the Washington back line but, under pressure from a lunging Bernal, launched her shot into the stands. Later, Debinha struck the crossbar after Chawinga pounced on an errant touch from Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury and fed the ball to the Brazilian. And Chawinga, the reigning NWSL MVP, should have opened the scoring when she connected with Cooper's far-post feed but missed the gaping net.
The Spirit came inches from taking the lead in the 35th minute. As McKeown deflected Makenna Morris's in-swinging cross, Current goalkeeper Lorena stretched to push the ball off the post and away from danger.
The teams traded chances coming out of halftime: Lorena got down to deny Leicy Santos's 10-yard one-timer, and Kingsbury lunged to deny Debinha's scuffed shot at the other end. Kingsbury again came up big moments later, when she denied Chawinga's header with a reflex save — only to see Kansas City awarded a penalty on the play as video review took center stage.
Those repeated interruptions brought on 11 minutes of stoppage time as the Spirit searched for an equalizer. But the Current sewed up the three points when Chawinga beat Bernal to a long ball, evaded Kingsbury and slotted into an empty net in the 98th minute.
Speaking to reporters before the match, Spirit owner Y. Michele Kang said the club will do 'everything in our power to hopefully keep' Rodman in Washington as the 22-year-old forward plays the final year of her contract.
'She's an integral part of our success — meaning the Spirit as well as the NWSL,' Kang added.
Rodman ascended to a new level of stardom last year when she won an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. national team, earned a nod as an NWSL MVP finalist and made the shortlist for the global Ballon d'Or honor.
The Spirit's top pick in the 2021 draft, Rodman has repeatedly expressed interest in playing in Europe. So could Kang, who also owns French power Lyon and England's London City Lionesses, facilitate a loan that keeps Rodman within that budding women's soccer empire?
'I'm actually a globalist,' Kang responded. '... I think experiencing different style, different leagues, it's actually a good thing. So we'll see.'
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