The Spirit, with a ‘sad' injury list but ‘crazy' depth, just keeps winning

Washington Post

25-04-2025

When the Washington Spirit traveled to Orlando last weekend to take on the NWSL champion Pride, the visitors' 11-player injured list could've represented a title-contending lineup in its own right.
All four Spirit players who were members of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the Paris Olympics — Casey Krueger, Hal Hershfelt, Croix Bethune and Trinity Rodman — were out. The same went for Andi Sullivan, a starter for the United States at the last World Cup who is recovering from a torn ACL and pregnant with her first child. Also sidelined were Ouleymata Sarr, the team's leading scorer for much of last season, and key contributors Paige Metayer, Kate Wiesner and Brittany Ratcliffe. Rookie Emma Gaines-Ramos and reserve goalkeeper Lyza Jessee were out as well.
So what did Coach Jonatan Giráldez's makeshift squad do in the face of such adversity? Grab a 1-0 win that only marked Orlando's third loss since the end of 2023 and snapped the Pride's 22-game home unbeaten streak.
'We're all just so close as a group that I feel like the adversity brings us together and just galvanizes us,' defender Esme Morgan said. 'We're like, 'Well, this is what it is, but we're going to make the most of it and we're going to battle as hard as we can to get the win.''
After finishing second in last year's NWSL standings and making a run to the title game, the current Spirit squad is a far cry from the stacked lineup the coaching staff and front office envisioned fielding this season. Yet Washington still sits at 4-1-0 entering its match against Gotham FC (2-2-2) on Saturday afternoon at Audi Field.
'We know that we are not at our best,' Giráldez said. 'The most important thing is we are winning games.'
At least one sidelined catalyst could return against Gotham. Bethune, the reigning NWSL rookie and midfielder of the year, participated in full training this week and could log her first minutes since suffering a torn meniscus in August. Although Bethune made the game-day squad for the Spirit's season-opening win at Houston last month, she promptly went back on the injured list with a hip issue.
'The perception with Croix,' Giráldez said, 'is she is very, very close.'
Giráldez also was cautiously optimistic that striker Ashley Hatch — the NWSL's second-leading scorer with four goals — will play Saturday after suffering a concussion against Orlando. But the Spirit will remain down several starters Saturday, with Krueger (knee) and Hershfelt (ankle) training in a limited capacity and not expected back until next month.
Then there's Rodman, the NWSL MVP finalist who has been in and out of the lineup since September because of ongoing back issues. After the 22-year-old forward logged limited minutes in Washington's first four matches and scored in the U.S. team's 2-1 win over Brazil earlier this month — her first appearance for the Americans since the Olympics — Rodman stepped away from the Spirit last week to meet with a team doctor in London.
Rodman remained absent this week, with a timetable for her return unclear.
'Right now we have to support her,' Giráldez said. 'At the end of the day, we have to be focused on the next game and try to do our best to win for Trin and also to win for the team.'
The Spirit has turned to its roster reinforcements to help alleviate the injury issues. Mexico captain Rebeca Bernal has brought poise and on-the-ball polish while playing at center back and defensive midfield. Japanese veteran Narumi Miura has solidified the midfield with work rate and high-percentage passing. Signed a month ago, Nigerian newcomer Gift Monday swiped the ball off Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to score her first NWSL goal Saturday.
'Our depth is crazy,' said Makenna Morris, a second-year player who has logged minutes in the back line, midfield and front line this season. 'Our injury list is sad, and we can't wait for those people to be back. But the people we do have out there are absolutely insane and just dogs on the field.'
Washington has also showcased its tactical flexibility, switching between four- and five-player back lines while asking the likes of Morris to handle a variety of positions. While Giráldez hasn't been shy about his desire to fine-tune an attractive, possession-based system, the Spirit isn't above a more pragmatic approach. On a day that Orlando controlled 60 percent of the ball and outshot Washington 20-9, the Spirit used its high press to nab a second-half strike and secure the three points.
'It doesn't matter who is playing — the team has to be recognized as a team,' Giráldez said. 'Sometimes you need to defend more time than you would like, but in the way that you have to compete to win. I think that's the most important thing, and the team is showing huge, huge character.'
But that doesn't mean the Spirit is sacrificing its identity. When Gotham visits Saturday for a rematch of November's NWSL semifinal — won by Washington in a shootout after Hershfelt's last-gasp equalizer — Giráldez expects his side to dictate the tempo in possession, wreak havoc with defensive pressure and play like a championship-caliber team riding a three-game winning streak.
'We've had a lot of things not go our way this season in terms of injuries and different setbacks, but it just has provided opportunities for new players,' captain Aubrey Kingsbury said. 'We're really finding out exactly who we are.'