With a spot in the NWSL Playoffs officially clinched the Washington Spirit are Philadelphia bound to continue the journey that they have in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup.
It won’t be an easy test when they enter into the pitch, as when they look across the field they not only look at a NWSL Rival but they also look at the reigning CONCACAF Champions in Gotham FC.
This is going to be the third meeting between the two rivals, but this has a ton more implications to it.
Up for grabs on October 1, is going to be a first-place spot in Group B and an opportunity to be in the semifinals of the Tournament.
It is a spot that is unfamiliar for the ladies as they are making their debut in the tournament.
So far the Spirit are making a strong showing as they have beaten Vancouver 4-0 and Alianza by a final of 7-0.
The challenge is going against a Gotham squad that has gained a ton of momentum on their side of the fence and this match is going to add even more importance in the fact that Gotham is going to want to defend the CONCACAF Championship.
With a thorough training session held in Leesburg and then having a media session the Spirit prepared and interacted with the media and shared the thoughts as to some of the emotions that they may have as they face Gotham on October 1.
One of the topics that was covered during the team’s zoom session was that of the short corner kicks that the team implements during the course of the matchday as Midfielder Heather Stainbrook talked about a wide range of topics.
One the things that she reflected on is the fact that the Spirit have had some cool experiences so far including, “The fact that we’ve been able to see some different teams that they don’t normally play and being able to see El Salvador was one of the cooler experiences for me.”
The Spirit are going to continue the great bond that they have with Subaru Park, as the ladies have had the chance to play there prior to October 1.
They were a part of the 2021 farewell match for Carli Lloyd and in 2024 as a part of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
This visit is going to be very different for the franchise now though as they were able to add names such as Sofia Cantore and seeing people such as Gift Monday stepping up her play.
As a matter of fact, Monday was a gigantic part of the Spirit capturing the playoffs, as in the victory against Houston she was a part of the fastest hat trick from kickoff at just under 36 minutes and recorded the first-ever NWSL hat trick at Audi Field.
Fans are encouraged to view the following video as Head Coach Head Coach Adrián González along with Tara McKeown and Gift Monday …. video is compliments of the Washington Spirit:
The ladies are going to hope that the combination of the preparation along with the fanbase able to travel to Philadelphia can lead them to continunining to make the Spirit brand a great one in that market.
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